September 17, 2010
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is announcing that Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville, Museum in the Park in Logan, West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling and West Virginia State Museum in Charleston will be four of more than 1,300 museums participating in the sixth annual Smithsonian Museum Day on Saturday, Sept. 25. Across the country, museums will offer free admission on the day, reflecting the Smithsonian magazine’s spirit of celebrating culture, learning and knowledge.
“Our museums, like the Smithsonian properties in Washington, D.C., have a free-admission policy, and we are pleased to support this program that encourages people to visit museums of all types,” said West Virginia Division of Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith. “Museum Day is an exceptional way to let people know that there’s something for everyone when it comes to museums and that visiting museums is more than just about seeing collections; it’s about discovering the world and your place in that world.”
Last year, more than 300,000 people enjoyed Museum Day when museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico joined Smithsonian affiliated museums for this annual event.
In 2009, 57 percent of the people who participated in Museum Day visited museums they had never been to before. More than 80 percent of the people said they would return to the museum they visited.
The state museums are three of seven West Virginia museums that are participating in the one-day event. The others are Arthurdale Heritage Inc. in Arthurdale; Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington; Pocahontas County Historical Museum in Marlinton; and West Virginia Penitentiary Tours in Moundsville.
To participate in Museum Day, museum visitors must present the free Museum Day Admission Card which is available in the September 2010 issue of Smithsonian magazine or can be downloaded from www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Each card provides access for two people and one admission card is permitted per household. Listings and links to participating museums and sponsors also can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.
This year, Toyota is the presenting sponsor for museum day. Supporting sponsors are CITGO and Microsoft Office.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex
801 Jefferson Avenue, Moundsville
Saturday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 26, Noon to 4:30 p.m.
Grave Creek will celebrate Museum Day and participate in Moundsville’s 12th annual Elizabethtown Festival, which is held at the former West Virginia Penitentiary.
West Virginia: A Film History – special showings of the documentary, provided courtesy of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Scrapbooking for Kids – at the Discovery Table, young visitors can make a souvenir booklet of their visit to Moundsville.
Exhibit Expedition tours describe events that took place at the Mound during the Elizabethtown era and end with visitors having the opportunity to throw a spear with a spear thrower, known as an atlatl. Tours will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Tour the grounds throughout both days. Guests can see the new interpretive garden and walk to the top of the Mound.
For more information about activities at Grave Creek, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at 304-843-4128 or Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest burial mound in the New World which ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound by the Adena people took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., and required the movement of 57,000 tons of earth, approximately three million individual basket loads.
Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also has a new wing which houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Curation Facility, as well as a study room for researchers and a library. Contact the complex for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The Archaeological Complex is located at 801 Jefferson Ave., in Moundsville. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Access to the mound and the gift shop closes 30 minutes before the museum.
Museum in the Park
376 Little Buffalo Creek Road, Chief Logan State Park, Logan
Saturday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kids Arts and Crafts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Children’s Room.
Exhibits include “Pieces of Hope,” a memorial display honoring those who died in the April tragedy at the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster; “We Are Marshall,” an exhibit with props and costumes from the film of the same name; “Thorney Lieberman: Honoring America’s Coal Miners,” a photographic exhibit of life-sized portraits of West Virginia miners; and “West Virginia 1960: The Primary that made a President,” a photographic/memorabilia/exhibit; among others.
For more information about the festival, contact Elizabeth Williams, site manager at the Museum in the Park, at (304) 792-7229.
The Museum in the Park is a regional cultural center showcasing the best in West Virginia history and the arts. It features changing exhibits and displays of artwork and historical items from the collections of the West Virginia State Museum and the State Archives. One area of the museum is dedicated to local and regional history. It is operated and maintained by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and is located four miles north of Logan on West Virginia Route 10 at Chief Logan State Park. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 - 6 p.m.
West Virginia Independence Hall
1528 Market Street, Wheeling
Saturday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“West Virginia: Born of the Civil War” – Tour the permanent exhibition on the first floor of the museum. It features dramatic displays with period artifacts and explores the statehood process against the background of the Civil War. Visitors also can watch For Liberty and Union, an interpretive video.
“Waving for Liberty and the Union” is an immersive exhibit that features a rare collection of West Virginia’s newly preserved Civil War battle flags which have not been on public display for more than two decades. The exhibit gives visitors a deeper understanding of the state’s role in the Civil War and the personal sacrifices and heroism of the state’s early residents.
Discovery Room activities include a “build-your-own-flag” interactive display that teaches visitors what symbols and colors represent on a flag and a photo-op display allows visitors to have their photos taken while holding a replica flag.
For more information about activities at West Virginia Independence Hall, contact Travis Henline, site manager at Independence Hall, at (304) 238-1300.
West Virginia Independence Hall, originally built as a federal custom house in 1859, served as the home of the pro-Union state conventions of Virginia during the spring and summer of 1861 and as the capitol of loyal Virginia from June 1861 to June 1863. It also was the site of the first constitutional convention for West Virginia. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988, the museum is maintained and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, with the cooperation and assistance of the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with the exception of major holidays. The museum is located on the corner of 16th and Market Streets in Wheeling.
West Virginia State Museum, Culture Center
Capitol Complex, Charleston
Saturday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Story Time at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. – Rocks in my Pockets by Marc Harshman and Bonnie Collins. Museum Staff reads this book in the Museum North Connections Room
Museum Walk ‘N’ Talk at 1p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – West Virginia an Ancient Land – Join museum staff as they discuss the rocks, minerals and fossils found in Discovery Room #1
Make and Take Art Activity from noon to 4 p.m. – Weaving on a cardboard loom – Museum staff will show you how you can start weaving yarn with a simple piece of cardboard in the Museum’s North Connections Room.
Hands on History Cart from noon to 4 p.m. – Rocks and Minerals of West Virginia – See and touch some of the different types of rocks and minerals found here in West Virginia. Watch for the cart in the Museum Galleries.
For more information about activities at the West Virginia State Museum, contact Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, at (304) 558-0220.
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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