2013.008

Grant Contract Work

Collected by Staff

Museum Collections

2010 - 2012

Date(s) Created: 2012 Date(s): 2012

Notes: Archives 2013.008.0004 The primary record here does hold the full text, but online database version does not display the text after page 3-33. See archives 2013.008.0004.01 for an associated record with the text only from page 3-34 to the end. ==== [cover title] Archaeological Assessment, Sybil's Cave Frank Sinatra Drive, City of Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. May 2012. Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc., Cultural Resource Consultants. ==== [title leaf] Archaeological Assessment Sybil's Cave Frank Sinatra Drive City of Hoboken, Hudson County New Jersey By Lauren J. Cook, M.A., R.P.A. Damon Tvaryanas, M.A. Laura D. Cushman Principal Investigator: Lauren J. Cook, M.A., R.P.A. Prepared by: Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. 30 North Main Street Cranbury, New Jersey 08512 Prepared for: Hoboken Historical Museum & Cultural Center 1301 Hudson Street Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 Date: May 25, 2012 ==== page i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of an Archaeological Assessment of Sybil's Cave, a mid-nineteenth century recreational grotto located on the west side of Frank Sinatra Drive in the City of Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. This assessment was undertaken in support of broader planning efforts targeted at improving public access to the cave and providing historic interpretation of the site. The assessment included background research into the history of Sybil's Cave in order to develop a more complete understanding of its physical development and a survey of existing conditions. The primary goal of this work was to evaluate the likelihood of the survival of archaeological deposits that could contribute to the understanding and appreciation of the cave as an important example of mid-nineteenth century commercial landscape folly in the sublime and picturesque tradition. This report also provides management recommendations with regard to further archaeological work that should be considered as efforts to improve accessibility and interpretation of the site progress. A review of cultural resources surveys at the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office and site files at the New Jersey State Museum confirmed that no registered prehistoric or historic period archaeological sites are proximate to Sybil's Cave. However, Sybil's Cave is individually eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places under Criterion A, for its association with recreation and entertainment during the mid-nineteenth century. The assessment determined that there is a strong likelihood for significant archaeological resources to be preserved within the footprint of the cave. It also found that there is a potential for historically related archaeological deposits and features to survive within adjacent areas particularly beneath the adjacent parking area and nearby Frank Sinatra Drive. The area within the cave, however, was assessed to have the highest degree of archaeological sensitivity. In particular, the cistern in the center of the cave is suspected to contain refuse deposits of potential archaeological significance. Excavation of the cistern should be supervised by a qualified archaeological professional. Due to the documented disturbance of the ground surface around the cave during the historic period, the area is assessed as having a minimal likelihood to contain in-situ archaeological remains of a prehistoric context. In addition, the historic graffiti evident on the walls of the cave should be photographically documented and a detailed map of the cave should be prepared prior to any additional work undertaken within the cave footprint. Any ground disturbing activities within or adjacent to the cave or underneath the adjacent portions of Frank Sinatra Drive should be monitored by a professional archaeologist. In order to better insure the long term preservation of this resource and to foster increased public awareness of its historic significance, Richard Grubb & Associates recommends that Sybil's Cave be formally nominated to the National and State Registers of Historic Places under Criteria A, C, and D. ==== page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary..............................................................................................................................i Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................ii List of Figures and Photo Plates.......................................................................................................iii 1.0 Introduction......................................................................................................................................1-1 2.0 Environmental Setting.....................................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Bedrock Geological History.................................................................................................2-4 3.0 Historic Context...............................................................................................................................3-1 3.1 History of Sybil's Cave..........................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Site-Specific Research..........................................................................................................3-29 4.0 Results................................................................................................................................................4-1 4.1 Assessment of Archaeological Sensitivity...........................................................................4-1 4.2 Archaeological Reconnaissance...........................................................................................4-2 5.0 Conclusions and Rccommcndations.............................................................................................5-1 6.0 References.........................................................................................................................................6-1 Appendices Appendix A: Qualifications of Key Personnel Appendix B: Annotated Bibliography ==== page iii LIST OF FIGURES AND PHOTO PLATES FIGURES: Figure 1.1: U.S.G.S. Map...............................................................................................................1-2 Figure 1.2: County Map..................................................................................................................1-3 Figure 2.1: Physiographic Provinces Map....................................................................................2-2 Figure 2.2: Soils Map.......................................................................................................................2-3 Figure 3.1: 1817 Charles Loss, Map of Col. Stevens County Seat at Hoboken, June 28, 1817................................................................................................................................3-3 Figure 3.2: "The Sybil's Cave- Hoboken" published in the Family Magazine or Monthly Abstract of General Knowledge, 1838.................................................................3-6 Figure 3.3: "The Sybyl's Cave, Hoboken:" published in the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge, 1839........................................................................3-7 Figure 3.4: 1841 L. F. Douglass', Topographical Map of Jersey City, Hoboken, and the Adjacent Country showing the location of Sybil's Cave............................................3-8 Figure 3.5: 1845 William Wade's, Wade and Groome's Panorama of the Hudson River from New York to Albany...............................................................................3-9 Figure 3.6: 1855 William Wood's, Map of Jersey City, Hoboken, and Hudson Cities showing the location of Sybil's Cave.......................................................................3-11 Figure 3.7: Regis Francois Gignoux, "View up the Hudson from Sibyl's Cave Hoboken" showing Sybil's Cave c. 1842-1847......................................................3-12 Figure 3.8: "Die Sybillen Grotte Bei Hoboken am Hudson" from "Sibyl's Cave,- Hoboken"in Ladies Wreath and Illustrated Annual of 1848-9................................... 3-13 Figure 3.9: "Sybil's Cave at Hoboken, N.J."..............................................................................3-15 Figure 3.10: Sigusmund Schuster's "Sybil's Cave on the Hudson" c. 1865..............................3-16 Figure 3.11: Sigusmund Schuster's "Restaurant near Sybil's Cave" c. 1865...........................3-17 Figure 3.12: Postcard view of "Cybil's Cave and River Walk in 1880. Hoboken, N.J.".......3-19 Figure 3.13: Postcard view of "Castle Point & River Walk in 1885, Hoboken, N.J."...........3-21 Figure 3.14: 1891 Sanborn-Perris Map Company's Fire Insurance Maps of Hoboken, New Jersey...............................................................................................3-22 ===== page iv Figure 3.15: 1909 G.M. Hopkins Atlas of Hudson County, New Jersey...............................3-24 Figure 3.16: 1906 Sanborn Map Company's Fire Insurance Maps of Hudson County.........................................................................................................................3-25 Figure 3.17: Photograph of Sybil's Cave, c. 1936-1937..............................................................3-26 Figure 3.18: "Young Explorers 'Rediscover' Sybil's Cave" from the Hudson Dispatch, December 14,1937..................................................................................3-27 Figure 3.19: 1906 Sanborn Map Company's Fire Insurance Maps of Hudson County.........................................................................................................................3-28 Figure 3.20: Cave Exploration Service of New Jersey's "Map of "Cybil's Cave" in 1952..............................................................................................................................3-30 Figure 3.21: Undated Photograph of Sybil's Cave......................................................................3-31 Figure 3.22: Photograph of Sybil's Cave in 2007........................................................................3-32 Figure 3.23: Carved Serpentine fragment recovered in 2007 and original location of recovered fragment....................................................................................................3-33 Figure 4.1: Measured Sketch of the Interior of Sybil's Cave.....................................................4-8 Figure 4.2: Interior of Sybil's Cave, looking northwest..............................................................4-9 Figure 5.1: Sybil's Cave: Map of projected archaeological sensitivity......................................5-2 PHOTO PLATES: Plate 4.1: Overall View of Sybil's Cave, looking northwest....................................................4-3 Plate 4.2: Sybil's Cave, looking north.........................................................................................4-4 Plate 4.3: Sybil's Cave entrance, looking northwest.................................................................4-5 Plate 4.4: Wall Above Sybil's Cave, looking northwest...........................................................4-6 Plate 4.5: Carved Arch within cave, looking northwest........................................................4-10 Plate 4.6: Sybil's Cave looking southwest from cistern.........................................................4-11 Plate 4.7: Fill within cave, looking west from entrance.........................................................4-12 Plate 4.8: Fill within cave, looking north from entrance.......................................................4-13 ==== page 1-1 SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION Sybil's Cave is an artificial grotto excavated into the hillside located on the west side of Frank Sinatra Drive in the City of Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey (Figures 1.1 and 1.2). Due to its proximity to the burgeoning metropolis of greater New York City, the cave and the surrounding pleasure grounds were a renowned and well-frequented commercial attraction throughout much of the nineteenth century. This archaeological assessment was sponsored by the Hoboken Historical Museum & Cultural Center which is seeking to incorporate archaeological research in their planning for the development and interpretation of Sybil's Cave. The project was funded by a Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund Historic Site Management Grant that is administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust. The assessment included background research into the history of Sybil's Cave in order to develop a more complete understanding of its physical development and a site visit to document existing conditions. Specifically, this assessment was targeted at determining if archaeological evidence related to the construction and operation of the cave by its proprietors or significant remains left behind by the thousands who visited the attraction in the years between circa 1835 and circa 1920 may survive and could yield knowledge which could expand our understanding of this historic site. Management recommendations have been provided with regard to overall site sensitivity from an archaeological perspective and the need for additional investigations. Lauren J. Cook, MA, RPA served as Principal Investigator for the project and drafted this report with Damon Tvaryanas and Laura Cushman. Paul McEachen was the project manager. Allison Gall and Lauren J. Cook conducted background research. Lauren J. Cook and Patricia McEachen produced the report graphics. Richard Grubb was quality control manager. Paul McEachen and Christina Dunn edited and formatted the report. Copies of this report and all field notes, photographs, and project maps are on file at Richard Grubb & Associates (RGA) headquarters in C ran bury, New Jersey. The archaeological assessment was performed in accordance with the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office's (HPO) Guidelines for Preparing Cultural Resources Management Archaeological Reports (Historic Preservation Office 1994). This project was overseen by a Principal Investigator meeting the National Park Service's professional qualification standards set forth in 36 CFR 61 (Appendix A). ==== page 1-2 Figure 1.1: U.S.G.S. Map (from U.S.G.S. 7.5' Quadrangles: 1981 Jersey City NJ-NY and 1995 Weehawken, NJ). ==== page 1-3 Figure 1.2: County Map (from 2005 Hagstrom Map Company, Inc., Street Map of Hudson County, New Jersey). ==== page 2-1 SECTION 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Sybil's Cave stands at an elevation of approximately 10 feet above sea level and is located in thePalisades Sill region of the Piedmont Lowlands Physiographic Province (Figure 2.1). The Piedmont Lowlands in this area are dominated by the Palisades, a high ridge of north-south trending traprock that forms the western edge of the Hudson River Valley. Areas east of the Palisades, such as the project site, are characterized by Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic rocks, principally softer gneiss, schist and limestone that have eroded preferentially, leaving the harder traprock as the uplands (Wolfe 1977:252). The cave is located approximately 100 feet to the west of the Hudson River at the foot of the eastern slope of Castle Point, a hill on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology. Bedrock in the vicinity of the cave consists of serpentinite of the Manhattan Prong group (€Zs). These rocks originated during the Late Proterozoic (Precambrian) and Cambrian eras, approximately 660-550 million years ago (Drake et al 1996). Bedrock in the area is discussed in more detail below. Bedrock is overlain within the project site by late Wisconsonian Rahway till (Qr). Till consists of poorly sorted or unsorted material deposited by glaciers as they receded. In areas underlain by serpentinite, as is the project site, Rahway till appears as a silty sand to sandy silt till with 5-35 percent pebbles, cobbles, and boulders. Color ranges from reddish yellow to brown to grayish brown to gray. Areas at the foot of the hill are characterized as Holocene tidal marsh and estuarine deposits (Qm), but it appears that any such deposits in the area were reworked and subject to extensive historic filling (Stone et al. 2002:15-16, 26). After the retreat of the glaciers, life returned slowly to the denuded landscape (Pielou 1998). Over the 13,000 or so years since the glaciers receded from northern New Jersey, as the environment became warmer and wetter, the predominant vegetation underwent a succession from tundra to pine-spruce forest, to pine forest, and then oak-hemlock, oak-hickory, and finally oak-chestnut-birch-pine (Heusser 1998:220). There is little or no intact forest in Hudson County, but elsewhere in northern New Jersey, similar environments, exhibiting shallow soils over bedrock, are characterized by chestnut oak vegetation communities (Collins and Anderson 1994:94-98). No detailed soil information is available for locations within Hudson County (Web Soil Survey 2010). A generalized soils map for Essex and Hudson Counties shows the area as wetland soils (Figure 2.2; U.S.G.S. 1993); however, it is probable to say that soils within the park adjacent to Sybil's Cave consist of urban udorthents, composed of fill and made land, as well as deposits that have been reworked and redeposited in the course of landscaping activities on the property. Most ==== page 2-2 Figure 2.1: Physiographic Provinces Map (adapted from Wolfe 1977). ==== page 2-3 Figure 2.2: Soils Map (from 1993 United States Department of Agriculture, General Soils Map, Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey). ==== page 2-4 deposits within the cave appear to have been deposited during filling in the mid-twentieth century. They clearly qualify as udorthents, on which no natural soil formadon has occurred. 2.1 Bedrock Geological History As Sybil's Cave is carved into bedrock, a more detailed discussion of the development of the bedrock geology of the area may be useful in interpreting the cave and its history. Sybil's Cave is carved into serpentinite (€Zs), a member of the Manhattan Prong geological series of formations. Understanding its origin requires taking a long view of history to look at events that occurred over more than 600 million years of the Earth's history. Geologists have determined that the crust of the Earth floats on molten rock, or magma, and that the continents compose thicker accumulations of crust than the oceanic crust that forms the sea floor. Further, it is now understood that the continents are continually but slowly moving in relation to one another. When continents separate and break apart, new oceanic crust is formed in the center of the ocean. This is presently occurring at the divergent plate margin in the center of the Adantic Ocean. When continents collide with one another, the oceanic crust is generally subducted, pushed under one continent or another, deep beneath the surface, where it is melted back into magma and recycled. Subduction usually results in the formation of a deep ocean trench, and a bulge in the adjacent continental crust that forms a mountain range. The process usually ends with the collision of continents, which can form very large mountain ranges, and with the nearly total disappearance of the oceanic crust. In fact this recycling is so complete that, although the continental crust contains rocks that are in some cases well over a billion years old, no present oceanic crust is older than about 180 million years (Maley 2005:37, 40). Oceanic crust is made up of rapidly cooled fine-grained igneous rocks. Most commonly these are basalt, formed from a type of magma known as peridotite, which is rich in silica, magnesium and iron. Under the right conditions, serpentine [(Mg,Fe)3 Si2 O5 (OH)4] forms from the combination of the basaltic minerals olivine and pyroxene, with seawater and extreme temperatures, as part of the oceanic crust at the juncture of separating geological plates. Most serpentinite is recycled as continents collide (American Geological Institute 1976:322; Maley 2005:61-63). In the late Precambrian Era all of the continental crust on earth was combined into a single large land mass known as the Grenville supercontinent. About 660 million years ago, the Grenville supercontinent began to break up. Rifts opened in the continent, and as the pieces drifted apart, oceans began to form in the spaces between them. One of the edges of continental crust was in the approximate location of the present East Coast of North America. The ocean that formed adjacent ==== page 2-5 to it, in the approximate relative position of the present Atlantic Ocean, is known to geologists as the Iapetus Ocean. The serpentinite within the project site was formed during the opening of the Iapetus Ocean, which began about 660 million years ago and ended when the continents began to drift back together again, about 550 million years ago. When that occurred, the oceanic crust ruptured in the middle of the Iapetus Ocean. The process of subduction resulted in the formation of a large arc of volcanic islands diat separated the Iapetus Ocean into two parts - referred to as the Western Iapetus Ocean and the Eastern Iapetus Ocean. This island arc began to accumulate mass - volcanic flows and pieces of plowed up oceanic crust. The Western Iapetus Ocean continued to close, until about 460 million years ago, during the Ordovician Period, when the island arc collided with North America. The collision created an enormous mountain range the size of the Himalayas that reached from Newfoundland to Alabama. The event is known as the Taconic Orogeny; the Taconic Mountains in eastern New York are a pale remnant of the range that was formed by the collision. Other remnants are the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, the New Jersey Highlands, and the Manhattan Prong. And also among those remnants are fragments of the Iapetus Ocean floor, the best example of which is the serpentinite that underlies Hudson County, New Jersey, and nearby Staten Island. This serpentinite is naturally exposed on the surface in a few locations, including along the Hoboken waterfront and Staten Island, but occurs in road cuts and excavations on the Cross-Westchester Expressway, near New Rochelle, and on Manhattan Island along 11th Avenue in the West 50s (Isachsen et al 2000:16-18; Schuberth 1968:98-99). ==== page 3-1 SECTION 3.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT Research on Sybil's Cave was conducted to provide a historic context, to locate previously identified cultural resources in or near the cave, and to determine the probability for previously unidentified cultural resources within an appropriate historic context. Research was conducted at the HPO in Trenton to identify archaeological and historic resources within or near the cave that are listed in or eligible for the National or State Register of Historic Places, and to review previously conducted cultural resources surveys. Site files at the New Jersey State Museum (NJSM) in Trenton were examined to identify the location of registered archaeological sites. Historic maps and atlases were examined at the New Jersey State Library in Trenton. Secondary-source research was conducted at the Free Library of Philadelphia. These research efforts also heavily relied on materials in possession of the Hoboken Historical Museum and the Hoboken Historical Collection of the Hoboken Public Library. 3.1 History of Sybil's Cave The historic record is not clear exactly when Sybil's Cave was first excavated. Various sources suggest dates in the early to mid-1830s (Eckler 1976:46). The consensus seems to be that the cave was originally excavated as a component of "Elysian Fields," a private park developed by the illustrious Stevens family of Hoboken, who controlled the rights to much of the land in Hoboken and nearly all of the land in the vicinity of the cave throughout much of the nineteenth century. Colonel John Stevens, the progenitor of the Hoboken branch of the family, had purchased over 500 acres of land at Hoboken in 1784 and by 1792 had erected a house, popularly known as "Stevens Castle," high on the bluff overlooking the Hudson River (Havden 2005:2-6). Projecting eastward into the Hudson River, this bluff was afterwards known as "Castle Point." Sybil's Cave is hollowed into cliff near the base of the promontory. Although Sybil's Cave is generally believed to be a landscape confection, it has been posited that the existing grotto represents an enlargement of a natural spring. It has also been suggested that Sybil's Cave originated as an industrial operation. A. Ross Eckler's article "History and Legends of New Jersey Caves" (Eckler 1976:46) indicates that the "Castle Point Mine" was an alternate name for the feature. Geological information on the serpentinite of Castle Point describes it as "containing locally abundant magnetite where fresh" (Drake et al 1996). Magnetite is an iron ore, and the Stevens family is known to have had interests in iron mining elsewhere in New Jersey. It would not be surprising if they at least prospected the ore on their own property. If the cave were a repurposed mining feature, it might account for the confusion about its original construction date. No hint of the excavation, however, appears on 1817 survey of the core of Colonel Steven's "Country Estate" (Figure 3.1). ==== page 3-2 In any event, if there was iron ore in the Castle Point mine it was not sufficient to warrant an expansion of the excavation, and the property was soon put to other purposes. As early as 1804, Edwin Augustus Stevens, the son of Colonel John Stevens III, the progenitor of the Hoboken branch of the family, offered to make the family's private grounds around the estate available to purchasers to help entice settlement (Foster 1976a: 174). Visitors soon took advantage of the semi-public nature of Stevens' property, and by 1824 the ferries to and from Hoboken yielded, in Stevens' words, "an immense income, which [was] rapidly increasing as the population of the city and adjacent country increase[d]" (Winfield 1895: 34). Throughout the nineteenth century, many pleasure grounds and amusement parks were controlled by railroad and steamboat interests who invested in these recreational destinations to drive up business on their transportation lines. The Stevens family of Hoboken was famously involved in the early development of the steamboat. E.A. Stevens set about improving his lands and a portion of the riverfront with a walkway to entertain the crowds and was met with immediate success. Over time the demand from New Yorkers to visit Stevens' shores grew so great, and his profits from the ferry service increased so much, that by 1824 he thought of turning over the entire shoreline to the City of New York: ...as a place of general resort for citizens, as well as strangers, for health and recreation. So easily accessible, and where in a few minutes the dust, noise, and bad smells of the city may be exchanged for the pure air, delightful shades and completely rural scenery, through walks extending along the margin of the majestic Hudson to an extent of more than a mile. (Winfield 1895: 34) His proposal also called for the erection of pavilions, "for affording every accommodation and refreshment, and also adequate protection against sudden showers of rain" (Winfield 1895: 35). For these structures he advocated the use of the best architectural styles, noting that "perhaps nothing could have a more powerful tendency to civilize the general mass of society...in such promiscuous assemblages of the rich and poor, in situations where nature and art are made to contribute so largely to the embellishment of every scene presented to their view" (Winfield 1895: 35-36). But when New York showed no interest in the envisioned park, an undeterred Stevens developed it himself (Hayden 2005:3-1). At the ferry landing on the southern end of Hoboken, passengers emerged onto a wide lawn lined with elm trees. Stevens extended the waterfront path, now called the River Walk, around the base of Castle Point to the level ground at the property's north end. In 1826, a visiting traveler on a tour through North America noted that "the beautiful walk extending for two miles along the Hudson is kept in the finest order, and commands a noble view of the city on the opposite shore" (Winfield ==== page 3-3 Figure 3.1: 1817 Charles Loss, Map of Col. Stevens Country Seat at Hoboken, June 28, 1817. Stevens marked off the bounds of his private grounds from the rest of the estate (Source: New York Historical Society, New York, New York). ==== page 3-4 1895: 55). The Scotsman James Stuart, who spent the Winters of 1829 and 1830 residing in Hoboken, praised Stevens and his family for their accomplishments: "They have laid out their property adjoining the river for about two miles, in public walks, which the inhabitants of New York, who come over in prodigious numbers, enjoy very much" (Winfield 1895: 55). Stuart went on to note the corresponding increase in the value of the ferry, as well as the rent on Stevens-owned businesses, such as the hotel (Foster 1976b: 17 and Hayden 2005:3-1). Improvements to the park continued into the 1830s. On May 21, 1831, diarist Philip Hone wrote: " Messrs. Stevens have a large number of me... [truncated due to length]