Most of my investigations have been Phase I's with write-off as the recommendation. But, in investigating the technological changes in farm equipment, perspectives have changed. I've begun recording farm equipment dumps as archaeological sites. These are the old, worn-out, broken or spare parts items that are typically hauled somewhere behind the equipment sheds and left to be covered in brambles and emergent trees. Typically these are steel-wheeled equipment that was replaced to the 90% by the late 1930's in sales by rubber tired equipment. These dumps are info sources for economic conditions at the individual farm level, and at the macro level looking at the distribution patterns of the hundreds of manufacturers that no longer exist. And of course, the belt driven small-task machines such as corn shellers, etc. need to be recorded and handed over for curation somewhere.
The problem I'm facing is that retail prices for farm equipment are very difficult to obtain. The manufacturers don't have MSRP figures as those are left to the individual dealers who advertise without prices and their account books don't usually survive. Some figures are available for tractors, but the other stuff that was pulled, not so much.
Lyle Browning
On Mar 1, 2011, at 10:27 AM, Marie E. Pokrant wrote:
> Fellow HISTARCH-ers,
>
> I am trying to track down "gray literature" on Phase II investigations completed on early twentieth-century farmsteads in the NY, WV, PA, and OH region. Unfortunately, most early twentieth-century farmsteads have not, until recently, been a research interest. Although I am trying to focus my research on the Midwest/northeast, I would be happy to gather data from other regions as well.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Marie
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Marie E. Pokrant, M.A., RPA
> Senior Archaeologist
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