August 20, 2012
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue its 2012 lecture and film series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012, with the film “Secrets of the Dead: Blackbeard’s Lost Ship,” a PBS documentary. The 60-minute video is part of a series that uses the latest investigative techniques to debunk myths and shed new light on some of history’s most enigmatic people and events. The film showing is free and the public is invited to attend.
In this episode, marine archaeologists sift through the remnants of the pirate Blackbeard’s famed flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, believed to have been discovered off the coast of North Carolina. Their analysis of the remains is helping to solve the biggest mystery about the infamous pirate’s reign – did he accidentally run his ship aground or was it a deliberate plot to cheat his crew out of its share of the plunder?
“The investigation and recovery of the Queen Anne’s Revenge has generated much public interest and media attention,” said David Rotenizer, site manager at Grave Creek. “We are pleased to present this fascinating film.”
The 2012 lecture and film series continues Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, with a lecture titled “Recent Excavations in Marshall County, WV” presented by Jamie S. Meese, Stevan C. Pullins and Michael Anslinger of Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. of Hurricane, W.Va.
For more information about the lecture and film series, which is held in conjunction with the Upper Ohio Valley Chapter of the West Virginia Archaeological Society, contact Andrea Keller at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov or (304) 843-4128. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving information about upcoming events at the mound.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek features one of the largest conical burial mounds in the New World and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. 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 houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Curation Facility, a study room for researchers and a library. The 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.
