June 10, 2011

 News…

Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will celebrate the birthday of the Mountain State with a variety of family activities from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Saturday, June 18 and from noon –
4:30 p.m., Sunday, June 19. The facility, which is normally closed on Mondays, will be open from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 20, for the actual West Virginia Day. The activities are free and open to the public.

On Saturday, June 18, Grave Creek Mound will be a stop on Marshall County’s West Virginia Day Driving Tour.

Special activities are available all three days for visitors of all ages. Children can enjoy making “Gorgeous Gorget” pendants at the Discovery Table in the Delf Norona Museum. They can model their gorget from others on display in the museum, create their own design, or make a blue and gold version to celebrate West Virginia.

The museum will offer the documentary West Virginia: A Film History, courtesy of the West Virginia Humanities Council, each day as the museum opens. The popular 6-1/2-hour documentary, narrated by Richard Thomas, tells the unforgettable story of the Mountain State and begins with the native people, early exploration and the struggle for the land, chronicling the frontier era, settlement, the Civil War and statehood, railroads, immigration and industrialization, then moves through the 20th century.

Outside, visitors can walk to the top of the Mound and while there check on the progress of the newly planted Interpretive Garden.

“This is a great opportunity to explore and discover new aspects of Grave Creek Mound and celebrate West Virginia’s birthday,” said David Rotenizer, site manager.

For more information about the West Virginia Day activities or other programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving information of upcoming events at the mound.

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 is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

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-