01/21/2004: 
Urban Archaeology
Roland Robbins: The O. G. Urban Archaeologist?
"Roland Robbins's discovery of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond in 1945 marked the beginning of a controversial career in archaeology that encompassed excavations across the northeastern United States, many of which explored industrial sites. Robbins was in many ways a pioneer in historical archaeology, and can be counted among the first industrial archaeologists in America. He excavated numerous early industrial sites in the Northeast using a thoughtful approach that suited his restoration-oriented goals, captured the public's imagination, and, in retrospect, embodied many characteristics of modern industrial archaeology praxis. Robbins's initiation into archaeology grew out of his previous research projects and the ongoing dispute over the exact site of Thoreau's cabin."
Right now I am currently reading "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. The story of a man building a hut by a pond close to the Fitchburg railroad tracks is really talking to me right now as you can imagine. I live rather near Walden Pond and I go there to swim in the summer. In my walks around the pond, I have been to the actual site of his cabin. At the site is information about how the remains were discovered and excavated in the 1940s. I checked this morning for more information on this and discovered a page by the University of Kentucky's Program For Archaeological Research. It turns out that Roland Robbins, the person who discovered and excavated the remains, was not a trained archaeologist yet he did detailed and quite valuable work, and his work is questioned due to his lack of credentials. Followups to come.
