Curating Boston African American National Historic Site Archeology Collections: Practical guidance on implementing preservation standards and strategies

Project Description: This project will complete cataloging of over 17,000 artifacts from the Boston African American National Historic Site excavations. Cataloging will be in a manner compatible with the Omeka database used by their ultimate repository, the Boston City Archaeology Lab. This project will ensure proper preservation of the artifacts according to National Park Service standards and also facilitate easier access to the collections by researchers and by park staff.

This innovative partnership is focused on providing a hands-on, project-based learning opportunity for participants who have limited exposure to archeological collections management. It will be specifically useful for those with no formal collections management training, who are nearing graduation and about to enter the professional world of archeology and considering a
career focused on managing and/or caring for archeological collections.

The main teaching and learning goals are:

– Provide participants with an overview of preventative conservation; collections management policies and procedures; and the tasks associated with managing archeological collections.

– Teach participants about their roles and responsibilities as they related to archeological collections, to ensure that curation is effectively considered at each stage of the archeological process.

– Offer solutions and resources that participants can refer to as they encounter collections management scenarios.

The Northeast Museum Services Center, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, supports and strengthens programs and partnerships that preserve and protect natural and cultural resource collections within Northeast Region sites of the National Park Service and make those collections accessible for research, education and public enjoyment. Since the inception of the Northeast Museum Services Center’s archeology collections management program in 2003, the goal of the program has been to bring NPS archeology collections into the public eye. This project is organized as partnership to fulfill that commitment to public outreach and reaching a variety of people.

Lead Principal Investigator: David Landon, University of Massachusetts Boston

Partner Institution: University of Massachusetts Boston

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Teri DeYoung

Project Type: Education

Project Discipline: Cultural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Cultural and Historic

Start Year: 2018

End Year: 2023

Initial Funding Amount: $75,000.00

Federal Grant Number: P18AC00972

Amendments

• Amendment Number: 01, Year: 2019, Amount: $70,000.00
• Amendment Number: 02, Year: 2020, Amount: $67,855.00
• Amendment Number: 03, Year: 2021, Amount: $25,000.00

Location: Boston African American National Historic Site

State(s): Massachusetts

Student and Other Involvement:

• Masters Students: 12

Summary of Student Involvement: The students gained a wide range of technical skills related to curating archeology collections and to cultural resource management in general through a collaborative partnership between the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center at the University of Massachusetts (Boston) and the Northeast Museum Services Center of the National Park Service. Student participants created both personal and professional relationships with NPS Curators and Archeologists as well as outside researchers and external partners. Participants learned how to identify artifacts; enter data and use a database program to store and analyze field data; and rehoused material remains and associated records based on established procedures and guidelines to manage and preserve collections. The experience helped prepare participants for pursuing their field of study.

Products Associated with this Project:

• No products found.

Photographs from this Project:

The Mashpee Wampanoag Community and Government Center in Cape Cod where NMSC and UMass-Boston CESU students openly rehoused archeological objects, answered questions from the community, and taught visiting school groups about archeology and archeological objects.