Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP)

Archaeological sites are only one category of cultural resources, but the vast majority of the CRSP’s projects do involve archaeology. Most of these projects are reconnaissance surveys to determine if, in fact, any archaeological sites are within a project’s area of potential effects (APE). Through a combination of historical and environmental background research, field investigations, and analysis — the goal of the CRSP’s field archaeology is to identify, preserve, and record the state’s archaeological resources for future research. 

In some respects, cultural resource archaeology differs from traditional or academic research archaeology. Since the goal for cultural resource archaeologists is preservation, the emphasis is on the identification and assessment of archaeological resources rather than thorough excavation and interpretation of sites. In this sense, cultural resource archaeologists often “stop” just where traditional archaeologists “begin” – with the discovery of an archaeological site. 

Archaeology is a destructive process, since the excavations that create a record of a site do so through effectively dismantling it. The intent of cultural resource management is preservation and conservation of archaeological resources. We excavate only as much as is necessary to determine the presence, nature, dimensions, integrity, and age of a site. Full excavations are conducted only when a site cannot be avoided and left in place. Even then, the emphasis is primarily on thorough recording of the site for more extensive analysis by researchers in the future. 

Another difference is that while many archaeologists typically specialize in a specific geographic region or historical period, cultural resource archaeologists need to be generalists. A broad knowledge of the whole history of human activity in an area is needed for this type of archaeology. Whether a project area contains traces of a Native American camp from several thousands of years ago, a colonial-era settler’s cabin, or a late-19th century industrial mill – cultural resource archaeologists in the field need enough expertise to identify the artifacts and features of any type of site from any period of history. 

Background Research & Screening

Most of the time, archaeological fieldwork actually begins in the library. The preliminary research for a project helps to see what might be found in a project area and to suggest what methods are likely to be most effective for the fieldwork. The background research involves a study of the local history, review of historical maps of the area, a search for known archaeological or historic properties in the vicinity, and a review of the environmental setting (including soil types, hydrography, and geology) of the project area. Working from this kind of information, a research and testing strategy is designed to reasonably ensure that any archaeological resources in the study area are found and identified. 

Even with the most thorough background research, one can never know for sure whether there are or aren’t archeological resources present in an area. Sites are quite often found in unexpected places, so the only way to really find out is to go out into the field and start digging.

Phase I — Reconnaissance Survey

Sometimes referred to as a “Phase One Survey” or simply “Survey”, a Reconnaissance Survey is intended to do just that – to explore an area that may be affected by a state project, and to see what (if anything) is in the area that has the potential to be of historical or archaeological importance. The most common way of doing so is to dig a grid of shovel test pits (STPs) across the area. 

STPs are small round units (40 centimeters diameter, less than a foot and a half) that are excavated by hand, and dug down through the various layers of soil until a “sterile” layer is reached – often to depths of between 2 and 4 feet on most occasions. A “sterile” soil layer is, in this sense, one that contains no artifacts or evidence of human activity and is a naturally occurring part of soil formation (i.e. a sub-soil “B-Horizon” that generally predates human occupation in an area). 

The STPs are typically spaced 50 feet apart, which works out to an area sample of 16 STPs per acre. This sampling interval is close enough to be most likely to catch at least a glimpse of any buried archaeological resources, while still being as efficient as possible with the amount of work needed to test an area. The testing interval is shortened to 25 feet or less when artifacts are found or in a location where a site is strongly suspected (for example: near a map-documented structure or in an area where known sites are nearby).

Notes are recorded for each STP that document the depths and descriptions of the soils encountered, what (if any) artifacts are found, and general observations about the pit and its surroundings (e.g. “on a lawn” or “lots of crushed gravels present in the first layer”). Any artifacts found are collected and bagged, then labeled with the STP number and in what soil layer they were found (i.e. the “provenience” of the artifact). These field notes and collections provide the lead archaeologist with all the pertinent information to determine whether the cultural material and features found (if any) warrant a designation as an archaeological site. 

If a site is found, then the question becomes whether the site is intact and/or significant enough to be eligible for the State or National Registers of Historic Places. 

Phase II – Site Examination and Evaluation

A Site Examination or “Phase Two” Survey is meant to gather enough archaeological data to decide if a site is “significant” and to clarify the horizontal and vertical limits of the site’s area. The significance of an archaeological site is basically determined by whether the site has archaeological integrity (i.e. it remains largely intact) and whether it can provide historical information about the place, region, or people associated with the site. The spatial limits of the site are important for planning the other projects in the area in order to avoid affecting the site any more than necessary.

A site examination typically involves excavating more STPs at a smaller interval than during the survey, and excavating a small number of larger excavation units and/or trenches to expose parts of the site for closer study of its soil layers and features (e.g. a foundation or hearth). Again, all of these excavations are carefully recorded and mapped and all the artifacts collected and catalogued by provenience. 

The intent of these test excavations is assessment, rather than interpretation, of an archaeological site. In a site examination, only a small percentage of the site’s area is tested intensively. Since the preferred outcome of cultural resource archaeology is to leave the site in place, a limited sample allows the archaeologists to make a determination about the integrity and significance of a site without removing more of the site’s resources than is minimally necessary. 

In some situations, however, there is no way to avoid the site and leave it undisturbed. If the site has been determined to be eligible for the State or National Register of Historic Places and it cannot be avoided, then the site needs to be excavated and recorded in full. 

Phase III – Data Recovery and Site Mitigation 

Data recovery is a long and slow process, requiring extensive field excavations and exhaustive historical research. More often, some form of site mitigation is proposed that minimizes (i.e. mitigates) the effects of construction on the site as a whole. This could mean excavating part of the site while changing the construction plans to avoid the rest, or possibly coming up with some way to protect the site from the construction by designing around it or “capping” it with some protective barrier. These decisions are made through a process of consultation between the government agencies involved, professional archaeologists, and the public and other people that may have some special interest in the site (e.g. the local community, related families, and Native descendents or representatives).

A Data Recovery (or “Phase III”) is what most people think of as “real” archaeology – large area blocks of units, grids and survey lines stretched across a site, and lots of dirt being meticulously and methodically excavated and recorded. The intent of a data recovery excavation is the full recording of any and all archaeological data from a site that would otherwise be lost. If a site goes to this phase of excavation, it means that the site is both historically significant and unavoidably threatened by construction. In these situations, the only recourse is to create as thorough a record of the site as possible.

While surveys and site examinations are intend to find and evaluate a site, a data recovery is meant to create as full an archaeological record of a site as can be done. This is accomplished through large-scale excavations of areas of interest identified in the prior phases combined with broad historical research on the location and its inhabitants. For historical sites, this can mean researching all available deed and census data related to the sites historical owners, old documents and letters, maps, newspaper articles, and any other references that can be found. For Native sites, it includes historical and archaeological reports about the site’s and regions prehistoric inhabitants and their way of life, consultation with tribal descendents, and comparisons with similar sites found throughout the state. 

The intent of all of this work is to provide future researchers with any and all information they might need to analyze and interpret the site, since the site itself will no longer be available.

The Cultural Resources Survey Program’s Archaeology Laboratory oversees the processing of all the artifacts that are excavated in the field. It is the Archaeology Lab’s responsibility to process the artifacts and records produced by CRSP projects to comply with the standards of the Museum’s anthropology department and provide a thorough artifact analysis for CRSP’s reports. The CRSP lab produces invaluable data for further scholarly research, as well as knowledge for the general public through CRSP exhibits.

Artifact Processing

The CRSP’s Lab responsibility begins when the bags of artifacts collected from archaeological fieldwork are brought back to the museum. A lab technician will put the bags in numerical order and record the provenience information onto a Bag List form, which helps track which stage the artifacts had been processed and which lab staff performed the task. A provenience is the specific location within an archaeological site where an object (artifact) was found, and each provenience is given a label during excavation (see Field Archaeology) . These provenience labels are the key to relating an artifact to its original location. At all steps of the laboratory processing, special care is taken to make sure that artifacts and their provenience information are kept together.

The next step is cleaning the artifacts. Most of the artifacts are cleaned by using water and brushes (either toothbrushes or paintbrushes). There are, however, a few types of artifacts that are dry brushed or left alone such as charcoal, fabrics, prehistoric pottery, or any object that appears too fragile and may be more damaged if it comes into contact with water. The artifacts are put into trays to dry and labeled with original provenience information, and the label from the original artifact bag is cut out and placed with the artifacts. 

Identifying and Cataloging the Collections

The most important step in the lab process is the identification of the artifacts. The cataloguer analyzes and records the material make up of the artifact as well as noting any distinguishing traits such as shape, decoration style, manufacturer’s marks, wear use marks, and so forth. The information is entered into a database using letter-code system developed by the CRSP lab staff through the years that standardizes the basic descriptions and categorizes the objects by material, type, use, and identification. The code list provides uniformity within the catalogue so that a certain type of item is not identified by different descriptions and simplifies the analysis and interpretation of the collection. An artifact inventory report is then generated for the project director of the excavation. 

The goal of the cataloguer is to procure as much information as possible from the artifacts in order to present a detailed report that will help the project directors interpret their projects. The artifact catalogue can help determine if there are any sites in a project area; and if so, how many. The artifacts can also indicate the type of site being excavated – a domestic household, a commercial site (i.e. tavern, blacksmith shop), or maybe a prehistoric seasonal camp. The artifact report provides date ranges as to when a site was occupied, and if the occupation was continuous or interrupted with periods of abandonment. 

Artifacts can show the changes that have occurred over time at a site like architectural additions to a house or a tavern that was later converted into a house. The cataloguer’s research can help ascertain the economic status of the site’s resident (site with many high-end artifacts vs. cheap and readily available artifacts), trade routes (goods made locally or regionally versus imported goods from great distances), possibly their diet (varied diet that includes beef, pork, chicken and wild game vs. wild game only), as well as answer a host of other questions. The identification and research completed on the artifacts is integral in understanding the history of the site.

The artifacts are then re-bagged by each provenience. Within each provenience the artifacts are bagged according to their material type – i.e. all metal into one bag, ceramics into another bag, etc. All the information on the original bag label is put on each of the archival plastic bags and all the bags within each provenience are put into one bag with the original bag label included. 

Accessions and Collections

If the artifacts are associated with a site, they may become part of the permanent research collections of the museum - a process called accessioning. An Accession Form will be filled out and given to Anthropology Collections which in return give us an accession number: e.g. "A2007.01". The ‘A’ stands for Archaeology, the '2007' is the year the CRSP lab staff requested the accession number, and '.01' is the next sequential number that a site was entered into the Anthropology Collection database. 

In addition to this accession number, the CRSP lab staff will add unique provenience numbers and specimen numbers for items being accessioned. Provenience numbers are a sequential order of numbers given to each excavation unit and level (for example Unit 1, Level 1 is given a provenience number 1, Unit 1, Level 2 is given provenience number 2, and so on). A Specimen number is given to each artifact entry in sequential order within each provenience. The specimen numbering starts over again with each new level. By combining the accession, provenience, and specimen numbers a reference index is created to link an item to its available archaeological provenience record. 

The site is also given a New York State Museum number (NYSM#) which is an identification number supplied by the CRSP office. The artifact bags are sequentially ordered in archival boxes and all related paperwork associated with the site is collected and organized into archival folders. In addition, a digital copy and a printed hardcopy of the artifact report is made. Then the site with all its artifacts and paperwork is moved into the Anthropology Collections for future researchers.

Public Programs

The Cultural Resources Survey Program's Archaeology Lab participates in various public outreach programs throughout the year. The CRSP lab provides tours for high-school and college groups, as well as interested groups from other institutions. In addition, the lab offers a behind-the-scenes tour to the public in which the lab directors give presentations on the procedures and the research that is involved in processing artifacts. 

The lab also designs exhibits using artifacts recovered from excavated sites that best illustrates the history of the sites occupation. The lab provides technical assistance and advice to callers or visitors who have inquiries about artifacts history or care. Additionally, the Archaeology lab field questions from the landowners' from whose property the artifacts are excavated. The Archaeology Lab programs and policies help assist with the State Education Department and New York State Museum's mission of educating the public and ensuring the data that CRSP generates is accessible to the general public.

The Architectural Survey of the Cultural Resource Survey Program identifies and documents National Register of Historic Places architectural properties that are subject to highway construction and other impacts.  Architectural properties may include buildings, bridges, monuments, cemeteries, and landscapes located in rural, village, and urban settings.

Properties may be significant under National Register Criteria A-D:

A. representing important historical events or trends,
B. association with an important individual,
C. representing an important type, period, or method of construction,
D. or as a primary source of information.

These properties may have collective significance as an Historic District under these criteria. The context is often village or town wide but may be regional or statewide. 

Reconnaissance surveys are conducted initially to identify properties that are eligible for the National Register. Often these are corridor surveys where highway reconstruction may affect mature trees, stone walls, slate sidewalks, and other associated features. The surveys expand the State Historic Preservation Office statewide inventory of National Register Eligible (NRE) properties while also generating a database for comparative research. Eligible properties have included log and plank houses, institutional and industrial complexes, village parks and cemeteries, stone arch bridges, and canal features.

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentations are prepared for eligible properties scheduled for removal or rehabilitation. The documentation consists of large format black and white photography with descriptive and historical information consistent with local, state, or national significance. Historic highway and canal bridges comprise the majority of these projects. Others have included a Dutch Colonial house to be rehabilitated as a museum, an Erie Canal store near a proposed roundabout, an 1880's firehouse located beneath a highway overpass, and an abandoned parkway service station.

Historic Setting Analyses are prepared where highway reconstruction may affect a village Historic District or an Historic Landscape. These provide contextual research and photo documentation comparing the historic and modern streetscape, with attention to street configurations, sidewalks, lighting, parks, trees, walls, and other features that may be affected. The intent is to guide context sensitive planning for the new highway. Projects have included Historic Districts in the Villages of Bainbridge, Canton, Chatham, and East Aurora and an historic parkway near Syracuse.