This introduction to Perspectives from Historical Archaeology: Investigations of Craft and Industrial Enterprise provides a summary of trends in the archaeology of craft and industrial enterprises over the past several decades, outlines ongoing development of theories, research questions, and interpretative frameworks, and provides an overview of the selected readings included in this volume. Industrial archaeology projects provide highly valuable contributions to scientific knowledge and heritage initiatives.

This book examines trends in the archaeology of craft and industrial enterprises over the past several decades, outlines ongoing development of theories, research questions, and interpretative frameworks, and presents a broad array of relevant studies. Industrial archaeology projects provide highly valuable contributions to scientific knowledge and heritage initiatives.

In this expansive yet concise survey, Christopher Fennell discusses archaeological research from sites across the United States that once manufactured, harvested, or processed commodities. Through studies of craft enterprise and the Industrial Revolution, this book uncovers key insights into American history from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Exploring evidence from textile mills, glassworks, cutlery manufacturers, and tanneries, Fennell describes the complicated transition from skilled manual work to mechanized production methods, and he offers examples of how artisanal skill remained important in many factory contexts. Fennell also traces the distribution and transportation of goods along canals and railroads. He delves into sites of extraction, such as lumber mills, copper mines, and coal fields, and reviews diverse methods for smelting and shaping iron. The book features an in-depth case study of Edgefield, South Carolina, a town that pioneered the production of alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery. Fennell outlines shifts within the field of industrial archaeology over the past century that have culminated in the recognition that these locations of remarkable energy, tumult, and creativity represent the lives and ingenuity of many people. In addition, he points to ways the field can help inform sustainable strategies for industrial enterprises in the present day.