Ken, having carved a few tops now, I can't work out how an integral bass bar would be any less work than a "normal" bass bar. It would make graduating the top much harder,and it would be difficult to carve neatly, unless you are using a CNC machine, which those old guys were not. So I can't really see how cheapness, laziness or ignorance had anything to do with it.
As far as "museum" grade bass is concerned, I would say it should definitely be left original, because conservation is the purpose of a museum. However, if it's designed to be regularly played, then its not a Museum" grade instrument, and if the bass bar needs replacing, replace it.
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