Ward’s Point Archaeological Site - Site #5

Ward’s Point Arch​aeological Site
Aakawaxung Munahanung Archaeological Site

Conference House Park has long been recognized as an area rich in evldence of Native American occupation. The original residents were the Algonquin Indians of the Lenape culture. The Unami, one tribe of the Algonquin nation, settled in a string of communities along the western shores of Staten Island from West Brighton to Tottenville. The first documented discovery of Native American interments here was recorded in 1858.

The Ward's Point Archaeological Site was listed on the National Register in 1982. In 1992, this 33-acre site was designated a National Historic Landmark and encompasses the largest known Native American burial ground in the metropolitan area, known as Burial Ridge.

In 2021, an approximately 20-acre area within the Ward's Point Archaeological Site became a NYC Designated Landmark. Named Aakawaxung Munahanung (Island Protected from the Wind) Archaeological Site, it is said to contain the best evidence of over 8,000 years of Indigenous Peoples’ presence in the region, and is the first New York City landmark to recognize Native American occupation.