USA > New York > The natural, statistical, and civil history of the state of New-York, v. 2 > Part 11
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the same distance from them as those are from the lake. No fora have been found between the ancient beaches of lakes Ontario and Erie, and their present shores. From this circumstance it has been inferred that the lakes came up to them, and that since their struc- ture the waters have retreated to their present bounds." See Mc- moir of Mr. Clinton.
In the latter part of the extract the conclusion deduced by Mr. Clinton is evidently erroneous, at least as to there being no works of defence, &c. north of the old beach of lake Ontario. The fort at Irondequot bay is between the lake and beach.
Very few of these ancient works have been noticed by writers, The number in the western parts of this state considerably exceeds one hundred ; in form and structure, and also materials, there is a correspondence. Two kinds of defences have been described ; the circular and the irregular. The circular in form and circum- stances agree with those of circular dimensions in Pennsylvania, Obio, &c. The same people constructed the one that did the other. The Moheakanneews, Agoneaseah, and other hunting na- tions of North America, never drew lines, or raised embankments for defences. The Satanas, or Sauounons, who possessed the western country before the arrival of the Agoneaseah, never raised defences of earth. Two or more of these works were not unfre- quently in sight of each other. These works enclosed towns and villages ; hamlets, or small collections of houses might have been in the neighborhood of each ; these were abandoned in wars and inva- sions, and the population collected within the defensive towns; the lands around the towns were cultivated, and were usually rich ; the situations chosen were not usually on the banks of rivers and streams abounding with flats; they were healthy and well selected; the hunting tribes, such as the Agoncaseah, &c. always seated them- selves on the banks of streams abounding with rich alluvions, and without much regard to health.
These works were not erected as defences against the nations of Tartar descent, as we have before shown. The constructors formed several independent states, which were sometimes at peace and sometimes at war : but more on this head hereafter.
All the works which we have enumerated had, before improve-
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ments were made by our people, coverings of vegetable earth, which had been formed from the recrements of trees and plants after their abandonment ; their origin must therefore be traced back to a time long before the visiting of America by Columbus. Hith- erto no iron, and no implements of European fabrication have been found in and about them. That no iron, or no implement made of that metal should have been found, ought not to be a subject of wonder to us, because, had the constructors been possessed of it, oxidation or rust would in all probability have destroyed it long ago .. Iron, although the most valuable of all the metals, decom- poses by oxidation the soonest; lead, copper, silver, and gold, on the other hand, are nearly indestructible, especially the two latter. Every thing found, it may be said, is American ; but not like any thing made by the hunting tribes. There is an enigma. What is this enigma? Is it susceptible of solution, or must it continue un- solved? We shall pursue the subject step by step, and endeavor to solve it.
The same kind of works and utensils are found in Pennsylvania, ' between the Alleghany mountains, lake Erie, and the state of Ohio; but as they do not surpass those found in New-York, we shall pro- ceed to those in Virginia and Ohio. Those of Pennsylvania con- nect those of this state with those of those states.
1 ANTIQUITIES OF VIRGINIA.
. Those most deserving of notice are below the village of Wheel- ing, on Big and Little Grave creeks, that fall into the Ohio, and on the Great Kanawha that falls into the same river, &c. Adjoining Big Grave creek, fourteen miles southwardly of Wheeling, there is a tumulus of great magnitude ; its circumference at its base is one hundred and eighty paces, and its diameter about seventy ; its per- pendicular elevation, according to the American Archeologia, is by actual admeasurement ninety feet. The summit comprises an area of forty feet diameter. The materials of which it is built were not taken from the vicinity, since there are no marks of excavations to be seen. Within a short distance of this there are five smaller ones, some of which are thirty feet in diameter, and proportionably high.'
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There are several mounds on Little Grave creek a mile north of the former; both streams have obtained the appellation of Grave creek, from the circumstance of these tumuli being on their margins.
On the borders of the Great Kanawha towards its mouth, and from thence down the Ohio ten or twelve miles, are to be seen the ruins of forts and other military works ; they consist of moats, ram- parts, and openings, or gateways ; some of them cover considera- . ble land, while others are limited to an acre or two; they are cir- cular, regular, and irregular in their contours ; the ramparts of the large works are high, and the ditches broad, and three, four, or more feet deep.
. About eleven miles below the mouth of the Great Kanawha, there is a mound that nearly equals the size of the great one on Big Grave . creek ; it is round, and rises with a very steep acclivity. There are many other works of defence, and also mounds in western Virgi- nia, at or near the river Ohio, but their numbers and sameness for- bid an enumeration.
ANTIQUITIES IN OHIO.
The fortifications or works of defence in the state of Ohio, con- sist of walls of circular, square, and irregular forms, with ditches and avenues. The height of the walls, and the breadth and depth of the ditches vary much. The wall of each defensive post is nearly of the same height, breadth, and declivity all around. The ditch of each is likewise nearly of the same width and depth. In extent these works vary from an acre to one hundred acres and upwards. The avenues, or openings leading into them, amount . from one to ten,' or more, depending on the dimensions, structure, location, and other circumstances. The walls are usually single, but in some instances double, parallel and contiguous to one another ; in certain instances parallel walls connect different defences. The fortifica- tions are of four kinds, round, eliptical, square, and irregular ; the first is the most common. These works are generally situated on rising ground, near rivers and streams. In the flat country this rule had to be dispensed with. We shall commence with the defen- sive works at Licking, because they are the most extraordinary.
In the county of Licking, near Newark, between two branches
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of Licking river at their coalescence, there is a fortification that en- compasses about forty acres of ground ; the walls and ramparts are composed of earth, and are from ten to twelve feet high ; there are eight avenues or gateways leading into it, which are severally sixteen feet wide; each gateway is defended by a raised platform within the works, and at the distance of about ten feet from the entrance.
Near the latter fortification there is another which contains rather over twenty acres; it is united with the preceding by two ramparts of earth which run parallel one with the other, and which are ten or eleven feet high. Between these parallel ramparts there was a covered way extending from the one fort to the other. Just be- yond the extreme gateway of the second fort, there is a tumulus of earth that commands a view of the adjacent parts ; it was probably a watchtower.
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There is another fort connected with the second by parallel walls, and links of defence, which stands at some distance; it encloses about twenty-five acres; its ramparts are between twenty-five and thirty feet high ; a ditch surrounds the whole ; the ramparts were built of earth taken out of the ditch. These fortifications are of the circu- lar kind.
A square fort is connected with the foregoing, which contains twenty acres ; its walls are about ten feet high; the parallel walls forming the communication are thirty paces asunder ; parallel walls extend from this fort to the river near by. These works are on a high plain, which spreads to some distance. Two parallel walls stretching from these works, are easily traced for a mile or more in the direction of the river Hockhocking. There are three other mounds without the defences, so located as to serve for watch towers. The four mounds command a view of all the fortifications. Each mound is surrounded by a rampart and ditch.
The fortification on the east side of the Sciota river, at Circle- ville, in the county of Pickaway, is little less interesting than those at Licking. It consists of two enclosures joined together ; the one enclosure is round, and the other square. The round has two ram- parts, which are separated by a foss ten paces broad, and several feet deep. The ramparts which surround the enclosure are seven- teen feet high, and wide enough on their tops for roads. The tops
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of the outer and inner ramparts are at the distance of twenty-one . paces ; the exterior ramparts are constructed of loam and gravel taken from the ditch, and the interior of clay brought from some distance. The materials of which these ramparts were constructed were kept distinct. There is only one entrance leading into this fortification, and that is from the square fort. The circumference, measuring around the base of the outer rampart, is eight hundred and eighty paces; this gives a diameter of about three hundred paces ; the whole encloses about twelve acres of land. In the mid- dle of the enclosure there is a tumulus of earth. The external circuit of the inner rampart is about eight hundred and thirty-eight paces ; the ramparts, severally, are about ten paces broad at their bases.
The square fort stands on the east side of the preceding, and is nine hundred and thirty-six paces in circuit ; this gives to each side of the square two hundred and thirty-one paces, or a little over. forty rods. The ground enclosed amounts to eleven acres and some perches ; the embankment is ten paces broad at its base, and has an elevation of seventeen feet; there is no ditch around this fort ; it has seven entrances leading into it, and one leading into the cir- cular fort ; there is an entrance at every corner, and one on each side, equi-distant from the angular openings ; the entrances are from four to five paces wide. Within the enclosure there are eight platforms, of a round form, and of the height of three feet each ; these stand directly opposite to the entrances, and at the distance of only a few paces ; these were constructed, it is presumable, to guard the entrances. The embankment of this fort, like the inner one of the round, is composed of clay, brought from a distance.
The ditch is not so deep now as it was in its original condition, having in the lapse of time been filling up. The same hand has lowered the ramparts ; but, notwithstanding the dilapidations, these works are still considerable, and fill the mind with wonder. Had Dr. Robertson, and others, but seen these, and those at Licking, they would have paused before they came to the conclusion that all the works of the Americans were of the rudest kind, and unworthy of notice.
On Paint creek, a water of the Sciota, there are extensive works.
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The principal enclosure is estimated to contain one hundred and twelve acres ; the rampart surrounding it is from twelve to fourteen feet high, and proportionably broad at its base and apex ; the ditch running around it, is from eighteen to twenty feet broad. Adjacent to this there is a small enclosure containing about fifteen acres ; its wall and ditch resemble those of the former.
On the east side of the Muskingum, about half a mile above its junction with the Ohio, there is a square fort, called by the inhabi- tants the town, which encompasses about [forty acres. The em- bankment is from seven to ten feet high, and from fifteen to thirty feet broad at its base. Every side of the embankment has three gateways, which are equi-distant. Two walls of earth stretch in parallel lines, from the middle gateway fronting the river towards the stream; they are eighty paces apart, and where highest twenty feet ; their bases are about forty feet broad ; the length of these walls is one hundred and twenty-one paces; the alluvial flat between the termination of these parallel walls and the river, it is supposed, has been formed since the dereliction of the works. There are three elevated squares within the enclosure ; the first is sixty paces in length, and nearly fifty in breadth ; this square is near one of its angles ; the second, which is some less, is on one of its sides ; the third, which is on another side, is still less. A circular mound, near the centre, rises to the height of six feet. One of the angles of the fort is defended by a parapet, of a semi-circular form, crown- ed with a mound. South-east of this enclosure there is a fort con- taining about twenty acres ; it has an avenue at each angle, and one mid-way from the angles, on every side. Each avenue is defended by a tumulus of a circular form. The parallel walls extending to- wards the river, it is believed, constituted a communication, or co- vered way, to the stream which then flowed by their termination. These works are on a plain considerably elevated.
There are many others in the state of Ohio. Some are round, others square, &c .; but it would lengthen this article too much to give them a place. We intend, in the next place, to treat of the mounds, utensils, &c. found in this state.
Mounds or tumuli of different magnitudes, are found dissemina- ted over the greater part of the state. The mounds differ in
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forms, as well as in dimensions. Some are round at their bases, and terminate at the apex in a platform, which gives them the ap- pearance of truncated cones ; others have similar bases, and su :- faces, but end in a point, while there are others which are semi- globular, or oval at their radices. The largest one near Worthing- ton, is of the first description, and exhibits at the apex a level area, of one hundred and twenty feet in circuit, which gives a diameter of rather over forty feet. At Marietta on the Ohio, at the mouth of the Muskingum, there is one of the same kind, but the area of the top, does not surpass twenty feet in diameter. The circumference of this mound at its radix, is one hundred and ten paces, equal to twenty rods. Its elevation is fifty feet. Those at Worthington. and Gallipolis, are each from fifteen to twenty rods in circumfer- ence at their bases. There was one at Chillicothe, a few rods west · of the Sciota, which has been removed within a few years. Its . form was semiglobular, and its elevation about forty feet. It was ninety yards in circumference at its base. The earth of which it was made, was not taken from the immediate vincinity. In the northeast part of the county of Belmont, on the Ohio bottom, there ate two or three mounds of semiglobular form. The largest ex- ceeds one hundred and fifty yards in circumference, and has an elevation of twenty feet. There are tumuli at Athens, on the west side of Hockhocking river. On the south side of Shade river, twenty miles south of Athens, and at the French Grant, sixty rods north of the Ohio, opposite the mouth of Little Sandy, there are six mounds, but neither exceeds fifteen feet in height. At Franklin-
town, near the forks of Sciota, there was a mound of considerable size, but it has been demolished by brick makers. It was con- structed of brick-clay, brought from some of the surrounding parts. On the exterior side of the smaller fortification, on the east side of the Muskingum, . there is a round tumulus, which is one hundred and twenty paces in circumference at its pediment, and of the height of thirty feet. Its shape is not unlike that of a sugar-loaf. It is surrounded by a ditch and parapet. The ditch is four feet deep, and fifteen broad. The height of the parapet, equals the depth of the ditch. There are several other works, such as tumuli, walls, and excavations, around and within the latter fort,
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and the larger one is called the town. The excavations of a circular form, it is conjectured were wells. One of these thirty- six years ago, was twenty-two feet deep, and one hundred and eighty feet in circumference at the top of the brim. Another of these excavations, within one of the forts, has a circumference at the brim, of seventy-two feet. It has been sounded with a pole nearly thirty feet. Large quantities of rubbish have accumulated in these pits. Near the fortifications on Paint creek, there are six mounds, which are enclosed with walls of earth. Several ceme- teries are in the vincinity of the same works. At the distance of two hundred paces from the round fort at Circleville; there is a tumulus standing on a hill, whose perpendicular elevation, (exclu- sive of that of the hill,) is nearly one hundred feet. Human bones of all sizes have been found in it.
In this section, we propose to treat concerning the relics found in some of the tumnuli, which have been opened ; and of various implements, utensils, &c. which have been discovered in, and out of the fortifications, and otherwise, since our people have formed settlements in Olio.
One of the mounds or tumuli, on the Ohio bottom, in the town of Belmont, was opened a few years ago, and in the fifth layer from the top, human bones were found, arranged transversely in a layer of earth six inches thick, apparently formed of animal matter. Long hair of a dark brown color, was also found-it was very ten- der. Under the bones were spear heads made of flint, with holes for the insertion of poles : pieces of iron, two or three feet long ; a kind of cut and thrust swords, having their handles ornamented with rings; or ferules of silver and lead, on which were representa- tions of terrapins, and birds, and triangular, rectangular, circular, and eliptical figures.
In and around the works at Licking, rock-crystals, some of them very beautiful, and hornstone suitable for arrow and spear heads, and a little lead and iron have been found. Old fragments of potter's ware have been picked up on the east side of the Muskingum. Those: fragments were ornamented with lines on the outside, exe- cuted ingeniously-the inside of these pieces of ware were glazed. Pieces of copper, have at various times and places, been dug up POL. 11. 16
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in these works. One piece of copper was in the form of a cor, with low sides-the bottom was thick and strong.
The mound in the round fort at Circleville, has been moved, and its contents exposed. The things fonnd may be noted. Two human skeletons, a large number of heads, either for arrows or spears, the handle of a small sword, or large knife, made of aa elk's horn, a silver ferrule encompassed the end containing the blade ; which silver ferrule, though black, was not much injured. The blade was gone by rust ; but in the hole of the handle there was left the oxide, or rust of the iron, of similar shape and size with that of the shank formerly inserted. Some well burnt bricks were here found. A mirror of the length of three feet, and the breadth of half a foot, and of the thickness of an inch and a half, formed of isinglass, was also found. It had on it a plate of iron, .which had become an oxide or plate of rust. In the great tumulus at Circleville were found with the human bones, stone axes, and knives, and various ornaments. The articles discovered were nu- merous. Something seemed to have been buried with every corpse.
,Under the base, in the centre of the mound at Chilicothe, lay a human skeleton, on a platform of twenty feet extent, made of bark; on the breast lay a piece of copper, also a curious stone, five inches in length, and two in breadth, with a perforation through it, containing a string made of the sinew of some animal. On this string were many beads, formed of ivory or bone. The whole seemed to have been designed to wear upon the neck, as a kind of ornament or badge.
Urns, crnaments of copper, heads of spears and arrows of the same metal, as well as medals of copper, have been found in a stone mound, near Newark on Licking river, and in some other places.
In one of the tumuli on Grave creek, in the state of Virginia, copper beads were found about twenty years ago. They were made of coarse wire hammered out, and cut at unequal lengths, they were soldered together in an awkward manner. These beads were incrusted with verdigrise; but the insides were pure cop- per.
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Some of the pottery found along the river Ohio, is equal to any thing of the kind now manufactured. The vessels are well shaped, and well glazed. A crucible was discovered in a mound near Chilicothe, which will bear an equal degree of beat with those now used.
A stone pipe was found in an alluvial soil, six feet below the surface. The brim was curiously worked, and on the front of the bowl, there was a handsome female face.
On levelling a tumulus at Marietta, the bones of a person were found : lying immediately over, or on the forehead of the person, were found three large circular bosses, or ornaments for a sword belt or a buckler. They were composed of copper, overlaid with a thick plate of silver. Two small pieces of leather were found be- tween the plates of one of the houses. Near the side of the body was found a plate of silver, which appeared to have been the upper part of a sword scabbard. It was six inches in length, and two inches in breadth. It had no ornaments or figures, but had three longitudinal ridges. It seems to have been fastened to the scabbard by three or four rivets, the holes of which remained in the silver. Two or three broken pieces of a copper tube were likewise found, filled with iron rust. These pieces, from their appearance com- posed the lower end of the scabbard, near the point of the sword. No sign of the sword itself was discovered, except the appearance of oxide of iron. or rust, as already mentioned. Near the feet was found a piece of copper, weighing three ounces. From its shape, it appeared to have been used as a plumb, or for an orna- ment ; as near one of the ends, there was a circular crease for tying a string. It was round, two inches and a half in length, one inch thick in the centre, and half an inch at each end: it was com- posed of small pieces of native copper, pounded together, and in the cracks between the pieces, were stuck several bits of silver. This copper.ornament was covered with a coat of green rust, and was considerably corroded. A piece of iron ore which had the appearance of having been partially vitrified, or melted, was also found.
The following will show in loose numbers, the probable estimate of the cubic contents of the ramparts, of the defensive works at .
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· Circleville, from which ideas may he formed of the labor and expense.
The interior rampart of the round enclosure, is eight hundred and thirty-eight paces in length, measuring all around, and the ex- terior eight hundred and eighty. The rampart of the square en- closure is eight hundred and sixty, after deducting forty paces for the seven avenues opening into it, and the one leading into tire round fort. Each rampart is thirty feet broad at its base, and har an elevation of seventeen feet. The three are two thousand five hundred and seventy-eight paces, or seven thousand seven hundred and thirty-four feet in length. This is the length, supposing the the three to be straight, and joined together. Now, on reducing the rampart to cubic yards, it will be found to contain upwards of 100,000, but we will put them at that number. The earth of eight hundred and eighty paces, was taken out of the ditch ; and that comprising the residue, being one thousand six hundred and ninety- eight paces, was brought from a distance. No beasts of burder, no carriages, unless they were drawn by men, were used. The whole must have been brought in baskets and bags, or sacks by men. One of our canal laborers can excavate about six cubic yards of brick-clay in a day, which is the kind that was brought, pro- vided the excavation does not exceed four feet. Here then, we have data for the number of days spent in the simple excavation, supposing the implements used, (which was not the case,) equal to those used by our people, and the daily excavation equal. The number of cubic yards in one thousand six hundred and ninety- eight paces in length, and other dimensions as before stated, would be about seventy thousand. To excavate this, would require eleven thousand six hundred and sixty-six days, or the labor of one hun- dred men, one hundred and sixteen days. To transport the same after excavated, would require double or tripple the time. But it is more than likely, that six times the number of days mentioned, were consumed in the excavation and transportation.
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