
Independent Archaeological Consulting, LLC (IAC)
IAC is a woman-owned small business. We provide a full range of archaeological services to assist civil engineers, planners and developers meet State and Federal regulations and guidelines required to obtain permits for development or expansion. Our projects include highway improvements and bridge replacements, utility expansion projects (electric, gas, wind, sewer and wastewater), cemetery documentation and relocation, municipal improvements and streetscapes, private development, historic properties, parks, trails, and museums. The company maintains a fully-equipped archaeology lab at 801 Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and has the capability to readily address project needs as they unfold.
IAC began in 1990 under the direction of Dr. Kathleen Wheeler and has operated as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) since 1998. In 2020, IAC’s ownership transferred to long-term employees Jessica Cofelice and Jacob Tumelaire. Ms. Cofelice and Mr. Tumelaire will continue to run IAC with the standards of excellence established by its original owners and guide the firm into a new era of CRM in New England. Our experience in Northern New England spans dozens of years, resulting in the accumulation of a vast store of information pertaining to the history and cultural contexts of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Frequently asked to perform literature reviews and preliminary site examinations, IAC has developed a clear understanding of the eligibility requirements for the National Register of Historic Places.
The company maintains a full-time year-round staff and provides ongoing training in new technologies, such as computer-generated drawing and GIS. IAC is a member-in-good-standing of the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA).
Our Commitment
To our Clients:
Provide a full range of high quality archaeological services to clients in northern New England in a timely manner and at a fair and reasonable price.
To the Public:
Protect archaeological resources by providing quality services and to produce well-written, credible, and useful interpretations that deepen our understanding of the past through archaeology.
To our Employees:
Treat each employee with fairness and respect, encourage their growth and development as archaeologists and scholars, and provide them the opportunity to play a role in supporting the company’s overall missions and goals.
IAC’s Philosophy
To pass along a legacy of solid, academically-based scholarship applied to Cultural Resource Management (CRM) projects to a new generation of archaeologists so that they can continue as the vanguard in protecting our valuable archaeological resources.
Our Projects
Burial Grounds
IAC has in recent years been involved in a variety of projects related to burial grounds or unmarked burials. A partial list includes:
• Portsmouth African Burial Ground
• Legro Burial Ground, Rochester, NH
• Cemetery #41, Madbury, NH
• Hayes-Bickford Burial Ground (forthcoming)
Municipal Projects
IAC has conducted scores of archaeological assessments for municipally-managed projects in conjunction with NHDOT or funded by LCHIP or CLG grants. Working alongside design engineers, we pride ourselves in helping city and town officials move smoothly through the Section 106 process to meet state and federal requirements. A few of our projects include:
• State Street Reconstruction, Portsmouth, NH
• Goat Island, Newington, NH
• Main Street, Concord, NH
• Strafford Square, Rochester, NH
Highway and Bridges
IAC also specializes in the study of transportation corridors and bridges and have been engaged in the assessment of a number of NHDOT projects since 1999. These include:
• Spaulding Turnpike, Dover-Newington, NH
• Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth, NH
• I-93 Corridor, Salem to Manchester, NH
• I-293 Exit 5, Manchester, NH
Utilities
IAC has had decades of experience providing archaeological assessments for various utility projects, some along extensive linear corridors. These include electrical transmission corridors, gas pipelines, hydropower relicensing, dam removals, and wind power projects, as well as sewer and wastewater treatment facilities. Highlighted projects are as follows:
• Eversource
• Maine Power Reliability Program
• Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility, Portsmouth, NH
Historic Properties
IAC is also committed to helping museums and historic sites protect and document irreplaceable archaeological resources that may be impacted by renovations to historic structures or by installing drainage systems, landscaping, trials, or handicap access, etc. through the property. Several of these are:
• Jackson House, Portsmouth, NH
• Moffatt-Ladd, Portsmouth, NH
• Winslow Homer Studio, Scarborough, ME
• Odiorne State Park, Rye, NH
• Castle-Tucker, Wiscasset, ME