Charles Malcolm Watkins

C. Malcolm Watkins (1911–2001) was an American historian, archaeologist, and curator. He researched early American material culture, with a specific interest in the decorative arts. Watkins served as a head curator of the Department of Cultural History at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He spent a total of 31 years working at the Smithsonian.

Watkins' married Joan Pearson Watkins in 1965. She was an honorary curator and researcher at the National Museum of American History, and a ceramist.

Archeological contributions

Early archeological excavations included a colonial plantation at Marlborough, Virginia, an excavation that lasted from 1953 until 1969, and involved Frank M. Setzler. Watkins also started excavations at Jamestown, Virginia in 1955. He helped found the Society for Historic Archeology.

Later life and legacy

Watkins live with his wife Joan Pearson Watkins in Reston, Virginia. He died on January 12, 2001, in Leesburg, Virginia. C. Malcolm Watkins archives are in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.