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Reginald Pelham Bolton collection: notes regarding Indians near Inwood Hill Park, New York City

 Collection — huntington box: 29
Identifier: 9117

Scope and content

Collection includes notebook by Bolton titled "Notes on discoveries and index to aboriginal objects with location of discovery, collected by W. L. Calver, with some collected in 1907-7-8-9 by W.L.C. and R. P. Bolton." Field notebook by Alanson Skinner from 1918 titled "Field Notes" has "Notes on the great shellheap at Cold Spring, Inwood" as first entry, but the book goes on to describe other Indian excavation sites across New York State, including sites in Jefferson, Orange, and Cayuga Counties, Tar Island, and Red Lake near the Canadian border. Notebooks contain sketches of the burial sites and information about the artifacts found within. Photo album of Inwood Park, including photos of various places in the park, of the Tulip Tree, Seaman Drake Estate, Van Cortlandt Mansion, Spuytrn Duyvil creek, and Dyckman Institute library. Also, newspaper clippings regarding Indians of Inwood, sketches, photo of the Museum of American Indian exhibit by W. C. Orchard, and photos of the surrounding area including pictures of houseboats and local buildings like the Jewish Memorial Hospital. Album ends with a poem titled Inwood Park - October, by Miss Evelyn Byrd. Many of the photos in the album are from Frank S. Savastano photography.

Scope and content

Also three folders with maps and manuscripts. Folder one contains a paper by W. L. Calver and Bolton titled "Discovery of an Indian human burial at Inwood", dated Sunday, August 25, 1907; letter from George Heye to Mrs. Bolton thanking her for the gift; and correspondence, dated 1907, from Bolton and Edward Hagman Hall, the secretary of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, to Calver, discussing the shell pockets. Folder two contains newspaper clippings and photos about Inwood Park. Folder three contains hand drawn map of Inwood Park and Van Cortlandt Park by J. B. James and blueprint maps by Bolton.

Dates

  • 1900-1935.

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Bolton was an author and archaeologist who studied the Washington Heights and Inwood region of New York extensively. He was a life Member of the New York Historical Society and of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.

Extent

.4 cubic feet. (.4 cubic feet.)

Language of Materials

English