Source: Press Release
Date: October 4, 2007
Byline: PAF

Buried American History to Finally See the Light of Day?

Contact: Anthony J. Ranere, PAF Vice-President
Department of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
ranere@vm.temple.edu 215-204-1423

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 4, 2007

Philadelphia, PA - The "best-preserved colonial archaeological find in an American urban area" was discovered between 2000 and 2003 during the construction of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This archaeological treasure consists of most of an entire neighborhood that had once been home to hundreds of Philadelphians during the colonial, Revolutionary, and early Federalist periods of the city's history. More than 1 million artifacts were recovered from the area. These objects represent an ethnically and socially diverse cross-section of early American life. Unprecedented in its size and scope, this artifact collection holds a promise of expanding our understanding of the country's beginnings, including how we came to be the society we are today. However, a protracted delay in getting these artifacts into the lab to be processed and analyzed has denied Americans access to the stories this archaeological site has to tell. Delays have also jeopardized the condition of this fragile, invaluable, evidence. Now, the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum (PAF, www.phillyarchaeology.org), an organization dedicated to the dissemination of information about archaeological resources in the Philadelphia area and the protection and preservation of these resources, has inquired about the current status of the artifact studies with the signatories of the archaeology project's Programmatic Agreement — the National Constitution Center, Independence National Historical Park, and the Advisory Council for Historical Preservation (a federal commission promoting the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our Nation's historic resources and which advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy). The Programmatic Agreement, a legally binding contract spelling out the obligations of the signatories, was allowed to expire in 2005 without completion of archaeological studies or the release of a final report to the public.

In response to the PAF inquiry, the Advisory Council and Independence Park have reported that the project is up and running and making significant headway. Progress reported to the PAF includes the addition of two fulltime staff members, the purchase of new state-of-the-art equipment, and the contributed efforts of more than 33 dedicated volunteers and 3 interns. Crews of professional archaeologists from two local firms have also been awarded small contracts to begin the process of performing the technical identification and analysis of the assemblage, and to develop specialized artifact and GIS databases with which information gleaned from the collection can be both stored and organized. At the time this information was reported, the first 55,000 artifacts had been washed and prepared for analysis, and more than 12,000 objects had been documented and entered into appropriate databases. While this initial progress is very encouraging, what may be more encouraging is INHP's decision to complete the study of the NCC artifacts in the context of a public archaeology laboratory. The lab is open six days a week (Monday through Saturday); visitors can enter a public area within the lab and witness first-hand the process by which artifacts are washed, labeled, pieced back together, and studied by archaeologists. Visitors are encouraged to interact with both professionals and volunteers, to ask questions about the activities carried out before them, and to learn about the site and some of the individuals who once lived there. After receiving the ACHP and INHP response to our initial inquiry, members of the PAF have visited the lab and have been deeply impressed by both the professionalism and the skill exhibited by the staff and volunteers. It is our position that the continuing study of the NCC artifacts in such an open facility can only serve to expand public understanding of and appreciation for the process of archaeological discovery, increase public support for future archaeological explorations in the city, and expose visitors to a host of historical narratives that are unavailable through any other data or archival source.

Building on the initial success of the public archaeology laboratory, Park Service staff has developed a six-year schedule for finishing studies of the NCC site and artifact collection, culminating with the production of a publicly accessible final report of findings to be prepared by 2012. While the establishment of such a plan is essential for the completion of this daunting undertaking, ability to meet the goals of this schedule are entirely dependent on continued and adequate support by both Independence National Historical Park and the National Constitution Center. Accordingly, the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation has urged INHP to develop a new Programmatic Agreement for the project that would provide for compliance with all requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act, that would ensure the completion of all actions outlined in the original PA, and that would "delineate the roles and responsibilities for the Federal (INHP) and non-Federal (NCC) partners, as well as provide for greater transparency through annual reporting" (Reid Nelson, ACHP, August 16, 2007).

Most significantly, the ACHP has informed INHP that in developing a new Programmatic Agreement, it will seek to "identify and engage potential consulting parties" that want to have an involvement in the future conduct of the project, and to "inform the public of this effort, and clarify how written requests to become consulting parties will be reviewed" (Ibid). While recent steps toward the completion of the National Constitution Center site archaeological project are indeed laudable, the PAF recognizes that the difficulties and delays the project has experienced in the past have been directly caused by a lack of transparency in the overall process. For too long this investigation has been permitted to be conducted behind closed doors and with minimal oversight by members of the public. In the final analysis, it is the public that has the greatest stake in this project — ultimately the archaeological evidence recovered during construction of National Constitution Center and all it has to tell us about the history of Philadelphia, and the people who built it, belongs to the people of this city — and also the most to lose should this project be permitted to falter once again. Consequently the PAF ardently backs the ACHP's recommendation regarding the drafting of a new Programmatic Agreement for the National Constitution Center project, and we in turn urge individuals and groups in the city with a similar interest in archaeology, history, and historic preservation to become involved when Independence National Historical Park seeks to identify consulting parties.

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For more information:

The Philadelphia Archaeological Forum (PAF) is a 501(c)3 organization of concerned local professional archaeologists, amateur enthusiasts, and historical preservationists. Founded in 1999, the purpose of our group is to educate the public about Philadelphia's unique archaeological heritage and to encourage the preservation of archaeological sites in our community. Visit: www.phillyarchaeology.org; phillyarchaeology@gmail.com.

Archeology and the National Constitution Center
Independence Living History Center Archeology Laboratory
For Media: Fact Sheet on Archaeology [pdf]