Stepping into the dawn of man: Meadowcroft Historic Rockshelter and Village
“Take a tour of this internationally-renowned archeological treasure and learn more about the lives of Western Pennsylvania’s prehistoric hunters and gatherers.” That’s what it says in the first paragraph of Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village’s website. Nestled just under 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh lies one of the oldest landmarks of human habitation in North America.
At Meadowcroft Historic Rockshelter, an archaeological site that saw humans habit over 19,000 years ago. Today, the rock shelter alongside the historic village sits as a national historic landmark. A long time client of ours, the Heinz History Center’s location in Meadowcroft is one of the most ambitious video production projects of ours.
Meadowcroft magic
The day started as we observed the rock shelter. On top of the steps overlooking Cross Creek, its geographical wonder serves as a gateway into the past peoples that walked these plains. The maintained piece of historic lodging served as a pristine backdrop for video production content.
The overhang’s unique story of discovery matches its historical relevance to the region. Back in 1955, a Washington County farmer by the name of Albert Miller discovered a groundhog digging a hole in the ground of his Avella farm. What the groundhog discovered turned out to be a prehistoric tool.
The groundhog discovered a small ancient flint knife, which the Robert Barensfeld Center still holds on the property to this day.
As well as the rock shelter, Meadowcroft also has several different historic villages. Recreating civilization spanning from the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries, Meadowcroft has several models of settlements of the time. Found among these models is a recreation of a village of the Monongahela peoples in the 16th century. This contains one of their most popular attractions, the atlatl spear-throwing exhibit. The ancient handmade spear-thrower served as a primary way for natives in the 16th century to catch game for food.
Capturing the magic
Our team spent the day traveling across the historic landmark, capturing video and photos. Working in tandem with the Heinz History Center, we effectively promoted their Ice Age exhibit as well as their historic Rockshelter. As previously mentioned, the Rockshelter is a wonderful backdrop for telling the story of the area. After exploring the site, in post-production we worked tirelessly to bring those monuments to life through the screen. Whether the land is 19,000 years old or built yesterday, we specialize in capturing a place’s story through the lens of visual media.
Final Product
After the shoot and several days of long post-production, Here is the final product:
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