MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville is pleased to host Dr. James M. Adovasio as its 2023 West Virginia Archaeology Month speaker. Dr. Adovasio will present “Meadowcroft Rockshelter 2023: Fifty Years Later” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 26. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Excavations at Meadowcroft began 50 years ago and became known for state-of-the-art techniques which included the use of razor blades to precisely define the thinnest of soil layers. The Southwestern Pennsylvania site is known as the first serious challenge to the Clovis-first peopling model that dominated American archaeological thought for decades. Dr. Adovasio will summarize the salient aspects of the prehistoric record from Meadowcroft Rockshelter and discuss the role(s) the site has played in the history of American archaeology.
Dr. Adovasio is a senior scientist at APTIM and serves as director of archaeology at Senator John Heinz History Center. He has authored numerous books and articles on the earliest inhabitants of the Americas as well as perishable items such as basketry occasionally preserved in archaeological sites.
West Virginia Archaeology month also includes the annual Archaeology Month poster, which can be picked up at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex throughout October while supplies last. The poster features cannel coal pendants made by pre-colonial Native Americans. It is produced by AmeriCorps, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.
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.
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