This was after some people convinced the quarry to allow them to take over the operations of the PSG, and unknown to the quarry, they moved in, and stopped caring for the entire park as it had been maintained in the past. The buildings became dangerous, and the beautiful flower gardens were let go. I was quite saddened when I returned to the area and stopped by to reminisce, only to find it in terrible shape.

There was indeed a souvenir shop, and a museum right across. We (at some point everyone in my family had worked there until 1990 when we all left the area) welcomed school field trips, news stories, and the occasional tourists. My children have very fond memories of being there in the summertime. Mr. & Mrs. Fick (from Burnt Hills) were our “docents” and helped us catalog the museum, and taught everyone to use a rock saw to make beautiful pieces of jewelry.

The actual Cryptozoons or Stromatalites were very large cabbage-like plants found on the shallowish edges of the Cambrian Sea. They are older than the dinosaurs. Thousands of years later, when the glaciers came through that part of New York, they sawed the Crytozoons in half, leaving the fossils bisected and showing the beautiful swirls of the leaves. They have been found in Manchuria, Korea, and a few other places, so they are considered quite rare. It is a lovely place and hopefully some day after the quarries have played out, the park can be reopened. I still miss it.