Archaeology

About

My academic and professional background in archaeology spans field research, cultural resource management (CRM), museum and laboratory work, archaeological documentation, computer-aided drafting (CAD) and cartographic illustration, artifact photography, publishing, and the early application of computer technology to archaeological research and practice.

I studied Anthropology and Archaeology at Towson University from 1982 to 1987, earning a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a minor in History and a focus on Ancient History. My academic studies led to practical experience in the American Southwest, northern Manitoba, and Baltimore before developing into professional work with CRM firms in Colorado and Maryland.

Throughout this work, archaeology increasingly intersected with technology. I designed databases to support archaeological research and artifact collections, introduced CAD and desktop publishing workflows, evaluated and implemented geographic information systems (GIS), created CAD and cartographic illustrations, photographed prehistoric and historic artifacts, and supported the research, documentation, and publication of cultural resource projects.

This repository documents that academic and professional experience and the early period in my career when archaeology, technology, leadership, artifact photography, writing, and publishing began to converge.

Scope

Archaeology & Cultural Resource Management

Field survey, archaeological documentation, artifact research, cultural resource inventories, monitoring, excavation reporting, and work supporting federal and private-sector cultural resource management (CRM) projects.

Field & Museum Experience

Archaeological fieldwork in the American Southwest and northern Manitoba, museum and laboratory work, artifact processing and cataloging, archaeological site stabilization, and public interpretation.

Technology & Information Management

Relational databases for archaeological research and artifact collections, computer-aided drafting (CAD), geographic information systems (GIS), digitization, data management, and the application of emerging computer technologies to archaeological practice.

Documentation & Publishing

Archaeological writing and editing, CAD and cartographic illustration, artifact photography, desktop publishing, report production, and the preparation of archaeological research for professional and government publication.

Leadership & Communication

Technology planning and implementation within CRM organizations, staff training, collaboration with archaeologists and organizational leadership, vendor and government relationships, project support, and guest speaking on archaeological fieldwork and technology.

Highlights

Academic Foundation

Studied Anthropology and Archaeology at Towson University from 1982 to 1987, earning a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a minor in History and a focus on Ancient History.

Anasazi Heritage Center

Served as a Museum Technician during a 1986 summer internship through the Student Conservation Association at the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado, now known as the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum. Work included site surveying, collections processing, museum operations, interpretive development, and archaeological site stabilization, including work conducted at the Escalante and Dominguez Pueblos.

Northern Manitoba Field Archaeology

Participated in archaeological fieldwork through Towson University's Department of Anthropology during the summer of 1989, based at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Assisted with the surveying, mapping, and surface examination of early Inuit occupation sites in the Churchill region, along the western shore of the Hudson Bay.

Baltimore Center for Urban Archaeology

Worked as an Archaeological Lab Technician from 1989 to 1990, processing, identifying, and cataloging historic artifacts recovered from archaeological sites in and around Baltimore. Also assisted with museum and exhibit operations associated with Baltimore's urban archaeological collections.

Complete Archaeological Service Associates

Served as Manager, Information Technology for Complete Archaeological Service Associates (CASA) in Cortez, Colorado, from 1990 to 1993, supporting cultural resource management (CRM) projects across Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. The firm's terrestrial archaeological work included prehistoric and historic resources and ranged from smaller projects for commercial and energy-sector clients to major excavation, monitoring, and mitigation projects for federal agencies.

Worked with firm leadership to introduce and integrate computer technology into archaeological research, documentation, and publishing. This included the development of relational databases, CAD and desktop publishing workflows, and the production of major CRM publications for the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management.

Echo Basin Systems Consulting

Established Echo Basin Systems Consulting in Mancos, Colorado, as a part-time consultancy providing database and CAD services to CRM firms throughout the Four Corners region. The consultancy combined my background in archaeology with emerging information technology skills to support the specialized research, documentation, and data-management needs of archaeological organizations.

R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates

Served as Information Technology Coordinator for R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. in Frederick, Maryland, from 1994 to 1996. The CRM firm operated two Frederick offices as part of a multi-state organization with locations in Maryland, Louisiana, and Florida. Its work encompassed terrestrial and maritime archaeology, historical research, and historic preservation.

Reported directly to the CEO as a member of the corporate management team, with responsibility for technology planning and implementation across the organization. I advised leadership on technology strategy and acquisitions, managed relationships with vendors and contractors, and introduced new capabilities supporting archaeological research, data management, publishing, and business operations. This work included the firm's expansion into geographic information systems (GIS), along with continued development of the database, CAD, visualization, and publishing capabilities that had become an important part of my archaeological career.

Academic Speaking

Invited by Towson University's Department of Anthropology to speak on archaeological fieldwork and technology on three occasions between 1989 and 1993. Topics included archaeological field experience through the Student Conservation Association, field archaeology in northern Manitoba, and the use of computers and computer applications in archaeology.

Publications

Authored

McNamee, William D., Nancy S. Hammack, Raymond G. Harriman, and Richard W. Yarnell

• 1999 Excavations at Coffey Hamlet (5DL1120), A Pueblo I Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

McNamee, William D., Raymond G. Harriman, and Richard W. Yarnell

• 1999 Excavations at Palote Azul Stockade (5DL112), A Late Basketmaker III Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1999 Excavations at Cloud Blower Stockade (5DL121B), A Late Basketmaker III Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1999 Excavations at Casa Tejon (5DL1091), A Late Basketmaker III Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1999 Excavations at Vinger Hamlet (5DL1138), A Late Basketmaker III Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

McNamee, William D. and Raymond G. Harriman

• 1999 Excavations at Casa Primero (5DL1105), A Late Basketmaker III Habitation. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

McNamee, William D.

• 1999 Limited Excavations. In Archaeological Excavations of Reach III of Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18, compiled by William D. McNamee and Nancy S. Hammack. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1992 The Cultural History of Eastern New Mexico. In Cultural Resources Along the 1992 Alignment of the Eastern New Mexico Water Supply Project, Quay, Curry, and Roosevelt Counties, New Mexico. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1991 Appendix A: Culturally Scarred Trees of Lake Vallecito Reservoir. In Cultural Resource Inventory: Vallecito Reservoir Shoreline, Pine River Project, LaPlata County, Colorado. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1991 Cultural Resource Inventory, Rocky Ford Laterals Borrow Areas, Montezuma County, Colorado. Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 8, Addendum No. 8. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1990 Attachment A: Annotated Bibliography. In Cultural Resources of Elephant Butte, Caballo, Percha, and Leasburg Dam Areas in Socorro, Sierra, and Dana Ana Counties, New Mexico. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1990 Attachment B: USGS Maps. In Cultural Resources of Elephant Butte, Caballo, Percha, and Leasburg Dam Areas in Socorro, Sierra, and Dana Ana Counties, New Mexico. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1990 Cultural Resource Monitoring: Cow Point Microwave Power-line, Empire Electric Association, Montezuma County, Colorado. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1990 Cultural Resource Monitoring: Sand Rock Communication Site, Empire Electric Association, Montezuma County, Colorado. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Hammack, Laurens C. and William D. McNamee

• 1991 Cultural Resource Inventory: Towaoc Canal Project, Lone Pine Laterals Borrow Areas, Montezuma County, Colorado. Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 8, Addendum No. 9. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Edited

Hovezak, Timothy D. and Leslie M. Sesler (compilers)

• 2002 Archaeological Investigations in the Fruitland Project Area: Late Archaic, Basketmaker, Pueblo I, and Navajo Sites in Northwestern New Mexico, Vol. III: The Basketmaker and Pueblo I Sites. La Plata Archaeological Consultants Research Paper No. 4. La Plata Archaeological Consultants, Dolores, Colorado.

McNamee, William D. and Nancy S. Hammack (compilers)

• 1999 Archaeological Excavations on Reach III of the Dove Creek Canal, Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 18. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Goodwin & Associates, Inc.

• 1996 Cultural Resources at Aberdeen Proving Ground: The Prehistoric Lifeways Project. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1996 Fort Belvoir: Host to History. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1996 Cultural Resources Investigations: Naval Station, Roosevelt Roads. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1996 Cultural Resources Investigations: Sabana Seca, Naval Security Group Activity. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1995 The Carlisle Indian Industrial School. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1995 Looking at Careers: Historical Archaeology. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

• 1995 Defending the Legacy: A Basic Training Program for DOD Cultural Resource Managers. R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., Frederick, Maryland.

Errickson, Mary

• 1993 Archaeological Investigations on Prehistoric Sites, Reach III of the Towaoc Canal, Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, Montezuma County Colorado. Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 21. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Curtis, Ross S.

• 1992 Historical Archaeological Investigations in the Mariano Springs Vicinity, Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, Montezuma County, Colorado. Four Corners Archaeological Project, Report No. 23. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Hammack, Laurens C.

• 1992 Cultural Resources Along the 1992 Alignment of the Eastern New Mexico Water Supply Project, Quay, Curry, and Roosevelt Counties, New Mexico. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Marshall, Michael and Christina Marshall

• 1992 Investigations in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District: A Cultural Resource Survey of Irrigation and Drainage Canals in the Isleta-South to LaJoya Area. The 1991-1992 Bureau of Reclamation Phase III Survey. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

• 1990 The 1989-1990 Middle Rio Grande Acequia Archaeological Survey Project. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Hammack, Nancy S.

• 1991 Cultural Resource Monitoring and Testing, Sand Canyon CO2 Project, Montezuma County, Colorado. Complete Archaeological Service Associates, Cortez, Colorado.

Links

Bill McNamee

Website: BillMcNamee.com
Professional and creative work by Bill McNamee.

GitHub: bill-mcnamee
Professional profile and selected work by Bill McNamee.

Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum

Website: blm.gov
Visitor center and museum associated with Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Dolores, Colorado.

Churchill Northern Studies Centre

Website: churchillscience.ca
Research facility in Churchill, Manitoba, and base for my 1989 archaeological fieldwork in northern Manitoba.

R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc.

Website: rcgoodwin.com
Cultural resource management firm where I served as Information Technology Coordinator from 1994 to 1996.