Collection consists of the records of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, including officers' files; grant files, journals, newsletters, editorial files, films, photographs, and posters.
Scope and Contents:
Records of the Society, including officers' files, grant files, journals, newsletters, editorial files, records relating to SIA's activities such as tours and conferences, films, photographs, and posters.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 11 series.
Series 1: Annual Meetings, 1971-2002
Series 2: Fall Tours, 1972-2002
Series 3: International Conferences, 1973-1994
Series 4: IA: The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, 1985-2018
Series 5: Editors' Files, IA: The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, 1982-1994; undated
Series 6: SIA Newsletters, 1971-2020
Series 7: SIA Publications, 1971-2003
Series 8: Grants, 1981-1992
Series 9: Awards, 1998-2001
Series 10: Local Chapter Reports and Activities, 1978-1999
Series 11: Addenda, 1965-2017
Historical Note:
The roots of the Society for Industrial Archeology can be traced back to a seminar on industrial archeology held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C, on April 11, 1967. Kenneth Hudson, the prominent British archeologist, was the featured speaker and main attraction. More than 30 people attended this day-long seminar, including state and federal government officials involved in historic preservation; museum professionals from the Smithsonian, other technology museums, and a handful of historic sites and parks; and representatives of several engineering societies. The sessions concentrated on what was being done in Great Britain and on the Continent to promote the study of industrial archeology, and what needed to be done in the United States. This seminar planted the seeds for the eventual founding of the SIA, seeds which germinated for more than four years before bearing fruit.
The SIA was officially born at the conference held at the Smithsonian Institution on October 16, 1971. Paul E. Rivard, then director of the Old Slater Mill Museum, proposed a meeting to develop means to improve the exchange of ideas and information among people working in the "new" field of industrial archeology. Ted Sande, Philadelphia architect and doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, and Robert M. Vogel, curator of mechanical and civil engineering, Smithsonian Institution, organized the meeting. Nearly 50 people involved in the field attended this all-day conference, including architectural historians, historical archeologists, historians of technology, museologists, and preservationists. They came from museums, state and federal agencies, universities, and historical societies (see the appendix for a list of attendees). The same interesting collection of individuals, institutions, and interests remain well-represented in the SIA to this day.
(Extracted from IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology, Vol. 17, No. 1 1991 Copyright 1991-1999, The Society for Industrial Archeology) Compiled and Edited by Charles K. Hyde.
Provenance:
The collections was donated by the Society for Industrial Archeology, through David H. Shayt, May 3, 1999.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
