Reginald Pelham Bolton collection: notes regarding Indians near Inwood Hill Park, New York City
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.
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
- Bolton, Reginald Pelham, 1856-1942. (Person)
- Byrd, Evelyn. (Person)
- Diaz, Emilio Cabral. (Person)
- Drake, Lawrence. (Person)
- Hall, Edward Hagaman, 1858-1936. (Person)
- Heye, George G. (George Gustav), 1874-1957. (Person)
- James, J. B. (Former owner, Person)
- Orchard, William C. (Person)
- Seaman, John F. (Person)
- Seaman, Valentine, 1770-1817. (Person)
- Van Cortlandt, Frederick. (Person)
- American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society (Organization)
- Huntington Free Library (Former owner, Organization)
- Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (Former owner, Organization)
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
Ownership and Custodial History
Provenance: Huntington Free Library. Gift to Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation from Mrs. Reginald Pelham Bolton, 1942.
- Algonquian Indians.
- Black River (N.Y.).
- Bolton, Reginald Pelham, 1856-1942.
- Calver, William L.
- Cayuga County (N.Y.).
- Cherokee Indians.
- Chibcha Indians.
- Dyckman Institute
- Excavations (Archaeology) -- New York (State).
- Excavations (Archaeology).
- Great Gully Site (N.Y.)
- Hudson River (N.Y. and N.J.).
- Indians of North America
- Indians of North America -- Antiquities
- Indians of North America -- Funeral customs and rites
- Inwood (Nassau County, N.Y.).
- Inwood Hill Park.
- Inwood Park.
- Jefferson County (N.Y.).
- Kitchen-middens.
- New York (N.Y.) -- Maps.
- Red Lake (Ont.).
- Spuyten Duyvil (New York, N.Y.).
- Spuyten Duyvil Creek.
- Washington Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Wiechquaeskeck Indians.
- Description rules
- Appm
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)