It all started one day in 1955 when farmer, conservationist and amateur historian Albert Miller

went hiking on his property. As he passed a steep cliff nest with a prominent rock overhang that
served as a natural refuge, he noticed a marmot slipping into a hole. Upon closer inspection,
Miller found bones near the entrance to the hole. Perhaps a marmot dug up the bones and put
them there.

Mr. Miller wondered what else was under that ground. He got a shovel and a sieve and started
digging. He soon finds a flint knife and burnt bones. He was already familiar with the rocky
havens of western Pennsylvania and knew that Native American crafts could be expected. His
own interests and experiences led him to seek out such things.

In his youth he was also a pilot and an accomplished aerial photographer. His interest in nature
conservation led to a project to plant trees on land devastated by mining. He turned his farm
into a wildlife habitat. But artifacts like antiques also fascinated him, but not in the usual way.
"Some people are interested in this chair," he once said of the antique. "I'm interested in the
people who were sitting there."

Mr. Miller quickly realized that the land around the rock shelter was potentially important and
stopped digging. Instead of exploiting the place, he selflessly became its protector. He realized
that rock overhangs could easily attract evacuated hikers. They may, like him, stumble upon
clues that something is going on here and feel compelled to dig. To avoid potential marauders,
he covered the hole and hid it from sight.

This site needed expert attention and he was happy to wait for the right archaeologist to come
along. The discovery remained a closely guarded secret for nearly two decades. When Mr.
Miller found someone he believed he could trust and might refer him to the right archaeologist,
he trusted him. One such figure was colonial American historian Phil Jack of California State
University, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Miller pursued another project of historical interest, establishing the Meadowcroft
Rural Life Museum on land near the refuge. In this rebuilt 19th-century village of his, he and his
brother Delvin (a trotting legend) have restored old cottages, schoolhouses, churches, hair
salons, covered bridges and rail cars. The museum was run by a board and owned rock-
protected grounds. In the early 1970s, a young archaeologist named James Advasio was
recruited by the University of Pittsburgh. He told his colleagues that he wanted to learn about
the ruins near Eisenstadt, which could be suitable for teaching students the careful techniques
necessary for archaeological excavations. He got a call from Jack, a historian at the State
University, telling him about Meadowcroft.

Advasio visited Albert Miller and the two became good friends. Miller realizes he has found an
archaeologist with the skill of digging under rock shelters. After Advasio received permission
from Meadowcroft's board of directors, he and his students began working for Meadowcroft.