On Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm, the Whallonsburg Grange Hall will present “Landscape Preservation and Archaeology of Crown Point: An Overview and Recent Discoveries,” with archaeologist Michael Roets. This is the fifth lecture in the fall Lyceum series entitled “Living on This Land.”

This lecture will discuss the history of the site and the preservation of the ruins of two National Historic Landmark colonial fortifications. The visible above ground features of the site will be explored and discussed in relation to historical documents and the findings of archaeological excavations.

Michael Roets is the Manager of Crown Point State Historic Site, which preserves the ruins of two colonial war fortifications: Fort St. Frederic (French, 1734-1759) and “His Majesty’s Fort of Crown Point” (British, 1759-1773). He has an M.A. in Archaeology from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he first became interested in colonial fortifications with his work at Fort Niagara. Prior to working at Crown Point he served as the archaeologist for the New York State Historic Site system where he was responsible for the archaeological resources and collections of 42 significant sites that span the history of the state.

The Whallonsburg Grange Hall is located at 1610 NYS Route 22, five miles south of the village of Essex. The Grange serves as a community gathering space for eastern Essex County, hosting musical and theatrical performances, lectures, forums, and workshops, as well as hall rentals for private events.

Photo of Michael Roets provided.