MOUNDSVILLE—West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin this morning, touted the historic Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville as a “treasure” for many to discover.
Manchin, Randall Reid-Smith, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and other dignitaries held a formal groundbreaking for the new Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex today.
The new 9,600-square-foot addition, at the northeast corner of the Grave Creek Complex, will house the entire West Virginia archaeological collection. It also will feature a state-of-the art collections storage area, conservation laboratory for curators, study area for researchers, library, and observation area where the public can view the activity in the lab. The Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type burial mound in the United States.
“This new wing at Grave Creek will provide a centralized location for the state’s archaeological collections,” said Reid-Smith. “We are excited to see the culmination of planning for the new addition which will accommodate both the current collection and its anticipated growth. Grave Creek will be the center of archaeological studies in West Virginia as well as the state’s premiere archaeological museum and tourist destination.” Construction is slated for completion in January 2008.
The concept of the new building began in 1996 when the state’s archaeological collection was transferred to Grave Creek. The project was publicly announced in September 2004.
For more, see the Wheeling WV Intelligencer article by A. Limann.
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