On November 14, the History Club took a charter bus to West Virginia Penitentiary to learn about the history of the prison as well as the Native American burials located nearby. The Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex mainly preserves the Grave Creek Mound, but they also have a multitude of different archeological finds such as fossils and relics from the Adena tribe that lived there before.
Intent on learning about the history of our nation, 45 students from the History Club went to West Virginia, first stopping at the Grave Creek Complex and then took a tour of the prison. The trip cost $35 in total for both the bus and the tours.
“We did take a charter bus which the students have to pay for,” said social studies high school teacher Larissa Sturm, the History Club’s adviser. “But if they had submitted their membership fee with their form at the beginning of the year, then there was no cost for this trip.”
After the students arrived at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, they first went to learn about the different Native American relics. From learning how to use a bow and arrow to admiring pottery, there was a lot for the students to explore. They then got to climb on the Native American burial mounds, where they learned different life skills that the Native Americans used such as picking beans from their shells and sharpening a spear. These hands-on activities help diversify the type of learning that the students experienced. Then they headed off to prison.
“The students also learned about the history of the prison,” Sturm said. “And about the many different riots, and atrocities that the prisoners had to ensure throughout its history.”
The History Club students got a private tour of the prison from the owners, going through the Gothic penitentiary to learn all of its nooks and crannies. Built in 1866, the penitentiary was an active prison up until 1995, holding criminals from all over West Virginia. The students were told all about the different riots, like the 1979 break, when 15 prisoners attempted to escape, killing an officer in the process.
“It was really old, and gothic,” said sophomore Joshua Bauer, a History Club student that attended the trip. “I think they wanted to scare people into not going to prison.”
The trip provided no shortage of learning opportunities, both hands-on and explanatory. There was a lot to explore in the penitentiary, from an electric chair display to old prison cells that had been used back in the penitentiary’s glory days. In addition the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex provided students with many opportunities to learn about ancient history.
“I liked it because we could walk around the prison and touch all the artifacts and go in the jail cells, ” said Bauer. “Like there wasn’t anything off limits, so it was very cool.”
This trip to prison was certainly an exciting educational experience, and the experience will stay in the minds of the students forever.
“I absolutely plan to return with students next year,” said Sturm. “Because it was extremely insightful and very fun.”
