John L. Cotter papers

John Lambert Cotter is widely considered to have been a pioneer in American historical archaeology. He began his career, that spanned some sixty-five years, studying and working in traditional prehistoric archaeology, earnestly beginning his explorations in historical archaeology in the 1950s.

While working towards his B.A. and M.A. in anthropology at the University of Denver in the 1930’s, Cotter was part of a team excavating the two Paleo-Indian sites of Folsom at Lindenmeier, Colorado and the Clovis site in Blackwater Draw, New Mexico. These were two critically important projects that were instrumental in understanding the origins of native Americans. He received his M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Denver in 1935, and immediately after enrolled in the PhD program in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1938 he suspended his studies to take the position of crew supervisor of an archaeological survey in Kentucky funded by the WPA It was shortly afterwards (1940) that he began his long association with the National Park Service (NPS) as the archaeologist/manager of the Tuzigoot National Monument in Arizona.

Drafted into the Army in 1943, Cotter was wounded during the Normandy campaign in World War II, receiving the Purple Heart for his service. After the war he returned to Tuzigoot, but shortly after in 1947 was appointed archaeologist in charge of the Natchez Trace Parkway project in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1951 Cotter was appointed acting chief archaeologist of the NPS; taking a leave in 1952 to undertake the excavation of the John D. Rockefeller,Jr. Van Cortland Manor House in New York state. It was his first major field experience in the emerging field of historical archaeology. In 1953 he was transferred to the Colonial National Historical Park as Chief Archaeologist; a position he occupied until 1957. This was a critically important assignment because of his primary involvement in the excavations at Jamestown. Building upon J. C. Harrington’s earlier explorations of Jamestown, Cotter’s work help to establish him as a leading figure in historical archaeology. It also provided him with the material for his PhD dissertation.

Cotter continued to work at the National Park Service until his retirement from the service in 1977; a tenure that lasted 37 years. His last position at NPS (beginning in 1957) was as Regional Archaeologist for the Northeast and Mid Atlantic regions. Being based in Philadelphia he used that opportunity to become intimately involved in various historical sites in the area that served to solidify his reputation as one of the foremost historical archaeologists in the country. Much of the experience in Philadelphia provided valuable source material for his very popular reference book on historical archaeology, The Buried Past.

Cotter returned to the University of Pennsylvania in 1957, earning his Ph.D. in anthropology in the fall of 1959. Shortly after, in 1960, he began his teaching career at the University of Pennsylvania (in the American Civilization Department) teaching what is believed to be the first classes in historical archaeology in the United States, which he continued to do until 1979. The field work, which he required in his courses, included many important historical sites in the Philadelphia area such as the Walnut Street Prison, Independence National Historical Park, Valley Forge, and the Delaware River Basin salvage projects for the Army Corps of Engineers. Part of Cotter’s legacy resides in the large number of individuals who were directly influenced by him to pursue careers in historical archaeology

As a result of working in the NPS in Philadelphia overseeing archaeological and archive research for practically 20 years, Cotter was one of only a few archaeologists whose focus was Philadelphia, It was this experience coupled with his vigorous pursuit of historical archaeology that established him as a unique expert in the history of Philadelphia. He continued to educate both academics as well as the general public regarding Philadelphia’s past by giving tours and talks about this historic city well into the 1990’s.

Cotter was also Curator of the American Historical Archaeology Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum beginning in 1972. In 1979 he was appointed Curator Emeritus of Historical Archaeology and continued to retain an office at the Museum until shortly before his death.

During his career, Cotter published well over 100 articles and reviews in historical archaeology and anthropology publications. He completed a Bibliography of Historical Archaeology during the 1960’s that was eventually placed on the world wide web. He was a life-time member of the Archaeological Institute of America, the Society for Historical Archaeology, and the Society of Professional Archeology and a charter member of the Society for American Archaeology and the Society of Professional Archeology. Cotter was one of the founders in 1967 of the Society for Historical Archaeology as well as its first president and first editor of its journal.

Acknowledgement of his contributions to the field was reflected in the number of awards he received which included the J. Alden Mason Award (1974) for distinguished contributions to Pennsylvania archaeology from the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, the Outstanding Service Award from the National Park Service (1977), the David E. Finley Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (1978) for outstanding achievement in historic preservation in the United States, the Society for American Archaeology’s J. C. Harrington medal (1984), and the Out-of-State Archaeologist of the Year Award (1986) from the Archaeological Society of Virginia for his excavations at Jamestown.

In 1989 the Society for Historical Archaeology created the John L. Cotter award for people who have recently entered into the field of historical archaeology. The award was presented for the first time in 2000 and it reflects Cotter’s lifelong commitment to and support of new generations of students of historical archaeology.

Cotter contributed a great deal to the professional archaeological community through involvement in different organizations and his numerous publications. His enthusiasm for the past was evident in his continual effort to educate students and the public at large through the use of archaeology. Dr. John L. Cotter employed a broad anthropological approach to cultural history in the United States by examining both prehistoric and historic sites through archaeology. The textual records from Dr. John L. Cotter consist of 26 boxes of correspondence, teaching materials, archaeological field notes, reports, and publications. The arrangement of the documents attempted to reflect the original organization by Dr. Cotter, although some alterations have been made to aid the researcher. The collection is divided into the following series: Correspondence, employment, Professional Organizations, Publications and Manuscripts, Field Projects, Teaching (Classes), Teaching (Class Projects), Personal, and Photographs.

The textual records from Dr. John L. Cotter consist of 26 boxes of correspondence, teaching materials, archaeological field notes, reports, and publications. The arrangement of the documents attempted to reflect the original organization by Dr. Cotter, although some alterations have been made to aid the researcher. The material has been divided into the following series: Correspondence, Employment, Professional Organizations, Publications and Manuscripts, Field Projects, Teaching (Classes), Teaching (Class Projects), Personal, and Photographs.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 4/14/2014

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Form(s)/Genre(s)

• Correspondence
• Photographs

Personal Name(s)

• Cotter, John L., 1911-1999

Subject(s)

• Anthropology
• Archaeology--History
• Ethnology--Indigenous peoples
• Folsom culture
• National Park Service
• North American Indians