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Ancient Fossils Found At Valhalla DEP Site

VALHALLA, N.Y. – Construction of a new Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) facility in Valhalla brought a blast from the past as more than 400 Native American artifacts were found and preserved on the property in Eastview.

The DEP announced that the artifacts were found prior to the building of a new Ultraviolet Treatment Facility off of Walker Road between Grasslands and Dana roads. Commissioner Carter Strickland said the items were not discovered by luck.

“By researching the history of these sites during the planning for these important projects and employing sensitive excavation techniques we were able to preserve these ancient artifacts and fossils,” Strickland said in a statement.

Historical Perspective, an archeological firm hired by the DEP to analyze the 153-acre property, estimates that the artifacts found date back to 1,200 to 2,800 years ago.  Among the items found include tool-making elements, cache blades and quartz projectile points. It is believed that the instruments were used by hunting groups during the late Archaic Era and early Woodland Period.

The artifacts will be housed by the Historical Society for Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown and will be put on display next year at the Warner Public Library in Tarrytown.

The Ultraviolet Treatment Facility will be a water treatment plant for water from the Delaware and Catskill watersheds and is set to open in December. 

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