Sept. 21, 2016
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will kick off its new lecture and film series at 7p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 29, with Hunter Lesser’s talk “Rosser’s Raid on Beverly: One Last Frolic for the Confederacy.” The program is free and open to the public. Lesser will relate the tale of Confederate Gen. Tom Rosser’s raid on the Union depot at Beverly in Randolph County during the winter of 1865. As ice and snow gripped the Allegheny Mountains, Rosser’s men took the Yankees by surprise after a late-night dance, plundered the town and carried off twice their number in prisoners.
Lesser is an author, archaeologist and interpreter. He often lectures on forgotten tales from history that reveal useful lessons for the digital age. He is a member of the West Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission and wrote Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided. There will be a book signing and sale after the lecture.
For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or Andrea.K.Keller@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 and closed Sunday and Monday. 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.
-30-
