May 14, 2013
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville invites the public to its fourth annual “Sowing of the Seeds” garden-planting program from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 19, 2013.
Visitors are invited to experience what it might have been like to plant a Native American garden in prehistoric times. The Interpretive Garden showcases plant varieties similar to those that have been recovered on archaeological sites in the region. Visitors will plant heirloom seeds of sunflowers, squash and gourds.
These plants are similar to crops likely grown by the Adena people who built Grave Creek Mound. Corn and beans, which were important staples for Native Americans who lived in the region after the Adena, also will be planted. In case of rain, the planting will take place May 26.
Additional activities will be held in the museum’s Activity Room. Visitors can make a seed identification chart based on plants from the Interpretive Garden, assemble a sunflower floor puzzle, and plant sunflower seeds in containers they can take home. Garden seeds from previous years will be available for visitors to take and grow at home, and special displays related to Native American gardening will be set up for the event. A new display this year will address some of the nutritional aspects of the plants grown by prehistoric Native Americans. All activities are free and designed for the whole family.
The garden project is included in Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens, a national campaign to help fight childhood obesity focusing on awareness of healthy eating. “This is a unique living interpretive exhibit, which helps to bring an aspect of the past to life,” said David Rotenizer, site manager at Grave Creek. “The garden helps to illustrate the importance of food and diet in prehistoric cultures.”
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250-150 B.C. 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 Collections Management Facility. 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.
For more information about the “Sowing of the Seeds” program and the Interpretive Garden, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator at the Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or email her at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving information about upcoming events at the mound.
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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