I have excavated archaeological sites of the 20th century in Phoenix, Arizona,
and have written and spoken about 20th-century archaeological studies.  I
continue to propose that we need to rethink how we do archaeology when we're
faced with sites of the 20th century.  Approaching them the same way that we
approach 19th- and 18th-century sites isn't going to be very effective -- there
are more documents related to them and there are more (way more!) of them.  In
addition, we need to rely even more on developing innovative research questions
that relate directly to how groups, such as neighborhoods and communities (not
individuals) dealt with some of the major trends of the 20th century (e.g., the
Depression, war time, etc.)

I invite you to take a look at my 1995 article on "The National Register and the
20th Century -- Is There Room for Archeology?" in CRM, vol. 18, No.6 Supplement
-- go to <www.cr.nps.gov/crm> and click on "Index of Past Issues."  Go down to
1995, find Vol. 18, and click on No.6/Sup.

Sue Henry Renaud