Bones from the New Haven Green Panel Discussion

Secrets of Bones from New Haven Green to be Revealed for First Time During New Haven Museum Panel Discussion on October 31

New Haven, Conn. (October 8, 2013) –This Halloween may bring closure to a mystery that suddenly emerged from the earth nearly one year ago. In October 2012, high winds from Hurricane Sandy toppled the Lincoln Oak on the New Haven Green. Within the historic tree’s exposed roots a partial human skeleton was visible, creating an enigmatic story that captured the imagination of the entire country. It also created a unique opportunity to study a colonial cemetery.

For the first time since the Lincoln Oak fell, the public is invited learn the details of the bones recovered from the New Haven Green. The New Haven Museum will host “Getting to the Root of It,” a panel discussion revealing the research findings of the team charged with investigating the human remains and time capsules discovered on the Green, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

The research team examined the biological and archaeological evidence using a multidisciplinary approach that combines the expertise of municipal historians and academic researchers, demonstrating how coordinated efforts yield more meaningful results than any single line of inquiry. The research was supported by the Committee of the Proprietors of Common and Undivided Lands at New Haven and the Yale University Department of Anthropology.

The New Haven Museum was gifted with the contents of the time capsules uprooted by the Lincoln Oak by the Committee of the Proprietors of Common and Undivided Lands at New Haven, and a sampling of the artifacts are currently on view during regular museum hours.

“Getting to the Root of It”

5:30-6:30 pm – Discussion of the history of the New Havwn Green, the Lincoln Oak and the time capsules

Panelists include:  Nicholas F. Bellantoni, Connecticut Archaeology Center, Connecticut State Museum of Natural History; Gerald J. Conlogue, Robert Lombardo and Natalie A. Pellatier, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Quinnipiac University; and Judith A. Schiff, Yale University Library and New Haven City Historian.

6:30-6:45 pm   Break

6:45-7:45 p.m. – Discussion of the human skeletal remains, associated artifacts and health and disease in the late 1700s

Panelists include: Gary P. Aronsen, Frank Hole, Yukiko Tonoike, and Kylie Williamson, Department of Anthropology, Yale University; Nicholas F. Bellantoni, Connecticut Archaeology Center, Connecticut State Museum of Natural History; John Krigbaum, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida Gainesville; Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz.

The New Haven Museum, founded in 1862 as the New Haven Colony Historical Society, is located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue. The Museum is currently celebrating 150 years of collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven. Through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach, the Museum brings 375 years of New Haven history to life. For more information visit www.newhavenmuseum.org or facebook.com/NewHavenMuseum