USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume I > Part 4
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It is interesting to bear in mind the causes of this inevitable con- flict and the tragic destruction of the Indian race as we turn to the account of its life before the coming of the white man.
Though the title of this work is "The Story of Essex County," there were, of course, no Essex County boundaries in Indian times. We should, therefore, include in our narrative a region extending from Manchester, New Hampshire, on the Merrimac, to the Metacom (King Philip ) country of Southern Rhode Island, and from our coast westward to Worcester. Although our Indians established certain permanent villages, they were decidedly nomadic, visiting, in large numbers fishing stations on the Merrimac, Charles, and other rivers, and spending winters in heavily wooded sections where trees broke the force of cold northern winds. There is abundant evidence that during the summer they congregated in large numbers all along our coastline, subsisting upon various mollusca and other sea foods. The mouth of the Merrimac, Plum Island, Castle Neck and the coast down as far as Boston appear to have been rather heavily populated in ancient times.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
Before we enter upon our description of Indians during the his- toric period let us consider the past.
No date can be set for the coming of our first red men to Essex County. In pre-European times the Indian population of this section as well as the entire United States was considerable, but we possess no accurate statistics. Some of the early writers or explorers estimated the strength of the Massachusetts band as three thousand warriors, which means a population of some fifteen thousand persons. Other observers believe this statement is too high. An approximate esti- mate of Massachusetts Indians is difficult, although Willoughby sets down the number as seven thousand. The missionary Gookin's esti- mate of 30,000 referred to the pre-plague period. Of course, the Essex County group formed an unknown fraction of this total.
ORIGIN OF THE INDIAN RACE-The question of origin of our Indian race still remains in obscurity, notwithstanding much research both archeological and linguistic.3 With the limited space at our disposal it is scarcely proper for one to do more than comment on the generally accepted theory that our red race originated in Asia, passed from the lower Amur valley to the Straits, crossed to St. Lawrence Island, thence to our Alaskan shore, down the Pacific coast, and from there spread through both the Americas. Henry Collins, Esq., of the Smithsonian, has spent three or four summers in an intensive exploration of St. Lawrence Island and the Alaskan shores. The eminent physical anthropologist, Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, has also visited Alaska and on Kodiak Island carried into effect certain studies based chiefly on skeletal material. Dr. Moorehead has care- fully examined the large collection made by Mr. Collins. Most of the artifacts are distinctly Eskimoan in character and do not present pre- vailing American Indian types. Curiously enough, the gouge (made of fossil ivory) is rather common. From Alaska down to the Pueblo country of Arizona-New Mexico and across our Central States one finds none. They do not occur until we reach New York State, where they are by no means common. Yet in New England, and particularly in Essex County and the State of Maine, many gouges occur, some of them rather like Alaskan forms. They are also found in Eastern
3. All our classifications of New England tribes or sub-tribes are based on linguis- tics. Before the science of archaeology had reached its present development, it was assumed that Indians speaking an Algonkin dialect, found by the first traders or explorers on a given site, indicated that the location was always Algonkin. This may not be true.
-
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Canada. Whether there was a migration of Eskimoan people from our eastern "Far North" (Greenland) across the various waters and through the islands to Maine is problematical. When we shall have completed our archæological studies years hence, we may be able to speak with more authority on this subject. Certainly the gouge form is more ancient than the grooved axe-very numerous from New Eng- land westward to the Rocky Mountains.
SITES OF INDIAN VILLAGES-In the Merrimac Valley there are at least one hundred village sites, and on these prehistoric stone objects far exceed in numbers those objects indicating contact with white people. At Beverly Farms upon an estate owned by the heirs of John Haven, Esq. (Miss Haven and Mrs. Ross), more than 3,000 artifacts of stone have been collected. The village site covered some ten or fifteen acres. At Marblehead, not far distant, were ledges and boulders of porphyritic felsite, also rhyolite formation. Many natives assembled here for an unknown length of time. Relics of grave- yards, shell heaps, and an Indian fort have been found, together with numerous arrowheads, spears, clubs, and various utensils made of stone. A dozen years ago Mr. Weed, of Marblehead, found two Indian skeletons buried on a hillside overlooking Marblehead harbor. These were preserved by Dr. Moorehead, and are now in the posses- sion of the Marblehead Historical Society. The largest shell heap in this locality is near the Pine Grove and contained by actual measure- ment thirty cords of shells. Depressions found in the "Small Pox Pasture" and at other places have been thought to indicate the former location of Indian wigwams. From six to eight feet across, and orig- inally from two to four feet in depth, these cellars are always to be found near some reliable supply of water. Many similar depressions are to be found near Salem Harbor. In November, 1874, a grave was found in Bessom Pasture containing five skeletons, four being those of adults, and the fifth that of a child. The bodies had all been buried on their backs with their heads to the west except one, which lay with its head to the east. The legs were drawn up so that the knees nearly touched the chin. The grave contained besides the skeletons, a lot of trinkets, an earthen cup, a small bell, and a quantity of beads, proving that these Indians had had some contact with white men.4
4. "Marblehead," by Samuel Roads, Jr., in "History of Essex County," p. 1060. J. W. Lewis & Co., Philadelphia, 1888.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
Thousands of objects manufactured from Marblehead material are to be found in collections both public and private from Gloucester through to Boston, and extending northward to Concord, Massa- chusetts.
A Pentuckett burial ground was located to the north of what is now Merrimack Street, in Haverhill. Here a number of Indian skele- tons were once unearthed, and in that vicinity Indian arrow-heads, mortars, and other relics have frequently been found. At Ipswich, near Prospect Hill, a lapidary for the manufacture of slate arrow- heads has been discovered, and the abundance of clam shells found on high ground marks the site of an Indian encampment.
The region around Bartlett's Brook, and the shores of the Spicket, as far as Spicket Falls, in Methuen, were favorite resorts of the Indians, especially during the fishing season. There are also strong indications that there were once permanent Indian settlements near Spicket Falls and near the mouth of London Brook. The stone fire- places or hearths of their wigwams were found years ago, before the ground was disturbed, on the hillside where the east part of Methuen village is now built. While excavating for various buildings in the town, workmen have uncovered arrowpoints, spearheads, earthen- ware, and a large stone pot. In fact, the locality near Spicket Falls, London Brook, and Policy Brook, where the streams were swarming with alewives, shad, salmon, bass, and sturgeon, and where good land for cultivation was nearby, must have been an excellent place for an Indian village.5
At Salisbury there are shell mounds below Ring's Island, near the Merrimac, while many arrowheads and Indian implements have been found on adjacent farms. There are also remains of Indian settle- ments at East Saugus on the south side of the hills on both banks of the river where shell heaps, arrowheads, pestles, stone hatchets, and bones have been discovered; and on the hillsides near Baldpate, in Georgetown, where there was shelter from the winter winds, the Indians frequently camped. There are remains of an Indian burying ground at West Andover, on the bank of the Merrimac, a mile or more above Lawrence. Here were found skeletons of men, women and children, wrapped in hemlock bark. One was of such large size and had been buried with such care as to suggest that it was the skele- ton of a sachem or chief.
5. "Methuen," by Joseph S. Howe, in "History of Essex County, 1888," p. 770.
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ESSEX COUNTY IN INDIAN TIMES
In the '6os and '70s several scientists-Louis Agassiz, Frederick W. Putnam, John Robinson, Edward S. Morse, and others-engaged in exploration of the ancient shell heaps along the coast of Essex County. There are in the files of the Essex Institute and Peabody Museum of Salem descriptions of their work and the identification of various species found in the shell heaps." This pioneer work in Essex County should be recorded, because nearly fifty years later two or three enthusiastic young anthropologists representing one of our lead- ing universities undertook a reexploration. Little was found; prob- ably they were unaware of previous field work.
RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS-In April, 1930, an expedition was organized to study Indian occupation in the Merrimac Valley. The personnel comprised fourteen individuals. Beginning at the mouth of the river, Newburyport, Plum Island, and Castle Neck were inves- tigated, and the expedition moved gradually up-stream to Nashua, New Hampshire. The investigation was carried out by means of canoes and cars. All Indian sites were mapped carefully, and the results, or findings, are set forth in the publication issued in 1931.7
Preceding the expedition, Percy Hodges, Jr., a graduate student of Harvard, spent several months in the University library compiling a record of Indian locations. These were placed on cards, arranged in order, and were referred to during the five months while the survey was out. After completing the work in Essex County, operations were continued through Middlesex County. In both these counties all Indian sites were found to be practically obliterated. First there was the original Indian occupation, usually near falls or at the mouth of a tributary stream. French or English explorers engaged in the fur trade visited these villages. Next came a white settlement of mod- est beginnings. As time went on, this developed into a town and then a city. Today great industrial centers have developed at Haver-
6. Putnam, Prof. F. W .: "Remarks on Indian Relics from Beverly." Essex Insti- tute Bulletin, Vol. III, p. 123. 1871.
Goodell, A. C., Jr .: "Remarks on Shellheaps, Marblehead." Essex Institute Bul- letin. Vol. VI, p. 182. 1871.
Robinson. John: "Newly Discovered Shellheaps in Marblehead." Essex Institute Bulletin, Vol. XIV, p. 158. 1882.
Another interesting Essex Institute Bulletin is: "Arrowmaker's Wigwam, Pine Grove, Marblehead, Vol. XIV. p. 163. 1882.
7. Moorehead, Warren K .: "The Merrimack Archaeological Survey." Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts. 1931.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
hill, Lawrence, Lowell, and from thence up the Merrimac. The same is true of the Charles and Ipswich rivers.
It was necessary for the expedition to excavate in yards, city parks, railroad rights of way, near factories, and, in two instances, even upon golf links.8 A grand total of thirteen thousand test pits were put down by these thirteen men during five months. One would naturally expect to find a large number of Indian burials when one considers the density of Indian population. During these extensive operations cov-
SALEM-A SECTION OF THE PIONEERS' VILLAGE
Showing the dugouts, English wigwams, and thatched roof dwellings of pine, types used by the first settlers. In the foreground to the right is the pit for log sawing, while in the background may be seen the sloping roof of the "governor's fayre house." Photo by Lantz
ering tributary streams and the coast line, we discovered but two decayed skeletons. Mr. Hodges' careful study indicated that there were records of no more than fifty Indian burials in Essex and adjoin- ing counties. We, therefore, concluded that Algonkins of this region did not bury their dead in the ground, but rather placed them in small pens, following the custom of the Ojibwa and the Eskimo. Thirteen thousand pits on Indian sites in the West or the South would have produced several hundred skeletons.
8. It may interest the reader to know that more difficulty was experienced in secur- ing permission to sink small test pits upon "sacred golf greens" than to dig in lawns sur- rounding private residences !
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The most important prehistoric site in this region is located on what is now the Shattuck Farm, three miles above the great dam at Lawrence. This site is mentioned rather frequently in Colonial litera- ture. Francis G. Sanborn carried on extensive digging here about 1870 to 1880, and there is in the museum at Worcester, Massachu- setts, a large collection of important prehistoric material gathered by Mr. Sanborn from the Shattuck graves. In the Essex Institute at Salem is a letter some seventeen pages in length, written by a minister of the gospel who accompanied Sanborn on one of his expeditions. The reverend gentleman states that they arrived at the site and found a splendidly preserved Indian skeleton, which they removed. Instead of presenting us with a detailed description, he devotes his entire paper to moralizing upon the character and thoughts of this Indian! For fifty years the Shattuck site has been visited by collectors of specimens, and one may estimate the number of artifacts secured at more than two thousand. Although Phillips Academy has excavated many pits on the Shattuck location in past years, no skeletons were discovered; we lack record as to character of the burials, and there are no crania for study.
EARTHWORKS NEAR ANDOVER9-An interesting and puzzling dis- covery was made at Andover in the early years of the present century. At six different localities near the town are found seven earthworks, each consisting of a low bank with a shallow ditch beside it. By whom they were built and what their purpose was still remains problemati- cal, but Dr. Moorehead believes them to be of Indian origin. Similar smaller works exist at Millis, where it is thought they may have formed part of a fortified village, and the same may be true of the Andover earthworks. At Haggett's Pond the embankment can be traced for three hundred feet, and at the present time it is about two feet in elevation at the highest, and one foot at the lowest points. From the original bottom of the ditch to the top of the embankment is from three to four feet. The work called Fort Graham is much larger, the total length of embankment being 5,050 feet, which does not include 1,500 to 1,600 feet of wall which may be assumed to have once existed. If the enclosed space, measuring at least 2,500x
9. "Certain Peculiar Earthworks Near Andover, Massachusetts," by Warren K. Moorehead, Curator, Department of Archaeology, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massa- chusetts. The Andover Press. 1912.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
3,000 feet, was the site of a village, there are surprisingly few relics of such occupation, only a few chips of chert, argilite, and porphyry having been disclosed by expert search. However, in one place upwards of half a bushel of chips and spalls of stone from the Wake- field quarry and the Marblehead quarry, together with some arrow- points and knives, were uncovered in a circular depression. Forts Goldsmith and Shawsheen, as they have been named, present very clearly defined banks and ditches. In the former case the point of greatest contrast is four feet from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the wall, and originally the contrast must have been something like six feet. Fort Benner, across the river from Fort Shawsheen, pre- sents the highest bank and the deepest ditch of any of those described, and lying as it does on a tongue of land just in front of a sandy plateau, it seems quite possible that it protected a village site. The most puzzling of the earthworks in this vicinity is that at Foster's Pond, since the position of the trench and wall would indicate that the natives were attempting to defend a tract of low, swampy ground, though an attacking party would have no difficulty in throwing arrows from the surrounding higher ground far over and beyond the sup- posed defensive works.
The term "fort" has been applied to these places, although it is difficult to conceive how the works could have been of any particular value. They are so extensive that it would require a large number of men to occupy them, and there is no evidence of considerable popu- lation in or about any of these localities. A careful search for relics was made throughout the entire region on both high and low lands, cultivated fields, and "sand-blows," spots where the sand has blown away leaving stone objects exposed. In all of the field searching less was found than was recovered in excavations at the circular depres- sion in Fort Graham. The implements that were discovered did not differ from the average types found in New England, though they are rough and of unskillful manufacture. It is perhaps significant that there were among the arrowheads more of the triangular or "war point" than any other type.
The function of these earthworks still remains clouded in mystery. After careful study Dr. Moorehead believes that they were not con- structed by white people to control forest fires, that they did not mark the boundaries of lands, that they were not for the purpose of drain-
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ESSEX COUNTY IN INDIAN TIMES
age, that they were not built by whites during the Colonial or French and Indian wars, and that they were not built by the Norsemen. All these solutions to the problem had been offered. Dr. Moorehead says further :
"As to what service these earthworks would be to Indians I leave others to decide. But I would like to suggest that it is my conviction that these earthworks are very old. They do not appear to be recent. Whether they were erected at a time when there was considerable Indian population in New England, it is impossible to say with certainty. As they are not very large (compared with Western earthworks) it is not beyond the power of one or two thousand Indians to have constructed all of them within a period of a few weeks, during the summer or fall when digging was comparativelv easy. Our forts may have been thrown up in anticipation of an attack, and the attack did not occur. If such an attack had occurred, and there were large numbers of natives on each side, we would find the usual chert and stone implements of warfare. It is not conceivable that they could have been con- structed by a few Indians, for the embankments are toc extensive. A small band would not need upwards of three miles of embankment to protect itself.10
"If these works had been inhabited when the colonists were here, our forebears would certainly have referred to the fact. They mentioned numerous villages and forts in other places. But the log and brush forts of the historic Indians-even including the small embankments and ditches -- are not to be compared with Shawsheen, Graham, Gold- smith or Millis. Shall we say that these are not defensive works ? .
"It is just possible that the tribes living along the Mer- rimack River-for most of our Eastern Massachusetts Indians resided near or on that river or along the coast- feared a general attack from a powerful enemy. They retreated to Foster's Pond region inland, and up the Shaw- sheen and constructed these works; but the works were not occupied for any length of time.
10. Andover and Millis works combined.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
"It is quite likely that we have not solved their true pur- pose. They may have been constructed to turn the game in a desired direction during some great game drive. Against this supposition there is to be considered the dearth of informa- tion to the effect that the New England Indians engaged in game drives on a large scale. I do not think that the idea of game drives appeals to one except in the case of Fort Shawsheen.
"Beyond question it is no easy task to interpret these places. That they meant something of consequence to the aborigines is self-evident. That they should occur here in New England, where so few Indian remains of magnitude have been found, is both surprising and important."
RECORDS AND LITERATURE-Obviously, a history of Essex County concerns itself primarily with history rather than archeology. We have mentioned pre-Columbian occupation briefly, yet the greater part of our narrative must deal with natives of the historic period. For this information we are dependent upon historical as well as scientific data.
Students interested in Indian history, ethnology, or archæology, in certain areas throughout the United States are frequently ham- pered by lack of literature or proper records. The reverse is true here in New England. With us it is a matter of selection, condensa- tion, or both. We are encompassed by a cloud of witnesses. Our literature bulks large, and one might safely assume that there are at least three hundred titles-works ranging from pamphlets to volumes-in which Indian affairs of New England, and especially the region lying within one hundred miles of Boston, are set forth with more or less accuracy. The bibliography at the close of this chapter gives the titles of several important works for those who care to examine the subject in detail. These writers cover Indian activities in all aspects, such as daily life, customs, ceremonies, and conflicts with the whites.
TERRAIN OF ESSEX COUNTY IN INDIAN TIMES-Contrary to popular belief, Essex County, or, for that matter, most of our New England coast between Portland, Maine, and New Bedford, while a timbered country, was singularly free from underbrush. The early
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ESSEX COUNTY IN INDIAN TIMES
voyagers and settlers comment upon this, and Mr. Willoughby has examined the subject in some detail. Our Indians set fires yearly, especially in the fall. These spread rapidly, because of dry foliage, killed out undergrowth, and prepared the soil for spring grasses. This custom afforded the Indian facility in his hunting and rendered passage through the woods more easy. While some timber was injured, or growth stunted, much remained, especially in low or swampy regions. One of the early observers stated that trees grew "here and there as in the English parks which makes the country very beautiful and com- modious."11 Burning produced space for the Indian cornfields and gardens.
"Captain John Smith refers in 1616 to 'the countrie of Massachusetts which is the Paradise of all those parts. For heere are many isles all planted with corn; groves, mulber- ries, salvage gardens and good harbours. . The Sea Coast as you pass, shews you all along large corn fields and great troupes of well proportioned people.' The islands referred to were those of Massachusetts Bay. Smith found that the French had been here trading with the natives for a period of six weeks prior to his visit."12
Most Indian villages in Essex County or elsewhere appear to have been located upon streams or along the coast. In fact, this statement might be applied to the whole of the United States, since very few aboriginal settlements have been found at any distance from fresh water. Many of the villages were placed near swamps or small streams, where beaver, otter, mink, muskrats, and other fur-bearing animals abounded, or at rapids and falls on large streams. Here they constructed weirs for the taking of salmon, shad, alewives, sturgeon, and other fish. The Indian understood both nature and the habits of animals, fish, and birds, but he was not a sportsman in the modern sense. For instance, while it was necessary for the Indian to use a primitive hook13 for deep sea fishing, he depended upon weirs and traps for his fresh water fish. The evidence is unmistakable, since
II. Morton, Thomas: "The New English Canaan." Prince Society, reprint, Bos- ton, 1883.
12. Hart, Albert Bushnell, Editor : "Commonwealth History of Massachusetts," p. 128. (Willoughby.)
13. Many found in Maine shell heaps. They consist of a short, straight worked bit of bone, one and a half to two inches in length.
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
few curved fishhooks have been discovered in all our explorations covering hundreds of sites and extending through more than fifty years. It must be further remembered that all hunting in ancient times was by means of the bow, spear, or noose. While this equip- ment would be considered ineffective by the modern white hunter, armed with a 30-30 repeating rifle, yet it must be recalled that in those long yesterdays still hunting was in vogue. Game was not easily frightened. Deer were frequently shot at the edge of the village, and turkeys in the cornfields at short distances.
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