At its meeting of June 6, the Board of Trustees made a decision on the utilization of a trust fund that was established in the 1999 Special Permit for the Hudson National Golf Course.  As a condition of the 1999 Special Permit, and as a mitigation for possible damage to an archeological site in the vicinity of the Prickly Pear Hill dam. Hudson National provided a contribution of $10,000 for “use in furthering the study and understanding of the prehistory of the Village.”

It further stipulated that one or more of the following organizations be involved in furthering the study and understanding of the prehistory of the Village: the Croton-on-Hudson Historical Society, the Croton Free Library, the Croton-Harmon School District, and the Louis A. Brennan Lower Hudson Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association.  

At an earlier Board meeting it was agreed to ask the Croton Historical Society to make a proposal for the use of these funds.  In a letter to the Village Board from Croton Historian Marc Cheshire, the Society proposed that in conjunction with the Louis A. Brennan Chapter of the NYS Archeological Society they would like to apply for the entire $10,000 to produce a short documentary film about the Munsee Lenape people who occupied Croton Point and a related exhibit of artifacts at the Croton Point Nature Center. 

The film would premiere at the Croton Free Library and then be posted on YouTube, where it would be available to current and future generations of Croton residents, and anyone interested in Native American history and culture. The exhibit would coincide with the premiere of the film.

This proposal was unanimously agreed to by the Board as being an excellent use for the funds.  When completed this project should make an excellent addition to our knowledge and understanding of the early history of our area.  I look forward to seeing the exhibit and the documentary in the future.

Ann Gallelli, Trustee