Indian Cave Petroglyphs

National Historic Landmark — Jane Lew, West Virginia — Harrison County

The walls of a small cave on the McDonald Farm near Jane Lew are inscribed with remarkably preserved petroglyphs first documented in 1889 by W. H. Holmes of the Bureau of American Ethnology. Pottery artifacts that were found on the floor indicated that the shelter had been used between 500 and 1675 AD. The etchings were made by pecking or carving outlines of the shapes and by rubbing a depression into the stone under the entire image. The artist or artists made unusual of use of the color red. The petroglyphs were also documented in the 1958 book “Caverns of West Virginia” by William E. Davies. The site was studied by archaeologist James L. Swauger in 1970 and found to be virtually unchanged since its discovery.

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