Mixed and Matched: Collections Lessons Learned from Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Hidden In The Hollinger: What We Can Learn From Archeological Legacy Collections In The National Park Service", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (hereafter Hopewell Furnace) is an iconic representation of the early American industrial landscape, nestled in the picturesque rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Operational between 1771 and 1883, the Hopewell Furnace iron plantation played an integral role in shaping an emerging United States. Throughout its history, Hopewell Furnace’s preservation and conservations efforts by the 1930s Recreational Demonstration Area (RDA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work programs, and subsequent archeological excavations through the 1980s, have resulted in substantial archeological accessions referred to as “legacy” collections.

This paper highlights key lessons learned from management practices employed for these legacy collections. Focusing on storage capabilities, decision making processes, and the impacts of a rotation workforce, this study explores the challenges of safeguarding historic resources. Ultimately, this paper contributes to the broader conversation surrounding the curation of historical sites and their associated collections.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Hidden In The Hollinger: What We Can Learn From Archeological Legacy Collections In The National Park Service

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow