Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology Records, 1875/2005, bulk 1980/2005

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

All or part of this collection is stored offsite. Please make an appointment prior to visiting.

Researchers may access born digital materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology Records, A&M 3936, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
74.04 Linear Feet 46 document cases, 5 in. each; 6 document cases, 4 in. each; 15 document cases, 2.5 in. each; 16 record cartons, 15 in. each; 8 flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each (7 large, 1 small); 9 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each; 6 large flat storage boxes, 3.5 in. each; 2 small flat storage boxes, 2.5 in. each; 2 rolled storage boxes, 4 in. each; 23 rolled storage boxes, 5 in. each; 21 rolled storage boxes, 6 in. each; 1 index card box, 12 in.; oversize folders in map cabinets, 31 in. and 3.74 Gigabytes 427 files, file types include .wpd, .wps, .jpg, .doc, .jpg, .txt, .docx, .tif, .xls, .wav
Creator:
Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology Records, A&M 3936, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Records of the Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology (IHTIA), an organization affiliated with West Virginia University, including reports and research papers regarding the history of industrial technology and preservation of historical sites, particularly within West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region. This collection also includes photographs, negatives, and photo mechanical transfers of historical sites in these regions. For a more complete list of IHTIA projects represented in this collection, please see the "Project Descriptions" note.

Addendum of 2022 (boxes 148-153) contains IHTIA materials found at the Bicentennial House following the departure of the West Virginia University Press from the building in 2022. These materials include documents and photographs from IHTIA recordation projects, including the St. Nicholas Central Breaker, Fairmont Industrial Guide, LaVale Toll House, Little Crossings Bridge, Park Gap Lane Truss Bridge, Crab Run Lane Truss Bridge, West Virginia Independence Hall, the Muskingum Navigation; and Croton Aqueduct (all boxes 148-149); Joanna Furnace (box 151); IHTIA Technical Reports for the Alexander Campbell Mansion and the Trump-Lilley Farm (box 150); and Battle of Blair Mountain Historic Structures documentation base maps (box 152). Additionally, there are IHTIA press release materials for Emory Kemp's Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award lecture "Links in a Chain" and for the release of the Cement Mills Along the Potomac monograph (box 148). Also included in this addendum are Dr. Thomas Swiftwater Hahn's 1983 photographs and negatives of historic Jefferson County, West Virginia buildings, structures and remains, and his hand-written Potomac River Valley cement mills notes (box 153). Hahn was an adjunct member of the IHTIA.

Biographical / historical:

The creation of the Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology (IHTIA) was spurred in part by the work of Dr. Emory L. Kemp, a West Virginia University civil engineering professor and an internationally renowned covered bridge expert, to restore the Philippi Covered Bridge, which was severely damaged by fire in 1989. He was selected for the restoration by then Governor Gaston Caperton, who also hoped for the restoration of West Virginia's other seventeen covered bridges. When Caperton's original plans did not come to pass, WVU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Research William E. Vehse and Dr. Kemp created the idea of an institute to oversee the restoration of the Philippi Covered Bridge and the other seventeen bridges and its funding. Concurrent with the announced Philippi Covered Bridge restoration, a grass roots effort was begun to save the High Gate Carriage House. James E. Watson, son of pioneer coal baron James Otis Watson, built the High Gate Mansion and Carriage House in 1910-1913. In the mid-1950s, the Ross Funeral Home purchased the mansion and opened a mortuary in the house. By the late 1980s, the carriage house, formerly a nursing home, was now unused. In the spring of 1989, a national fast-food chain announced plans to purchase and demolish the High Gate Carriage House, replacing it with a drive-in restaurant. These plans were met with local opposition and led to the formation of the Friends of High Gate, a non-profit organization to save the carriage house. US Representative Alan Mollohan, who lived nearby, was interested in historic preservation, but more importantly desired to see the historic carriage house saved and preserved. The friends group received congressional aid from Mollohan's office and were able to purchase and save the property from development. At this time, Mollohan approached Kemp about the preservation of the High Gate Carriage House property. Kemp undoubtably suggested that the High Gate Carriage House needed to be recorded to HABS Standards as one of the first steps in its preservation but would require funding. The documentation of High Gate Carriage House led to the initial federal funding of the IHTIA. The Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology was founded by an act of the United States Congress in 1989. Under its founding act, IHTIA was authorized to document, preserve, and interpret historically significant sites relating to the nation's industrial engineering and technology history, but it was also established as advisory group to Congress. In the late 1980s, industrial sites, such as Cambria Irons Works in Johnstown, Pennsylvania became units of the National Park Service, and many other industrial sites were being proposed. The IHTIA was created partially to advise Congress on which of these proposed parks should be included in the National Parks system. The industrial site evaluation charge was never fully realized, and IHTIA focused on its larger mission of the history of technology and industrial archaeology. The IHTIA was part of West Virginia University's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. At first, IHTIA's federal funding was very strong. This funding was complimented by an abundance of sponsored research projects and the future seemed bright. By the mid-1990s, however, things began to change with Vice President Al Gore's changes to government, when the IHTIA's budget became targeted as "wasteful federal spending." As a result, the IHTIA budget became part of HAER's budget. This was coupled with the Historic American Engineering Record's (HAER; a partial funding source for IHTIA) declining funding, which led to a portion of IHTIA's budget being appropriated by HAER. Following the 2001 September 11 attacks, funding dried up for Cultural Resource Management projects. During the early 2000s, the declining federal budget and the dearth of sponsored work, along with inadequate leadership, plagued IHTIA until it finally closed its doors in circa 2006.

Sources: Authors recollections. Lee R. Maddex, IHTIA historian Oral interview with Dr. Billy Joe Peyton, former IHTIA Associate Director, 2023 December 22 CRM Vol. 23 No. 4, 2000, p. 42

Please see control folder for a more in-depth history of the IHTIA.

Acquisition information:
Transfer from Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology, 2013/06/04
Custodial history:

A large portion of bridge related content was created by Emory Kemp, Director of the Institute, as part of research he conducted outside the scope of IHTIA activities.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) material in this collection was collected and compiled by Larry Sypolt, an employee of the Institute.

Processing information:

During a review of this collection, boxes 4 and 5 were combined. Box 5 no longer exists.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard