Industrial archaeology

[6] The members of these and other IA groups are generally a diverse mix of professionals and amateurs who share a common interest in promoting the study, appreciation and preservation of industrial heritage resources.

[2] Industrial archaeology covers a wide range of topics, from early ironworks and water-powered mills to large modern factories, as well as ancillary sites and structures such as worker housing, warehouses and infrastructure.

The museum was founded by a group of business leaders with ties to the New England textile industry, during a period of decline due to Southern competition.

In the early 1970s, Paul E. Rivard, then the director of the Old Slater Mill museum was one of the key figures in the founding of the Society for Industrial Archeology.

It is the site of the first integrated iron works in North America, and was reconstructed in the 1950s after extensive archaeological excavations that began in the late 1940s by Roland W.

The primary mission of these local IA groups during this period was recording the remaining relics of industrial history, especially those deemed to be most at risk from urban redevelopment schemes.

[18] Four years later in April 1967, Hudson spoke at a seminar at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., at what is considered the birth of the IA-movement in the United States.

The seminar, which was attended by an audience of historic preservationists, museum professionals and others, focused on what was being done to promote the study of industrial archaeology in Great Britain and in Europe, and what needed to be done in the United States.

In 1967, the notable New England Textile Mills Survey (NETMS) was performed under the HABS umbrella, led by Robert M. Vogel, curator of the Division of Mechanical and Civil at the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology.

While much had been accomplished during the preceding decade, the "new" field of industrial archaeology was still struggling to gain acceptance as a true scholarly pursuit.

In October 1971, a group of representatives from various museums, universities, and government organizations in the United States and Canada met in Washington, D.C. to establish a means to improve the exchange of ideas and information.

Among the notable projects during this decade was the successful transformation of Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama after it shut down in 1971 into an open air industrial museum.

The SIAI immediately publishes an important journal for defining the cultural boundaries of the continental paths of industrial archaeology, “Il Coltello di Delfo".

The following year the British Council of Rome promotes the exhibition "I resti di una rivoluzione", set up in Milan, Florence, Perugia and Naples.

In 1982, I.A.Recordings was founded by a small group of volunteers in the UK, to record past and present industries on film and video, as a resource for future generations.

One key development during this period was the shift toward thematic studies of monuments by type, including three initial textile mill surveys in Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and eastern Cheshire led by Keith Falconer.

[30] Widespread appreciation of the importance of industrial heritage by the general public is still lacking in many areas, as the subject often maintains the perception of being "not old enough" to truly be considered archaeology.

As with other history-based fields, one of the continuing challenges of industrial archaeologists throughout the world is the competition for ever-decreasing public funding for their research, educational and preservation projects.

Industrial architecture, mineral extraction, heritage-based tourism, power technology, adaptive reuse, and transport history are just some of the themes that are investigated by society members.

The Ironbridge Gorge , Shropshire , UK, was one of the first areas in the world to be part of a large-scale industrial archaeology study. In 1986, it was one of the first industrial sites to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
A preserved steam engine in Germany - one of the symbols of the Industrial Revolution , and a common topic of study for industrial archaeologists.
Boott Cotton Mills , Lowell, Massachusetts , restored as part of the Lowell National Historic Park , established the 1970s largely through the efforts of industrial archaeologists.
Levant Mine in Cornwall , an early subject of preservation in the 1930s.
A detailed technical drawing of the stamp mill process at the Quincy Stamp Mill , Houghton, Michigan , produced as part of the Quincy Mine Recording Project by the Historic American Engineering Record in 1978
Birch Creek Charcoal Kilns near Leadore, Idaho . Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Textile machinery on display at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya, Japan
Border City Mill Apartments , Fall River, Massachusetts , an example of the adaptive reuse of an industrial heritage site.
Despite extensive preservation efforts in recent decades, many historic industrial sites continue to be lost to fire, neglect and demolition.