PA history in print: The Centre County Historical Society will host a talk by Dr. Kurt Carr, co-author of First Pennsylvanians: The Archaeology of Native Americans in Pennsylvania by Dr. Kurt W. Carr at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center in State College. Carr will also sign copies of the book at that time as well.

Co-authored by Roger W. Moeller, The First Pennsylvanians examines how the evolution of Native American culture can was a series of changing cultural adaptations or adjustments to the environment and surrounding cultures. It is a story that begins 15,000 years ago, extends to the present and focuses on what is known through the science of archaeology.

The book is organized by time periods and the three major drainage basins of the Commonwealth – the Ohio/Monongahela, the Susquehanna and the Delaware. Within this chronological and geographical context, Carr will discuss changes in the environment, technology, subsistence, population density and social organization. The book is profusely illustrated and his presentation will incorporate many of these illustrations.

Carr has been the Senior Curator of Archaeology at the State Museum of Pennsylvania since November 2007. In this position, he supervises the curation of the archaeological collections of the museum, develops public outreach programs and conducts field research on significant issues of Pennsylvania archaeology.

His research interests include Early Holocene Native American cultural adaptations and the role of population density in cultural change, among other subjects. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Catholic University of America in 1992.

Copies of The First Pennsylvanians, which was published by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2015, will be available for purchase at the program.

The program is free and open to the public. Donations are graciously accepted. For general information and program updates, visit www.CentreHistory.org.