Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will celebrate archaeology with family-oriented activities on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon - 4 p.m. each day. The weekend events are timed to coincide with West Virginia Archaeology Month. All activities are free and the public is invited to attend. The theme for this year’s Archaeology Weekend is “Come and See What’s New at the Mound.”
Curator Scott Speedy will take visitors on guided tours of the mound which will focus on its background and history at the top of each hour. Tours also will be offered of the new 9,600-square-foot wing housing the state’s archaeological research and collections facility by curator Yvonne Becka on the half hour. The wing features artifacts from across the Mountain State and contains a study area for researchers as well as a library.
Hands-on activities for children will include using replicated prehistoric tools for corn grinding and stone-tipped drills to make holes in wooden pendants. Kids also can participate in the “Museum Search” and earn free packets of marbles provided by Marble King of Paden City, W.Va. In addition, there will be a variety of exhibitors on hand with displays of artifacts and crafts relating to West Virginia archaeology and Native American heritage in the new Activity Room. The auditorium will have several archaeology-related documentary films showing throughout the day. On Sunday, Robert Walden, a skilled flint knapper, will demonstrate how to make Native American tools and spear points from start to finish.
Visitors also can see the four new traveling contemporary exhibits on display, Women of Design: Embassies, Mansions, and Stately Homes–Pat Bibbee and Vivien Woofter; Marble King–The World’s Finest Marbles; Homer Laughlin China Company; and Ladies Fashion Dolls of the Nineteenth Century by Pete Ballard.
For more information about the Archaeology Month programs, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator for Grave Creek Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at andrea.keller@wvculture.org.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in North America built by the prehistoric Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., and required the movement of more than 60,000 tons of earth. Exhibits and displays in the complex’s museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The Archaeological Complex is located at 801 Jefferson Ave., in Moundsville. Contact the museum for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Access to the mound and gift shop closes 30 minutes before the museum.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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