Meadowcroft Rockshelter
Meadowcroft Rockshelter
A deeply stratified archaeological site, i
its deposits span nearly 16,000 years.
Discovered in 1973 by Albert Miller and
excavated by University of Pittsburgh
archaeologists, Meadowcroft revealed
North America's earliest known evidence
of human presence and the New World's
longest sequence of human occupation.
All of eastern North America's major
cultural stages appear in its remark-
ably complete archaeological record.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 1999
On family property in 1955, Albert Miller saw a groundhog hole. Aware the Native American arrow heads were found in the region, he dug into the hole. He found several arrow heads and realized this find might be important. He filled in the dug hole and didn't tell anyone about it. Miller's desire was that it would be best for a proper archaeological survey be performed. He wasn't able to find someone willing to look at the site until 1972. James M. Adovasio, then at University of Pittsburgh began work in 1973. Excavations continued through 1979. Adovasio's research and findings were criticized because it had been thought Clovis point arrow heads documented the earliest occupants on North America. This was one of the first "digs" where computer technology was used. A teletype terminal and modem dialed into University of Pittsburgh mainframes so collected data could be transmitted from the dig site.