USA > Ohio > Ashtabula County > History of Ashtabula County, Ohio > Part 6
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Joel Blakeslee, in his " History of Wayne Township," has given a description of another earthwork in this vicinity. It is situated upon eitber side of a flat- bottom ravine, and just below a fine spring of water called Cold spring. About forty rods below the spring are now seen the ruins of two large excavations, the largest found in the county. They are about eighteen or twenty feet in diameter, and seven or eight feet deep. When discovered, forty years since (he wrote in 1850), they were twelve or thirteen feet in depth, below which, to an unknown depth, appeared rubbish, logs, and dirt. Tbese excavations are near the brow of a steep bank, from which the scenery is beautiful and extensive. Along the brow of this south bank of the ravine may be seen a grand avenue or royal high- way, running about half the distance to the Cold spring. At this point the high- way may be distinctly scen to descend the bank to the bottom, thence up the ravine to the Cold spring. The work on the bottom land towards the springs was in a serpentine form, and extended about twenty rods. Many ancient relics are also found in this vicinity. Captain Terry Hart, in plowing his field on a high piece of ground about twelve rods east of the Pymatuning ereek, in lot 49, came upon one of the circular pavements about twenty or twenty-five feet in diameter, constructed of unwrought stone. He also found a circular wall about ten rods north of the pavement. This circular wall was sunk in the earth in a reg- ular manner, resembling tbe wall of a well, but filled in with small burnt stone, charcoal, and ashes, and a few stone relics mingled with them. Near the circular pavement, among other ancient relies, he found a steel hatchet with a tobacco- smoking pipe-head. This probably belonged to the red Indians.
3. The earthwork in the township of Windsor. This is situated on a tongue of land which seems to have been chosen for its advantages as a place of defense. It is at the junction of two streams, one ealled Phelps' creek and the other Grindstone ercek. The land here rises abruptly about one hundred feet above the valley of the streams, forming a spot on the summit which is inaccessible ex- cept from the erest of the bluff above. The sides of the gorge are precipitous, triekling with water, and abounding in stalactites and damp limestone, which is in the process of formation.
The point of land assumes the shape of a man's foot, the toe being formed by the circuitous course of Phelps' creek. At the top, across the narrow place which would correspond to the ankle of the foot, is the earthwork in question. It consists of two walls, constructed partly of earth and partly of flat stones, which are parallel with one another, and about ten feet apart. These walls do not extend quite across the summit ; but one commencing at the base of the bluff on one side, and the other at the summit on the other side, they overlap one another. The entrance is at the point left by the end of either wall, and necessitates passing the wbole length of the passage-way between the parallel walls, and through to
the narrow openings near the edge of either bluff. The ouly defense along the side of the gorge is to the westward, where the inner wall follows along the edge abont six rods to a point where a fall in the stream renders the wall for defense unnecessary. The walls across the upper end were in the forin of a crescent, and were originally six or cight feet high, but at the present they are almost ob- literated.
The area within the fortification is about one acre and a half. The length of the parallel walls is nine rods, and of the wall at the side about six rods. Tbe dis- tance from the walls to the point corresponding with the heel is in all sixteen rods; along the transverse line, or across the sole of the foot, twenty-eight rods ; and from the point or toc back to the walls again, twenty-six rods; the point corresponding to the ball of the foot being only about three or four rods across. The point is admirably chosen, both as a place of defense and as a residence, the scenery from the summit being wild and picturesque, and the land being inaceess- ible except at one point. There are other works in the county which are not so well known as these which have been mentioned, but which are worthy of record.
Rev. Mr. Hall, the former rector of St. Peter's church, Ashtabula, has de- seribed several important structures which he discovered in the vicinity of the village of Ashtabula. One of these was a plat of ground situated in the rear of tbe present site of the Roman Catholic church. It was a beautiful and fertile spot. When the country was very new, and the forests were covering the land, it was discovered that the growth on this spot was entirely different from that on the surrounding region. The plat of ground was situated on the brow of the steep precipice which forms the rocky side of the deep gorge through which the Ashtabula river flows, and was protected on that side by the bluff. It was isolated from the surrounding land by a ditch formed by the old bed of the Badger brook, whose channel bas changed, and is now running directly down the bluff to the sonth of this point. It was a plat of ground gently declining on all its sides, and seemed a very beautiful spot for an ancient village or encampment. A deep path was worn into the rock from this spot down the precipitous side of the bluff, and underneath the overhanging trees to the water's edge.
This spot was selected at an early date as a garden by the white settlers. Rev. Mr. Badger, the earnest and devoted missionary of those days, made it a favorite place of resort ; and Rev. Mr. Hall, also here, spent many hours in tilling its rich and mellow soil.
Here have been found, in the process of tillage, many remains which are sup- posed to have belonged to the ancient people, such as fragments of pottery, arrow- heads, pipes, pestles, " stone door-steps, worn smooth by long use," and many otber relies. It was a spot in the midst of the surrounding wilderness wbere many memories doubtless clustered and where many sunny hours were enjoyed. and seems to have been selected even by those of the successive races as a de- lightful place for residence or for tillage. Hon. Matthew Hubbard says of it when he first saw it, in 1804, "It was the most beautiful and lovely spot I ever beheld. It embraced some seven or eight acres; its east side formed by the semicircular bank of the creek, and the west by a curved embankment and ditch about twelve feet in depth. The character of the soil and timber of the exterior was totally dif- ferent from that which composed the interior. The soil outside was a hard. unyielding yellow clay, covered with oak, white maple, and dwarf hemlock, with other scraggy underwood and green briers; while the soil bere was the most beautiful and yielding imaginable, with a level surface as smooth as a palace- walk. It was shaded with trees as if by an irregular orchard, composed of black walnut, cherry, and mulberry, with no underbrush, and was overspread with a rich carpet of fine grass. A person passing over the region with the most hasty and impatient speed, when treading upon this spot-one of the loveliest of nature's gardens-would instinctively halt and loiter, being enamored by the seene and absorbed by conjectures. Here the tiny songsters of this Eden of the wilderness warble the richest melodies, such as were unheard in the surrounding forests. One might imagine himself on the ground of Paradise, and that he had escaped the curse of offended Deity."
It is said that Mr. Hubbard spent many hours here while following his lonely life as the first settler in this uninhabited wilderness. This interesting place is now covered with buildings, and all traces of its former occupation have disap- peared.
There are other evidences, however, of the former races. In the vicinity of the village, opposite this plat of ground, in the direction of the east village, where uow the white stones of the cemetery may be seen, was another ancient place. It was a place of burial then as now. On the very spot where lie the bodies of those who have died from the present race there were also found the remains of bodies that belonged to a people who have passed away. The places of their graves were formerly indicated by hollows or sinks indented in the soil, and it is said that nearly a thousand of these were discovered in regular rows close together.
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HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO.
In cultivating the soil in the vicinity implements have been found, and in exca- vating the ground for graves it is said that bones have been exhumed which seemed to have belonged to a race of giants.
This land at one time belonged to a Mr. Peleg Sweet, who was a man of large size and full features ; and it is narrated that at one time he, in digging, eame upon a skull and jaw which were of such size that the skull would cover his head and the jaw could be easily slipped over his face, as though the head of a giant were enveloping his. Other burial-grounds of an ancient people existed in the vicinity,-one on the very bank of the lake, near the mouth of the river. On the west bank of the stream, a short distance from the lake, on the summit of Plum point, has been discovered also a massive mound or burial-heap thirty- five feet in diameter and seven feet in height. At the time of its discovery it was covered with massive trees of very ancient growth.
Still another burying-place existed farther up the stream in a spot nearly op- posite the present site of Chestnut cemetery, and between the gorges formed by Factory brook and Hubbard's run. Here also the graves were discovered by the hollows or sinks in the ground.
The most wonderful of all the works in the county are, perhaps, those which mark the remains of an ancient fortification which have been discovered in this vicinity, but have not been generally known. It is a double fortress, situated at the junetion of three streams, just south of the village, and elose by the village cemetery ealled " Chestnut Hill." One of these fortresses was on the very point which extends from the cemetery southward. It consisted of a single wall, which ran, in a form of a crescent, from one edge of the bluff to the other. There was an opening in the centre of the wall and a ditch outside, and a graded way aeross the diteh. The length of the wall was about one hundred and fifty fect, and from the wall to the extreme point of the land about two hundred and fifty feet. This wall is now almost obliterated. Opposite this point, across the gulf, on an isolated height of land, which is now ealled the "Sugar Loaf," was the other fortress. The walls of it can now be dimly traced around the edge of the summit, though the wash of the steep banks has almost obliterated these walls. These two fortifications seemed to answer to one another across the deep gorge. The scenery around these heights, fortified by nature and by art, is wild and lonely. The two branches of the stream come from out the deep rceesses of the forest to the westward, and after uniting just below this point of land make their way into the Ashtabula river, which at this place flows underneath the overhanging precipices.
The point itself stands high above the stream, and the solitary column of roek stands immediately opposite, looking like some vast sentinel placed there to guard the dark gorges which are to the rear of it. There are, traversing these steep bluffs and dark precipices, various paths which lead down into the lonely gorge, and which were the only approaches through the wild, forest-covered valley to the solitary defenses at the summit. The scenery from these points is such as becomes a wild and ancient fortress. In the background can be seen the dark recesses of the forest-covered gorges, the tall and dark pines and fir-trees on their summits answering back to the white, ghostly forms of syeamores, which lift up their arms from below like so many spectres. Immediately beneath the sullen waters of the stream roll darkly, the overhanging branches almost hiding them from the sight. To the northward the open expanse of the wider stream brings before the eye a more extended landscape. Here the steep banks of the valley stretch apart, while the stream flows beneath them. In the distance, crowning the summits of the bluff, can be seen the long line of houses which form the maiu street of the village. Just before one is the village cemetery, its white monu- ments contrasting with the lofty oaks and dark cedars which hang over them. Farther away over the summit of this cemetery the broad expanse of a lovely landscape stretches out in the distance, its surface bounded only by the blue expanse of the distant lake, while nestling among the trees may be seen the different houses which belong to the village. Across this landseape the streaming lines of cloud-like vapor occasionally follow fast-fleeing trains, while on the blue expanse beyond the white sails of the distant vessel can be seen. It is a scene of mingled wildness and beauty. In its primitive state the site of the fortress was indeed a formidable onc. The fearful chasms and dark forest nooks were calculated of themselves to carry fear to the heart, but when surmounted with defenses, and occupied by the dark-faced and mysterious people, it was one of the strongest and most fear-inspiring fastnesses of the country.
The other earthworks contained in the county are not so important. They, however, will be mentioned. In the town of Saybrook there is a beautiful bank, with an elevation of about ten feet, which embraces an area of about one-fourth of an aere, which onee contained in regular form thirty or forty circular sinks or de- pressions in the surface ; they were two or three feet in depth, and were elosely contiguous. A spring was near by. It is probable that an ancient village was situated here, and these were either their cellars, or cachés for storing grain, or the
sites of their tents. Near the east vicinity of these ruins a silver clasp was found ; also pottery and other relics. A pipe has been described as having been of large size, finely earved with a figure emblematieal of some imaginary being, part man and part beast. There were also pits near the lake-shore in the township of Ash- tabula, near a large swamp on the Chenango creek, in the township of Andover, and in various localities iu Monroe and other towns. These were supposed to be pits used for hunting deer.
THE COUNTY OCCUPIED BY UNKNOWN WHITE PEOPLE.
There is a mystery about the early occupation of this county. Traees have been discovered of the white race long before the advent of the white settlers. But no one knows who the mysterious strangers were. It has been stated by Colonel C. Whittlesey, in a published pamphlet, that the prints of an axe were found in the heart of a tree, around which the wood had gathered and afterwards grown, making at least one hundred and seventy-nine or two hundred rings of annual growth. Other evidences also have been presented. It should, however, be stated that there are some proofs that the south shore of Lake Erie was known at a very early date. The oldest maps in existenee which give any view of the interior laid down the outlines of the lake with a tolerable degree of accuracy, though they seldom show any knowledge of the region farther south thau its south shore. In fact, the strangest ignorance of the country, with the exception of the lake and its banks, was manifested. A chain of mountains was located at one time between the west end of Lake Erie and the east side of Lake Michigan, but no rivers at the south ; and not until as late as 1703 did the Ohio river ap- pear on any map, except a single one which was never published. On these maps, however, the territory of this vicinity was represented as occupied by that native race which has been described under the name of the Felians, or the Cat Nation, otherwise ealled the Eries.
It may be supposed that this correctness of outline of the lake and the represen- tation of the primitive occupants of the territory signified some acquaintance with it. Possibly this very point had been visited by white men and explorers; hence the ancient marks on the trees. In reference to these, however, the proof is by no means conclusive. The testimony is that the markings were of a rough character, as if made by a blunt axe, and were as likely to have been caused by the stone axe of a native as by a white man. The theory of Colonel Whittlesey, that La Salle and his companions visited this region while on his way to discover the Ohio, can hardly be sustained by the evidence. Another more conclusive sign of the pres- ence of the white man is in the discovery of an inscribed stone. This was near the burying-place upon the east side of the Ashtabula creek, at the edge of the bluff. It was found by the son of Peleg Sweet, who owned the land, as early as 1808. It consisted of a stone plate or slab on which were inscribed certain letters. A small tree had been turned up by the roots, near the banks, and this remarkable stone was found sticking into the bank near the top, its end inclining somewhat downwards towards the creek. The stone was taken out of its place, and was seen by a number of citizens, but was neglected, and has since been destroyed or cov- ered up by the washings of the bank. It was, when found, lying with its smooth face downwards, the other side being flat but uupolished. On turning it over it was discovered that its surface was covered with marks of inscribed letters. The lower end seemed to have been brokeu off, but what there was was in an oblong shape, twenty-two inches long, fourteen broad, and three inches thick. The top and edges were squarely finished and straight. The inseription was as follows : across the face of the stone, about six inches from the top, were two parallel straight lines eut skillfully (on a bevel), and beneath the lines on the left hand were two Roman capital letters,-" E. P.,"-neatly cut. Beneath this, and about three inches below the lines, was another inseribed line, and beneath the line on the right side two more letters,-"O. S.,"-of similar size and shape. Beneath this again, and three inches below the last-mentioned line, were two more lines, and under these, at the left haud again, these figures-"121"-eut in large and distinct out- lines, and underneath the figures was still another line, equally distinet from the others. From this to the broken edge there was no inscription, and no other marks were found upon the stone. This interesting relic was, however, left to perish, having laid on the bank until it was buried or destroyed, and all further trace of its history has gone. What this stone was, or to whom it belonged, is now one of the mysteries, as well as the story of the skeleton and the many graves at the top of the hill. Evidently it was the work of a white man, as no other one could have inscribed the letters, and in such shape, and yet there is no record of any burial or surveyors' marks ever having been found in the vicinity. It was too deeply planted in the ground to have belonged to any of the white settlers, as the discovery was within four or five years of the occupation of the place.
Another affecting discovery of the presence of an unknown people was made on the bank of the same stream, and in the vicinity of the same village. This was the finding of two skeletons, with muskets in their hands.
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HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO.
When discovered they were lying on their faces within a few inches of the surface, having hardly been hidden from sight by the accumulation of soil and leaves from the forest. Their bones were complete, and though the flesh and skin had decayed, yet it was evident that they had lain thus buried until their flesh had fallen off and decayed. They were lying in one way, their heads towards the stream and their faces down, as if they had fallen. A rusty gun- barrel was clasped by the fingers of one of these skeletons about one foot above the breech end. Where the fingers had clasped the musket the rust had cateu through the barrel and consumed it. They were found not far from the mouth of the river, on the brow of the bluff where it overlooks the stream. Who they were and by what sudden fate they fell is unknown. The skeleton in armor has been celebrated by the poet Longfellow, but these perished unwept, unhonored, and unsung; the forest hid them and their bodies perished ; they lay in their loneliness, the lake only moaning out their requiem, and the wind sighing over their untimely death.
CHAPTER VII.
THE INDIANS .*
THE inhabitants of Ashtabula County, before the advent of the white man, were red Indians of the Algonquin race. Their history is an important onc. Succeeding that mythical and mysterious people called the Mound-Builders, they form a connecting link between the earliest and latest period, and help us to extend the history of the region into a remote past.
It is impossible to tell at what time this wandering race became the occupants of the soil. A veil of obscurity hangs over the earliest period of this region, as it does indeed over the whole continent. In fact the history of this region, from the earliest time up to a very recent date, is wrapped in impenetrable mystery. From the epoch when nature became fitted for the abode of man up to the date when civilization was first introduced among the forests, there is scarcely a record left. The waves may have washed the shores and sent their echoes through an uninhabited wilderness. The primeval forests may have become the home of that ancient, mysterious people who have left the remains of their habitations and burial-places covered with the growth of the centuries which have succeeded them. The later tribes also continued to wander for many years through the unchanging forests, themselves experiencing the only change. Thus have the succeeding dynasties of the human period rolled on, racc following race like the waves of the sca. But with all these changes and the many events which may have oceurred, not one record is left for us to read. There is absolutely no his- tory of all this period. History begins only with the introduction of civilization. The records of the advent of the whites alone have been gathered. Even if there had been traditions,-and there doubtless were many,-these have been lost,-buried in the mystery of the past.
It is, however, interesting to stand on the border land between the savage aud the civilized, and to trace pictures of a life which has passed away.
The stories of the frontiersmen are valuable to history, since they diselose something of the unknown past and help us to look back into the dim and shadowy regions of the traditionary period.
In elassie days the heroic period followed the mythical ; but the heroes of our times are the pioneers who first emigrated to these wild forests and laid the foun- dation for society. By their contact with the rude tribes and the traditiouary people, they are able to tell us something of the mythieal period which preceded them.
The people which are first known to have inhabited this region were a tribe of aborigines, who have left their name upon the waters near which they resided. The Eries were a tribe which oceupied all the territory lying south of the lake which bears their name, and are thus described by the earliest maps of the country. The French, who were the first explorers and discoverers of the great west, called them the Felians, or Cat Nation. How they came by the name is unknown, but possibly it was given to them from the wild animal that prowled so stealthily among these forests. It was, however, a name which at the earliest date was assigned by the natives themselves both to the tribe and to the lake, aud never changed.
The history of this people is unknown. All that is known of them is that, about one hundred and fifty years after the time of the discovery of the conti- nent, they came in contact with the powerful, all-conquering people to the east of them,-the fierce and cruel Iroquois,-and were subdued by them. No people
on the continent ever served to carry so much fear into the hearts of the savage tribes as did that confederated and warlike race. For a time the Eries were shielded from their attacks by the tribes which were called the Neutral nation, and who occupied the country east and north of Lake Erie. This people were able to make their land the neutral ground, where all the tribes of the west might meet on friendly terms, and be safe from the attacks of the confederates. Even after the Hurons had been attacked on their lands, and were nearly exter- minated, this tribe was able to continue its neutrality. The destruction of the neutral people did not occur until at least one hundred years after the discovery of the continent. The Jesuits had long occupied their missions at the north, and had even explored the distant west, before this barrier was removed and the ter- rible Iroquois began their incursions into the interior. Then, however, the de- struction was sudden and complete. The western tribes faded away before this relcutless foe far quicker than they did before the milder incursions of the civil- ized race. The destruction, indeed, was made before the white man entered these unexplored regions, and the natives of these forests lost their possessions through the incursions of those who were of their own race and blood. The Iroquois were not the possessors of the soil which they sold, but they couquered it from other tribes, and after the advent of the white race, by treaty after treaty, dis- posed of it to this advancing people.
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