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  • Membership
  • Donate
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  • Contact Us
FOWCAS

Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site

Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological SiteFriends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site

Group Presses on to Preserve Native American Grounds

 in Chappaqua

info@gallocpas.com_20230601_170123 (pdf)

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The Pound Ridge Massacre: A Dark Chapter from Early America

 In 1644, a combined force of Dutch and English colonists attacked a Native American village in present day Westchester, NY.  It was one of the deadliest attacks on the indigenous people on the Atlantic Coast. This is the story of that event, the colony of New Netherland (later New York), and the "River Tribes" of the Hudson River Valley.   Produced by Jon Scott Bennett.

Watch the Documentary

Lenape tribe member delivers history lesson

We thank The Rivertowns Enterprise editor for permission to reprint this story which originally appeared in the December 2, 2022 edition.

Lenape tribe member delivers history lesson.net (pdf)

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Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site

 Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site provides visitors with a balanced approach to interpreting the lives of Indigenous, European, and African people at PMH to understand the complex relationships that took place at the Manor from the earliest days of the Dutch Colony of New Netherland to the American Revolution and beyond.  

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IN SEARCH OF THE WECKQUAESGEEK

The Native Americans of the Rivertowns


We thank Bee Local, their publisher, editors, reporters and staff for this coverage.

Read the Article

Watch

The secret world of the Lenape from PBS

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Earth Day Letter

Originally published in The Rivertowns Enterprise, in April 2022

  

Friday April 22 is Earth Day. In the spirit of that event, Dobbs Ferry will be sponsoring a Village Clean Up on Saturday the 23rd. Watch for further information from the Village. There are several unsightly areas in the Village where trash needs to be removed as a citizen effort in the spirit of honoring the environment of our planet. 


Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site (FOWCAS) supports this important event. We are a volunteer organization dedicated  to educating people to honor the memory of  the Lenape people who originally lived throughout the Hudson Valley and who had a major chieftaincy in what is now Dobbs Ferry. Here they had the tribal name Weckquaesgeeks, which is said to be the origin of the name Wickers Creek, our tributary of the Hudson River. The creek starts deep in Dobbs Ferry. There is a north fork that begins as a spring in the Juhring estate and is piped under the Ardsley County Club golf course until it is daylighted west of Broadway down to the mouth of the Hudson. It is joined by a south fork that originates around Springhurst School and likewise passes under Broadway.


Hundreds  of years ago, the Lenape harvested oysters and fish from the Hudson and farmed for other foods to sustain themselves. The oral history states that from across the river the glow of their fires burnt very bright in the night sky. A shell midden is what is left behind  from their habitation around Wickers Creek. It is considered an important archaeological site. To learn more about the shell midden and the Lenape history in Dobbs Ferry please go to  Village Hall . There you can visit an exhibit about an archaeological dig done at the shell midden. It will give you further information about the life of the Lenape here and why Wickers Creek is such a significant site.


To protect and keep the environment clean and healthy is basic to the Lenape culture. So Earth Day is the perfect time for FOWCAS to honor the plan to clean up the environment in Dobbs Ferry. Some of our members will be working to clean up the area around Wickers Creek. To find out more about FOWCAS and Wickers Creek please go to our website fowcas.org.

Resources for Research . . .

FOWCAS is pleased to provide a  treasure trove of resource materials regarding the indigenous people  of this area.  We are grateful to Frederick Charles for sharing this.

Resources

Indigenous Peoples' Day

Why Columbus Day Is One of the Most Controversial Holidays in America

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Teaching kids about Thanksgiving or Columbus? They deserve the real story

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Loss of Woods to Development is a Misuse of Resources

Sue Galloway's Letter to the Editor

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Video

A special message from the descendants of the first inhabitants of Wysquaqua (Dobbs Ferry).

Recent Press Coverage

We thank The Rivertowns Enterprise and editor Tim Lamorte for their permission to reprint the first two articles.  The third article first appeared in The Ferryman, the newsletter of the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society.

FOWCAS focuses on access and heritage (pdf)

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Family brings Native American lessons to life and school (pdf)

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The Wickers Creek Shell Midden (pdf)

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Native American Secrets Lie Buried in Huge Shell Mounds

New York Times article from October 19, 2017

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About Us

FOWCAS was born out of a concern that one of the Hudson Valley's most important ancient sites, next to Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, was threatened by a planned development. FOWCAS continues to advocate for the honoring of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site, of its Native American inhabitants, and of the associated environmental and historical integrity that are all part of the parcel.


Copyright © 2023 Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site - All Rights Reserved.


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