The postition taken in that Boston Globe article should not be too
surprising, nor is it anything new.  Check out the Archaeology section of
almost any big bookstore, and you will find Barry Fell's 1976 book
"America B.C." which spouted exactly the same sort of nonsense as the
Globe article.    It's all part of the "Chariots of the Gods/Bermuda Triangle"
brand of sensationalistic publicity that we still see on TV shows like
"Ancient Mysteries".
 
Face it, most people just want to hear a good story, where ancient
Druids or Phoenician traders get blown across the ocean and establish a
"Lost Colony".   (A common belief in the 19th century was that Native
Americans were descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel.)    They
would much rather hear a sensationalistic fable than a dry academic
argument about farmers and root cellars.  Brona Simon is undoubtedly on
the ball in saying that a deed search or probate inventory would explain
most of these sites, but the Globe would probably not publish her
findings if she did.
 
Maybe it's time to repeat the old adage:  We as archaeologists need to
publicize our findings in a form that will reach the public if we expect
continued public support for what we do.  Many individuals have made
great progress in this direction, but the fact that people will still believe
the sort of voodoo archaeology that the Globe is promoting indicates that
we still have a long road ahead of us.    Old myths die hard.