On October 10-12, 2014, members of FOSA participated in a trip to the Meadowcroft Rockshelter a site where archeologists have found evidence of human life that dates back nearly 16,000 years. The Meadowcroft property had been used as a farm since 1795 and was owned by the family of Albert Miller. On November 12, 1955, Albert Miller discovered there might be more to his property than he had ever imagined. On that day, Miller discovered a groundhog hole that contained flint flakes and burnt bone. He dug a little deeper to discover a flint knife. Mr. Miller kept his discoveries secret, to prevent looting, and hoping to come in contact with a scientist who could properly examine the site. In June, 1973, Dr. James Adovasio of Mercyhurst College and his team of University of Pittsburgh students began excavating and studying the site. "We did not realize the depth of the deposits or its antiquity," says Adovasio. "It was almost serendipitous. It was literally nothing anyone had anticipated."

At the FOSA Annual Meeting in 2009, Dr. Adovasio spoke about the excavations as the featured speaker. As a result of this, following her tenure as FOSA President in 2013, Cynthia Redman proposed a trip to Meadowcroft, to expand on what Dr. Adovasio spoke about. From that visit, the following photographs were taken and submitted for inclusion in this section of the FOSA web site. Unless otherwise specified, all photographs were taken by Jack D. Morris.

The photographs are being presented in several groups, corresponding to different aspects of the trip:

• 1. GROUP and LANDSCAPE - photos of the participants in the trip and views of the entrance and the landscaping as seen mear there
• 2. IMMEDIATE AREA - photos of the area surrounding the entrance to the Rockshelter
• 3. EXCAVATION - CENTER STAGE - photos of the center stage of the excavation
• 4. EXCAVATION - UPPER LANDING - photos of the upper landing of the excavation
• 5. MILLER MUSEUM - photos taken at a museum celebrating harness racing legend Delvin Miller's eight-decade career.
• 6. 1570s MONONGAHELA INDIAN VILLAGE - photos taken of a reproduction of a Native American village of the 1570s in that area.
• 7. 1770s TRADING POST - photos taken of a reproduction of a trading post of the 1770s in that area.
• 8. 1890s RURAL VILLAGE - photos taken of a reproduction of a rural village of the 1890s in that area.

Click anywhere in the group to bring it up so you can either bring them up and walk through the photos individually, or view them automatically via a slide-show.

1. GROUP and LANDSCAPE
2. IMMEDIATE AREA
3. EXCAVATION - CENTER STAGE
4. EXCAVATION - UPPER LANDING
5. MILLER MUSEUM
6. 1570s MONONGAHELA INDIAN VILLAGE
7. 1770s TRADING POST
8. 1890s RURAL VILLAGE