"In the Southeast alone the number of recorded sites has gone from under 10,000 in 1970 to over 200,000 today [and] while modern field crews only rarely approach those of the New Deal era in size, the quantity and quality of the data far exceed that collected in earlier times."

"A National Commitment," David G. Anderson

IN CONTEXT

Public Archeology in the 21st century
by Francis P. McManamon

 A National Commitment by David G. Anderson

A common thread connects the Smithsonian’s turn-of-the-century mound investigations with the archeology of the post-war boom and the preservation laws of today.

 The Southeastern Jumpstart of National Archeology by Judith A. Bense

The Southeast of the Great Depression was cash-poor and archeology-rich. People were hungry for work and archeologists thirsted for knowledge. The national archeology program was on its way.

 Constructing [on] the Past by John Walthall, Kenneth Farnsworth, and

Thomas E. Emerson
Illinois has always fostered a good working relationship between archeologist and engineer. How the state and its partners turned two massive highway projects into a triumph for archeology.

 Unwritten History by J.W. Joseph

The history of Springfield, a village of free African Americans in the Old South, would have remained buried if not for the federal archeology program.

 A Sense of Where We Are by Joe Baker

There is every reason to celebrate the accomplishments, and just as much cause to look with a critical eye.