The 375-mile pipeline was installed largely in 1991 and went into service in January 1992. It carries domestic and Canadian natural gas to markets in New York State, Connecticut, and other portions of New England. To reach these markets, the pipeline cr oss north-to-south across upstate New York, western Connecticut, and Long Island Sound to Suffolk County, Long Island. The 51 -mile portion of the pipeline route in Connecticut passes through the towns of Sherman, New Milford, Brookfield, Newtown, Monroe , Shelton, and Milford.

The installation of the pipeline required movement of heavy equipment and the excavation of a trench 8 to 10 feet deep along a corridor 75 feet wide. To ensure that these activities would not damage cultural resources, a comprehensive program was develop ed to identify, record and recover archaeological data and to consider route modifications in order to avoid significant sites. It was the policy of Iroquois Gas to avoid significant sites wherever possible by rerouting or using special construction tech niques.

As part of its preconstruction planning, Iroquois Gas commissioned what has become perhaps the largest comprehensive cultural resource evaluation program in the northeastern United States.

The cultural resources program began in 1986 with a literature review to identify the locations of known cultural resource sites in the vicinity of the pipeline route. The literature review continued into 1989. During the same period, representatives of various local Native American groups were consulted to determine whether any areas of traditional importance were known to be located along the pipeline route. Detailed field surveys were performed between 1989 and 1991. Shovel tests and visual observa tion revealed 182 sites in Connecticut. Futher studies were conducted on 71 of these sites. The Connecticut Historical Commission determined that several sites were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Data recovery investigations wer e performed at 12 sites. Route modifications or changes in construction techniques were used at the remaining sites.

In Connecticut, the sites discovered as a result of Iroquois cultural resources program range in diversity from a Middle Archaic Period (ca. 6,000-4,000 B.C.) transient hunting station or short term camp to a 1900s era homestead once occupied by an itiner ant Irish immigrant. One site, dating to the 1700s, was hypothesized to be the homestead of the first African-American to be freed from slavery in the Town of New Milford. This site was avoided by changing the pipeline's route and preserved so that futu re research may be done there. Along the Housatonic River, the archaeological surveys revealed a dense network of sites dating to the Late and Terminal Archaic Periods. These sites document a subsistence pattern based on the use of both riverine and upl and resources (e.g., intensive nut processing, occurrence of maize). Along the inland portions of the pipeline route, the archaeological surveys discovered small prehistoric camps that apparently exploited wetland resources.

The Iroquois project used a number of innovative construction techniques to avoid damage to historic sites. These techniques included boring under sites, such as the 18th-century Northrup Cemetery in Brookfield, narrowing the construction right-of-way fo r short distances to avoid important site loci, and installing construction "mats" to allow the passage of heavy equipment over sites without damaging them.

The archaeological collection, fieldnotes and maps, and site reports are accessible to researchers at the Office of State Archaeology, UConn. We encourage your use of these collection data for years to come.