Historical Society of Western PA/Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village is part of the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pennsylvania’s largest history museum and a proud Smithsonian Institution affiliate.

The story at Meadowcroft is a big one! It starts with the very first people to enter North America during the last ice age who camped at the Rockshelter 19,000 years ago. This National Historic Landmark and internationally-renowned archeological treasure offers a glimpse into the lives of prehistoric hunters and gatherers.

The story continues as you step back in time to encounter rural life over the past 500 years. Explore a wigwam and use a spear thrower at the 16th-century Woodland Indian Village, experience an 18th-century frontier log cabin, watch a blacksmith working or participate in a one-room schoolhouse lesson in the 19th-century Historic Village.

Located in beautiful, rural Washington County, Meadowcroft provides a family friendly adventure and immersive, hands-on history and STEM education programs.

Named in Smithsonian Magazine’s “Five Great Places to See Evidence of First Americans”, this National Historic Landmark is raising funds to expand and transform Meadowcroft’s Visitor Center and Rockshelter. This project will serve our local, national, and international visitors with a must-see space while allowing us to expand our program season to accommodate our community. A one-of-a-kind rental space will host events from corporate retreats to shared life moments and allow for programs that drive tourism and education. We’re creating a more sustainable Meadowcroft for generations. And, it allows us to expand our immersive field trips to engage more than 10,000 school children annually with our local and state history and science of archaeology. Take it from Nathan, a local 4th grader, “This is a field trip I will never forget!” As an internationally renowned treasure, Meadowcroft is proud to welcome visitors from all over the world to Washington County.