State Archaeologist celebrating two decades of preserving history

© East Hartford Gazette   May 8, 2008


Saturday [May 3] the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History celebrated the 20th anniversary of Connecticut's Office of State Archaeology and Nicholas F. Bellantoni becoming Connecticut's State Archaeologist. Although the scope and reach of the Office of State Archaeology has greatly expanded since the early days, the basic mission has remained constant: to encourage the preservation of Connecticut's archaeological resources through a combination of research, collections conservation, technical assistance, and education.

In the mid-1980's, Connecticut's archaeological heritage was vanishing at an alarming rate. "Sixty-five percent of all known archaeological sites in the state are in immediate danger of destruction; 120 sites are lost per year. These sites are lost because of modern land use including private and public construction projects, vandalism, and erosion," said State Archaeologist Nicholas F. Bellantoni in 1988. There were no state laws to protect archaeological discoveries and there was concern the damage being done would be irrevocable unless action was taken.

The destruction of Connecticut's prehistoric and historic archaeological sites motivated state representatives Teresaless Berinuson of East Windsor and Richard D. Tulisano of Rocky Hill, working closely with the Coalition of Connecticut Archaeologists, to introduce legislation that would protect the state's archaeological heritage. The legislation passed, and in December of 1987 the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology (OSA) became a reality.

The OSA, based out of the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at UConn, had three primary responsibilities set down at that time: "first, the preservation of archaeological sites in the state; second, improving education about archaeology; and third, providing assistance to the general public and to the Native American and archaeological communities."

Shortly after the creation of the OSA, Nicholas F. Bellantoni became Connecticut's State Archaeologist only a few months after receiving his PhD in Anthropology from UConn. The East Hartford man's research focused on the analysis of skeletal remains from eastern North America.

Connecticut's citizens were called into action and asked to contact the State Archaeologist whenever construction threatened to destroy historically significant sites and artifacts. The task at hand for the OSA was monumental, but the future of Connecticut's archaeological heritage was at stake.

Today, Bellantoni and the OSA provide curatorial oversight of over 600,000 artifacts and maintain over 5,000 site files and map records. These days, Bellantoni is typically involved in over 20 field excavations, 300 municipal project proposals, and 150 field reviews each year.