---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Myers <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Nov 4, 2005 1:59 AM
Subject: Re: marbles and jacks
To: [log in to unmask]


I have a picture of artifacts found at the excavations of the
Augustine Heerman Dutch West Indies Warehouse in lower Manhattan, New
York City in the winter that if I recall correctly were from a basket
found in the excavations. In the bottom of the basket was a board that
might have been part of the marbles game to go with the three (3)
large shooters and fourteen (14) smaller clay marbles found along with
bones, a piece of Dutch tile corner some Dutch "chinoiserie" plate
fragment, fish bones, some hardware, etc., perhaps a purposeful "time
capsule" someone left. The block bounded by Whitehall (across from the
former induction center) Bridge, Pearl and sort of Broad St. has been
referred to as the "Broad Street Site". Augustine Heerman was an
ambassador from Maryland and an interesting house there near where his
domicile was is today, maybe (in 1950's magazine) with bricks all lain
on end, I once mentioned in this forum. He is credited sometimes with
introducing tobacco in then New Amsterdam, however the Virginia colony
runaways George Holmes and his indentured servant Thomas Hall are also
said to have been allowed in New Amsterdam because they could grow
tobacco.

At the block bounded by 9th and 10th Streets and Avenues B and C I
think, where "Batteries Not Included" was filmed by Steven Spielberg
et al a circa American Civil War "water control feature" was excavated
and a number of clay marbles were found in a stone lined feature (once
apparently under two tailors and adjacent to a "ship furniture shop"
(all not hull and decks apparently) and part of an early "tenement"
house, along with twelve (12) liberated chamber pots (assumed the
sewer line was then in) along with "abolitionist currency" coins that
reminded the populace to end slavery introduced into circulation as
one might perhaps "counterfeit" coins.

For all the marbles Alex,

George Myers