July 19, 2016
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will unveil a new permanent exhibit in the Delf Norona Museum on Thursday, July 21. The event will begin at 11 a.m. and include a reception. West Virginia Division of Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito will speak during the opening. This event is free and open to the public.
The new exhibit is titled “The Buried Past: Artifacts from West Virginia’s Wild, Wonderful History” and features artifacts recovered from prehistoric and historic sites in West Virginia. Thousands of archaeological sites have been excavated around the Mountain State. This exhibit showcases 10 of those sites and reveals how their inhabitants adapted throughout the years.
The prehistoric sites include the Buffalo Site in Putnam County, Fairchance Site in Marshall County, Mt. Carbon Village Site in Fayette County, the Saddle Site in Marshall County and St. Albans Site in Kanawha County. The historic sites include Blennerhassett Island in Wood County, Camp Allegheny in Pocahontas County, the Hevener Site in Pocahontas County, Revolutionary War forts in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties and Victorian-era Wheeling in Ohio County.
The exhibit also contains four display cases containing drawers that feature fossils, minerals and archaeological artifacts recovered from other sites around the state. These drawers explain the difference between a fossil and an artifact, showcase fossilized mammoth remains, contain examples of rocks and minerals such as Lithostrotionella, the West Virginia state gem stone, and discuss the importance of recording archaeological sites.
For more information about this event, contact Jeremy Kohus, site manager for Grave Creek Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or Jeremy.A.Kohus@wv.gov or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 - 150 B.C. 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 Collections Management Facility.
Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Outdoor access closes at 4:30 p.m., and may be closed all day during 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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