Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

American Industrial Archaeology: A Field Guide. Douglas C. McVarish. 390p. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2008. 978-1-59874-098-1 (cloth); $99. 978-1-59874-099-8; $49.95. 2008-1985.

Architectural historian Douglas McVarish conceived this guide to industrial archaeology as a companion to Virginia and Lee McAlester’s A Field Guide to American Houses (Alfred Knopf, 1984). Where the latter established a typology for domestic architecture, McVarish focuses on defining the salient features of American industrial architecture. His typology includes transportation as well as manufacturing and other industries. Thus, he devotes a chapter each to bridges, railroads, highways, shipyards, waterways, power plants, water treatment facilities, cotton gins, grist mills, forges, mines, airports and factory buildings. In examining each industry, he enumerates and explains its associated structures. So, discussions of power generation include dams, spillways and gates as well as powerhouses, generators and hydraulic turbines. The discussion of railroads encompasses rail beds, switches, signals, train yards, shops, platforms, stations and a host of specialized buildings and equipment. Each chapter includes a brief glossary of terms related to that industry. Suggested readings frequently include general sources and regional guides. A final chapter explores the industrial landscapes of mill villages, coal towns and other communities closely associated with specific industries. The result is an excellent introduction for students, preservation professionals and others studying, interpreting or repurposing historic industrial sites in the United States.