Part 3/14:
By the 1890s, Mercer gained respect as an archaeologist and historian, eventually becoming the curator of the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania. Yet, he grew increasingly concerned about the rapid industrialization transforming America. Mercer saw the loss of traditional crafts—carved wheels, cast-iron stoves, handmade pottery—and coined the term “upside-down archaeology” to describe his belief in tracing modern artifacts back to their origins in pre-industrial times.