The American Society for the Preservation of Historical Artifacts (ASPHA) was founded in 1996 by Jim Armstrong, Warren Newton and David Lee Williams.  The organization was originally called the Virginia Society for the Preservation of Historical Artifacts, but the name was changed in 2002, when Jim moved to Kentucky, and it was decided that one organization with Chapters for various states would work better for the organization.  Thus the name American Society for the Preservation of Historical Artifacts,  or ASPHA for short, was adopted in 2002. 

The purpose of the ASPHA has always been to recover historical artifacts from the ground, cleaning and cataloging each significant find, and then displaying the artifacts and educating local citizens on the types of artifacts used by early Americans.  Techniques used to recover artifacts includes; walking plowed fields looking for Native American (Indian) artifacts, using metal detectors to locate buttons, bullets, coins and other artifacts lost by colonial settlers and early Americans.

ASPHA has set up displays at local community events, such as the Daffodil Festival in Gloucester, VA, the Mathews Market Days in Mathews, VA to name a few.  In addition, ASPHA personnel has provided speakers to groups such as local Historical Societies, Scout groups, local schools and other community functions, all geared toward better educating the public on the types of artifacts used by early Americans.

ASPHA currently has chapters in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and Massachusetts.  If you are interested in forming a chapter of the ASPHA in your state, or would like additional information on one of the above chapters, please contact Jim Armstrong at JimArmstrong@ASPHA.org.