(TRENTON) – Deputy Majority Leader Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) today blasted the State Capitol Joint Management Commission’s decision to bury the Petty’s Run archaeological site, located on the Statehouse grounds.
“This extraordinary step of burying Trenton’s past is without any foresight,” said Gusciora. “There is great potential to keep the archaeological site exposed as a living history park for future generations to learn about Trenton’s history dating back to the 1700’s. To just bury these artifacts up without any further consideration to the importance of such a site is remarkable.”
The Assemblyman pointed out that Petty’s Run features the remains of Colonial and Industrial era structures, including sections of a mill and iron forge, the foundations of houses and a stone bridge, as well as smaller items like utensils and living accessories.
“If you visit Jerusalem, Israel or Rome today, you can explore such exposed ruins as history trails and learn first hand about events that took place centuries ago,” continued Gusciora. “If Petty’s Run was left as an open site, it could increase tourism in Trenton as well as provide a place where students could explore our past. This would be a unique educational tourist attraction to the downtown Trenton area.”
“However, just to dismiss this as an ‘eye sore’ speaks volumes about one’s intellectual curiosity and whether they are serious about helping revitalize our historic capital city,” Gusciora lamented. “I urge the Governor and Lt. Governor to reconsider the Joint Management Commission’s decision.”