National Anthropological Archives

Guide to the Society for American Archaeology records, 1934-2022

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.1980-55
Creators:
Basto, Arthur
Bauxar (Finkelstein), J. Joe
Beardsley, Richard K. (Richard King), 1918-1978
Barnett, Homer Garner, 1908-
Bartel, Brad
Bartlett, Katherine
Bass, George F.
Collins, Henry B. (Henry Bascom), 1899-1987
Chapman, Carl H. (Carl Haley), 1915-1987
Cheek, Anetta L.
Clark, M. Margaret
Clements, Forrest Edward
Bell, Earl H.
Bell, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1914-2006
Chambers, Moreau Browne Congleton
Champe, John L. (John Leland), 1895-
Antle, H.R.
Ayres, J.E.
Anderson, Duane
Angus, John A.
Bailey, John H.
Bennett, John William
Babcock, Willoughby M.
Baerreis, David A., 1916-1989
Fitzhugh, William W., 1943-
Adams, Richard E.W.
Barnett, Clifford
Barka, Norman F.
Adovasio, J. M.
Amsden, Charles
Deuel, Thorne, 1890-
Di Peso, Charles Corradino
DeJarnette, David Lloyd
Dellinger, Samuel Claudius
Day, H. Summerfield
Dean, Jeffrey S.
Davis, Edward Mott
Davis, Hester A., 1930-
Dworsky, Don
Dyck, Ian
Downer, Alan
Dumand, Don E.
Dixon, Keith A.
Dorrance, Frances
Dickson, Don F.
Dincauze, Dena F.
Cooper, Paul L. (Paul Lemen), 1909-1961
Cook, Persifor M.
Conner, Stuart W.
Colton, Harold Sellers, 1881-1970
Collier, Donald, 1911-1995
Cole, Fay-Cooper
Coggins, Clemency
Davidson, D. S.
Daugherty, Richard D.
Daniels, Helen Sloan
Cummings, Calvin R.
Culbert, T. Patrick
Cross, Dale R.
Cordell, Linda S.
Corbyn, Ronald C.
Society for American Archaeology
Greywacz, Kathryn B.
Green, Ernestene
Grayson, Donald K.
Goodyear, Albert C.
Goldschmidt, Walter, 1913-2010
Gladwin, Harold Sterling
Gladfelter, Bruce G.
Gilbert, William Harlen, 1904-1988
Gerald, Rex E.
Garvey, Robert R.
Gaines, Sylvia W.
Beals, Ralph L. (Ralph Leon), 1901-1985
Frost, Janet A.
Frost, Everett
Frison, George C.
Brew, J. O. (John Otis), 1906-1988
Breternitz, Donald A.
Buckner, John L.
Broadbent, Sylvia M.
Boudeman, Donald O.
Blossom, F.H.
Bray, Warwick
Brand, Donald Dilworth
Black, Glenn A. (Glenn Albert), 1900-1964
Birdsell, Joseph B.
Blom, Frans
Bliss, Robert Woods
Berlin, Heinrich
Bennett, Wendell Clark, 1905-1953
Berry, J. Brewton
Bernal, Ignacio
Ford, Richard I.
Fowler, Don D.
Fox, George R.
Fisher, Reginald G.
Fitting, James E.
Flannery, Kent Vaughn
Cahill, Edgar D.
Campbell, Elizabeth W.C.
Cate, William
Fewkes, Vladimir Jarolslav
Buikstra, Jane E.
Burrill, A.C.
Butler, Mary
Byers, Douglas S., 1903-1978
Eaton, Jack
Farrand, William R.
Fejos, Paul, 1897-1963
Dyson, Robert H.
Edwards, Robert Q.
Eggan, Fred, 1906-1991
Ellis, H. Holmes
Ezell, Paul Howard
Fagan, Brian M.
Fairbanks, Charles H. (Charles Herron), 1913-1985
Ford, James Alfred, 1911-1968
McGimsey, Charles R.
Di Peso, Charles Corradino
Schwartz, Douglas W., 1929-
Wendorf, Fred
Steponaitis, Vincas P.
Goldstein, Lynne
Smith, Bruce David
Rippeteau, Bruce D.
Lipe, William D.
Dates:
1935-2010
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
146.25 Linear feet
135 record storage boxes
Repository:
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) is an international membership organization founded in 1934 to advance research and training in archaeology and to promote the conservation of archaeological resources of the Americas. It has published American Antiquity, the premiere journal of archaeology of North America, since its debut volume in 1935, and has hosted its Annual Meeting since that same year. Other areas of activity include the cultivation of professional standards and ethics, promotion of the public's understanding of archaeology, advocacy for Federal legislation protecting archaeological resources, and encouragement of connections between professional and avocational archaeologists. The Society for American Archaeology records contain materials related to the ongoing administration, management, and interests of the SAA through mainly correspondence, reports, research, mailings, financial records, and program planning documents.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) records contain administrative and professional correspondence, reports, surveys, publication records, journals, books, member and grant applications, programs, memorandums, contracts, ballots, mailings, research, notes, planning materials, certificates and awards, press releases, financial records, meeting minutes, teaching materials, sound recordings, video recordings, and photographs. These materials relate to a wide range of the SAA's activities including administration and management, finances, publishing, membership, awards, the Annual Meeting, public education, public archaeology, professional standards, government affairs and cultural property law, work with allied organizations, ethics, and special workshops.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The Society for American Archaeology records are arranged into 13 series: 1) Records of the Secretary-Treasurer and Secretary, 1934-1962; 2) Records of the Treasurer, 1935-1950; 3) President's correspondence, 1947-1948; 4) Executive Committee Meeting minutes, 1945-2003; 5) Records of Officers, 1950-2000; 6) Administrative records, 1934-2022; 7) Annual conference, 1935-2020; 8) Public and professional program committees, 1966-2016; 9) Government affairs, 1968-2021; 10)Affiliated and allied organizations, 1968-2005; 11) Special conferences, workshops, and projects, 1974-2006; 12) Published materials, 1983-2007; and 13) Photographs, 1985-2018

Historical note

Historical note
The Society for American Archaeology grew out of the Committee on State Archaeological Surveys of the National Research Council's Division of Anthropology and Psychology. Appointed in 1920 to "encourage and assist" eastern and midwestern states in the organization of archaeological surveys, the Committee came to act as a coordinating body and information clearinghouse for archaeologists and government agencies engaged in archaeological field work. The Committee expanded its activities and network through the 1920s but lacked long-term financial support. By 1933 its leaders identified the need for a permanent, independent organization to take up the work of the Committee and address the lack of standards, training, and communication among professional researchers and avocational archaeologists, which they saw as impediments to the preservation of archaeological data. Carl E. Guthe, then Chairman of the Committee, led the work of establishing the new organization.
In 1934, Guthe drafted a constitution and bylaws for the nascent group and distributed the documents among the Committee's network to solicit comments and generate interest among potential members. The Society for American Archaeology was formally established at an "organizational meeting" on December 28, 1934, when attendees approved Guthe's final version of the constitution and bylaws and elected the first cohort of officers: Arthur C. Parker, President; M. R. Harrington, Vice President; Carl E. Guthe, Secretary-Treasurer; W. C. McKern, Editor. In keeping with its goal of bridging the divide between professional and non-professional archaeologists, anyone with an interest in "furthering the objects of the Society" could apply for membership, regardless of professional affiliation. The SAA is governed by a constitution and bylaws which are voted on by members and implemented by an Executive Committee, referred to as the Council in the early years. The Executive Committee composition has varied through the years. Until the 1960s, most administrative duties were carried out by the Secretary, who assembled the minutes of Executive Committee meetings, circulated background materials among its members, and collected reports from SAA committees. The Secretary's office also acted as a "clearinghouse and advisory center on archaeological matters" for SAA members and the public. Without a true business headquarters, the Secretary's office essentially served as the SAA's central office, with the outgoing Secretaries passing on their files to the incoming Secretaries at the end of their terms.
In the 1960s, SAA began contracting with the business office of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) to manage its business operations. That arrangement lasted until the early 1980s, when AAA stopped providing business services to smaller organizations and offered SAA the option to become part of AAA. SAA members voted against merging with AAA, and in 1983 SAA contracted with Bostrom Management to administer its business affairs, an arrangement that included hiring a part-time Executive Director. In 1987, the Executive Committee enlisted a management consultant to conduct a business analysis and identify options for improving SAA's finances and administration. The result of this analysis, referred to as "The Evans Report," was circulated the following year, leading to a major reorganization that would occupy the Executive Committee through the early 1990s. Those efforts ultimately resulted in the establishment of a central office in Washington, D.C., and the hiring of SAA's first full-time Executive Director in 1992. It was during this intense period of reorganization that the structure and governance of SAA began to resemble that of the present day.
Works Consulted:
"Archival Sources Sought." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 1, no 4 (September 1983): 5. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1983_volume-1/saa-bulletin-1-4_sept.pdf?sfvrsn=d6c0f71a_2
"Articles of Incorporation." SAA Records, Acc 1998-85, Box 4, folder: 1972 (mimeograph from Lehman/AAA) - Final box/folder location TBD. Society for American Archaeology records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
"The Constitution of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 1, no. 2 (1935): 146–48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/276027.
"Constitution and By-Laws of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 13, no. 2 (1947): 198–200. http://www.jstor.org/stable/275700.
Dincauze, Dena F. "Office of the President: 52nd Annual Meeting." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology. 5, no. 3 (July 1987): 1-2. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1987/saa-bulletin-5-3.pdf?sfvrsn=30b9179d_4
Fowler, Don D, and Green, Dee. "Change in SAA Management Announced." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 1, no 4 (September 1983): 1-4. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1983_volume-1/saa-bulletin-1-4_sept.pdf?sfvrsn=d6c0f71a_2
Goldstein, Lynne. "The Structure of the SAA." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology. 9, no. 8 (June 1988): 8. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1991/saa-bulletin-9-3_june.pdf?sfvrsn=b101aaac_2
Guthe, Carl E. "Prospectus." Department of Anthropology Records. Division of Archaeology. Office Files. Box 14, Museum-Misc. Lists - O. Folder: National Research Council [ca. 1932-1945], folder 2 of 2. Society for American Archaeology records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Guthe, Carl E. "Reflections on the Founding of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 32, no. 4 (1967): 433–40. https://doi.org/10.2307/2694072.
O'Brien, Michael J. and Lyman, R. Lee. "Gentle Persuasion: The National Research Council and Southeastern Archaeology." Journal of Alabama Archaeology 46, no. 1 (2000): 1-42. [https://cladistics.coas.missouri.edu/assets/pdf_articles/AlaA46.pdf]
Wendorf, Fred, and Raymond H. Thompson. "The Committee for the Recovery of Archaeological Remains: Three Decades of Service to the Archaeological Profession." American Antiquity 67, no. 2 (2002): 317–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/2694569.
"Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 34, no. 4 (1969): 499–506. http://www.jstor.org/stable/277764.
"The Society for American Archaeology Organization Meeting." American Antiquity 1, no. 2 (1935): 141–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/276026.
"Organization of the Society for American Archaeology." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 9, no. 2 (March 1991): 6. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1991/saa-bulletin-9-2_march.pdf?sfvrsn=75834181_2
Rice, Prudence M. "Surveying the Field." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 10, no. 1 (January 1992): 3-4. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1992/saa-bulletin-10-1.pdf?sfvrsn=d095e8fd_2

Administration

Author
Lea Sellon and Adam Gray
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Society for American Archaeology
Processing Information
The Society for American Archaeology records were originally acquired by the National Anthropological Archives in 1980, following which multiple accretions were made to the collection, most recently in the summer of 2022. Records from each addition to the collection had varying degrees of processing and inventories but were mainly unprocessed. Some rearrangement was made by NAA archivists at various points in time but documentation of this processing is limited. Files recorded in early inventories but were never found during final processing were noted. All materials are now housed in 135 acid free record storage boxes and contain a mix of acid free and original folders. Most folders are letter size, however some files were kept in their legal sized folders as originally housed. Almost all original file titles were retained, however some titles were created or added to for clarity by the archivist and are marked by square brackets. Additionally, folder titles with bracketed names refer to the original owner of those files. Some abbreviations on folder titles have been expanded in the finding aid; a full list of common abbreviations used throughout the SAA records can be found in the finding aid as well. Files not originally housed in folders, such as those housed in binders, have been removed and placed into folders. As the SAA records arrived in multiple accretions, files have mainly been reorganized and integrated together into new series with varying arrangements. Files found after processing or that are future additions to the collection are located at the end of their related series and do not necessarily follow the same arrangement as the previous files in that series. A large amount of material was removed from the SAA records including article drafts, draft article and book reviews, scholarship applications, non-SAA authored reference material, and back issues of
American Antiquity
and
Latin American Antiquity
. If interested in these materials, please contact the NAA for information on the inventories recorded for removed material. Some files are stored on CDs, USBs, and floppy disks which are currently housed in folders; please contact the NAA for information on accessing these materials.
Processed by Lea Sellon, April 2024

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
Some material in Subseries 6.6: Membership, is under embargo until 2070. Contact the repository for further information.
Access to the Society for American Archaeology records requires an appointment.
Preferred Citation note
Society for American Archaeology records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

More Information

List of abbreviations commonly referenced

List of abbreviations commonly referenced
Includes abbrevations used throughout the Society for American Archaeology's records.
  • AAA - American Anthropological Association
  • AAAS - American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • AAM - American Alliance of Museums
  • AAQ - American Antiquity
  • ACHP - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
  • ACOE - Army Corps of Engineers
  • AFFA - Association for Field Archaeology
  • AIA - Archaeological Institute of America
  • AIRFA - American Indian Religious Freedom Act
  • AM - Annual Meeting
  • A&PE - Archaeology and Public Education
  • ARPA - Archaeological Resources Protection Act
  • BLM - Bureau of Land Management
  • BOR - Bureau of Reclamation
  • CCONAS - Coordinating Council of National Archaeological Societies
  • CEHP - Centre for Environment, Heritage and Policy
  • CoAS - Council of Affiliated Societies
  • COPA - Committee on Public Archaeology
  • COSWA - Committee on the Status of Women in Archaeology
  • CRM - Cultural Resource Management
  • DCA - Departmental Consulting Archaeologist
  • DOI - Department of the Interior
  • GAC - Government Affairs Committee
  • ICOMOS - International Council on Monuments and Sites
  • LAQ - Latin American Antiquity
  • NCPTT - National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
  • NCSHPO - National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
  • NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities
  • NHPA - National Historic Preservation Act
  • NPCC -National Preservation Coordinating Council
  • NPS - National Park Service
  • NSF - National Science Foundation
  • OSM - Office of Surface Mining
  • PEC - Public Education Committee
  • PMOA - Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement
  • ROPA - Register of Professional Archaeologists
  • SAA - Society for American Archaeology
  • SHA - Society of Historical Archaeology
  • SOPA - Society of Professional Archaeologists

Chronology

Chronology
Includes a concise chronology of SAA events related to the content of this collection.
  • 1920: Committee on State Archaeological Surveys created by NRC/NAS
  • 1934: Society for American Archaeology formally established
  • 1935: First issue of American Antiquity
  • 1935: First Annual Meeting of the SAA
  • 1937: Committee on State Archaeological Surveys disbanded
  • 1939: First issue of the SAA Notebook distributed to membership
  • 1942: Last issue of SAA Notebook
  • 1942: Revised and amended constitution, splitting the Secretary-Treasurer into two separate roles, and eliminates Fellow/Affiliate distinction (among other changes) is approved and takes effect.
  • 1943: No Annual Meeting; executive business conducted by mail
  • 1969: Membership applications now handled through the AAA business office rather SAA Secretary
  • 1970: Major revision to constitution
  • 1972: Incorporated in D.C.
  • 1974: The Archeological and Historic Preservation Act (APHA) and "Moss-Bennett Act" passed, with goal of providing federal funding to mitigate destruction of archeological sites in specific circumstances.
  • 1974: Arlie House Seminars held ("Six Seminars on the Future Directions of Archaeology")
  • 1983: Resolved against merger with AAA (aka "the break with AAA")
  • 1983: Change from AAA to Bostrom firm to manage business activities
  • 1983: First issue of SAA Bulletin
  • 1985: SAA and SOPA co-host the Conference on Reburial Issues
  • 1988: Evans Report on Management announced
  • 1989: Changes to Articles of Incorporation
  • 1989: New Bylaws adopted that change the organizational structure of SAA
  • 1989: SAA Hosts Anti-Looting Conference in Taos
  • 1990: First issue of Latin American Antiquity
  • 1990: Executive Board approves plan to establish in-house admin/operations office
  • 1992: Transition to "independent home office" and hiring of full-time Executive Director
  • 1993: Last year of last term in which Editor of American Antiquity is an Officer
  • 1997: SAA, SOPA, and Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) approve formation of Register of Professional Archaeologist (ROPA), which begins work in 1998.
  • 1998: Executive Board name change to Board of Directors
  • 2000: Last issue of SAA Bulletin
  • 2001: Begin publishing The Archaeological Record

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Scholarly periodicals Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Professional associations Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archaeology Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public Education Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cultural property -- Repatriation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Antiquity Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Society for American Archaeology Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Anthropological Archives
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Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1310
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
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