For virtually all of the prehistoric period the lithic industry on Long Island and the mainland coast
around Long Island Sound was focused primarily on the use of quartz cobbles that are ubiquitous on the
region’s beaches. However, recent research at the McGregor site on eastern Long Island suggests that small
quarries or workshops at isolated glacial erratics also served as an important source of lithic material
Stations such as McGregor provided needed lithic materialfor manufacturing expedient tools when people
were engaged in activities such as hunting and collecting plant foods away from the coastal areas, and thus
did not have ready access to quartz cobbles. The identification of the McGregor site broadens our under
standing of the range of lithic technology and raw material usage in coastal New York.