MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex celebrates Historic Preservation Month with a lecture on preserving historic buildings in Wheeling, a film on the Civil Conservation Corps, and a historic marker activity at its Discovery Table. The complex also celebrates garden planting season in May, with the first of two planting days at its Interpretive Garden. All programs are free and open to the public.
May is Historic Preservation Month, and museum visitors are invited to contemplate their own place in history by creating a historic marker sign to post proudly on a bedroom door or other prominent place in their home. Art supplies for creating the signs will be available at the museum’s Discovery Table during regular museum hours throughout the month of May.
The focus on historic preservation continues in a lecture by Scott Schenerlein, executive director of Wheeling Heritage, titled “Making Old Things New,” featuring Wheeling’s Historic 1400 Market Street Block Project. The program takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. The buildings at 1400 Market Street date back to the 1880s and early 1900s and remain an important piece of the fabric of downtown Wheeling. The stories of their past are as interesting as their stunning architecture. For example, 1429 Market Street was home to Zellers Steak House which was owned by BIG Bill Lias who was known to be affiliated with the Mob. Schenerlein will share the fascinating history of this part of Wheeling and the creative toolkit used by Wheeling Heritage to make old things new again.
The lecture is the first in a series of preservation-themed talks which include “Meadowcroft Rockshelter: A Half-Century of Prehistoric Preservation” by David Scofield, director of Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, and “How West Virginia’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands Preserves West Virginia’s Coal Mining History” by Jeffery Davis, WVDEP-AML regional planning supervisor, southern district, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 20.
The museum’s Second Saturday program features the film “The Civilian Conservation Corps,” which will be screened at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 11. The 55-minute film tells the story of more than three million young men who were put to work by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the nation’s parks, forests, and farms. These young men planted trees, created flood barriers, fought fires, and built roads and trails for a monthly wage of $30, of which they were required to send home $25 to their families. Many buildings constructed by the CCC are recognized as historically significant and information about some of those located in West Virginia can be found at the West Virginia Historic New Deal Trail website, created in partnership between the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office and the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.
May 11 is also the Saturday before Mother’s Day, and supplies will be available at the Complex to create Mother’s Day greeting cards.
May is also garden planting time at Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex. The first of two Garden Planting Days will take place at the museum’s Interpretive Garden on Saturday, May 18, from noon to 3 p.m. Visitors are invited to try their hand at planting heirloom seeds using replica stone tools in a garden that will house corn, beans, and squash, known as the “Three Sisters” by many Native Americans. Indoor activities related to gardening will be available, and visitors are welcome to take home seeds saved from previous harvests to grow in their own gardens. Members of the Ohio County Master Gardeners will be on hand to lead the activities which will take place rain or shine.
The day will be capped at 3 p.m. by the 1-hour PBS NOVA film “Butterfly Blueprints.” The film presents astonishing new insights into butterflies and how they inspire groundbreaking new technology such as more efficient power cells, chemical detectors, and bulletproof vests. The second Garden Planting Day program will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, followed again by the “Butterfly Blueprints” film.
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 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Access to the Mound and other outdoor areas closes at 4:30 p.m., weather permitting.
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.instagram.com/gravecreekmound.