Meadowcroft village to celebrate frontier heritage
Visitors to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Avella, part of the Senator John Heinz History Center museum system, will get a firsthand look at the everyday lives of 18th-century frontier traders as part of a special two-day event, Frontier Heritage Weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
The 18th-century frontier was a dangerous and difficult place to live. Visitors will discover some of the skills necessary to survive and learn how American Indians and European settlers borrowed ideas from each other to build a better life in the Western Pennsylvania wilderness.
As part of the weekend, Meadowcroft staff and colonial re-enactors will help build an 18th-century log cabin from scratch, so visitors can get an upclose look at how these structures were built.
Other demonstrations include:
• Costumed European traders with authentic goods;
• A tomahawk-throwing station, where visitors can try their hand at tossing an important tool and weapon on the 18th-century frontier;
• Blacksmithing demonstrations with Jymm Hoffman and his traveling forge;
• Pit sawing (turning logs into lumber for construction) and carpentry with Matt Stein;
• Musket volleys;
• Open-hearth cooking demonstrations;
Visitors also will have the opportunity to enjoy 16,000 years of history at Meadowcroft, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest site of human habitation in North America that features a massive rock overhang – the Rockshelter – used by the region’s earliest inhabitants for shelter.
The 16th-century Eastern Woodland Indian Village allows guests to step inside a wigwam and try their hand at the atlatl, a spear thrower used by prehistoric hunters.
At Meadowcroft’s 19th-century Upper Ohio Valley Village, visitors can come face-to-face with elements of everyday family life and enjoy a lesson in a one-room schoolhouse.
The Frontier Heritage Weekend event is included with regular admission to Meadowcroft, which is $15 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and $7 for 6- to 17-year-olds. Admission is free for children younger than 6 and History Center members.
For more information about Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org/meadowcroft or call 724-587-3412.