March 3, 2020
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — A full schedule of events is planned in March at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville. Many forms of art will be celebrated along with the annual “Marshall County Student Art Show.” All programs are free and open to the public.
Schedule of March Programs:
Saturday, March 14, 2 to 4 p.m. – The “38th Annual Marshall County Student Art Show” will open with a reception at the Grave Creek Complex. The exhibit includes artworks by Marshall County middle and high school students in a variety of media such as painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. Prize ribbons will be awarded to the best works in each category, and the public is invited to vote for “Best of Show.” The exhibit is organized and installed by students from the Cameron High School Art Club under the guidance of art teacher Amanda Jenree.
Saturday, March 14, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. – Second Saturday Film Series, “Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones of the Americas,” tells of the Poverty Point Earthworks of Louisiana, a series of semi-circular ridges and a 72-foot tall bird shaped mound constructed between 1750 and 1350 B.C. These earthworks are the oldest of their size and shape in North America. Produced by the Louisiana Office of State Parks, Louisiana Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Louisiana Public Broadcasting. The 22-minute film will be shown at the three listed times.
Wednesday, March 18, 11 a.m. – “Preschool Story Time,” art and artists will be the theme with Kayla Grose from the Moundsville-Marshall County Public Library. The program will include storybook reading in the Marshall County Student Art exhibit and making crafts inspired by art. Participants must pre-register by calling Grose at the library at (304) 845-6911.
Saturday, March 21, noon to 4 p.m. – Fossil Day: the biannual event will take place in the Prehistoric West Virginia: West Virginia Fossils exhibit. B. Mitchel Blake Jr., West Virginia State Geologist and director of the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES) in Morgantown, will provide expert identifications and answer questions regarding fossils brought in by the public. Members of the West Virginia Fossil Club will display West Virginia fossils, and will be available to discuss fossils and club activities such as fossil hunting. Fossil Day has activities for the whole family, including the opportunity to look for shark teeth in a sand “matrix,” make a clay fossil bed that will be excavated in September, and search for clues in a treasure hunt held within the exhibit. New this year, visitors also can make casts of fossils. The “Prehistoric West Virginia” exhibit is courtesy of Prehistoric Planet, “The Museum Where You Can Purchase Every Exhibit.”
Thursday, March 26, 7 p.m. – Lecture Series, “Professor Henry Stahl: An Antiquarian's Artifact Collection and its Story of the Archeology of the Mid-Ohio Valley” will be presented by Jerrel C. Anderson, chairman of the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation, Inc. Professor Stahl of Parkersburg, W.Va., amassed a tremendous collection of ancient artifacts from Blennerhassett Island and its surrounding areas from about 1865 to 1923. Stahl was well-known as an antiquarian and delivered many lectures at centers of learning around the country. He created his own panels and labels for his artifacts, which are still displayed on the lower level of the Blennerhassett State Park Museum located in downtown Parkersburg. Anderson will tell the story of Professor Stahl as well as the stories of the ancient residents of the Ohio River valley told by this exhibit.
Monday, March 30, 7 – 8 p.m. – “Wheeling Symphony Orchestra on the Go”: join us for a night of tangos with musicians from the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, who are joined by a Pittsburgh based bandoneon player. Sponsored by McKinley Carter Wealth Services.
Discovery Table – Throughout March, the museum will offer “Wonderful Windows,” a craft project that allows visitors to create suncatchers using scratch-art film and colored markers. In addition, the nearby bulletin board will feature a guessing game in which visitors identify photographs of distinctive windows located in buildings in Moundsville. All buildings are within walking distance of the Mound and visitors are encouraged to see the windows for themselves.
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.
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.
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