Feb. 6, 2019
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex has planned a full schedule of programs throughout the month of February for visitors of all ages. Guests can enjoy films commemorating Black History Month, crafts, a new exhibit, a lecture by one of the museum’s curators and activities relating to the museum’s Interpretive Garden. All events are free and open to the public.
Schedule of February Programs
Saturday, Feb. 9, 1 and 3 p.m. – “Slave Ship Mutiny,” this 60-minute film, part of the Public Broadcasting Service’s Secrets of the Dead series and the museum’s Second Saturday film series, tells the story of the slaves held on the ship Meermin that set sail from Madagascar on a hot summer day in 1766. While at sea, the captives overpowered the crew with the intention of returning to Madagascar and freedom. Archaeologists, historians and slave descendants collaborated to find out how the slaves overpowered their captors, and why the ship ended up on a windswept beach 200 miles east of Cape Town.
Saturday, Feb. 16, Noon to 4 p.m. – “Green Up Your Winter Blues,” visitors are invited to join in with garden-related activities such as propagating a baby plant and making a corn husk doll. Guests can learn how plants, such as the dogbane harvested from the museum’s Interpretive Garden, were used to make string.
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m. - “Vanished Monuments: The Lost Prehistoric Mounds and Landscapes of the Upper Ohio Valley,”a lecture presented by Hank D. Lutton, curator at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, will coincide with the monthly meeting of the Great Stone Viaduct Historical Education Society. This presentation will explore some of the prehistoric monuments and ritualistic complexes of the Ohio River Valley that were eradicated from the landscape and are today largely lost to public memory. Many of these monumental earth works were components of broader, intricately designed ceremonial landscapes.
Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. – Lecture and Film Series, “The Woman in the Iron Coffin,” In 2011, construction workers in Queens, N.Y., discovered the remains of a woman buried in an elaborate iron coffin. Forensic archaeologist Scott Warnasch and a team of historians and scientists identified her as a young African-American woman who died in the first half of the 19th century. A vivid picture of what life was like for free African Americans living in the North emerges. This 60-minute film is also part of the PBS Secrets of the Dead series.
Discovery Table - Decorate a “slap” bracelet by coloring a blank strap and adding stickers. This craft will be available throughout the month, with special coloring designs and stickers provided from now until Feb. 14 for Valentine’s Day. Several prehistoric bracelets made of copper can be seen in the museum’s exhibits.
Visitors to the Complex in February can also see the exhibit Historic Images of The Grave Creek Mound with illustrations showing Grave Creek Mound and museums associated with the Mound at different points in time on display.
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 Department of Arts, 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.
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