The Archaeological Society of New Jersey will be holding a lecture in Cherry Hill for the first time.
“This is the first time we’ve invited the Archaeological Society to Cherry Hill. I think it will be an interesting event,” said Bridget Palmer, township communications director. “I think a lot of times, we only think of the things on the surface. With this, we’ll be able to look underneath.”
According to the society’s website, the Archaeological Society of New Jersey was organized in 1931 to promote and encourage the study of historic and prehistoric archaeology, especially in New Jersey.
Its main purposes are to support preservation of important archaeological sites and artifacts, and to assist and encourage their investigation and interpretation by approved professional methods; to promote the establishment of local archaeological organizations; and to record and publish archaeological information.
The society holds regular meetings in the months of January, March, May and October, at which guest speakers lecture on archaeological topics and members talk on subjects of local interest, and exhibit artifacts from their collections, the site said.
“It’s a chance to look beyond the buildings and find out about our whole lives,” Palmer said. “It’s not just a town that’s rich in history, it’s the whole area. It’s another facet of where we came from.”
Dr. Ilene Grossman-Bailey, a Cherry Hill native and senior archaeologist at Richard Grubb and Assoc. in Cranbury, will be giving the lecture.
“Cherry Hill is a special place for me. Over the years, as I’ve gotten into archaeology, I’ve gotten very interested in the archeology of New Jersey,” Bailey said.
She held interest in the state for many years and wrote her dissertation on New Jersey Native Americans in Beesley’s Point.
Recently, Bailey became the president of the Archaeological Society of N.J.
“The society is a place for archaeologists and people who love history to get together to talk about sites, preserved sites and current archeological research,” Bailey said.
“One of our board members, Secrie Corson, is from Cherry Hill. She was instrumental in putting us in touch with the Cherry Hill Historic Commission.”
As a former resident, Bailey was under the impression Cherry Hill didn’t hold much potential for archaeological sites.
“After looking into it, there is a lot of potential and a lot of sites to preserve what’s left,” Bailey said.
On May 18, the society is going to have a whole program and will talk about several projects in the area, including a Cherry Hill site in the 1970s, according to Bailey.
“There will be discussion about some of the things they did and the surveying they did in the 1970s,” Bailey said.
“The Cherry Hill site is a prehistoric Native American site that dates back 1,000 years ago to about 8,000 years ago.
“They found artifacts that tell them something about those people.”
Additionally, Bailey will be speaking about projects in other Camden County towns.
“I will be talking about a site I excavated in Moorestown that had some interesting artifacts that include tubular stone pipes, smoking pipes, which are very rare.
“The other two talks are about a shipwreck in Woodbury creek,” Bailey said.
The final talk on May 18 will be about a site that was excavated at Croft Farm, according to Bailey.
Another purpose of the meeting is to try to draw members statewide.
The society has members across the state and meetings in numerous locations.
“New Jersey has an amazingly rich history. There’s an amazing mix of Native American sites and Revolutionary War sites,” Bailey said.
“It’s very cool to find out about this. It’s a great way to learn about our history,” Bailey said.
The lecture will be held at Croft Farm free of charge for anyone wishing to attend.
The board meeting begins at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at noon. Croft Farm is located at 100 Borton’s Mill Road.
Visit the Archaeological Society of New Jersey to learn more about membership and future meetings, at www.asnj.org.
