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CONFERENCE REGISTRATION OPENS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

Society for Industrial Archeology
54^th Annual Conference
May 28-June 1, 2026
Norfolk, Virginia

Join the Society for Industrial Archeology in Norfolk, Virginia, for an unforgettable exploration of one of America’s most historically layered maritime-industrial landscapes. From the nation’s oldest naval shipyard and a 150-year-old family-owned ship repair yard to the world’s largest marine archaeological conservation project, the Hampton Roads region offers SIA members a rich concentration of sites spanning four centuries of shipbuilding, naval engineering, seafood processing, coastal fortification, cutting-edge sustainable design, transportation infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.

The SIA Norfolk conference offers explorations of a variety of sites spread across Hampton Roads from historic downtown Norfolk, Olde Towne Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Williamsburg on the Virginia Peninsula; to waterfront sites in Virginia Beach and Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

The 54th Annual SIA Conference features behind-the-scenes tours of active shipyards, military installations, and factories rarely open to the public; guided visits to national monuments and world-class museums; a charter harbor cruise showcasing one of the world’s great deepwater ports; and a full day of research presentations, exhibits, and collegial exchange.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

THURSDAY, MAY 28

• Pre-conference tours*
• Welcome Reception & Presentation
• Birds-of-a-Feather Sessions

FRIDAY, MAY 29

• Choose one of four all-day bus tours
• Dinner on your own

SATURDAY, MAY 30

• All-day paper sessions & exhibits
• Annual Business Meeting & Luncheon
• SIA Banquet*

SUNDAY, MAY 31

• Post-conference cruise*

MONDAY, JUNE 1

• Post-conference tour*

*Additional fees apply

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/