SHA 2026 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology

Session Abstract

Michigan archaeologists were leaders in the establishment of the field of historical archaeology and continue to make substantial contributions to understanding the state’s history and culture. From rural farmsteads to urban settings, on land and underwater, Michigan’s rich archaeological record reflects the range of its population, from Indigenous groups to freedom seekers of African descent and immigrants from around the globe. This panel brings together prominent historical archaeologists who have identified, investigated, and interpreting various places, objects, and landscapes that matter in Michigan to examine how archaeology advances our understanding of the American experience. In this context, we use the term “American experience” to encompass the disparate experiences and contributions of everyone who had a role in the formation of the United States. The panelists demonstrate that Michigan’s historical archaeology is at the vanguard of changes brought about by social and political forces within and beyond the discipline.

Traversing Michigan’s Historical Archaeology: Places and Stories That Matter in the American Experience, Part 2

Organizer(s): Dean L. Anderson (State Archaeologist for Michigan (retired), United States of America), Michael S. Nassaney (Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University)

Chair(s): Dean L. Anderson (State Archaeologist for Michigan (retired))

Panelist(s): Lynn L. M. Evans (Mackinac State Historic Parks), Sarah Surface-Evans (Michigan State Historic Preservation Offcie), Jessica L. Yann (Michigan State University), Daniel F. Harrison (Wayne State University), Timothy J. Scarlett (Michigan Technological University), Mark R. Schurr (University of Notre Dame), Bruce Hawkins (Oakland University), Terrance Martin (Illinois State Museum (retired)), Erika K. Hartley (Western Michigan University)

Michigan archaeologists were leaders in the establishment of the field of historical archaeology and continue to make substantial contributions to understanding the state’s history and culture. From rural farmsteads to urban settings, on land and underwater, Michigan’s rich archaeological record reflects the range of its population, from Indigenous groups to freedom seekers of African descent and immigrants from around the globe. This panel brings together prominent historical archaeologists who have identified, investigated, and interpreting various places, objects, and landscapes that matter in Michigan to examine how archaeology advances our understanding of the American experience. In this context, we use the term “American experience” to encompass the disparate experiences and contributions of everyone who had a role in the formation of the United States. The panelists demonstrate that Michigan’s historical archaeology is at the vanguard of changes brought about by social and political forces within and beyond the discipline.

Conference Agenda