Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village

06/12/2026

Searching for whimsy at Meadowcroft 😌🦌🌷🐝🌿🦊✨

From quiet woodland paths to centuries of history, there's always something to discover at Meadowcroft.

Plan your scenic escape to Avella today -- we’re open Wednesdays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

06/08/2026

Go behind the scenes of one of the most important archaeological discoveries in North America! 🪨

Join Meadowcroft on Saturday, June 20 for a special guided tour of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter led by Dr. Diane Beynon Landers, one of the original archaeologists from the site’s groundbreaking 1974 excavation team.

Learn firsthand about the discoveries that reshaped our understanding of early human history and explore the National Historic Landmark alongside someone who helped uncover its secrets more than 50 years ago.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear stories straight from the dig site!

Advanced registration is required.

Join archaeologist Dr. Diane Beynon Landers on a tour of the Rockshelter.

06/03/2026

Atlatls at the ready! 🏹

Step into prehistory during Meadowcroft’s Annual Atlatl Competition on Saturday, June 20!

Watch skilled competitors from the World Atlatl Association put their accuracy and technique to the test using one of humanity’s oldest hunting tools.

Think you’ve got what it takes to hit the target? 🎯

05/30/2026

in 1969, Meadowcroft opened its doors to the public for the very first time as Meadowcroft Village!

Just a year earlier, the Meadowcroft Foundation was formed to oversee this exciting new venture. Founders Albert and Delvin Miller generously donated 198 acres of their family farm to make their vision a reality.

The name “Meadowcroft Village” blended two meaningful places: Bancroft Farm, which had been in the Miller family since 1794, and Meadow Lands Farm, the heart of Delvin’s harness racing legacy.

After more than a decade of work, Meadowcroft Village was ready for visitors in 1969, and it’s been bringing the past to life ever since!

📷 The forge at Meadowcroft in 1964. Albert Miller Papers and Photographs, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village.

05/29/2026

What is the atlatl? 🎯

We were excited to see footage from Meadowcroft featured on Jeopardy! last night!

For the $2,000 clue in the category “Words from Native Americans,” contestants were asked:

“From the language of the Aztecs, this device to increase spear velocity and range has been compared to a dog ball thrower.”

Check out footage of one of our interpreters demonstrating how to use the ancient spear thrower, then plan your visit to Meadowcroft Rockshelter this weekend to try throwing an atlatl yourself!

05/27/2026

Summer is in full swing at Meadowcroft! ☀️

We’re now open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come spend a summer day at the National Historic Landmark!

05/26/2026

Channel your inner prehistoric hunter at Meadowcroft! 🏹

Inside our recreated 16th-century Monongahela Indian Village, test your ancient dart-throwing skills with the atlatl, a spear-throwing stick used by the region’s earliest inhabitants.

Don’t miss Meadowcroft’s annual Atlatl Competition, featuring competitors from the World Atlatl Association, on June 20!

05/20/2026

A little buzz-worthy history for ! 🍯🐝

This 19th-century bee box from Meadowcroft’s collection, crafted in Freeport, Pa., shows off a game-changing innovation in early beekeeping. Its movable honeycomb frames, introduced in the 1850s, made it possible to harvest honey without destroying the hive.

Before this, beekeepers used fixed-comb boxes or traditional skeps, like the coiled rye straw hive pictured here, where bees filled the entire space with comb. Getting to the honey often meant losing the hive entirely.

This simple shift transformed beekeeping, making it more sustainable and shaping the way honey is harvested today.

05/14/2026

that the first Rockshelter excavation took place over six years?

Beginning in the summer of 1973, 11 University of Pittsburgh field school crew workers adjusted their lives to work at Meadowcroft.

The team lived on site every summer for six consecutive years until 1978 when the initial excavation concluded.

05/11/2026

in 2008, Meadowcroft introduced the protective enclosure surrounding the Rockshelter, transforming how visitors experience this remarkable site.

The structure offers an up-close view of the archaeological site, while safeguarding it for ongoing research and future generations.

Plan your visit today to experience one of North America’s oldest and most extraordinary archaeological sites.