Connecting People and The Past: Interpreting The Conservation of The USS Monitor

Summary

Underwater archaeological sites are typically inaccessible to the general public. The public’s interaction with such sites occurs through connections made with excavated artifacts. However, the conservation of these artifacts, especially if they come from a marine environment, can take decades. Interpreting conservation to the public promotes understanding of the lengthy treatment process, thereby fostering support for the project and creating a connection to the artifacts and their history. USS Monitor represents these circumstances; the wreck site is 235 feet underwater, sixteen miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., largely inaccessible. In the early 2000s approximately 20% of the Monitor was recovered and transported to The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA for conservation, exhibition, and study. Recognizing that conservation would be a long term process a variety of outreach methods are utilized to connect people with the artifacts, the archaeology and the story of the USS Monitor.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Caring For The Past: Connecting To Archaeological Collections   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 322