Transcript

Dave Scofield · WashCo Insider

speaker-0: If you think you have to travel across the country to experience world-class history, think again. Right here in Washington County sits one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. In fact, it's the oldest known site of human habitation on the continent. Today we're talking to the man who helps bring that story to life for thousands of visitors each year. Dave Schofield is the director of Meadowcroft Rock Shelter and Historic Village in Evella, where visitors can explore everything from prehistoric life to early American settlements. All in one incredible place. Episode seven with Dave Schofield when we come back. So Dave, you were telling me the other day that you've been in the museum business for thirty eight years. ⁓ Can you can you tell us a little bit about your early experiences in the field? speaker-1: Yeah. Sure, yeah. I started ⁓ in the museum business in nineteen eighty eight and started at a museum called Old Salem down in Winston Salem, North Carolina, where I demonstrated eighteenth century trades, ⁓ including blacksmithing and joinery and carpentry and white oak basket making. ⁓ it was a lot of fun. speaker-0: So many different and it's funny you said blacksmithing. So we talked about this earlier, but our first episode of this podcast we had Clay Kilgore on here, ⁓ who did talk about how he learned some of the tricks of the trade in blacksmithing from you when he was ⁓ maybe an intern at Meadowcroft. Yeah. speaker-1: Yeah, it was quite a few years ago, but ⁓ Clay was an intern for a summer and then ⁓ ended up working for us ⁓ as an interpreter tour guide during the summers for several years. speaker-0: Well, I wanna get into Metacroft and and the story and the history of Metacroft, but before we do that I think it's maybe important to understand who Albert and Delvin Miller were. Can you s can you start us there? ⁓ and then kind of let's let's roll into how that story has developed in novella over time. speaker-1: Well Albert and Delvin Miller were fifth generation millers here in America. And their great-great-grandfather emigrated from Northern Ireland in seventeen the seventeen nineties. And by seventeen ninety-five he had made his way to Washington County and purchased property, ⁓ a piece of property w was called ⁓ Levin's Folly. And ⁓ he started Developing that, clearing that as a farm, ⁓ and what apparently was folly for Mr. Levin was very successful for ⁓ George Miller Sr. And ⁓ he ⁓ continued farming, his son took over ⁓ in the 1840s, and ⁓ then Delvin and Albert were ⁓ actually both born in California. Their father worked for the railroad. Okay. And they were born in ⁓ a railroad car. at a station in the Sierra Nevadas. And their family finally moved back to Western Pennsylvania in ⁓ I think it was about ⁓ 1915. And then their father died in the flu epidemic of nineteen eighteen. So they moved onto the farm with their grandfather who was now operating the farm. And that's where Albert and Delvin really learned about farming. And in particular Delvin learned ⁓ how to work with horses and ⁓ eventually becoming a a world-renowned harness racer and founded the Meadows Racetrack back in 1962 and ⁓ was was well known for his skill not only as a a driver but as a trainer and a breeder as well. And then Albert, who was the older of the two brothers, was the local historian He was an amateur archaeologist as well as being a a conservation award-winning farmer and ⁓ had a world champion or a a national champion ⁓ Dorset horned ram back in the 1940s and ⁓ did a lot of great work to continue to improve Bancroft Farm, which was the name of the family farm. And it was Albert who discovered the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter because of his interest in history and archaeology. He ⁓ w found the first artifacts at the site. speaker-0: Yeah, tell us about that. I love this I love this story. speaker-1: Yeah, so Albert had been looking to purchase back the piece of property that the rock shelter is located on because his grandfather had sold that part of the property to a coal company. And ⁓ first in the the early part of the 20th century, they used a deep mine process to extract coal. And then prior to World War II, they started to use high wall mining techniques. And by the time they were done, the property looked like a a moonscape. It was it was really rough. And Albert was very disturbed by that. So he wanted to reclaim the property. And he asked if he could plant trees on the property. And the coal company said, you know, go for it. So he started that process and eventually planted over 300,000 trees to reclaim the spoiled property. ⁓ But while that hi was going on, he he wanted to buy the property back. So there were negotiations. He finally ⁓ arrived at an agreement with the coal company. And ⁓ while he was exploring that tract, before they had actually closed on the property, it was November twelfth, nineteen fifty-five. And he walked through the what we now call the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter, and he saw that a groundhog had dug a fresh burrow. And Albert had a keen eye for sparting sp spotting artifacts. And ⁓ he saw some artifacts in the debris that the groundhog had excavated. So he went home, got his shovel and a screen, being an amateur archaeologist, and he enlarged the hole and sifted through what he excavated and found more. And eventually at 30 inches deep he found an intact flint knife and he knew he was right. And he also was wise enough to know that he should get a professional archaeologist involved. This is 1955. Okay. So ⁓ he spent the next 18 years ⁓ looking for a professional archaeologist to investigate. He was very concerned that the site would be looted and destroyed if word got out that there were Indian artifacts there. So he was very judicious in how he approached trying to get the word out. speaker-0: Sure. And what year is this? speaker-1: ⁓ in 1973, Dr. James Adavacio, who was ⁓ a new faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, he was brought on to develop a archaeology program for students. And he happened to be on the island of Cyprus that year. So he put out the word to his colleagues that for that summer in 73 he'd liked a field school location that was preferably a cave or rock shelter. And ⁓ so through ⁓ a professor at California University who's put in touch with Albert came out to see the site in the spring of 73 and said, this is exactly what I'm looking for. And ⁓ secured permission to excavate that summer. And then and for six straight years they excavated full summer long field schools to excavate. speaker-0: And it's still today an active dig site, right? speaker-1: It is. Last summer we did two months of archaeology at the site and there's still a third of it left to excavate. So ⁓ there's the potential for many more years of archaeology there. speaker-0: Well, so from the time that they started to dig, let's fast forward to nineteen ninety-three, ⁓ when you came on board and talk to us about why the rock shelter is so significant, the history, its discovery, and the archaeological work that's taken place over the last fifty years. speaker-1: Yeah. So ⁓ when I came to Meadowcroft in nineteen ninety-three, there were already some preliminary discussions about you know making the rock shelter accessible to the public. In the years past, occasionally they would do a public tour with Dr. Adavacio, but the access to the site was challenging because it's high up in the cliff face above Cross Creek, about forty-five feet above Cross Creek. And ⁓ there was no stairs getting up to the archaeological site. So those occasional tours would involve ⁓ you know tying a rope from tree to tree to give people something to hold on to while they scaled the cliff. And it wasn't until 2002 that we ⁓ were able to construct a set of steps that went all the way up to the site. And then ⁓ five years later, We ⁓ were able to construct the new enclosure for the site that is was designed with visitor access in mind. So it really gives visitors the best possible vantage point to see the excavation. And ⁓ and then especially when there's archaeology going on, visitors can watch while that work is going on and can ⁓ ask questions and and see firsthand ⁓ exactly what goes into uncovering and understanding. What has taken place at site over nineteen thousand years? speaker-0: It is truly a stunning structure. I think just the ⁓ my amazement of the structure when you're standing up there and you look at how it's anchored into the hillside and ⁓ I I don't remember the term for those beams that are tied into the rocks down below, but it's a it's an impressive structure. speaker-1: Yeah, in fact, ⁓ Dr. Adavasio will frequently say, even if there was no archaeological site here, you know, the building is worth coming to see. speaker-0: Can you talk some about ⁓ the flora and fauna that have been found over the years? I I mean some of the numbers that I've heard you say over the years are just staggering. speaker-1: Yeah. So the the amount of material that's come out of this excavation over the course of fifty plus years of excavation is staggering. So there are twenty thousand artifacts in recovered. So that includes everything from ⁓ you know, stone tools and spear points to all the little flakes, the debotage, as it's called, of either manufacturing or resharpening those tools. ⁓ wooden tools, bone tools. ⁓ Basketry fragments, pottery fragments, ⁓ those are all artifacts, something either made or modified by people. So 20,000 in all. There are nine hundred and fifty-six thousand animal remains from the site. And that represents about a hundred and forty-nine species of animals, ⁓ going back nineteen thousand years. And then there are one point four million plant remains. So everything from ⁓ nut holes and pieces of wood to ⁓ small seeds and even pollen size material. They they have analyzed for pollen that will survive intact in the ground ⁓ for for thousands of years. speaker-0: And and a lot of these artifacts are held kind of in storage as they're being tested, but there's a few key items that you have on display in the new Barensfeld Center. Can you tell us about those? speaker-1: Yeah, so when we opened the Baronsfield Center last year, one of the the new things that we had was this ⁓ chance to exhibit some of the artifacts from the rock shelter. So there's a small exhibit that tells the story, ⁓ as I just did, about the rock shelter and its discovery, but ⁓ it gives us a chance to show people some of those artifacts. In fact, the flint knife that Albert Miller found on November twelfth, nineteen fifty-five is part of that exhibit. speaker-0: Well, I can tell you My favorite thing about Meadowcroft Rock Shelter and Historic Village is that most of what you experience there is outdoors. And so, you know, if you've got a nice day, it is a wonderful place to walk around. Start us so i if we we start off down at the ⁓ at the rock shelter and we move up the hill. Can you tell us a little bit? And we did have some visuals here earlier, but tell us a little bit about some of the interpretive villages and you've just built a new pavilion and some of the things that ⁓ you could experience when you're on the top of the hill. speaker-1: Yeah. So ⁓ the the big story at Meadowcroft is that people have been using that piece of real estate for nineteen thousand years. ⁓ where else are you gonna go? Yeah and be able to say that. so the rock shelter is a big piece of that. So we look at those first people in North America, the the Paleo Indians that ⁓ first came into ⁓ North America. And then ⁓ but that site has been used throughout time, even up into the historic period. So we wanted to be able to look at snapshots in time that tell that big picture of people in ⁓ in our region ⁓ over 19,000 years. And what were the big ideas that you know affected their lives? So at the Rock Shelter, we talk about the in addition to the discovery and the scientific inquiry that's taken place there ⁓ over fifty plus years. But we also We look at the the Paleo Indians and the the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that was just the way you had to live. ⁓ this was a time before agriculture. So people weren't renewing their own food supply and and stockpiling food. They were hunting and gathering on an as needed basis, and ⁓ survival was a full time job. speaker-0: So th they weren't staying in the rock shelter for long periods of time, right? The common belief is that they were migrant hunters and gatherers and they would just move through the area, right? speaker-1: Right. They didn't have a choice. You you either followed the food or you die. So ⁓ the rock shelter was just one place that they would camp ⁓ as they moved through the the Cross Creek Valley and and either into western Pennsylvania or the way back into Ohio. And so the next big idea is that agriculture is developed. And in our part of the world that didn't happen until about three thousand years ago. So the monongla ⁓ culture is a a prominent culture that was here at that time ⁓ when agriculture was taking hold. And so we developed a recreation of a sixteenth century Monongahela Indian village that visitors can experience. ⁓ they can ⁓ see what the the dwellings were like the little wigwams that we have archaeological evidence of ⁓ and that's also an area where Visitors can try using the Atlatle, the prehistoric spear thrower. We have a range set up so that they can try using that for themselves and and see just how challenging that is. speaker-0: is hard. You make easy. I've tried a number of times and I cannot get it down. But I have a great respect for those who can and we'll talk about them in a bit. But speaker-1: Yeah. So then then the next big idea is that Europeans have arrived. So in the early 18th century, you start to get, you know, a few Europeans percolating through. but by by mid-eighteenth century to the third quarter of the eighteenth century, you have a an established first going on here. So we recreated a 18th century frontier trading post that represents a a European's trader's effort to ⁓ trade with the ⁓ Indians that were here. And ⁓ and also it was very typical for them to partner with a a particular Indian and and his family in order to get access to the the tribes and and really form a partnership. So we look at the commercial revolution ⁓ at that time, which was the fur trade. And then finally in the ⁓ 19th century rural village that Albert Miller first developed as Meadowcroft when he opened it to the public in 1969. That's a an area to look at the Industrial Revolution and how the advent of the Industrial Revolution changed lives for people here in western Pennsylvania. So no longer was the the blacksmith having to make everything that the community needs. ⁓ People could order things in the late nineteenth century out of Sears and Robuck catalog. And ⁓ so that that type of commerce was really changing people's lives. speaker-0: It's incredible. And i and when you walk from one place to the next as you go down the hill, ⁓ you also get to walk through a covered bridge, pine bank. speaker-1: Yeah, absolutely. So the Pine Bank Covered Bridge was moved by Albert Miller to the property in nineteen sixty two. And ⁓ that was the first historic structure that he moved to his fledgling museum as he was developing it. And ⁓ so because it's been at Meadowcroft for so long, ⁓ it's been part of the Covered Bridge Festival ever since its inception in I believe it was nineteen seventy one. speaker-0: Okay. Well so at what point then does Meadowcroft Rock Shelter and Historic Village become a part of the Heinz History family of museums? speaker-1: Yeah, so when I came in '93, that process was already under consideration. And that's that's one of the reasons why I came to Meadowcroft. ⁓ so at that time there was no Heinz History Center. ⁓ it was the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. They had their headquarters there in in Oakland, ⁓ right near the ⁓ Soldiers and Sailors Memorial. ⁓ but they were looking to develop a regional history center. And ⁓ Part of that effort was ⁓ was looking at Meadowcroft because as Albert and Delvin Miller were in their 80s, they were concerned about the future of their museum. So they contacted the Historical Society and said, you know, would you consider a merger and and working together? And that process took several years. is when the first ⁓ site visit was done by the History Center. And ⁓ but it wasn't until 2000 that the the deal was finally done. We we went through a period of what we called a joint operating agreement. So the hi the History Center was helping to operate Meadowcroft, but there was no merger yet. And in May of 2000, the merger was executed. And ⁓ so since that time Meadowcroft has been a ⁓ one of the museums in the Heinz History Center museum system. And ⁓ and I'll also mention that Mettercroft just ⁓ recently was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. So it's only about three percent of museums in the nation that ⁓ that are accredited. So we're very proud of that. speaker-0: Yeah, we're very thankful to have Meadowcroft here in in Washington County. But speaking of the Heinz History Center, there's a special exhibition opening up next week. Can you tell us about that? speaker-1: Yeah, so ⁓ the ⁓ new exhibition is a traveling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and it's called Planet Ice, Mysteries of the Ice Ages. And so it goes into everything you ever wanted to know about ice and ⁓ and the ice ages that ⁓ the earth has experienced over over thousands and thousands of years. ⁓ but the reason I'm involved ⁓ is primarily because During the last ice age, which ended about twelve thousand years ago, ⁓ there were people already using the Meadowcroft rock shelter. So for the last seven thousand years of the Ice Age, there were people here in Western Pennsylvania. And so we wanted to bring that people story into the exhibit. And ⁓ so there is n not only information about Meadowcroft, but some artifacts. ⁓ from the site that that people that date to the ice age that people will get to see. and we also have ⁓ developed a an indoor at latal range in the exhibit gallery. So ⁓ so if you haven't been to Meadowcroft to try using the Atlatle, you can try it during the run of the exhibit. speaker-0: I almost forgot, as you were talking there, can you tell us about some of the prehistoric animals that are believed to have roamed the area where Meadowcraft is today? speaker-1: Yeah, so ⁓ these these large extinct animals that were here during the Ice Age are w referred to as megafauna, ⁓ Ice Age megafauna. And ⁓ that includes things like ⁓ mammoth, ⁓ mastodon, giant beaver. Th these beaver were the size of a modern black bear. ground sloths, dire wolves, ⁓ shrub. ⁓ short faced bear. Yeah, the the largest apex mammalian predator ever to roam North America. These bears would stand up ⁓ to be twelve feet tall, ⁓ long legs, so they could they could chase you and speaker-0: Yeah. I had to hide out in the rock shelter too. speaker-1: Yeah, yeah. So while there's no direct evidence of these megafauna at the rock shelter, there has been in the larger region, ⁓ there's been lots of evidence of these found. And so the exhibit at the History Center will also look at some of those megafauna. In fact, we borrowed some ⁓ bones from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. ⁓ from the the Bridgeville mastodon ⁓ that was recovered there in the nineteen forties, ⁓ right right at the Bridgeville exit ⁓ off I-79 in Bridgeville. ⁓ we borrowed a a vertebrae from a mastodon that ⁓ was actually the closest one I can find to Meadowcroft, which is now in the collection of Bethany College, ⁓ about seven miles from Meadowcroft, right across into West Virginia. speaker-0: We talked a little bit about the Atlantle ⁓ here in two weeks. On June twentieth, you're hosting the Atlattle competition. It probably has a more official name. speaker-1: Yeah, no, it's just the Meadowcroft Atlantal competition. But we ⁓ partner with the World Atlattle Association, believe it or not. ⁓ this is a a partnership that has gone back ⁓ well over 20 years, and this is an annual event for us. And the World At Lattle Association hosts these events all over the world, ⁓ all over the US. They ho have them in France, Germany, Belgium, and ⁓ I can't remember a few other places. But ⁓ we have had ⁓ the top man, woman, and youth competitor in the world ⁓ throw at our event. And so if you want to see somebody who's really good at it, ⁓ June twentieth is the day to come out to Meadowcroft. And the neat thing about our Atlall competition is that even if you've never heard the word AtLATL before, you can get one in your hands, you can try it out, and you can even enter competition if you want to. You know, the Atlatle is ⁓ it's kind of an intermediate technology between a spear that you would just throw or thrust and the bow and arrow. ⁓ so we don't have any evidence of bow and arrow here in Pennsylvania ⁓ until about 1500 years ago. Okay. So prior to that, and for all of the thousands of years of people using the rock shelter, the atlatle would have been the weapon of choice. And what it is, the atlatle is essentially a stick that launches a long lethal dart ⁓ that's tipped with either a a stone point or a a bone point. and you can throw that dart with more force and velocity than you could a spear. And so this was a very effective hunting weapon. ⁓ And you can imagine a a a child growing up with one of those in their hands would become highly efficient with that weapon for hunting. speaker-0: Yeah, I don't think I could picture how proficient someone could be with the Atlatle until I went to the competition. And this is a few years back. There was a young gentleman, maybe early twenties, and I might be exaggerating, but I feel like the distance he might have been throwing was maybe close to fifty yards. but the power and precision that he had with that Atlatle was incredible to me. I mean it was remarkable. You're throwing essentially a a long arrow that is what, five feet long? speaker-1: Some of the competitors use darts that are seven, eight feet long. speaker-0: Yeah, it's impressive. So go watch it. Throw one for yourself. There's plenty of opportunities to do that. ⁓ but a very cool event. You've also got ⁓ Ind Independence Day celebration and tell us a little bit more about some of the ⁓ different programming and special events that you have coming up throughout the course of the year. speaker-1: Yeah, so ⁓ every year, ⁓ you know, July fourth and Independence Day or or close to it, depending on where that fall day of the week, ⁓ we have our Independence Day celebration. So that is ⁓ something that you know people get to experience ⁓ you know, eighteenth century living at our eighteenth century frontier area. ⁓ but also in the nineteenth century area, we ⁓ we usually have a reading of the Declaration of Independence and then we have some games, ⁓ you know, some historic children's games to play as well. So and then coming up in August, we have our ⁓ August twenty second, we have our vintage baseball day. And ⁓ that's a lot of fun. We have speaker-0: Baseball spelled with a space between the E and the B. speaker-1: That's right. Yeah. Originally two words. And ⁓ these teams play by the eighteen sixties rules. So we have the ⁓ Addison Mountain Stars, ⁓ from Pennsylvania, and also the Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder, ⁓ that come and play. And the the ⁓ big thing that visitors will notice is that they're not using gloves. ⁓ in the eighteen sixties, that was really before baseball gloves were being used. So Even though the ball they use a handmade ball that is a is a little softer than a modern baseball. Okay. But I can tell you firsthand that if you go to stop a line drive off of ⁓ one of those bats, ⁓ it will hurt your hand and ⁓ you could possibly even break a finger. speaker-0: I'm gonna guess they had thicker calluses than we have today. then in October you've got a walk in Penn's Woods, right? speaker-1: Yeah, they're they're used to it. Yeah, so that's a a statewide program actually that ⁓ is a partnership with a number of organizations across the state. ⁓ but it's really an opportunity to encourage people to get outdoors. And Meadowcroft is all about the outdoors. We have seventy-five acres. ⁓ and as I always like to say, this is where history and nature meet. Yeah. And ⁓ so some of our programming does relate to, you know, the natural resources that are found there. And the Walk in Penns Woods program is an opportunity to do some themed walks through the property ⁓ where we talk about the the natural resources found there, what were used by, you know, native people and ⁓ the the settlers on the frontier, or the coal mining history of the property. So there's there's lots of things we can talk about related to those resources. speaker-0: So the the name of this podcast, Dave, is The Washco Insider. And if I'm somebody that wants to get inside information and extra details on the rock shouter, what opportunities do you have ⁓ for that kind of speaker-1: Yeah, so one of the the big ⁓ programs related to that is ⁓ a special tour of the rock shelter. And ⁓ this year we have Dr. Diane Landers coming twice ⁓ to do a special program. And she will do a lecture first and then lead a tour of the rock shelter. And Dr. Landers is ⁓ she's an amazing person. She's a retired archaeologist, ⁓ but began her career. as part of the team excavating at the rock shelter in the nineteen seventies. Yeah, so and she's a she's a wonderful speaker. ⁓ she really helps people to understand why the rock shelter is important, to put it into context of ⁓ you know, the the early history of North America and and then can talk about her experience as part of the crew and and what it was like to be an archaeologist. speaker-0: What a cool full circle moment. And and she's gonna do these insider tours ⁓ June twentieth and August ninth. speaker-1: That's correct. Yeah. And those are ⁓ reservation only, because we have limited space for those programs. So speaker-0: You hear that? Sign up now. Well, ⁓ as we kind of wrap up the the end of the year, ⁓ usually your your last event is late November. And what is that event? speaker-1: Yeah, so that's our our fall finale and taffy pool. And ⁓ with the emphasis on taffy pool. ⁓ that's a fun activity that people always enjoy. So ⁓ we you know, we do it nineteenth century style and that was ⁓ that was a treat for people ⁓ that didn't always have candy or or sugar readily available all the time. So ⁓ visitors that can sign up for that and actually help make the taffy and then take some home with them. speaker-0: We are excuse me, we are in western Pennsylvania and you are mostly an outdoor museum. ⁓ tell us about the seasonality of when you're open and and you know, now in June looking forward for the rest of the summer. ⁓ what are your typical hours? speaker-1: Yeah, so for the summer we're open Wednesday through Sunday from ten AM to four PM. And then after Labor Day, we go back to just weekends, ⁓ Saturdays and Sundays, ten AM to four PM. And ⁓ we keep that schedule until the weekend right before Thanksgiving, and then we close for the season. speaker-0: Very cool. Well, if I can get my cameras to switch here. Switch us over to camera 1A. Dave, thank you so much for being with us today. ⁓ you're welcome. I always enjoy learning more about Metacroft Rock Shouter. Absolutely. Tonight the Washington Wild Things wrap up a home series with the Gateway Grizzlies before kicking off another three-game homestand against the Florence Yawls. speaker-1: Well thanks, Chase. speaker-0: Tomorrow and Saturday, the All-Clad Summer Factory Sale returns to the Washington County Fairgrounds. This is your chance to save up to 70% on pots and pans, kitchen electrics, and, yeah, I don't know, any piece you might need for the ultimate cooking experience. Start your day off on Sunday with a pancake breakfast and a ride on the Panhandle Trail in McDonald at the McDonald Trail Station and History Center's National Trail Day Breakfast. Then for the afternoon, head on down to Monongahela for Fleetig the Mon. Rouse homemade crafts. Vendors, antiques, and chess park and all along Third Street. If we don't see you there, we'll see you at Metacroft Rock Sheldon Historic Villages annual Atlatle competition on june twentieth. Thanks for joining us. Hit the power button.