A petroglyph is any rock with an image carved or engraved on it. The museum opened in 1975, with the petroglyph serving as the main exhibit.Ĭeredo’s petroglyph is one of several discovered, or rediscovered, and documented in West Virginia during the 1970s. The petroglyph was so heavy that it required a truck and crane borrowed from a monument company in Ohio to transfer the stone to its permanent home. A former water pump building on Main Street was reconfigured into the new Ceredo Historical Society Museum. To prove that Ceredo would be a responsible steward of the petroglyph, Mayor Napier and other locals swiftly organized the creation of a museum to house it.
He contacted Governor Arch Moore, Jr., and the two reached an agreement whereby Ceredo was awarded custody of the stone.Ī detail shows what appears to be a birdlike figure. Multiple local and state entities sought to take possession of the boulder.Ĭeredo Mayor Mose Napier was quick to assert the town’s own claim to the petroglyph. There were also concerns that it could deteriorate if left out in the open. The petroglyph likely stood on the riverbank and later became submerged as the Ohio River changed over time.īecause of its location and unintentional displacement, the petroglyph could not stay where it was found. The images were in very good condition, having been spared from erosion or vandalism by being concealed underwater. It was quickly determined that the carvings were Native American in origin. Geological and Economic Survey were summoned to inspect the discovery. Army Corps of Engineers, West Virginia University, and the W.Va.
FIRESIDE THEATER 2014 SERIES
Two days later, the crane operator noticed a series of engravings on the stone. On June 25, an excavating crane removed a large slab of sandstone submerged under fifteen feet of water and set it in a refuse pile. (Photo courtesy Ceredo Historical Society Museum)
The Ceredo Petroglyph was documented soon after its discovery during construction in the Ohio River. These required parts of the river to be dredged. In the summer of 1975, the Oglebay Norton Company was constructing new barge mooring cells on the banks of the Ohio River in Ceredo.
The petroglyph was discovered entirely by accident.
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