It is always a good idea to thoroughly research a property to determine the full extent of a property's significance. This should include research into whether or not a property has been investigated archeologically or if it has archeological potential.

If you find that a property has had archeological investigations or has archeological potential, it may or may not contribute to the national significance of the property. However, the nomination should include a brief discussion of the archeology of the site if archeology has been done or if it may be done there. The extent to which you discuss archeology in a nomination will depend on the level of significance of the archeological resources and in what ways the resources contribute to the significance of the property.

If you are unsure about how archeology might contribute you should:

• Discuss the archeology of the property with a qualified, professional archeologist. If the archeology dates to the precontact period, talk with a prehistorian (an archeologist who studies the precontact period). If the archeology dates to the historic period, talk with a historical archeologist (an archeologist who studies the historic period).

• You should note in the nomination, where applicable, that archeological excavations have been done.

Click here for an example.

Rosedown Plantation, LA: Rosedown Plantation is nationally significant in the areas of landscape architecture and architecture. The designed landscapes of the Southern plantation represent an important chapter in the history of design in America, and Rosedown's gardens, in and of themselves, are nationally significant in this respect – for their size, sophistication and overall integrity. Designed landscapes of the size and sophistication of Rosedown were in a small minority across the plantation South, and for such a fragile entity to survive with so much of its character intact is nothing short of remarkable. Rosedown, with its imposing main house, enables one to appreciate first-hand the domestic world of the South's wealthiest planters, a world made possible by enslaved African labor. While Rosedown was not nominated for its archeological significance, a nomination of this type should include a discussion of the archeology conducted at this site.