Exploring Joara Foundation receives MFG Foundation grant

The Exploring Joara Foundation has received a grant from the MFG Foundation to support its educational and archaeological programs in Burke County.

Molded Fiber Glass Companies, or MFG, was founded in 1948 by Robert S. Morrison in Ashtabula, Ohio. The company manufactures custom-molded, fiber-reinforced plastic and composite material parts and operates a facility in Morganton.

Since 2008, the Exploring Joara Foundation has worked to share the history of Native peoples and early Spanish exploration in the region. Archaeological work in Burke County has included the discovery of Fort San Juan, built in 1567 as part of Spanish explorer Juan Pardo’s expedition.

Pardo established a series of six forts stretching from South Carolina into what is now East Tennessee, nearly 20 years before the Lost Colony, 40 years before Jamestown, and more than 50 years before the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth.

The volunteer-operated Exploring Joara Foundation offers hands-on educational programs about Pardo’s expedition and the Native people he encountered. Programs are offered at the Berry archaeological site, the Living History Village at Catawba Meadows Park in Morganton, the Wall Center for Archaeological Research, and in classrooms across Western North Carolina.

The organization also works with groups and institutions in Burke County, including The Industrial Commons, the Burke County Public Library, the History Museum of Burke County, and local education and civic organizations.

Note: The Living History Village at Catawba Meadows is currently closed due to damage experienced during Hurricane Helene in 2024.

For more information, visit ExploringJoara.org.

— AKC