April 6, 2012
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – The public is invited to join archaeologists from as many as 11 states, including West Virginia, at Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville on Saturday, April 14, to learn about historic discoveries at Ohio’s only Revolutionary War outpost, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Bear Run, Pa., and West Virginia oil and gas pioneer W.C. Stiles’ estate in Wood County, W.Va., among others.
The 30th Annual Symposium on Ohio Valley Urban and Historic Archaeology sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 1:15 p.m. with a tour of the historic mound, museum, and research and collections management facility.
“This is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the depth and range of historical archaeology taking place within our region,” said Grave Creek site manager David Rotenizer.
West Virginia University researchers will discuss several projects, including sites next to a proposed Shavers Fork stream restoration project in Spruce, W.Va.; at Wright’s recently restored home, Fallingwater; and near the 1927 deadly explosion at Federal Mine No. 3 in Everettville, W.Va.
William H. Pickard, assistant curator at the Ohio Historical Society, will discuss the 2004 excavation of a large deposit of lead shot at Fort Laurens State Memorial near Bolivar, Ohio. Ohio’s only Revolutionary War outpost was built in 1778.
Based on the contents of an excavated privy used from the late 1880s through 1911, Rotenizer will discuss the emerging historical record of the Texas House Hotel in Hillsville, Va., that operated from the middle of the 19th century until 1913.
The symposium also includes historical clues unearthed along Old Highway 41 in northwestern Coffee County, Tenn.; Shepherd University Anthropology Professor Charles A. Hulse’s study of ethnicity and land-use patterns in the Lower Shenandoah Valley during the 18th century; and Murray State University’s archaeological investigation of the circa 1798-1799 Edward Moulton Barrett House in Jamaica.
For planning purposes, participants are encouraged to register for the workshop, but advance registration is not required. To register in advance or for more information about the symposium, contact Rotenizer at David.E.Rotenizer@wv.gov or (304) 843-4128.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world and a $3.1 million research center that includes a state-of-the-art collections storage area, the wing features an archaeological laboratory, study area for researchers, library, and an observation area where the public can view the activity in the lab. The Delf Norona Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. Outdoor access closes at 4:30 p.m. and may close due to inclement weather.
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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