Archeology Collections

Moundsville, Marshall County

Currently, there are no state or federal repositories in West Virginia suitable for storing archaeological materials. Lack of appropriate curation and storage facilities has resulted in many important collections being taken out of state and has hindered the study and interpretation of the state’s prehistoric past. It appears that the situation is about to change, as the West Virginia Division of Culture and History has announced plans to build a new facility to house the state’s archaeological collections. The project will be constructed over the next two years at Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex in Moundsville. A new one-story, 9,000-square-foot wing will be added to the northeast corner of the complex’s museum. In addition to a state-of-the-art collections storage area, the new facility will feature conservation labs for curators and a study area for researchers. The WV Legislature has allocated $2.1 million for the collections facility, which is slated for completion in 2006.