News…

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville invites the public to visit the museum for free family activities in June. From West Virginia Day celebrations to creating stained glass, art exhibits to films, there is something for everyone at the complex this month.

On Saturday, June 20, Grave Creek will celebrate West Virginia’s 152nd birthday by making blue and gold necklaces, featuring a cut-out shape of the Mountain State. Visitors will also be able to participate in a scavenger hunt for state symbols hidden among the museum’s exhibits, winning a prize when successfully completed.

Visitors can join staff and volunteers at the Discovery Table to create stained-glass Tuesday through Saturday until July 2 during regular museum hours. To create the stained-glass piece, participants will use a scratching technique to carve a design into a plastic film covered by a special black coating.

The monthly film series will air Averell’s Raiders & the 35th Star, throughout the afternoon on Saturdays June 20 and 27. The 2 hour and 5-minute documentary by Jon Averill presents an account of the Civil War in West Virginia and its borderlands from 1863 to 1864.

Throughout the month, Grave Creek will have display paintings and carved miniatures by J. Edward Doughty.  The miniatures include detailed depictions of Civil War artillery scenes, a stage coach and two horse-drawn fire engines, while the paintings show Pike Island Lock and Dam and scenes of yesteryear.

For more information about June’s activities or other events at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or email her at andrea.k.keller@wv.gov.

Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

-30-