The assumption within your message is that Sanborn maps, directories, and the myriad of other historical contextual documents provide all of the information that archaeologists need to fully understand the function and purpose of various 19th and 20th Century sites.  Historians often bring up this kind of argument.  "Who needs to dig?  All of the information necessary to understand the history of a site or community is available in documents."  Well, a brief purusal of William Rathjie's work will provide evidence to the contrary.  What people say and what people do is not always what we observe in the archaeological record.  Also, there are many things that people just don't think to write down or leave out of the historical record by oversight and mistake.
 
Conflicts frequently arise between what is observed in the material culture and historical documentation.  That conflict, then, often provides opportunities to posit interesting questions concerning site use, changes over time, and comparisons with other sites.  I would say that we will never reach a time
when excavation will not be necessary in order to better understand history, whether it be a single site, a community, an industry, or and entire town; just as we will always be coveting all of the historical documents that we can find to better understand the archaeology that we uncover. 
 
Mike Polk
Principal Archaeologist
Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
Ogden, Utah
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: William & Irene J. Henry <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 20:12:13 -0400
Subject: excavation justification


With Sanborn maps, directories, land records, tax records, newspapers, journals 
and a 
host of other historical documentation readily available over the internet it is 

becoming harder and harder to justify Phase II and Phase III excavations, 
especially of late 19th and early twentieth century sites. 

How many 19th/early 20th century farmsteads or urban houses need to be 
excavated, 
and what new information can they provide?  

I was asked this question by a historian friend of mine and 
was just curious to hear comments and opinions from the list members.  I was 
told 
that an article appeared several years ago on the subject but unfortunately I 
have no source.

 
Bill Henry