Chapter Meeting
Friday, Aug. 17, 7:00 pm
Amanda Valko & Brian Fritz
Finding the Garver’s Ferry
Railroad Station
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Saturday, Sept. 10
Artifact Show
Jefferson County Fairgrounds
9 am - 4 pm
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, September 21, 7:00 pm
Charles Williams
Transforming the “Iron County”: Legacies of the historic charcoal iron industry in Clarion County
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Meadowcroft Rockshelter
Saturday, October 13
Advances in Technologies used in
Archaeology
9 am - 4 pm
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, October 19, 7:00 pm
David Schofield
16,000 Years of Evidence from the Meadowcroft Rockshelter
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Workshops in Archaeology
Saturday, October 27
Pennsylvania State Museum
Harrisburg
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, November 16, 7:00 pm
Kenneth Burkett
Maintaining A Balance
Mythology of the Upper and
Under Worlds
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No Meeting in December
Meeting Schedule
Graver's Ferry Railroad Station
In September 2017, Quemahoning LLC completed a Geomorphological study and a phase I/II archaeological survey for the Wynn and Clara Tredway Extension Project located in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The project was a 2.5 mile long bicycle and walking tail that follows the abandoned Allegheny Valley Railroad grade along the east bank of the Allegheny River from New Kensington to Graver's Ferry Road.
A field inspection by PennDOT historic preservation specialists found potential adverse effects to archaeological deposits as a result of tree clearing and grubbing activities which exposed historic period artifacts and construction materials on the ground surface. During the subsequent archaeological investigations and additional research it was determined that the artifacts and features confirmed the location of a railroad station.
Transforming the “Iron County”: Legacies of the historic charcoal iron industry in Clarion County, Pennsylvania
Clarion County, once known as the “Iron County”, was one of Pennsylvania’s chief iron-producing regions in the mid-1800s. Twenty-eight iron furnaces, fueled by charcoal made from Clarion County forests, produced pig iron from local ores and limestone flux from 1829 to 1884, a span of 55 years. This presentation provides an overview of the charcoal iron industry in western Pennsylvania and presents a model for how the industry transformed the landscapes of Clarion County and set the stage for later developments in agriculture and industry.
16,000 Years of Evidence from the Meadowcroft Rockshelter
In 1955, a local farmer found Indian artifacts excavated by a groundhog high above the banks of Cross Creek near Avella in Washington County. Professional excavation of the site by the University of Pittsburgh began in 1973. Subsequent radiocarbon dating, conducted by the Smithsonian Institution, placed the earliest human occupation of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter at 16,000 years ago. In this illustrated talk, Meadowcroft Director David Scofield will share the story of the discovery of this National Historic Landmark and discuss the significance of the evidence uncovered during the archaeological excavations.
Maintaining the Balance
Many Native American groups believed that community wellbeing in this world depended on maintaining a balance between the creative forces of the Upper World and the destructive forces of the Under World. This balance is often symbolized by images of animals and humans with unusual characteristics possibly representing spirit power. This program will provide a discussion of the importance of and representation of mythological figures in rock art and other media through time.