ARCHEOLOGY

ARCHEOLOGY DEPARTMENT Modern Iroquois creative culture has grown out of ancient traditions in New York that can be traced back archeologically some 10,000 years. With an emphasis upon regional archeology, the Museum combines anthropological research with appreciation of contemporary sensitivities. The Museum's discovery of the home of the pre-Revolutionary Schoharie Mohawks and the oldest (9600 year-old) site in Schoharie County are particularly emphasized in the archeological exhibits.

JAMES A. OSTERHOUT (1908 - 1988)

One of the Museum's founding trustees was Jim Osterhout, an avocational archeologist since the early 1930s. As a member of the Van Epps-Hartley Chapter of the NY State Archeological Association, Jim met other important people in the study of archeology and Iroquois material culture.

Two important principles guided Jim's work -- sharing and being accurate. He stressed the importance of keeping records, surveying, and the double-checking of data.Jim kept topographic maps of all the known sites in Schoharie County and investigated new sites for anyone who called him. He kept watch on potential threats to archeological sites and believed that artifacts found in Schoharie County should stay in Schoharie County.

Following that conviction, Jim donated most of the material that he had found on the Enders and Cider Mill sites to the Schoharie County Historical Society and when the Iroquois Museum was formed in 1980, he donated the entirety of his remaining collection to the Museum. No other Schoharie County collection like his exists in any other institution. It is the achievement of his lifetime.

As Director of the Iroquois Museum' s Department of Archeology, Jim helped to establish certain rules: 1. all materials found on a site excavated by the Department belong to the Museum if so desired by the landowners. 2. all members of the Department, even when operating on their own, should operate with the highest archeological standards.

These are simple rules, but they represent some of Jim Osterhout's most deeply felt convictions.