2026 SIA Annual Conference – Norfolk, Virginia
SIA’s 54th Annual Conference Norfolk, Virginia, May 28-31, 2026
Download the Call for Papers (PDF Download)
Submit an Abstract Using Our Online Form (Abstract Submission Deadline is January 10, 2026)
The Society for Industrial Archeology’s 54th Annual Conference will be held in Norfolk, Va., May 28 through 31, 2026.
Located at the mouth of the James River near where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic, the Hampton Roads area offers a uniquely continuous and comprehensive narrative of American maritime industrial development. From the founding of the Gosport Yard in 1767 (now the Norfolk Naval Shipyard) to today’s fully automated container terminals, the region remains a major transshipment center from the Lambert’s Point coal piers and Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals in Newport News.
The region’s industrial landscape showcases every major phase of maritime technology and parallel advancements in civil engineering. The SIA Norfolk conference plans to explore a wide range of sites. The tour of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard will include Dry Dock No. 1, the oldest continuously used dry dock in the United States. The Mariner’s Museum interprets the turret of the Monitor from the Battle of the Ironclads during the Civil War. Langley, VA, includes NASA Langley Research Center’s wind tunnels and fighter jets at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The historic city of Portsmouth, with its shipyard museum, Lightship Portsmouth and Olde Towne architecture, is a short ferry ride away. An excursion across the 3.5-mile-long Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel from Virginia Beach to the Eastern Shore of Virginia will explore the historic watermen and seafood processing industries and the ongoing efforts to sustainably Save the Bay. Other sites, from state-of-the-art shipyards to chain saw manufacturing, are also being investigated. The weekend will conclude with a Sunday harbor cruise with views of the Port of Norfolk, Lambert’s Point, Norfolk Terminal and Portsmouth Terminal container ports and more aboard the Victory Rover.
The conference hotel is the Hilton Norfolk The Main, located in the heart of downtown near the busy Elizabeth River harbor with views of active boats and shipyards repairing aircraft carriers and other vessels. The Nauticus and Battleship Wisconsin and Granby Street restaurants are only a block or two away. The hotel’s location is a short walk to the Waterside ferry stop, and the MacArthur Square light-rail station (which is a short ride to the Norfolk Amtrak station), and a fifteen-minute ride to Norfolk International Airport (ORF). We look forward to seeing you at next year’s SIA conference in Norfolk!
CALL FOR PAPERS
The Society for Industrial Archeology is now accepting proposals for presentations and poster displays at the 54th Annual Conference in Norfolk, May 28-31, 2026. The presentation sessions will be held at the conference hotel, the Hilton Norfolk The Main, on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
We invite presentations on all topics related to industrial archeology, industrial heritage, history of technology, social change related to industry, and historic industrial structures and bridges. Papers about regional industries and transportation in the Hampton Roads area and Southeast are particularly encouraged – including shipbuilding, maritime heritage, and defense industries. Recognizing that 2026 marks the Semiquincentennial of the United States, we welcome submissions that explore colonial industries within this broader historical context. We also encourage presentations on challenges facing industrial heritage and on the contributions made to our field by industrial museums. Poster displays are also encouraged and may present works in progress or finished projects. All presentations and poster displays should offer both interpretation and synthesis of data.
The deadline for proposals is January 10, 2026.
Presentation Formats:
Proposals may be for individual presentations 20 min. in length, a group of three or four presentations on a common theme filling a 90-min. session, a 90-min. panel discussion with 2–5 discussants (a formal moderator is encouraged though optional), or a poster presentation. SIA will provide laptop computers, data projectors, screens, microphones with speakers as needed in each presentation room. Posters will be on display all day Saturday with a dedicated time in the afternoon for poster presenters to be present for discussion.
Proposal Formats:
Proposals should be submitted online unless special arrangements have been made.
Submit an Abstract Using Our Online Form
Each proposal must include:
- The presentation title (you will indicate the type of presentation — single paper, session proposal, or poster — on the submission form).
- A 300-word abstract that outlines the scope, findings, and conclusions of the presentation.
- Contact information, including name, affiliation (if appropriate), email address, mailing address, and telephone number for each presenter.
- A brief biographical statement of 150 words for each presenter.
- The software (incl. version)used to create your presentation and any additional audio-visual requests beyond the standard equipment listed above.
For 90-min. themed sessions or panel discussions, the organizer should submit a session title and a brief description of the theme, along with all above information, together as a group, as prompted on the online submission form. If any of these items is missing, the proposal cannot be considered. Note that the above word counts apply separately to each presenter in a group.
All speakers are expected to pay the registration fee (for either the full conference or one- day rate).
For questions please contact:
Marty Johnston, University of St. Thomas, SIA Presentations Committee Chair,
mejohnston@stthomas.edu
Download the Call for Papers (PDF Download)
Caption for image at top: Dry Dock No. 1 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is the oldest continuously used dry dock in the United States. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/124-0029/
Norfolk & Western coal piers at Lambert’s Point. Detroit Publishing Co., ca. 1905. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016804696/
Ocean liner docked at Norfolk. C.M. Best postcard, 1916. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2024693583/
Iceman transferring a block of ice in Norfolk. John Vachon, 1941. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017811970/
Container shipyard and its loading/unloading apparatuses in the busy port of Norfolk, Virginia. Carol Highsmith, 2019. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2020724326/
Battleship Wisconsin is berthed a short walk from the Hilton Norfolk The Main. Carol Highsmith, 2019. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2020724196/
The Tide light rail transit car (with direct service to the Norfolk Amtrak station), arrives at the MacArthur Square station in downtown Norfolk, just a couple blocks from the conference hotel. Carol Highsmith, 2019. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.61087/