The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) was a turning point in the history of archaeology in the United States. This law required that the implementation of any project using federal funds or involving a federal permit take into account the project’s effects on historic places, including archaeological sites. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHPA, American archaeologists worked together to produce a series of short films, each one representing a particular state, highlighting the gains in our understanding of the lives of our forebears that would not have come about without that law.
California’s Obsidian Trail
In the shadow of Mt. Whitney lies California’s Owens Valley, the deepest valley in North America…
Archaeology in Delaware: Connecting the Past to the Present
This video is an exploration of the practitioner’s personal side of archaeology…
The Avondale Burial Place: A Georgia Section 106 Success Story
The Avondale Burial place is an unmarked and forgotten African American burial ground encountered…
Connecting the Past to the Present through Archaeology
On the evening of January 8th, 1944, a B-24 crashed during a nighttime training mission…
Kentucky: The Archaeology of Everyone
This video presents highlights on what scholars have learned about Kentucky’s rich cultural heritage…
Searching for the Sweet Life: Archaeology at the Chatsworth Plantation Site, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum handled the MNHRP-mandated research…
Montana: The National Preservation Act in Big Sky Country
A story of two fascinating archaeological sites that essentially bookend 10,000+ years of human habitation in the Big Sky Country…
North Dakota: From the Field to the Museum
The film features the Beacon Island Site, a bison kill site archaeologists believe was occupied during the Paleo-Indian period…
An Expression of Unity: The Shaker Tobacco Pipes from Union Village
Archaeology and history intertwine to tell how publically-funded archaeology by the Ohio Department of Transportation…
Rising from the Ashes: The Archaeology of the Jacksonville Chinese Quarter
Archaeological excavation in 2013 along a quiet street in Jacksonville in preparation for streetscape improvements…