Technologies for Prehistoric and Historic Preservation September 1986 NTIS order #PB87-140166 .. Recommended Citation: U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Technologies for Prehistoric and Historic Preservation, OTA-E-319 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, September 1986). Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 86-600574 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 — Foreword Archaeological remains and historic structures and landscapes are important tan- gible reminders of this Nation’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, They provide a sense of our past and contribute in other ways to our quality of life. Yet, in recent years, as the resuIt primarily of population shifts, urban growth, and energy development, the stresses on these unique, nonrenewable cultural resources have increased dramat- ically. As this assessment makes clear, the appropriate use of a wide variety of preser- vation technologies, many of which were originally developed for applications in natural science and engineering, could reduce many of these stresses. This report presents the primary findings of an assessment requested by the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The Subcommittee on Public Lands is carry- ing out a major review of how Federal agencies implement Federal preservation pol- icy. This assessment directly supports the Committee’s review by showing how the uses of certain methods, techniques, as well as tools and equipment can assist Feder- al, State, and local preservation efforts. The assessment takes the unusual step of focusing on the applications of preserva- tion technologies rather than preservation disciplines. It examines the current use of preservation technologies and identifies research and development needs. It also ex- plores how improvements in Federal policy and implementation can facilitate the more effective use of technologies appropriate for managing this country’s prehistoric and historic cultural resources. In undertaking this assessment, OTA sought the contributions of a wide spectrum of knowledgeable and interested individuals. Some provided information and guidance, others reviewed drafts of the report. OTA gratefully acknowledges their contributions of time and intellectual effort. OTA also appreciates the timely help rendered by a num- ber of individuals from the National Park Service. JOHN H. GIBBONS Director ///. Review Panel Robert Baboian John H. Myers Corrosion Laboratory College of Architecture Texas Instruments Georgia Institute of Technology Attleboro, MA Atlanta, GA Carole L. Crumley Patricia O’Donnell Department of Anthropology Walmsley & Co. University of North Carolina New York, NY Chapel Hill, NC Mimi Rodden Hiroshi Daifuku Carson City, NV Historic Preservation Consultant Reynold Ruppe Washington, DC Department of Anthropology James Ebert Arizona State University Ebert & Associates Tempe, AZ Albuquerque, NM Susan E. Schur Joel Grossman Technology and Conservation Grossman & Associates, Inc. Boston, MA New York, NY Thomas Spiers Robert Harvey Benatec Associates Department of Landscape Architecture Harrisburg, PA Iowa State University M. Jane Young Ames, 1A Department of Anthropology Ruthann Knudson University of Texas Woodward-Clyde Consultants Austin, TX Walnut Creek, CA Charles Mazel Klein Associates Salem, NH NOTE: OTA appreciates and is grateful for the valuable assistance and thoughtful critiques provided by the review panel and workshop participants. The panel and workshops do not, however, necessarily approve, disapprove, or endorse this report. OTA assumes full responsibility for the report and the accuracy of its contents. iv OTA Project Staff on Prehistoric and Historic Preservation Lionel S. Johns, Assistant Director, OTA Energy, Materials, and International Security Division Peter D. Blair, Energy and Materials Program Manager Richard E. Rowberg, Energy and Materials Program Manager until December 1985 Ray Williamson, Project Director Mary Lee Jefferson, Analyst Jannelle Warren-Findley, Contractor Administrative Staff Lillian Chapman Linda Long Workshop Participants Technologies for the Preservation of Archaeological Sites and Structures, Dec. 3-4, 1985 Dena Dincauze, Chair Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA Annetta Cheek Mark Leone Thomas Sever Archeology Assistance Division Department of Anthropology National Aeronautics and Space Office of Surface Mining University of Maryland Administration Washington, DC College Park, MD National Space Technology Laboratories Bay St. Louis, MS James Ebert Charles Pearson Ebert & Associates Coastal Environments, Inc. R.E. Taylor Albuquerque, NM Baton Rouge, LA Department of Anthropology University of California Jeffrey Eighmy G.R. Rapp, Jr. Riverside, CA Department of Anthropology College of Science and Engineering Colorado State University University of Minnesota Leslie Wildesen Fort Collins, CO Duluth, MN Colorado Heritage Center State Historic Preservation Office James Judge Joseph Schuldenrein Denver, CO Fort Burgwin Research Center Commonwealth Associates Southern Methodist University Jackson, Ml Dallas, TX Timothy Kohler Department of Anthropology Washington State University Pullman, WA Technologies for the Presentation of Historic Structures, Jan. 28-29, 1986 James Marston Fitch, Chair Department of Historic Preservation, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, New York, NY Terry Amburgey Tomas H. Spiers John H. Myers Forest Products Laboratory Benatec Associates Center for Architectural Conservation Mississippi State University Harrisburg, PA College of Architecture Mississippi State, MS Georgia Institute of Technology Geoffrey Frohnsdorff Atlanta, GA Jan C.K. Anderson Center for Building Technology RESTORE National Bureau of Standards Susan E. Schur New York, NY Gaithersburg, MD Technology and Conservation Boston, MA Robert Baboian Larry Jones Corrosion Laboratory Old House Journal Norman Weiss Texas Instruments Brooklyn, NY Center for Preservation Research Attleboro, MA Columbia University Robert Kapsch New York, NY Hiroshi Daifuku National Park Service Historic Preservation Consultant Washington, DC Washington, DC Judith Kitchen Ohio State Historic Preservation Office Columbus, OH vi Technologies for Underwater Archaeology and Maritime Preservation, Feb. 20,1986 Reynold Ruppe, Chair Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ J. Barto Arnold Daniel Lenihan J.K. Orzech Texas Antiquities Committee Submerged Cultural Resources Unit Scripps Institute of Oceanography Austin, TX National Park Service La Jolla, CA Santa Fe, NM Frank Busby Sheli O. Smith Busby Associates, Inc. Charles Mazel Mariners Museum Arlington, VA Klein Associates Mariners Drive Salem, NH Newport News, VA Calvin R. Cummings National Park Service Craig Mullen Denver, CO Eastport International Upper Marlboro, MD Anne G. Giesecke Underwater Archaeologist Carol Olsen Arlington, VA Department of Maritime Preservation National Trust for Historic Preservation Washington, DC Technologies for the Preservation of Planned Landscapes and Other Outdoor Sites, Feb. 27=28, 1986 Patricia O’Donnell, Chair Walmsley & Co., Inc., New York, NY Shary P. Berg Thomas J. Kane Darwina L. Neal Frederick Law Olmsted National Kane, Liede, and Ratyna, PC. National Park Service Historic Site Pleasantville, NY National Capital Region Brookline, MA Washington, DC Timothy Keller Carole L. Crumley Land and Community Associates Ford Peatross Department of Anthropology Charlottesville, VA Prints and Photographs Division University of North Carolina Library of Congress Setha M. Low Chapel Hill, NC Washington, DC Department of Landscape Architecture Nomi Greber and Regional Planning Scott Weinberg Cleveland Museum of Natural History University of Pennsylvania School of Environmental Design Cleveland, OH Philadelphia, PA University of Georgia Athens, GA Robert Harvey Martin McGann College of Design Institute of Historic Horticulture M. Jane Young lowa State University Sleepy Hollow Restorations Department of Anthropology Ames, 1A Tarrytown, NY University of Texas Austin, TX Catherine Hewett Hugh C. Miller Bunting Institute Historic Architecture Division Radcliffe College National Park Service Cambridge, MA Washington, DC vii . Technologies for the Physical Protection of Prehistoric and Historic Sites, Apr. 14=15, 1986 Mimi Redden, Chair Carson City, NV David G. Battle Richard Haines Felix Lavicka National Park Service Bureau of Land Management Analytics, Inc. Denver CO Division of Lands and Renewable Tinton Falls, NJ Resources J. Rodney Little Richard Bierce Portland, OR National Trust for Historic Preservation State Historic Preservation Office Washington, DC James Hester Annapolis, MD Waterways Experiment Station Constance Ramirez Fred Blackburn U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Department of the Army White Mesa Institute Vicksburg, MS College of Eastern Utah Washington, DC Blanding, UT Captain Alvin Hinton Tupper Thomas U.S. Park Police Prospect Park Joel Grossman Washington, DC Grossman & Associates, Inc. Brooklyn, NY New York, NY Tom King Office of Cultural Resource Preservation Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Washington, DC Ruthann Knudson Woodward-Clyde Consultants Walnut Creek, CA . Vlll Acknowledgments The following individuals contributed to this study in a variety of ways. OTA is grateful for their assistance: Mary Lee Allen James R. Druzik Ken Ireland Gunston Hall The Getty Conservation Institute National Park Service Bruce Anderson Robert Dunnell