Glenn Kreisberg next to one of the stone structures he has been researching
Hurleyville, NY – It’s a triple-play of fascinating local history at the Sullivan County Museum, 265 Main Street, Hurleyville on Sunday, February 23, starting at 2 p.m.!
These free presentations are sponsored by the Frederick Cook Society. Refreshments will be served, and donations are welcome. Call 845-434-8044 or visit www.frederickcooksociety.org for more info.
Revealing What’s Been in Plain Sight
Author Glenn Kreisberg has spent years studying Native American stone structures. His research has led him to believe that scattered throughout the Catskill Mountains and Northeast America are large numbers of standing lithic structures that have mostly been ignored by conventional archaeologists. Often dismissed as colonial-era stone walls and field clearing piles, these formations are increasingly emerging as part of a Native American tradition of ritual building practices that reflect a sophisticated worldview and sociocultural belief system. By acknowledging these sacred sites and preserving them, we can learn from these early inhabitants, Kreisberg says.
His multimedia presentation will offer GIS, locational, and geospatial data as evidence, revealing patterns based on the concentration and distribution of site locations on the landscape. Utilizing GIS software, hundreds of sites and structures in the region have been documented, providing a basis for understanding these sites in their proper cultural context.
Kreisberg is an author, radio engineer and NYS DEC outdoor guide who researches archaeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains of New York. He served two terms as 1st vice president of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) and is co-founder of the non-profit Overlook Mountain Center in Woodstock, NY. He has studied archaeoastronomy at the State University of New York (SUNY) and archaeoacoustics on Malta through the Old Temple Study Foundation (OTSF) and Heritage Malta. His books include “Spirits in Stone,” “Mysteries of the Ancient Past,” and “Lost Knowledge of the Ancients.”
Famous County Native Was Anthropologist
Frederick Cook Society Director Carol Smith will present a brief overview of Dr. Cook’s work as an anthropologist. According to Smith, “while Cook is best known as one of the greatest explorers ever to live, he also devoted years of his life to the study of anthropology and indigenous culture. His work was unique in that he lived with the Inuit peoples, learned their language and respected their cultural traditions, during a time in history when indigenous populations were typically exploited.”
Understanding and Protecting the Local Historic Landscape
Ryan Mitro is a Sullivan County native and founder of the 501c3 nonprofit organization Sacred Circle of Stones (SCS), whose mission is to steward local natural and cultural resources for future generations through education, advocacy, conservation, sustainable agricultural practices, and the celebration of indigenous heritage and history.
At the heart of his work is the protection of indigenous ceremonial stone landscapes in Sullivan County and beyond. According to Mitro, many of the stone walls and sacred structures scattered throughout the Catskills were actually landmarks for the Woodbourne-South Fallsburg aquifer and its wetlands and springs.
Mitro is happy to talk with anyone to have someone come and look at their property to determine if the sites are historic. Reach out to him at info@sacredcircleofstones.org, or call the Frederick Cook Society at 845-434-8044.
