Final Report on the Assessment of Transportation-Related Archaeological Collections in Massachusetts

Summary

This conservation survey report is part of a collaborative project between the University of Massachusetts at Boston, the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and other State agencies to assess the condition of artifact collections generated by archaeological excavations associated with State transportation construction projects. The surveys characterize the state of preservation of the major types of artifacts derived from transportation-related projects in three institutions (University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the City Archaeology Laboratory of the Boston Landmarks Commission) and make long-term preservation suggestions. The urgency or priority of each preservation need is considered in order to help establish preservation priorities for the future. The surveys also document aspects of the storage environment in each location and make practical recommendations on how to optimize the storage environments for preservation.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Dennis Piechota

Notes

Redaction Note: Appendix C - "Completed Forms" omitted from individual reports and is available upon request from contact listed above. These forms describe the conditions of each individual box in the collections.