An Introduction to the Kirtland Flats Ashery

Reflecting a recent resurgence of interest in one of its most important historic spaces, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently restoring a number of historic structures in Kirtland, Ohio, including buildings in the lowland area known as Kirtland Flats (fig. 1). These buildings are part of a major restoration plan designed to significantly increase the quantity and quality of historical interpretation at the site by introducing visitors to the major doctrinal and historical developments of the Church during the seven years its followers resided in Kirtland (1831-1838)

Excavating Nauvoo

This detailed study of the excavation and restoration of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, reveals the roots of historical archaeology. In the late 1960s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored an archaeology program to authentically restore the city of Nauvoo, which was founded along the Mississippi River in the 1840s by the Mormons as they moved west. Non-Mormon scholars were also interested in Nauvoo because it was representative of several western frontier towns in this era. As the archaeology and restoration of Nauvoo progressed, however, conflicts arose, particularly regarding control of the site and its interpretation for the public. The field of historical archaeology was just coming into its own during this period, with myriad perspectives and doctrines being developed and tested. The Nauvoo site was one of the places where the discipline was forged. This well-researched account weaves together multiple viewpoints in examining the many contentious issues surrounding the archaeology and restoration of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, providing an illuminating picture of the early days of professional historical archaeology

“The archaeology of the Mormons themselves”: The restoration of Nauvoo and the rise of historical archaeology in America

Historical archaeology---the archaeology of the Modern World---was born primarily in the American historic preservation movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its formal beginnings are linked to the institutionally sponsored excavations of famous historic sites in the 1930s, with particular reference to the federally supported excavations at Jamestown, Virginia. The field\u27s professional beginnings, however, are grounded in the 1960s, when historical archaeology emerged as an independent discipline of academic scholarship. Significantly, the restoration of Nauvoo, complete with archaeological excavations, took place at the same time historical archaeology was emerging from its institutional roots and entering the academic world as a professional discipline of study. Remarkably, J. C. Harrington, widely regarded as the father of historical archaeology, was involved in all of these events. Not only did he play a prominent role in both the early institutional phase of the discipline and its later professional development, but he was also instrumental in establishing historical archaeology in Nauvoo. Consequently, the historical archaeology in Nauvoo is a particularly illustrative case study in the history of the discipline at large. In particular, the Nauvoo excavations offer a glimpse into a significant period of transition in the development of the field. Indeed, during the nearly twenty five years of excavations in Nauvoo, historical archaeology as a whole emerged from its formal beginnings in restoration archaeology and entered the academic world as a legitimate and professional scholarly discipline. Furthermore, the history of the Nauvoo excavations reveals how historical archaeology, by contributing to historic site restorations, has been used in efforts to legitimize and validate the particular ideologies of the various institutions that have sponsored it. Overall, the historical archaeology of Nauvoo reflects broad national patterns of the field\u27s development. However, the unique peculiarities of this specific case study arise from both an internal interpretive conflict between two competing branches of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and an external conflict between secular and religious interpretive models for the historic site

“The archaeology of the Mormons themselves”: The restoration of Nauvoo and the rise of historical archaeology in America

Historical archaeology---the archaeology of the Modern World---was born primarily in the American historic preservation movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its formal beginnings are linked to the institutionally sponsored excavations of famous historic sites in the 1930s, with particular reference to the federally supported excavations at Jamestown, Virginia. The field\u27s professional beginnings, however, are grounded in the 1960s, when historical archaeology emerged as an independent discipline of academic scholarship. Significantly, the restoration of Nauvoo, complete with archaeological excavations, took place at the same time historical archaeology was emerging from its institutional roots and entering the academic world as a professional discipline of study. Remarkably, J. C. Harrington, widely regarded as the father of historical archaeology, was involved in all of these events. Not only did he play a prominent role in both the early institutional phase of the discipline and its later professional development, but he was also instrumental in establishing historical archaeology in Nauvoo. Consequently, the historical archaeology in Nauvoo is a particularly illustrative case study in the history of the discipline at large. In particular, the Nauvoo excavations offer a glimpse into a significant period of transition in the development of the field. Indeed, during the nearly twenty five years of excavations in Nauvoo, historical archaeology as a whole emerged from its formal beginnings in restoration archaeology and entered the academic world as a legitimate and professional scholarly discipline. Furthermore, the history of the Nauvoo excavations reveals how historical archaeology, by contributing to historic site restorations, has been used in efforts to legitimize and validate the particular ideologies of the various institutions that have sponsored it. Overall, the historical archaeology of Nauvoo reflects broad national patterns of the field\u27s development. However, the unique peculiarities of this specific case study arise from both an internal interpretive conflict between two competing branches of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and an external conflict between secular and religious interpretive models for the historic site