Assessing Site Significance: A Guide for Archaeologists and Historians(Heritage Resource Management Series)

Of the many properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, only 7% are archaeological sites. With the Register designed to primarily assess the historical significance of standing sites, archaeologists have had difficulty translating eligibility criteria to sites known primarily from archaeological work. Hardesty and Little provide practical guidance for archaeologists and others on how to examine these properties for their historical significance, both for academic reasons and for proposal to the Register. The general process of filing for NRHP eligibility is described and specific archaeological issues of site integrity, archaeological evidence, and traditional cultural properties addressed. Examples are provided throughout of sites as diverse as historic trails, farmsteads, factories, households, military camps, and trash heaps. This useful guide will be helpful for anyone working in a cultural resources management context with recent archaeological sites. Sponsored by the Heritage Resources Management Program, University of Nevada, Reno Visit the author's web page

About the Author :
Donald R. Hardesty is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Barbara J. Little is a program officer for the National Register of Historic Places of the National Park Service.

Review :
"This book would be useful for archaeologists, historians, and cultural resource managers. It is an excellent reference tool for anyone interested in nominating historic archaeological sites to the National Register of Historic Places and could be used as a textbook in a cultural resource management class, providing a framework for evaluating historic archaeological sites and identifying a broad range of research questions that can be addressed at historic archaeological sites." --David Pollack, (Kentucky Archaeolgical Survey, Florida Historical Quarterly "A very useful book about an important practical aspect of cultural resources management (CRM)....A valuable addition to the CRM literature." --D. B. Landon, (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Choice Reviews "Hardesty and Little recognize the unique issues that archaeologists face in dealing with historical resources and orient their volume to presenting solutions to these problems....This is a valuable volume for both CRM professionals and historical archaeologists." --Thomas E. Emerson, Illinois Transportation Archaeology Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Archaeology "Hardesty and Little are well-qualified to lead these discussions and have done a superb job of keeping the text interesting and informative....It is a good resource and one that should not be overlooked." --Stacy Stupka-Burda, Nebraska State Historical Society, Nebraska History "Assessing Site Significance provides practical guidance for those attempting to evaluate the significance of historical archaeological sites....The authors, who bring decades of practices experience to their task, concentrate on ... evaluating 'recent' sites, with an emphasis on those dating from the industrial age....The discussion of historic context is particularly important, and warrants reading by historians and other professionals engaged in cultural resources management....The authors do an admirable job of meeting the needs of historical archaeologists and clearly and explicitly advocate for an interdisciplinary approach....Reading this book will provide nonarchaeologists with a better understanding of how archaeologists view cultural resources and how they approach questions of significance, integrity, and redundancy." --Patrick O'Bannon, The Public Historian "A key word in the complex federal 'Preservation System' is 'significance.' The relevant regulations provide a [long] list of significance criteria...[but] they cannot cover every eventuality and hence, 'significance' is subject to interpretation....The authors of this volume draw upon their extensive knowledge and working experience in providing an excellent guide to assessing and establishing the significance of historical archaeological sites and, hence, eligibility determinations for listing in the National Register." --From the foreword by Don Fowler, Heritage Resource Management Program, University of Nevada Reno "Preservation planners will find the book a stimulating resource for integrating the archaeological record into their own state and regional planning documents." --Judith Francis Zeitlin, University of Massachusetts, Boston, American Antiquity "Developing a larger understanding of the significance of historical resources in their cultural and political contexts, and broadening the scope of archaeological involvement, are becoming increasingly important tasks for field archaeologists and these examples provide some excellent opportunities for teaching and learning." --Dale Walde, University of Calgary, Department of Archaeology, Canadian Journal of Archaeology "We are fortunate to have a book-length, focused treatment about evaluating historical archaeological sites." --Edward L. Bell, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Northeast Historical Archaeological "Their [Hardesty and Little] combined effort in Assessing Site Significance provides solid support to new practitioners and reinforces the work of experienced heritage management professionals in effectively applying National Register guidelines for assessing the significance of historic archaeological sites. . . .The authors' perception that assessment practice continues to evolve is a welcome contribution to the work and, assuming the current legislative mandates coninue, secures the book's role as an essential voume for heritage management students and professionals for years to come." --Michael Madson, Journal Of The Society For Industrial Archaeology