Conservation of Earthen Archaeological Sites

The conservation of earthen sites poses challenging questions regarding conservation methods and historic preservation. The National Park Service and other site managers have to strike a balance between conserving the sites while presenting them to the public: there is no ideal choice. It is impossible to prevent a ruin from continuing to deteriorate without changing its appearance or its status as a ruin. Therefore, the conservation of historic earthen ruins should perhaps be more appropriately thought of as a process which slows the pace of decay, rather than suspending or preventing it.

This paper looks at over one hundred years (from 1889 to the present) of site conservation at a variety of earthen historic and archaeological sites in the American Southwest. In each case, the National Park Service manages and treats the earthen ruins. The main categories of conservation techniques, and the preservation questions that these techniques raise, are examined along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Figure 1. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (2006). The shelter currently standing over the ruins of Casa Grande was constructed in 1932. The shelter, itself listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been criticized by some as overshadowing the ruins.

Figure 4. Fort Union National Monument (2006). Constructed in what became known as the territorial style of architecture with white-painted doors and windows, as well as brick copings. The foundations for the adobe buildings are of local limestone.

Avigail A Charnov, MS (Columbia University GSAPP)

Avigail A Charnov is an architectural conservator at GB Geotechnics (GBG)
New York, NY. She is particularly interested in the conservation of historic earthen structures and has worked on a number of adobe sites.

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Donhead Publishing 2012