News…

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. – Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will hold a book signing and presentation with author Gary L. Rider to introduce his new book Marshall County on Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 2 – 4 p.m. The book, co-authored by Karen L. Grubber, is part of a postcard history book series. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available to purchase.

Rider is a librarian, retired high school teacher and past president of the Marshall County Historical Society. He is the author of the popular series Marshall County Patriots and Heroes. Grubber is an amateur historian with deep family roots in Marshall County. In this book her father, Jack Allen Grubber, shares his extensive collection of antique postcards.

Within this book, we hear about Marshall County, which lies at the historic, cultural, and economic crossroads of West Virginia. Bounded by the Ohio River to the west, Mason-Dixon Line to the south, Pennsylvania to the east, and the city of Wheeling to the north, its rich history began over two millennia ago when the Adena people constructed the world-famous Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville. After European settlers arrived, farms gave way to railroads and factories, and Marshall County became a regional hub for manufacturing as well as the site of the notorious West Virginia Penitentiary. Today, the area is enjoying a renaissance as people rediscover Marshall County’s unique history, beautiful landscapes, and hospitable traditions.

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.

Visitors can also tour the complex’s many exhibits, including The Buried Past: Artifacts from West Virginia’s Wild, Wonderful History, which showcases a series of West Virginia archaeological sites selected from the curation facility, and Prehistoric West Virginia, which features casts of some of the large Ice Age animals that once roamed West Virginia and a cast of a skull of a stag moose.

Operated by the West Virginia Division of 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. and availability is weather permitting.

-30-