moved from Totowa to ahome on Ruskin Court in Wayne . They brought with them the family ’ s entire collection of artifacts , most stored in milk crates that are stacked against awall in their two-car garage . Some are neatly lined up on bookshelves in aspare bedroom that Bill , aretired supervisor for the state Motor Vehicle Commission , uses as an office .
The brothers ’ father , who died at 87 years old in March 2000 , was scrupulous . The artifacts that he found were marked with alphanumeric codes , which corresponded to coordinates on aset of maps . Hecatalogued every single piece . The hobby consumed his life , his sons say .
As acurious boy , Rick says he often sneaked alook inside ofhis father ’ s old dentist ’ scabinet . “ You ’ d pull the drawers out ,” hesays , “ and there ’ dbe nothing but arrowheads — nothing but arrowheads , drawer after drawer .”
It began with just one arrowhead . Their father found it , the brothers say , when he hiked at Garret Mountain in 1924 , seven years before the 568-acre expanse became areservation owned by Passaic County . Their father soon began to volunteer at Paterson Museum , now on Market Street , where the brothers say hemet Max Schrabisch , aGerman immigrant and professional archaeologist who taught him everything he knew .
As the collection approaches 100 years old , the brothers say they are wondering what can be done with it to preserve their father ’ slegacy and to honor the indigenous people who scattered the pieces over the area so many generations ago .“ Once this stuff is gone , it ’ sgone ,” Bill says .“ You ’ ll never see it again . It ’ sone in amillion .”
IN THE BLOOD
The territory inhabited by the Lenape included all of New Jersey and portions of the Hudson Valley in New York and the LehighValley in Pennsylvania . Bythe latter decades of the 18th century , most of the Lenape were displaced by European settlers . Twoofthe state ’ s three modern-day tribes descended from them .
THRILL OF THE HUNT ( Top ) The brothers in aSussex County cave ; ( right ) Gustav Grotz explores the site of aNative American hut in Pennsylvania .
@ waynemagazine WAYNE MAGAZINE BACK TOSCHOOL 2023
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