Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Delf Norona Museum with three summer programs for children in August. Activities will take place on Tuesdays from 2 - 3:30 p.m. Students in kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to participate and must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.
On Aug. 5, kids can learn about prehistoric pottery making. The museum at the mound has many examples of early Native American pottery, both as broken sherds and reconstructed pots. The workshop will include an opportunity to examine actual fragments of prehistoric pottery from West Virginia, and participants can observe crushed materials such as river mussel shells that were mixed with the wet clay when the pot was made. These fragments often help archaeologists identify the group of people who made the pottery. Participants also can learn how pots were shaped by patting the wet clay with a flat stick wrapped with string and decorated using a pointed tool. Students can use these prehistoric pottery-making techniques to make a pot to take home.
The Aug. 12 program is entitled The Archaeologist’s Hat. The workshop will explore some of the many facets of being an archaeologist by touring the exhibits at Grave Creek Mound and examining a variety of show-and-tell items. Participants then will decorate a fabric hat with markers for use when they enjoy future outdoor adventures.
The final program will take place on Aug. 19. Students will participate in a museum hunt. The exhibits at Grave Creek Mound provide many clues about how West Virginia’s prehistoric people lived. Kids will search the museum for archaeological clues that will lead to a prize.
There is a $2 materials fee for the Aug. 5 program on pottery making and the Aug. 19 museum hunt. The Archaeologist’s Hat workshop on Aug. 12 has a $3 materials fee.
For more information about the August workshops or to register for the program, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator for the Mound, at (304) 843-4128, ext. 202, or e-mail her at [email protected].
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest and most famous burial mounds built by the prehistoric Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., and required the movement of more than 60,000 tons of earth. Exhibits and displays in the complex’s museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The Archaeological Complex is located at 801 Jefferson Ave., in Moundsville. Contact the museum for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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