Nestled within the rich history and myths of Moundsville, West Virginia, lies a relic that we find particularly intriguing. It’s known as the Grave Creek Stone. Have you heard of it? Unearthed from the depths of the Grave Creek Mound in 1838, this engraved stone sparked great excitement among archaeologists and scholars in the mid-19th century. But this stone’s spectacular story doesn’t end on that same note of triumphant excitement… welcome, friend, to the story of the Grave Creek Mound hoax.

In 1838, adventurous archaeologist Abelard Tomlinson began excavation of the Grave Creek Mound, a significant Adena burial site dating back two to three thousand years.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook
During its excavation, Tomlinson unearthed many significant finds, including a small stone tablet measuring under 2 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook
The remarkable feature of the stone was its intricate carvings, which were believed to resemble ancient writing, a potentially mammoth discovery, as outside of certain ancient cultures in Mesoamerica, a North American system of writing before the influence of Columbus and other Europeans is virtually unknown.
Smithsonian Institution / Wikipedia

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Although its significance was missed in the years immediately following its discovery, as you can imagine, the enigmatic engravings on the stone enthralled many. Eventually, the stone made its way to the Smithsonian Museum, where it was lost; photographs and casts of the original remain.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook
However, at a 2008 meeting of the West Virginia Archaeological Society, anthropologist David Oestreicher announced a startling discovery: the source of the inscription on the stone unearthed in the ancient Grave Creek Mound was a text written in 1782, hundreds of years after Columbus's famous 1492 voyage!
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook
Yes, indeed, here lies the bitter truth – the Grave Creek Stone was nothing more than an elaborate hoax.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook
The stone's hoaxer remains an enduring mystery; at that 2008 meeting, Oestreicher suggested James W. Clemens, a financier of the Tomlinson excavation, who would have stood to gain from such a find.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex / Facebook

We may never know the full truth of this mysterious stone forgery, the great Grave Creek Mound hoax, just as we may never know the full extent of the skills and abilities of pre-Columbian North Americans. But there is still much we can know, and a trip to the Delf Norona Museum at the Grave Creek Archeological Complex is a great way to start, even if you won’t find the infamous Grave Creek Stone there. There are many other legitimate artifacts to peruse!

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Grave Creek Mound Historical Site, 801 Jefferson Ave, Moundsville, WV 26041, USA