b.yetman » Re-writing the history of Manhattan through maps

Jul

Re-writing the history of Manhattan through maps

by benton Posted in 3D, Geospatial, Lidar, NYC

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Joel Grossman cover a bunch of work he’s done in recent years, and as usual i was totally blown away! Using historic maps and methodical research, he’s been able to stitch together a historical snapshot of colonial Manhattan that’s totally shattered the widely accepted geography of the early Dutch settlement. If you haven’t had the pleasure of checking out his work, do yourself a favor and view these projects now…

An internationally renowned archaeologist, he’s developed a fascinating picture of prehistoric New York and how the landscape was altered by Native Americans and the Dutch and English settlers.

Dr. Grossman has worked in such diverse places as Peru, the Caribbean, and Russia, but some of his most interesting projects have been right here in New York. Among these were the excavation of the Dutch West India Company headquarters in Lower Manhattan as well as one of New York City’s earliest municipal buildings, the 1734 Alms House, in present-day City Hall Park. Dr. Grossman has used 3D terrain modeling and historic map correlations to reconstruct the subsurface survivals of former Native American roadways and settlements throughout Manhattan Island. His work includes discovereis all over the island of Manhattan, as well as 3D reconstructions of prehistoric and Revolutionary War-era encampments in Inwood Hill Park bordering Spuyten Duyvill in northern Manhattan.

“These archaeological applications of advanced technology serve both as high-precision “targeting” tools to locate buried sites, as well as people-friendly graphic aids which help make the distant past tangible and understandable for present generations.”

Dr. Grossman frequently presents his work around NYC, and also provides walking tours from time to time. You can contact him at jwg *AT* GeospatialArchaeology.com