Revisiting Providence Cove Lands: Lessons in Curation and the Potential of Existing Collections.

Summary

The Providence Cove Lands Archaeological District (RI 935) is located at the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers near the State House in Providence, Rhode Island. Between 1981-2, De Leuw, Cather/Parsons (DCP) completed archaeological and environmental surveys of the District, focused primarily on two sites—Carpenter’s Point (RI 935A) and North Shore (RI 935B). Based on DCP’s findings, the Keeper of the National Register determined that the District is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. DCP’s studies were completed in advance of major transportation infrastructure improvements that have since rendered the sites inaccessible. Therefore, the resulting data, currently housed at the Public Archaeology Laboratory Inc. (PAL), constitutes the singular resource for studying the District and its contributions to Rhode Island history. This paper summarizes the process and results of PAL’s multi-year recuration and reanalysis of the Cove Lands assemblage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Boxed but not Forgotten (Again!): The Importance of Collections-Driven Research   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 932