User:Lar/ToDo/Industrial Archeology

All this material has been folded into the real article (which I thought did not exist yet because I was not spelling it with the necessary a's and e's). This could be deleted once I validate that.

Industrial Archaeology, like other branches of Archeology, is the study of the past, but with a focus on industry or industrial heritage. Those interested may make field trips to abandoned or mostly forgotten industrial sites, or may examine annual reports, engineering and building drawings and documentation, government documents and surveys, and other historical materials to try to determine and document what sorts of activities went on, and why, at a particular site, and construct a history or timeline that shows how a site developed and changed (and potentially when and why it was abandoned) over time.

An example of such a site is the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, site of the first integrated iron works in North America. Since the site dates to the 1600s, developing a clear understanding of what was done, and how it was carried out, as well as the facility arrangment, was a painstaking and difficult process.

Another example of such a site is Redridge Steel Dam

Organizational charters

There are at least two national Industrial Archaeology societies or organizations known

An organization such as the Society for Industrial Archaeology (SIA) or Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) is an organisation for people who share an interest in the industrial past. It brings together people who are researching, recording, preserving and presenting industrial heritage. Industrial architecture, mineral extraction, heritage-based tourism, power technology, adaptive re-use of industrial buildings and transport history are just some of the themes that could be investigated by society members.

It may also be involved in advising on historic preservation matters, or advising government units on revision or demolition of significant sites or buildings.

Academic programs

At least one university grants a degree in Industrial History and Archaeology.

A typical Masters of Science program in Industrial History and Archaeology may draw on historical archaeology, anthropology of industry, history of technology, and historical preservation fields of study. The doctoral program in Industrial Heritage and Archeology may expand to include work in American or European civilization, architectural history, material culture, and heritage management.

External Resources

(not intended as an exhaustive list, merely examples to show notability)

Societies and organizations

• Society for Industrial Archeology a primarily US based organization
• Association for Industrial Archeology a primarily UK based organization
• Staffordshire (uk) Industrial Archaeology Society

Reference materials

• I.A. Recordings a web based resource site

Degree Programs

• [1] Michigan Technological University Industrial Archeology degree program