August 11, 2011
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue its 2011 lecture and film series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, with a showing of “Historic Archaeology: Beneath Kentucky’s Fields and Streets,” one of a series of archaeological documentaries produced by the Kentucky Heritage Council and the Kentucky Archaeological Survey. The film and lecture series is held in conjunction with the Upper Ohio Valley Chapter of the West Virginia Archaeological Society. The series is free and open to the public.
“Historic Archaeology: Beneath Kentucky’s Fields and Streets” (2009, 58 minutes) examines what archaeologists are learning about the daily lives of Euro-American settlers, slaves, farmers, soldiers, laborers and immigrants during the 1800s. The one-hour documentary travels to historic sites across the state of Kentucky, blending interviews with video, artifacts, archival photographs and original animation.
The film is presented in four segments based on archaeological periods – frontier, antebellum, Civil War and industrialization. Each segment features key scientific discoveries made by some of the state’s top archaeologists over the past decade.
The frontier period discusses excavated sites, including Fort Boonesborough, Mammoth Cave and the Arnold Farmstead. The Antebellum years feature Ashland, Farmington, slave culture, Old Frankfort Cemetery and Shaker Village. The Civil War era examines Battery Hooper, Camp Nelson, Camp Wildcat and the Battle of Richmond. Industrialization focuses on the lives of immigrant families at Portland Wharf Park, which vanished due to floods, the expansion of the Louisville-Portland canal and the construction of a floodwall.
For more information about the lecture and film series or other programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator at Grave Creek Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving information of upcoming events at the mound.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. The Delf Norona Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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