Historical Archaeology in Historic House Museums

Historical archaeology offers unique possibilities to the interpretation of history at house museums. Despite this, archaeology is an under-utilized resource in the museum field. Why is this the case? This question is addressed through an examination of the context of historical archaeology and historic house museums, a qualitative survey of New England museums, and a pair of case studies. Possible reasons for the apparent divide between historical archaeology and historic house museums are suggested, and several solutions are posed.