Sept. 20, 2012
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Archaeologists who uncovered storage and refuse pits, hearths, and a circular pattern of posts at a large prehistoric site along the Ohio River in Marshall County will discuss their findings on Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012, at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville.
The 7 p.m. lecture is free and open to the public.
Jamie S. Meece, Stevan C. Pullins and Michael Anslinger of Cultural Resource Analysts Inc., with offices in Hurricane, W.Va., will present the lecture “Recent Excavations in Marshall County, West Virginia” based on their work in 2010 and 2011 at a proposed industrial facility near the community of Natrium in Marshall County.
The site was occupied at different times from the Late Archaic period (ca. 2000 BC) to the latter part of the Late Woodland period (ca. AD 980). Magnetometer surveying and mechanical stripping revealed a large number of buried features, including a circular pattern of posts that provide a rare opportunity to study a prehistoric structure.
“The site helps to demonstrate the rich archaeological heritage of the Ohio River area and provides more insight toward early Native American cultures that once called this home,” said David Rotenizer, site manager at Grave Creek.
The 2012 lecture and film series continues Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, with a lecture titled “Multidisciplinary Excavations at the Flint Run Paleoindian Complex in Warren County, Virginia,” by Joan M. Walker, president of the Thunderbird Research Corp.
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.
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