May 1, 2015 3 min read

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village will kick off its 2015 season at noon Saturday.

This season, Meadowcroft will celebrate the 60th anniversary of farmer Albert Miller’s discovery of the rockshelter, which is the oldest known site of human habitation in North America.

In 1955, Miller stumbled upon a groundhog hole on his family’s farm and uncovered a prehistoric flint knife. Decades later, research and excavation of the site, led by University of Pittsburgh professor Dr. James Adovasio, yielded nearly two million artifacts and ecofacts, including ancient stone tools, pottery fragments and evidence of ice-aged fire pits. Testing of the artifacts concluded that the rock ledge overhang served as a campsite for prehistoric hunters and gatherers 16,000 years ago.

Today, visitors to the 16th-century Eastern Woodland Indian Village can step inside a wigwam or try their hand at throwing the atlatl, a spear thrower used by prehistoric hunters.

Two 1770s era structures help to spotlight the similarities and differences between the everyday lives of European settlers and American Indians in the Upper Ohio Valley. The village recreates all of the charming qualities of an Upper Ohio Valley village from the mid-19th century, including a blacksmith forging red-hot iron and lessons in a one-room schoolhouse.

Special events include:

• Venture Outdoors, June 6 – Travel through time on a two-mile hike through the woods and fields surrounding Meadowcroft Rockshelter. Along the way, visitors will learn about the flora and fauna of the area as it relates to the survival techniques of prehistoric people eking out an existence in the tri-state area hundreds, and even thousands of years ago. To register for this event, visit www.ventureoutdoors.org.

• Vintage Baseball with the Pittsburgh Franklins, June 13 – Watch the Pittsburgh Franklins, the Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder and the Addison Mountain Stars play baseball in a three-game round robin following the rules commonly used during the 1860s. There also will be food and 19th-century American music, and a special presentation on early baseball in Western Pennsylvania by History Center baseball curator Craig Britcher.

• Atlatl Competition, June 20 – The contest is sanctioned by the World Atlatl Association, and is open to all ages.

• Fourth of July celebration – Meadowcroft will celebrate the spirit of 19th-century rural America with old-fashioned summer games, open-hearth cooking demonstrations and a pie-eating contest.

• Insider tours of Meadowcroft Rockshelter, June 27, Sept. 5, Oct. 10 and Nov. 8 – Dr. James M. Adovasio, who achieved international acclaim with his archeological excavation of the rockshelter in 1973, will present a lecture and lead a special tour of the site. For reservations, contact Frances Skariot at 724-587-3412 or frskariot@heinzhistorycenter.org.

• American Indian Heritage Weekend, Sept. 26-27: Costumed re-enactors will demonstrate skills of everyday American Indian life. Visitors can also explore the interior of a wigwam, inspect recreated prehistoric artifacts and learn about American Indian agriculture.

Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays in May. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wedensday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for senior citizens and $6 for 6- to 17-year-olds. Children younger than 6 and Heinz History Center members are admitted free.

For more information, visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org and click on the Meadowcroft tab, or call 724-587-3412.