July 28, 2017
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. —The Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville invites visitors to come beat the heat with activities during August that include a film, craft activity, fossil exhibit from the Ice Age and a new Artist of the Month exhibit. All activities are free and open to the public.
As part of the museum’s “Second Saturday” film series, Ice Age Death Trap: Uncovering Mammoths, Mastodons, and Other Vanished Beasts will be shown at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12. The 60-minute film examines a vast trove of 100,000-year-old fossils discovered during construction at a Colorado ski resort. The find includes fossils of mastodons, saber tooth cats, camels, giant bison and ground sloths as big as elephants. Most tantalizing of all, the scientists also discovered what may be evidence of some of the earliest humans in North America. This documentary is part of Public Broadcasting’s NOVA series.
Throughout August, guests can cool off by making their own hand-held fan. The fans are made by coloring a picture of their favorite Ice Age animal and attaching a wooden handle. These animals are represented in the exhibit Prehistoric West Virginia: West Virginia Fossils, which includes casts of fossilized Ice Age animals that once roamed the state. Casts of the skulls of a stag moose and a mastodon have been recently added to this exhibit.
In addition, the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is pleased to welcome back Amy Meko as our featured Artist of the Month. “Chill out” with an exhibit of paintings by this talented young artist from Paden City, W.Va. Meko’s exhibit will run throughout the month of August.
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.
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.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is proud to be able to present its programs at no charge to the public but without a solution to the state’s budget situation, this could be the last year that programs of this type could be offered. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. It 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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