Archaeology In The (Political) Trenches: Lessons From Charm City

Summary

This paper will cover the rise, fall, and current rise of archaeology in Baltimore. "Charm City" serves as a case-study to explore the political, social, and temporal factors that alter the levels of archaeological stewardship at the local goverment level. The establishment of the Baltimore Center for Urban Archaeology in 1983 marked Baltimore as a forerunner in urban public archaeology. This innovative program led excavations that engaged thousands of people until it closed due to city-wide budget deficits in 1997. After a lull of over a decade, a confluence of factors in the past several years has revitalized archaeology in Baltimore. There are active excavations sponsored by non-profit organizations and community associations, stronger regulatory review at the local level, and increased support of archaeology from City officials. There are lessons to be shared from collaborative grass-roots, governmental, and institutional efforts, which are leading to more sustainable archaeological stewardship in Baltimore.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In the Land of Pleasant Living: Archaeology and its Role in 21st-Century Baltimore   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 853