March 16, 2015
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will present an archaeology lecture and the Marshall County Student Art Show during its lineup of special events in March. Both programs are free and open to the public.
“Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology in Northwest Florida”: At 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, Adam M. Burke, an archaeologist with the Center for the Study of the First Americans at the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, will discuss some of North America’s earliest human inhabitants by using underwater archaeology to examine the fossil record and environmental data in northwest Florida. Burke’s program takes the audience to the bottom of the Aucilla River, which flows through a rugged and sparsely populated slice of Florida’s Big Bend region as it meanders to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is home to one of the richest assemblages of Quaternary Period fossils in North America. The dive team researchers who investigated the area have discovered stone, bone, and ivory tools crafted by early Native Americans and the remains of now-extinct animals that litter the riverbed. Burke will display Pleistocene fossils for examination and discussion after the talk.
Field work has taken Burke to sites across the United States, including Florida, California, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a master’s degree in applied archaeology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pa., and will be working on his Ph.D. in Anthropology at Texas A&M University with a focus on Paleoindian chert acquisition as it relates to mobility and land use.
33rd Annual Marshall County Student Art Show: An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. The exhibit features artwork by local middle and high school students and will be on display through Tuesday, April 14.
Participating schools include Cameron Middle and High schools, John Marshall High School, Sherrard Middle School and Moundsville Middle School. The exhibition is produced by students from the Cameron High School Art Club and is coordinated by Vickie Jenree, art teacher and club advisor.
Two West Liberty University art instructors, Moonjung Kang, associate professor of graphic design, and Sarah Davis, instructor of graphic design, will serve as judges. Top prizes include $50 savings bonds donated by BB&T.
“We at Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex look forward to hosting this event that showcases the talent of our young local artists,” said Jeremy Kohus, site manager.
For more information about the lecture, art show, or other events at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or email her at andrea.k.keller@wv.gov.
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, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.
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.
MEDIA NOTE: A photograph of Adam Burke is linked: Adam Burke on a research dive.
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