Grave Creek Mound

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Grave Creek Mound
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Grave Creek Mound in 2006
Grave Creek Mound in 2006
Location: Tomlinson and 9th Streets, Moundsville, West Virginia
Designated as NHL: July 19, 1964[1]
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966[2]
NRHP Reference#: 66000751[2]
Governing body: State

At 62 feet high and 240 feet in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type burial mound in the United States of America. It is located in Moundsville, West Virginia. In 1838, much of the archaeological evidence in this mound was destroyed when several non-archaeologists tunneled into the mound. To gain entrance to the mound, two shafts, one vertical and one horizontal were created. This led to the most significant discovery of two burial vaults. This mound along with many others, e.g. the Criel Mound, was the product of the Adena culture.

Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type of any of the mound builder structures. Construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., as indicated by the multiple burials at different levels within the structures. In 1838, road engineers measured its height at 69 feet and its at the base as 295 feet. Originally a moat of about 40 feet in width and five feet in depth with one causeway encircled it.

The Grave Creek Mound was believed probably first "discovered" by Joseph Tomlinson between 1770, when he and his brother built a log cabin at Grave Creek Flats, and 1772 when he built a cabin 300 feet from the mound for his family[3] This was a full 33 years before Lewis & Clark wrote about the mound in their journals during their expedition after the Louisiana Purchase.[4]

It was save from demolition in 1908 by the Wheeling Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who were able to raise enough funds to acquire an option on the property, and in 1909 the state of West Virginia purchased the site.[5] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[1][6],[7]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Grave Creek Mound. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
  2. ^ a b National Register of Historical Places - West Virginia (WV), Marshall County. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-02-08).
  3. ^ "Observations respecting the Grave Creek Mound" by Henry R Schoolcraft, Transactions of the American Ethnological Society Vol. 1, 1843 p.278
  4. ^ {The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition By Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Thomas W. Dunlay, Gary E. Moulton p.77
  5. ^ Schramm, Robert W, Moundsville Arcadia Publishing, Moundsville (W. Va.) 2004
  6. ^ Denise L. Grantz (October 15, 1985), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Grave Creek MoundPDF (608 KiB), National Park Service  and Accompanying 1 photo, aerial view, from 1967.PDF (337 KiB)
  7. ^ Denise L. Grantz (October 15, 1985), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Grave Creek Mound (Accessed via West Virginia Department of Culture and HistoryPDF (5.42 MiB), National Park Service 

[edit] External links

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