Sixty-Five Years of History: Archaeological Conservation at Colonial Williamsburg

Abstract

Archaeological conservation at Colonial Williamsburg began in the early 1930s and has continued to the present, making it the longest running archaeological conservation project on a North American site. During this period, both the fields of conservation and of archaeology have undergone significant evolution. These changes have been reflected in the practice of archaeological conservation at Colonial Williamsburg. The focus has shifted from individual objects toward a more holistic vision of how these objects fit into the site and what they can tell us about the people that used them and the land on which they were found.