Speaker series – Where the Rivers Join: Native American Cultures of The Potomac and Shenandoah Valleys. Carole Nash, May 15

May 15 Presentation on “Where the Rivers Join: Native American Cultures of The Potomac and Shenandoah Valleys.”

Historic Shepherdstown Commission & Museum is pleased to announce the second presentation in our 2024 Speaker Series. Dr. Carole Nash, James Madison University Professor, will present “Where the Rivers Join: Native American Cultures of The Potomac and Shenandoah Valleys.” Dr. Nash’s talk will be held on Wednesday, May 15 at 7 pm at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University and will be free to the public.

During the period of A.D. 1200-1600, just prior to European settlement, the Potomac/Shenandoah region was occupied by a variety of indigenous Native American cultures. This presentation will be an opportunity to gain important insights about the often overlooked pre-European history of our region.

Carole Nash, Ph.D., RPA, is Professor in the School of Integrated Sciences at James Madison University where she has taught for 35 years. Her research focuses on the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley, specializing in First Peoples archaeology and historical ecology. She is the author of many technical reports, scholarly papers, and publications, including co-author of Foundations of Archaeology in the Middle Atlantic. She is President of Mountain Valley Archaeology which partners with descendant communities on archaeological and historical research in western Virginia. She directs the Virginia Archaeological Certification Program, a citizen science initiative that partners professional and avocational archaeologists.