Industrial Archaeology

Michigan Tech’s newly remodeled, 9,600 sq. ft. Industrial Archaeology Annex and Research Laboratory supports the documentation, analysis, conservation, and cataloging of artifacts and data recovered during fieldwork. Lab equipment includes a full array of photographic, drafting, and digital visualization gear, as well as equipment supporting experimental archaeology and the conservation of industrial heritage artifacts.

The facility also provides computers, office space, printing/copying, and WiFi for all IA graduate students, including access to a computer graphics facility with a mix of Macintosh and PC computers, a large format color scanner, slide scanner, digitizing tablets, laser printing, and a plotter. The lab supports several different programs for computer assisted drafting (CAD) and ArcView for GIS analysis. The IA Research Laboratory’s Curatorial Area stores industrial heritage collections for several agencies, providing additional research opportunities.

Houghton and Michigan’s famous Copper County and Keweenaw Peninsula are ideal locations to study industrial heritage. Faculty and students rely upon the superb holdings of the Michigan Tech Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections in the University’s J. R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library.  The industrial archaeology graduate programs also maintain close ties with the Michigan Historical Center, Keweenaw National Historical Park and Isle Royale National Park, as well as both the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests and several state parks, wilderness areas, and heritage sites. Faculty and students work within several academic organizations.  Of particular note, Michigan Tech provides leadership and programmatic support for the Society for Industrial Archaeology (SIA) and The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH).

Read what our faculty and other scholars in the field have written about industrial archaeology, in general, and our graduate programs, in particular.

• Crandall, W., Rowe, A. and Parnell, J. A. (2003). New Frontiers in Management Research: The Case for Industrial Archaeology. The Coastal Business Journal, 2(1), 45–60.
• Martin, P. (1998). Industrial Archaeology and Historic Mining Studies at Michigan Tech. CRM Magazine, 21(7), 4–7.
• Martin, P. (2009). Industrial Archaeology. In T. Majewski and D. Gaimster (Eds.), International Handbook of Historical Archaeology (pp. 285–297). New York, NY: Springer.
• Scarlett, T. J. and Sweitz, S. (2011). Constructing new knowledge in Industrial Archaeology. In Harold Mytum (ed.), Archaeological Field Schools: Constructing Knowledge and Experience. Springer Verlag, New York, pp. 119–145.
• Seely, B. and Martin, P. (2006). A Doctoral Program in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology at Michigan Tech. CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship, 3(1), 24–35.
• Weisberger, J. (2003). Industrial Archaeology Masters Program, Michigan Technological University: Leading the Way in a Developing Genre. Journal of Higher Education Strategists, 2, 201–206.