Meadowcroft Rockshelter opens to visitors on May 6
Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Avella, part of the Senator John Heinz History Center family of museums, will open for its 2023 season on Saturday, May 6.
Meadowcroft is a National Historic Landmark that allows visitors to explore the area where the region’s earliest inhabitants dwelled more than 19,000 years ago. It includes three re-created villages: a 16th-century Monongahela Indian Village, an 18th-century Frontier Trading Post, and a 19th-century Meadowcroft Village.
On June 18, the rockshelter will mark 50 years since its first excavation. During that first dig, Dr. James Adovasio, along with a team of other archaeologists, geologists, and anthropologists, discovered unprecedented evidence of early human life dating back 19,000 years. Periodic excavations, as recently as last summer, have been conducted over the last five decades.
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, Adovasio will lead an “insider tour” of the rockshelter. Space for the tour is limited and requires pre-registration at heinzhistorycenter.org/events. Adovasio will lead similar tours on Saturdays, July 15, Aug. 5 and Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. each day.
A number of programs are slated for the 2023 season, including: Washington County Free Museum Day on Sunday, May 7; a vintage base ball games on Sunday, May 21 and Saturday, Aug. 19; the annual atlatl competition on Saturday, June 17; Independence Day Celebration on Sunday, July 2; American Indian Heritage Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24; Walk in Penn’s Woods on Saturday, Oct. 1; Archaeology Day on Saturday, Oct. 7; and Taffy Pull & Fall Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 21.
All events are included in admission, which is $15 for adults, $14 for senior citizens, and $7 for children ages 6 to 17. Children under 6 and History Center members receive free admission.
After its opening day, Meadowcroft is open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Memorial Day. Between May 30 and Labor Day, Meadowcroft is open Wednesday through Sunday form 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit heinzhistorycenter.org/meadowcroft or call 724-587-3412.