The Pennsylvania Industrial Heritage Society welcomes you.

Our mission is to explore material culture from the past with a focus on industry, and to educate others in the preservation of historical industrial and transportation sites and artifacts.

Industrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for exploration and tourism.

Member of the PA Industrial Heritage Society are available to speak to your organization, 
or guide your group through historical sites or related areas of interest.

Many of us are members of the Pennsylvania Gravity Railroads discussion group,
the Shohola Museum, Shohola Foundation, and the Underground Miners of NE PA.

Please contact us for additional information at info@paihs.org.

What is Industrial Archaeology?

Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times (such as prehistoric copper mining in the British Peak District) to the most recent (such as coal mining sites in northeastern Pennsylvania). However, since large-scale industrialization began only in the eighteenth century it is often understood to relate to that and later periods. Industrial archaeologists aim to record and understand the remains of industrialization, including the technology, transport and buildings associated with manufacture or raw material production. Their work encompasses traditional archaeology, engineering, architecture, economics and the social history of manufacturing/extractive industry as well as the transport and utilities sector.

The term 'Industrial archaeology' was coined in the 1950s in Birmingham, England by Michael Rix (academic) although its meaning and interpretation has changed. Its development as a separate subject was further stimulated by the campaign to save the Euston Arch. Palmer and Neaverson (Industrial archaeology Principles and Practice, 1998) defined it as: “the systematic study of structures and artifacts as a means of enlarging our understanding of the industrial past.”

Initially practiced largely by amateurs, it was at first looked down upon by professional archaeologists. However, it has now been welcomed into mainstream archaeology. Since the time frame of study is usually relatively recent, industrial archaeology is often (but not always) able to achieve a more reliable and absolute recording of past behavior than is possible for the more remote past.

Like other branches of archaeology, industrial archaeology involves painstaking analysis of physical remains, with a strong emphasis on industrial processes. For instance, in studying a medieval lead smelting site, one would want to identify the transport links which brought in the raw lead ore; the place where lead ore was crushed or processed before smelting; the processes and materials used to smelt it; and the places where lead was stored or further processed. An example of an industrial archaeology site is the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, site of the first integrated iron works in North America which dates to the 1600s.

John Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct, before and after restoration

Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, PA