Conserving and Interpreting USS Monitor: Connecting the Past, Present, and Future

Summary

NOAA’s Monitor Collection, consisting of over 200 tons of artifacts recovered from the wreck site of the famed Civil War ironclad, is the focus of the world’s largest marine archaeological metals conservation project at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia.  But the Monitor Collection represents farm more than a series of advanced conservation challenges; it embodies a physical connection between America’s 19th-century history, technology, and culture, our modern efforts to conserve and exhibit this rich material culture, and the boundless possibilities for future use and interpretation of the Collection.  

This paper will explore ongoing efforts by The Mariners’ Museum and NOAA to utilize the Monitor Collection to establish and strengthen connections between people and their historical resources, advance educational initiatives, preserve and conserve archaeological materials, and use innovative methods to attract new generations of archaeologists, conservators, and historians.

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): 700