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| Mary Ann Levine, professor of archaeology at Franklin & Marshall, |
The Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society has announced the first program of its 2014 Lecture Series, which combines its Coffee Hours on Thursday mornings with its Society Programs on Sunday afternoons. The theme of this year’s Lecture Series is an examination of American Indian/Native American culture.
On Thursday, March 13, 2014, at 10 a.m., Tom ‘Tank’ Baird will be speaking on “The Very First Settlers of the West Branch Valley.” He will relate the importance of maize which was first cultivated in the 9th century by the Owasco culture of central New York. The subsequent colonization of the Susquehanna drainage for this farming was the first major occupation of Native Americans.
For the next four centuries, the land was cleared on a massive scale. Villages and burial mounds were built during this time period. After four hundred years, the Owasco were displaced by the Shenks Ferry culture. For this lecture, artifacts will be on display from the current excavation (36LY0345) in Loyalsock Township relating to the Owasco/Clemson's Island settlement in Lycoming County.
Tank has served as President of the North Central Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology for the past three years. The society is headquartered at the Taber Museum. The Coffee Hour is held in the Community Room of the museum. The program is free and open to the public.
Coffee and light refreshments are served. Continuing the Lecture Series, the Coffee Hour for Thursday, April 10, 2014, at 10 am, will feature Steve Weaver, a member of the Eastern Delaware Nations. He will present “The People Who Lived Here Before Us and How They Influence Our Lives Today.”
Coffee Hours are held on the second Thursday of each month March-June, September-December. The Society Programs are held on the third Sunday of each month, May-October. The Lecture Series’ programs are free and open to the public.
The Taber Museum is located at 858 West Fourth Street, Williamsport. Ample parking is available behind the building or on the street. For further information about our programming, please visit our website at www.tabermuseum.org or telephone us at 570.326.3326.
