ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome to the joint website for the New England chapters of the SIA.
What is Industrial Archeology?
Industrial Archeology (IA) is the identification, interpretation, preservation, and utilization of historical industrial and engineering sites, structures and equipment. IA covers a wide range of topics including manufacturing (mills, machinery, etc.), basic materials (mining, quarrying, wood products, petroleum), power generation (electric, steam, hydro), transportation (railroads, marine, roads, bridges, canals) and public utilities (water, sewer, gas, etc.).
Who We Are
The Northern New England Chapter (NNEC-SIA) covers Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northeastern New York, while the Southern New England Chapter (SNEC-SIA) covers Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Our members come from a variety of backgrounds including professional and amateur archeologists, engineers, historians and enthusiasts who wish to understand and preserve our industrial heritage.
What We Do
The Northern New England Chapter (NNEC) and the Southern New England Chapter (SNEC) publish a joint newsletter twice per year and host the annual New England Industrial Archeology Conference each winter.
Past conferences have included presentations on the Temple glassworks, New Hampshire charcoal kilns, New England's first hydroelectric facility, the Great Mill Works early water power site, and many others.
The chapters also conducts tours of various sites of interest throughout the New England / Northeast New York region, including water-powered mill sites, railroads, covered bridges, sawmills, iron works, canals, museums, mines, quarries, power stations, food-processing plants, as well as tours of still-active factories (known as "process tours").