The impressive size of the Glidden Midden and the even larger Whaleback Midden caught public interest and economic attention in the 19th century. Historic postcards recorded the wish-you-were-here wonder at the size and “mystery” of the middens. They also record the near destruction of the Whaleback Midden in the 1880s, as its contents were mined to make lime and chicken feed. Postcard courtesy of the Hudson Museum
Exhibit highlights threatened shell middens containing Wabanaki, environmental history
Alice Kelley and Bonnie Newsom are in a race against time and tides to document the cultural and paleoenvironmental information contained in the shell heaps before they’re swept out to sea. Read more
