Public Engagement, Archaeology Museology, and Sustainable Heritage Management in the Twenty-First Century Museum Experiences: A Case Study from the Harrison Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "On the Centennial of his Passing: San Diego County Pioneer Nathan "Nate" Harrison and the Historical Archaeology of Legend" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In an effort to provide the Nathan “Nate” Harrison Historical Archaeology Project with a

long-term and sustainable plan for community outreach that will continue after

excavation has finished, this paper discusses strategies in the current context of local

museums struggling with low attendance, marginal interest, and fiscal constraints. It

endeavors to address whether there is justification for a new museum on Palomar

Mountain at the archaeological site and uses the impending year-long Nathan Harrison

exposition in Balboa Park’s San Diego History Center as a case study. Ethnographic

research into the local museum community has revealed that any public engagement

program related to this project must transcend Harrison as a singular historical figure and

employ a broader approach that cultivates interest and excitement for Palomar Mountain

as well as new discussions regarding the role and relevance of multi-ethnic San Diego in

the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the Gilded Age.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• On the Centennial of his Passing: San Diego County Pioneer Nathan "Nate" Harrison and the Historical Archaeology of Legend

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 632