Court Saves 10,000 Year Old Native American Site in New Jersey

TRENTON, New Jersey (ENS) — All 40 acres of the Black Creek Native American Site must be protected and its history preserved, the Superior Court of New Jersey's Appellate Division ruled on Friday. The site will not be turned over to recreational playing fields.

The decision upholds the position of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said Commissioner Bradley Campbell.

"I'm grateful that the court has vindicated our efforts to save a precious resource from destruction," said Campbell. "New Jersey could have lost thousands of years of Native American history."

Thousands of artifacts dating from approximately 8500 BC to 1700 AD have been uncovered at the Black Creek Site, which is one of the last areas to exhibit settlement in northern New Jersey by the Lenni Lenape. The artifacts uncovered indicate 10,000 years of human habitation on the site.

"We always support local community efforts to develop recreational spaces, but it need not come at the expense of other local treasures like the Black Creek Native American site, said Campbell.

The Black Creek Native American Site, in Vernon Township, Sussex County is a 40 acre parcel of land with archaeological ... // 52% Remaining