Plate Ty. V. XVIII. ILLUSTRATIONS A Distant View of Part of East wall of New Fort. Camera outside of Embankment, 250 yards dis- tant and looking West. Map of Fort Ancient. (Survey of 1889). Rear View of Portion of East wall of New Fort. Camera outside of Fort, 100 yards distant, look- ing West. Part of Wall of New Fort. Camera outside of Kast Wall, nearest, and looking South. 1000 feet of Embankment shown. View from inside of New Fort; Camera looking East. Summer View of same Walls shown in Plate IV. Within the New Fort, West Side. Walls on the edge of Hill overlooking the River. Top of the Embankment near Station 12, looking North. Approach to Fort Ancient from the West. (From the Railway.) Great Gateway; looking South. A Recent View. The Great Gateway as it Appeared in the Summer of 1889. A portion of Old Fort Walls, near the Great Gate- way. Camera pointed Northeast. Kast wall of Great Gateway; at the Highest Point. Camera pointed West. The View is from the Base upward. A Corner of the Old Fort; west side. Camera pointed Northwest. Old Fort, near the Southwest Corner. End of a Low Embankment, East side of Middle Fort. Picture taken in 1889. (Station 86.) Giant Embankments of Extreme Southern Part of Old Fort. Camera 150 yards distant, looking South. View of Outside Slope of Embankment; West Side, Old Fort. (Near Stations 286-7). Summer of 1889, End of Embankment at Station 230, Old Fort. 1889 Summer View. 29 Page 26 34 80 90 XX. >. Oa XXII. SX ITI- XXIV. EXEXS Vie XX VI. EXOXG VO UIE XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XX XI. XXXII. OQ IME XXXIV. XXXV. XOREK Vil. XXX VII. XXX VIII. XX XIX. »:@ FF ols m% Giant Embankment at Entrance. Southern Part of Old Fort. Near View, Camera pointing South- west. The Middle Fort (Isthmus), Looking West. View of the Valley. The Lowest Point in Fort Ancient’s Walls. Middle Fort, West Side. (1889). Washout in Wall, West Side of New Fort near Sta- tion 868. Summer of 1889. Cross Sections of the Embankments, taken where Contrasts were Marked. Bone Awis and Scrapers, from Ash-pits, Fort An- cient. Typical Musse] Shell Hoe; Village Site; Full size. Fragments of Decorated Pottery, Lower Village Site, Fort Ancient. 1-2 size. Restored Fort Ancient Type of Pottery. 1-3 size. View of the Two Mounds just outside the New Fort. ‘The Parallel Walls Start Between These. The Camera is pointed East; Mounds 250 feet Distant. Group of Graves from a Cemetery near the River. A View of the Serpentine Embankment, New Fort. A 20 ft. Scaffold was Built by Mr. Williams in Order that this Pirturé might be Taken. Decorated Pottery from the Village Sites. Axe, Unfinished Pipe and Celts from Old Fort. Surface Finds. Problematical. Objects, Tubes and Ornaments. Surface Finds. Old Fort and Middle Fort. The ‘‘Owl Ornament’’; found in a Fort Ancient Grave in 1882. Front View. Full size. Rear of ‘‘Owl Ornament”. Types of Spear-heads from Fort Ancient. © Phillips Academy Collection. Size 1-4, Types of Knives; Fort Ancient. Phillips Academy Collection. Size 1-2. Ground Plan of Stone Mound in Clermont County. Cross Section of Mound on Mr. J. Boyle’s Farm. Skeleton from Boyle’s Mound, and Depression in which it lay. 30 93 95 97 100 102 104 105 106 114 139 142 CHAPTER I THE HISTORIC PERIOD AT FORT ANCIENT. In preface to a detailed description of the various em- bankments, mounds and camp sites, it is well to place on record how Fort Ancient came to be preserved as a park by the State of Ohio. For although most persons are aware that the State has come into possession of several remark- able earthworks of pre-Columbian times, the facts leading up to such worthy action, may not be generally known. Those of us who lived near the place had heard more or less concerning it. Mr. North of Old Town—the site of Old Chillicothe, three miles north of Xenia, in Greene County—used to relate to interested boys stories of adven- ture with Indians handed down from his father, who had heard them from the lips of Simon Kenton, the friend of Daniel Boone. One of these mentioned that Kenton—who spoke Shawano well—said the Indians had no tradition of the builders of Fort Ancient, but that they (the Shawanoes) visited the place en route to the Ohio and did homage to the spirits of its makers. Xenia is twenty-two miles north of Fort Ancient, and in the early eighties, after the publication of Professor Short’s “North Americans of Antiquity”, there was much interest manifested in the earthworks of the Little Miami Valley. Picnic parties to Fort Ancient were organized every sum- mer and as a boy in company with older persons, I occasion- ally visited ‘the Fort”. In those days, as at present, Fort Ancient was a favorite resort for such excursionists. Apro- pos of this it is proper to state that in the early summer of 1891, 800 persons visited Fort Ancient in one day. This was the occasion of the opening of some thirty stone graves, and citizens from Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and other distant points were present. Local interest in Fort Ancient exceeded that of the Serpent Mound, which was more diffi- cult of access. The place had a fascination for me and I spent many happy days thereabouts collecting specimens. 31 In the summer of 1887 Mr. Clinton Cowen, C. E. spent u week with me at Fort Ancient. We dug in the village site along the banks of the Little Miami river. The next win- ter (January 8, 1888) I wrote an article for the Ohio State Journal, urging the preservation of Fort Ancient. This article was copied extensively throughout the state, aroused considerable interest, and numerous persons wrote me. Mr. A. A. Graham, at that time Secretary of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, asked me to call upon him at Columbus and the next spring he and I visited Fort Ancient. Late in February, 1889, Mr. Gerard Fowke and myself met in the State House at Columbus where we agreed upon the survey and exploration of Fort Ancient. Mr. Alfred Cowden, the principal owner of Fort Ancient at that time living at Morrow, and Mr. and Mrs. Dunham and others of Lebanon, heirs in the Fort Ancient estate, were visited by us. Mr. Cowden and the other owners were quite willing to cooperate with the proposed survey and gave us un- limited leave to excavate, survey, map and photograph. All specimens found were to be my property as the survey and exploration were in the interest of no institution. June 8th arrangements were made with Mr. Robert Clarke, head of The Robert Clarke Company, Publishers at Cincinnati, to issue the book “Fort Ancient” as soon as the explorations were completed. This firm was founded in 18.58, sueceeding the house of H. W. Derby & Co. The “Derby Company was one of the earliest publishing houses in the West. It and the Robert Clarke Company made a specialty of history, science, biography, archaeology, ete. Mr. Clarke’s private collection of first editions on America, and library of early American history, now in the Univers- ity of Cincinnati, is one of the finest.extant. Mr. Clarke was more than a publisher; he knew much concerning arch- aeological matters and was an authority on Ohio Valley bibliography, He died in 1899, He impressed on me the necessity of a thorough explor- ation —that Fort Ancient was now a jungle and that we would be compelled to expend a large sum of money in 32 >, BUTYOOT “JuRysIp spied oor 410, Jo aprsno BIOMe) “WOT MON JO [TEM ISeY JO UoNJOg Jo MarA se9y TI] ALVWId ‘UMOYS” JUaTUyUeqIUS JO a9} OOO! ‘YINOS Suryooy pue Ysorva u ‘[[e@AA sey JO 9prsyno esoaureD Al ALVI1d ‘HOY MON JO TTVPM JO weg order to examine the place carefully and systematically; that we must make huudreds of accurate measurements, for other men might attempt to upset our calculations—a pre- diction afterward verified. To Mr. Clarke we were in- debted for many wise counsels and practical suggestions. The force employed varied from seven to fourteen per- sons. Besides Messrs. Fowke and Cowen, Mr. W. W. Ralston acted as stenographer, and Mr. Strong of the Cincinnati Camera Club was photographer. Some of my workmen had dug for me during brief field work in ’87 and 88. Three of them went on the Hopewell survey. These men had become quite skilful and could remove skeletons which at first glance seemed too frail to be handled. De- cayed skeletons they worked about with hand trowels and whisk brooms, brought the hones into relief by cutting away the earth underneath, whitened the bones so that there might be sufficient contrast between the skeletons and the clay. In some photographs of field work the bones do not show distinctly, because the skeletons are of the same color as the clay. This can be avoided by careful work and whitening the bones as stated above. The collection made in 1889 was placed in the Smith- sonian Institution where my collection had been exhibited for some time. In 91 and ’92, a part of my collection was bought by the Smithsonian Institution, but the greater part of it—including the Fort Ancient material—was exhibited in Orton Hall, Ohio State University, when I was appointed curator of that museum March, 1894. Part of the Fort Ancient collection was bought by Mr. F. W. Parker of Omaha, but the major portion of it went to Columbus as stated above. Early in 1891, Prof. F. W. Putnam, Chief of the An- thropology, World’s Columbian Exposition (Chicago), sent for me to visit him at Cambridge. At that time Dr. George A. Dorsey, post-graduate student in Harvard and an old college friend of mine, was appointed to carry on explora- tions in South America for the Exposition. He and I were in consultation together with Prof. Putnam during’ some days. The Professor appointed me an assistant to explore Sy various remains in Ohio. He wished to make a relief map of Fort Ancient such as lad been made of the Serpent Mound from Mr. Cowen’s survey of that structure in 1890. I told Professor Putnam that additional cross sections, various levels and measurements were necessary in order to furnish sufficient data, but that a re-survey of the walls of Fort Ancient was a needless expense. However, Pro- fessor Putnam wished the place re-surveyed and accordingly it was done. Mr. George Little, a graduate surveyor, and Mr. John Munger, assistant, chain and axe men were em- ployed and the whole work re-surveyed in the early sum- mer of 91. Three months were consumed in making an exhaustive re-survey. The total length of the walls was given by Cowen and Fowke as 18,712.2 feet. Little and Munger surveyed from points independent of those estab- lished by Fowke and Cowen and the total variation was less than ten inches. This is remarkable when one con- siders the irregular walls and the difference of opinion which must naturally arise as to where the gateways end or begin. The second survey emphasizes the accuracy of both surveys and that a subsequent survey of Fort Ancient would be an inexcusable waste of time and money. For several years it has been my desire to bring within one volume the complete surveys of 1889 and 1891, to- gether with all that has been observed by other inves'iga- tors at this interesting and remarkable place. Such a pub- lication would permit me to somewhat modify conclusions or observations made in ’89, 90, "92 and ’95. Again, cer- tain statements or deductions may be put forth more strongly and better substantiated than in the original pub- lication. In this Bulletin I have made use of about a fourth of the original plates of the book “ Fort Ancient”. In many of these the lauguage has been changed, others where meas- urements are given and the text relates to observations as to walls, moats, terraces, etc., are presented as they were published in the original book. I am quite aware that the chapters devoted to the embankments themselves, and kin- dred subjects, make very dull and tedious reading, but in 36 order to understand the place thoroughly and just what it means, he who is interested in archaeology should follow the text carefully. General readers will be interested only in the conclusions and final observations. Mr. Webster Williams of Fort Ancient, took eleven of the photographs during the winter of 1905, when conditions were perfect. The specimens are from the Andover col- lection (found by Mr. Clifford Anderson) and from my own collection now owned by the Ohio State University. Tam indebted to Mr. W. ©. Tichenor of Dayton, Ohio, for permission to reproduce from his “ Guide to Fort An- cient” the view of the Valley (Plate XXT) and Plates VIII and IX; also to Professor W. C. Mills for sug- gestions. Those who cooperated with the surveys cf ’89 and °91 have been thanked in previous publications. Comments on the survey for Professor Putnam are un- necessary but I have reprinted the record of the explora- tion of village sites flanking the Little Miami river. This work was done for Professor Putnam and all the specimens found, together with numerous skeletons, were shipped to Chicago. It has been thought best to reprint some portions of explorations along the East Fork of the Little Miami and of Clinton County. These places present Fort An- cient culture and are very interesting on that account. THE PURCHASE OF FORT ANCIENT Although it is not the writer’s purpose to present all the details concerning the purchase of Fort Ancient by the State of Ohio, the essential facts are herewith given. During the course of the 1889 explorations, hundreds of people visited the Fort. The Cincinnati papers sent repre- sentatives and numerous interviews were published. The next winter, the Hon. Jesse N. Oren of Wilmington, and representing his district in the Ohio State Senate, intro- duced a bill to purchase the fortification. This bill passed April 28th, 1890. Through an oversight only half of the enclosure was purchased and Senator Oren introduced a second bill, which passed the Senate but was omitted in the 37 Report of the House Committee. April 16th, 1906, the legislature passed a bill authorizing the purchase of the remainder of Fort Ancient. ‘The following extracts from a letter written by him April 10th, 1908, to the author of this Bulletin are self- explanatory : — * * * * “JT remember you very well. I visited Fort Ancient while you were making the survey. Later, you gave me a copy of your book. | ‘““T was elected to the Senate in 1889. After my election, the importance of preserving Fort Ancient was first called to my attention by Prof. Jonathan B. Wright of Wilming- ton College, who said: ‘The State ought to own Fort An- cient’. I had never given the subject much thought, but after reading your book I was more and more impressed with the importance of preserving these prehistoric works. “With a view of carrying out the idea, I introduced a bill and succeeded in having it passed, providing for the purchase by the State, of the grounds upon which the most important part of the Fort is built; putting the Fort under the control of the Archaeological and Historical Society of the State. “The importance of Fort Ancient as a prehistoric work was never fully realized until the publication of your book in 1889. You have rendered an invaluable service to the science of archaeology in what you have contributed to the preservation of this wonderful work. I am, very respectfully yours, “JEssE N. OREN.” In answer to a letter of inquiry, a communication was received from Professor J. B. Wright, dated April 21st, 1908. Professor Wright states that he took a party of friends to Fort Ancient in the fall of 1889. During the course of dinner, Mrs. Wright suggested that her husband speak to Senator Oren about the preservation of Fort Ancient. Thus it will appear that whether these persons were influenced by the 1889 survey or not, much of the credit for the purchase by the State of Ohio, is due to them. Immediately after the first purchase, the State set about 38 I ‘Id UF UMOYS syT[eM oes JO MITA JaWIUING "|seqy Suryoo, ezswes !}10q MAN Jo OPISUL WOIT MITA 4. . . LC ete a la ca, gy “JOATY 9Y} SULYOO]ISAO [IY JO aSpo ay} UO sS|[VA\ “APIS JSAM IOY MAN 9Y1 UTYITAK TA a&Llvid improving Fort Ancient. The care of the work was given to the Ohio S:ate Archaeological and Historical Society, and Mr. Warren Cowen was appointed custodian. He has held that office for fourteen years and improved the property greatly. The small, low mounds of 60 to 70 feet diameter have been restored slightly, by Mr. Cowen. The edges, constituting natural wash, have been thrown up and the mounds thus changed to 30 feet diameter and 6 feet height — the same kind of work was done by Professor Putnam at the Serpent Mound.» Mr. Cowen resides on the spot in the original farm house, which has been remodeled for hig benefit. A committee appointed by the Society has supervised the work of this custodian. Retaining walls have been con- structed where washes occurred, underbrush has been cleared, some of the moats have been drained, and a pavillion for the accommodation of visitors was erected. The walls have been sowed with blue-erass. Altogether the Society has done an excellent work at Fort Ancient and is deserving of credit. Fortunately no “ regto rations” have been at- tempted, and the walls remain in their original condition, At the time of the first purchase, Col. Van Horne, a gen- tleman interested in landscape gardening and to some ex- tent in archaeology, visited Fort Ancient with a view to beautifying the place. While it is far from the writer’s purpose to speak disparagingly of Col. Van Horne, if the truth is to be told, lovers of Fort Ancient will rejoice that the Colonel’s plan of ‘landscape gardening” was not carried out. He did some grading on the edge of the ravine in the center of the North Fort (see point marked « house and barn” upon the map, Plate II). He informed-me that this grading was a preliminary in the construction of a macadamized road entirely around Fort Ancient, The ap- propriation was not sufficient to complete his scheme, and the rains soon washed out the Colonel’s road, A bad gulley began to form back of the house, and-had not brush been filled in, the break might have become serious. But, fortunately, no permanent damage resulted, Col. Van Horne made no regular survey of Fort Ancient. His equipment consisted of a hand level and steel tape. 41 His researches were conducted alone and no force accom- panied him. It is necessary to remark these facts, for he was requested to make a map of Fort Ancient to be hung in the State House, and an artist under nis direction copied the map drawn by Messrs. Fowke and Cowen on an en- larged scale and for years it hung in the State House at Columbus. As no credit was given those of us who made the survey, I have always felt that Col. Van Horne did the survey of 1889 an injustice. BOOKS ON FORT ANCIENT On page 164 will be found a bibliography of Fort Ancient literature. The first printed account of Fort Ancient that we have record of, is in the “ Portfolio’, published in Philadelphia, in the year 1809. It was described and a plan gtven in the “ Pioneer’, of Philadelphia, also in the year 1809. It was described and figured in Drake’s “ Pictures of Cincinnati”, in 1815. Caleb Atwater, in 1820, in the “ Transactions of the American Antiquarian Society,” presents an intelligent account of the place and gives us a map. This was after- wards copied by Howe in his “History of Ohio”. At- water’s description is quaint. Although he wrote before 1820, his remarks are more sensible than those of some re- cent authors. According to his description the walls have changed little since his day —an indication of their age. Squier and Davis gave the best description of Fort An- cient that we have had previous to 1889. Locke’s survey, copied by them, is fairly accurate. Among recent publications upon Fort Ancient there is “A Guide to Fort Ancient”, by Mr. W. C. Tichenor of Dayton, O. This is a neat pamphlet of 384 pages with nine illustrations. It is well written, accurate, and contains all needed information. It is the Fort Ancient ‘* Baedeker ”’, and we commend its perusal to visitors who would under- stand what they observe. A more pretentious work, published this year, is “ The Masterpieces of the Ohio Mound-builders ”’, by the Hon. E. 42 PLATE VII. Top of the Embankment near Station 12 looking North. ’ O. Randall. Mr. Randall is secretary of the State Archae- ological and Historical Society. .In his book of 126 pages he gives numerous figures and interesting descriptions of the chief hill-top fortifications of the state. £6 pages are devoted to Fort Ancient. His narrative is popular rather than scientific, and his style quite entertaining. He quotes at length from the various surveys and descriptions of Fort Ancient, and thanks to his judicial training is able to examine and comment upon discrepancies in the observa- tions of the archaeologists who have written about the Fort. Both of these books present the ‘new Fort Ancient” — the attractive park instead of the former brush-covered plateau. Mr. Randall, during his many years as Secretary, has contributed more than anyone else to the bringing of Fort Ancient to its present state of beauty. Dr. Cyrus Thomas published a brief account of Fort An- cient in the “ Handbook of American Indians ”’, issued by the Smithsonian Institution, 1907, page 469. The deserip- tion exhibits a lack of familiarity with the place. Dr. Thomas has always underestimated the amount of labor expended by the builders of Fort Ancient. When the survey of 1889 began work, it was clear to us that there had been no uniformity of terms in the many descriptions of Fort Ancient. Farmers residing near “ the Fort”? had always recognized two divisions, the New Fort and the Old Fort. These terms were entered upon our map, together with additional names. New Fort.—The northern Fort; that portion of Fort An- cient lying north of the Crescent Gateway, or north of the Isthmus. Old Fort.—The southern Fort; that portion of Fort An- cient south of the Great Gateway ; the irregular part lying south of the Isthmus on the map. Great Gateway.—The dividing mounds at the south end of the Isthmus, which are marked stations 103 and 285, and which separate the structure into the Old and New Forts. These stations are on their highest points. Isthmus.—The narrow neck which divides the structure almost into halves. 44 Crescent Gateway.—The wing walls which run out from stations 306 and 89. The space between these and the Great Gateway is known as the Middle Fort. A few names have since been added by the State, but the important. places still bear the original nomenclature. 45 PEATE Volt: Approach to Fort Ancient from the West (From the Railway.) . A Recent View. EIEN Blac The Great Gateway; looking South. r CHAPTER II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FORTIFICATION AND THRE’ SURROUNDING COUNTRY. On a slightly rolling plateau in Warren County, Ohio, overlooking the beautiful valley of the Little Miami river, is situated Fort Ancient, the greatest of all prehistoric earthworks in the Mississippi basin. This plateau is remarkable in its configuration. There is nothing precisely like it to be found in the Ohio valley, so far as the writer’s observation extends. The plateau is cut up irregularly by ravines, and although none are of great length, yet all of them are precipitous and attain their depth within a few hundred yards from the beginning of their erosion. The fortification on one side (the west) follows the edge of this plateau and at most points on that side overlooks the river valley. The walls farthest away from the river are the straightest and also the strongest. Particularly is the strength observable at the eastern ex- tremity, station 1 to10 on the map (Plate II). The plateau near station 1 is 19 feet higher than the western portion, as will be observed if the reader consults Plate II and ex- amines the two cross sections, one surveyed through the southern portion of Fort Ancient, and the other across the northern extension. The valley opposite the New, or North Fort, is fully half a mile in width. Above and below the extent of the en- closure this valley narrows abruptly, and at one point— opposite the centre of the Old Fort—the hills come down to the water’s edge on either side. The goil is quite fertile and excellent crops are raised yearly by resident farmers. The Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis railroad (the Columbus and Cincinnati division) passes through the valley on the east side, following the curves of the river, and swinging around the South, or Old Fort. The Lebanon and Chillicothe turnpike passes through the New Fort at a point near its northern extremity. The station in the valley 47 is named in honor of the earthwork, Fort Ancient, as is also the post-office. The height of the plateau above low-water stage is 269 feet. The height of station 1 in the survey above low- water stage is 291 feet. The height of the embankment at station 1 above the Atlantic ocean level is 941 feet. Although the distance around the inclosure (following the center of the embank- ment) is 18,712.2 feet, the structure is so irregular and crooked that a straight line drawn from. station 889, in the northern portion of the fortification, to station 187, in the southern part of the earthwork shows a distance of but 4,993 feet, or less than one mile. One leaves the railroad station and walks east, ascending the hill over the long and winding turnpike. Near the summit, this road swings in a graceful curve to the north and then to the south, completing two-thirds of a circle. ‘The view up and down the valley from the sum- mit just before the pike passes through the embankment, is picturesque and commanding. Although Squier and Davis in their survey of Fort An- cient drew the turnpike as curving toward the south and then north, old residents inform us that it occupies the same lines assigned it by the county surveyors who projected it. Turning one’s back on the view of the valley and pro- ceeding eastward, one observes towering high above the roadway and extending in unbroken line to the right and to the left, a heavy mass of foliage. This is the first or western wall of the enclosure and the turnpike builders cut through it. The banks of the cut are quite steep and afford observers an opportunity to study the character of the walls, how it was built, and the percentage of loam, clay, gravel and stone contained in it. All walls of Fort Ancient, save at the east, before the purchase by the State of Ohio, were covered with a dense mass of underbrush, bushes, vines and saplings. The innumerable roots of this vegetation prevented washes from occurring and were a safeguard for preservation. In fact, the few gaps in the walls of Fort Ancient are due to the disturbing hand of 48 the white man rather than to the elements. The State has since built retaining walls and prevented further erosion. In the centre of the embankment on the left side of the cut, is a layer of flat limestone slabs extending horizontally for a distance of ten feet. These stones lie as if they had formed a rude wall, and although at present but three or four—or possibly five —stones are observed lying one above the other, yet it is not unreasonable to suppose originally they formed a wall of some height. Judging from outward appearance, the stones are worn, but that may be due to atmospheric conditions before the stones were placed in the wall. Lime- stone disintegrates rapidly when left in the open, as well as in running water. The roots of asmall tree have held the stones in place. These slabs range in weight from ten to sixteen pounds and are about six feet from the base of the embankment and lie to the left of the center. Plate VIII, page 46, illustrates the entrance of the turn- pike into the New Fort at this point. After one has passed through this cut in the embank- ment, one finds himself on the great plain enclosed in the area of the New or North Fort. The embankments on the east side are the most imposing, and the highest of any found throughout the structure. Attention is called to Plates I,III,IV, and V which present views of this stretch of embankment. It will be observed that some of the photo- graphs have been taken in winter and others in summer. Few visitors to Fort Ancient approach it from the east. The majority of those who spend a day—or even a few hours—in an inspection of this wonderful place arrive by train from Cincinnati or Columbus, or drive over from Lebanon. While the view which suddenly breaks upon one’s sight after entering the enclosed plain through the cut in the turnpike is interesting and to some extent beauti- ful, yet a much more impressive and comprehensive picture of Fort Ancient is obtained if one will approach from the the east or southeast. There is a little valley about a mile east, or southeast of Fort Ancient. Until one’s carriage ascends the opposite slope, there is nothing to indicate the great embankments that burst upon the vision and give one 49 an impression never to be forgotten. Although it is more inconvenient, visitors should leave the train at Blanchester and drive to Fort Ancient, entering it by the east road. The view thus obtained is surprisingly beautiful and it ex- cels in its impressive grandeur anything in the way of a picture of prehistoric ruins in America. If visitors to Fort Ancient come by way of the railroad in the valley, they should drive through to beyond the Fort, and then turn about and approach it in the manner the writer has de- scribed. The elevation crowned by Fort Ancient is of interesting geological formation. The glacial action has been intense as is evinced by the numerous ravines, and one understands it better if he will take the pains to walk down the railroad track to below the South Fort. These ravines do not cross the railroad track and empty into the river; the soil in the river bottom is very sandy, and the water brought down from the hills by the ravines is quickly absorbed; there is no wash, no erosion. The points of land or rounded hillocks between the ravines are mostly gravel. The presence of this gravel in the locali- ties referred to is due to glaciers or icebergs. The points are quite round, and of so regular outline that they have frequently been mistaken for mounds. But they are nat- ural, not artificial. The valley was probably a lake formed by a dam or gorge of ice at the lower end. When this valley was a lake, the icebergs and cakes of ice, which carried more or less gravel, were floating around in it, and many of them driven by winds or drifted by cur- rents, stranded on the hill, and there deposited their loads of gravel. The slope of the hill was once all gravel, and probably presented a regular appearance. It is rather pe- culiar that while such extensive deposits are found on this (the east) side, there should be none, or but very little, on the opposite or western side of the river. The numerous ravines have cut out a great deal of the gravel, and have given it the present irregular outline. We dug into a num- ber of these rounded points, and found glacial gravel less than a foot from the surface. Back farther on the high 5° ground, where the fort lies, the drift is not so heavy, and is clay. Immediately below this glacial clay lie the limestone and clays of the Cincinnati group, which comprise the greater part of the hill and extend downward for several hundred feet. This limestone, as all know, is exceedingly rich in organic remains, and the entire Miami valley is noted among geologists as a field for fossils. Students of Fort Ancient who wish to understand the place thoroughly should accompany the survey entirely around the circuit. This is somewhat tedious but by no other method will one gain a comprehensive idea of the size and character of the enclosure. The instrument was set just south of the Lebanon and Chillicothe pike on the east side of the northern section of the fort where the road passes out. This is “station 0,” from which we make all calculations and measurements. Plate V, is a summer view of the long and heavy em- bankment from 0 to station 7. This view was taken at 1,000 feet distance, and the camera was pointed east. The frontispiece, Plate I, shows two sections of the embank- ment— a nearer view. ‘This is from station 2 to station 4, and is at a point where the embankment is the highest. On the outside of the walls at station 0, and extending past station 7 to the edge of the woods, is a deep and wide moat, which follows the base of the embankment and serves as a protection. At station 7, this moat becomes a ravine washed out by natural forces. From the two mounds just east of the fort walls, there is a shallow ditch leading toward the south-west, where it deepens into a natural hollow. Our attention was first called to this ditch by Mr. George Ridge, one of the owners of Fort Ancient who has lived alongside the earthwork for fifty years, but Caleb Atwater refers to it in his book. There were a few excavations made at various points in this ditch, and some things of interest found. One hundred feet south of mound an excavation large enough to permit two men working at one time, revealed the original surface of the ground 2 1-2 feet deep, and pot- tery fragments, animal bones and burnt stone in the bottom. 51 “OQS8I JO IDUIUINS 9Yy} UT paivadde jt se ABVMD}LL) RIT BY “X ALVW Id i a ARES Three hundred feet further south another place was opened, and here the original surface of the moat was found to be over four feet below the present sod, or grass line. It is apparent that when dug, the ditch was five anda half feet deep (or more). From the surface to the bottom, the soil was unusually black and “mucky.” Possibly this con- dition was due to decay of vegetable matter —of water standing long in one place —or to some unknown agency. Numerous pottery fragments, mostly large, and quantities of animal bones were removed. For many years the plow had crossed this ditch and although the soil was very mucky, it was not as heavy as that found nearer the fort wall in moats, where it seemed almost like peat. To the writer’s mind this is an indication of Fort Ancient’s age. Such muck cannot form in a few generations, one is led to believe. It is probable that wigwams occupied the land along the ditch—which was outside the embankments of the New or North Fort, it should be remembered—and the refuse found in it was thrown in. A complete exploration of the ditch may result in discoveries of note. Its purpose is, first, for protection ; second, to obtain ma- terial for the construction of the fortification. Nearly all the earth for the formation of the embankments was taken from the interior of the enclosure. The ground inclosed is somewhat lower than that outside; the clay layer is very thin, as if it had nearly all been dug up. In some places the loam or surface soil rests upon the limestone, there being but a few inches of clay remaining. Just opposite each opening in the wall, or, as we prefer to call such places, gateways, the moat has the appearance of having been filled up. Upon close inspection, however, we find that the moat was not made continuous ; 1t stopped short at the entrance. The earth was dug out on each side of the gateway, thus leaving a narrow road on a level with the surrounding plain. This roadway may have been used as a means of egress aud ingress, and would be more con- venient than had the moat been carried through without a break. At station 8 in the map, one sees a platform or fan- 53 p / iC 3) E shaped mound thrown directly in the gateway. It extends out toward the east, and forms quite a wide roadway across the moat. From its general appearance and its connection with the gateway, we conclude that it indicates the princi- pal entrance to the inclosure. The embankment at station 1 is 22 feet in height, meas- ured from the level outside. The moat on the exterior is two feet deep, and was once five feet deeper than at present, which would give the wall an altitude of 29 feet. As the embankment was once much steeper than now, the barrier would be impassable. At least so it seems, after one has restored it in his imag- ination to such form and condition as it must have pre- sented when completed by the builders. Not so difficult is such reconstruction if one is willing to devote weeks to a careful study of the depressions and elevations. By con- trasting one place with another—that is, other earthworks in Ohio—and by comparing different parts of Fort Ancient, the observer is able to learn much. In excavating in the moats, traces of wood were encoun- tered. In some places, the fragments were readily dis- tinguished, but they were too badly decayed to admit of identification as to species. These fragments may have once been logs that were placed in the openings and used as a bastion. The traces, however, are too slight to deter- mine anything with certainty as to their purpose. The last station is on the north of the road, just opposite station 0, and is station 407, as has been previously stated. The wall rises slightly from station 0 to station 1, so that the latter is the highest point upon the entire fortification. Standing here, one can see that the earth which composes these great embankments was taken, for the most part, from the interior of the inclosure. The ground inclosed is some- what lower than that outside, and there is little clay; the top soil or loam seems to rest directly upon the limestone. We say “for the most part,” because a great deal of the earth was taken from the exterior moats. The space between the walls at this station is on the same general level as the outside field, but a platform or 54 — 7 graded way has been thrown up in the gateway, which leads down in the interior. This has been so cultivated that its original shape can not now be determined. The next two stations that are gateways, we notice, as we go south along the wall, have no platform thrown up in them, but are cut down to the general level of the surrounding plain. The length of these three walls is 85, 110, and 159 feet respectively, and they are about the longest stretches of embankment that we have. There are three large pop- lar trees upon these straight embankments. On the auth- ority of a Cincinnati botanist in the publication of the sur- vey and observations of 1889, the writer stated them to be 100 to 150 years of age. This statement may not be cor- rect, although personally, the writer believes it. Old resi- dents of Fort Ancient state that these trees were practi- cally of this size when they first saw them. Growing 20 feet above the surrounding level they appear grand and im- posing, standing like sentinels upon the walls, and one is impressed with their beauty when viewing the fort from a distance, as they are seen towering far above the other forest trees. At station 10, the wall passes into a heavy woods, which it follows, sometimes being entirely surrounded by forest trees, again bordering on a cleared field, for the whole ex- tent. Plate VI (p. 43) is a view looking north along the top of the wall from station 12 towards station 1. The em- bankment makes a sharp turn here, and we could get a very good photograph of its height. This photograph, when compared with Plates I and IV, will show the mas- sive structure of Fort Ancient. In speaking of these gate- ways, the reader must not infer that every opening is a gateway. We use the term gateway because we have not a better one. It is probable that wood-work was built around the outside portion of the openings, and they were used for additional defense, somewhat like bastions in a modern fort. Between stations 11 and 22, we notice an interesting thing: a depression follows the wall to ‘station 16, where the wall was built directly across it; the ditch, being changed by 55 this means, follows uninterruptedly around to station 22, where it joins a ravine which breaks through the wall. — Since the wall was built, the ditch between stations 16 and 22 has washed out to a depth of 16 to 18 feet. Just beyond this point, and at station 19, a spur of land runs out into the hollow ; which spur has been used as a bastion. Many of these spurs may be noticed at frequent intervals of the fort, and they are always natural, and have not been artificially shaped. “In many places on the outside of the wall, the bank has washed considerably, but the wall itself, being of tough clay, which does not easily erode, is still very plain. On the opposite side of the ravine, at this station, 22. the wall does not extend down the slope, the end of the wall being at the to, of the bank. Some ravines were probably very small when the fortification was built and the wall was carried over them, but the larger ones could not be protected. Many of these have since washed out, and the washes in some of them are quite old. Some indication as to the age of the fortification can be obtained by study- ing them. Up to station 86 there is nothing of special interest, and the reader can look on the map for the bastions, spurs, ete., and see them for himself. At station 86 the wall was once built solidly across a deep ravine, but it has since washed out. The builders appear to have made no provision for drainage at such points. The streams flowing through these hollows would necessarily wear away the embank- ment, and in process of time destroy it, no matter how heavy and strong it might be made. The moat at station 42 is still on the inside of the wall. At station 44 a narrow level space extends from the foot of the wall on the interior witha moat or ditch on each side. There is no depression in the wall at this point. Opposite stations 83 and 34, over in the woods to the south, and across a deep hollow, are three small mounds. These were explored, but little was found. They will be described later in Chapter V. From station 45 to «7 there is a deep hollow. The wall seems to have been built at one time clear across the hollow, without a break, but it now extends 56 ySeoyION pajurod viswed ‘ABM9}e Jvaiy oy} IvoU ‘s][eA\ 110 PIO JO uors0g VY UDC CA Al 8 ee ea ig, 4 SOM, ee eas only part way down the slope on each side. At the-stations just named there -~ sonsiderable stone showing in the wall. It was probably put in to keep the wall from washing. The ravir« ts deep— about 100 feet—and the slope quite stecp. But for a heavy growth of grass and brush, the erosion must have been considerable. But these deep depressions are so sheltered that ferns and kindred plants erow profusely and the hillsides remain intact. At station 57 another of those bad washes occurs, where the wall has been built solidly across the head of a ravine, but it was cut through for drainage by a farmer, and “ the result is as usual.” ‘The entire embankment has washed out within the last few years. At Station 63 begins the narrow neck of land which is known as the Isthmus, on which the Crescent Gateway and the Great Gateway are located. At stations 76 and 77 there was formerly a curve in the wall, but a ravine has obliterated a considerable portion of it, and where once stood a beautiful and graceful stretch of embankment, now remains an ugly and unsightly de- pression. At the stations just mentioned there is a glacial deposit, consisting of gravel. When built, the wall was probably near or at the head of this ravine, but the hollow has washed back since that time to its present position, nearly 40 feet further inland than the west extremity of the wall. , At station 80 the wall seems to have stopped at the edge of a large ravine near the head. Just opposite this point, at the foot of the wall on the opposite side, it makes a sharp turn toward the interior of the fort, which would leave a deep depression between the two walls. This depression seems afterward to have been partially filled, making a path-way or passage-way from one wall to the other. On either side of the connecting-way is a moat now nearly filled. The arrangement of these walls seems to have been very much like that at stations 76 and TT. At station 80, half the earth being of clay, the erosion was not so pro- nounced as in the gravel of station 76, hence this place is still intact. 55 At station 85 there is a large bastion, which overlooks the spur. This spur is very long and level, and 150 feet to the east of this station is a large stone grave, which contained the remains of skeletons. Many of the spurs on the east side of the Isthmus have on them stone graves, nearly all of which were opened by our party. From station 88 the wall was built solid across a small ravine, but has since been broken down by erosion. From this station to the end of the New Fort, the embankment is built on the hill-side, and in several places its top is lower than the summit of the hill. The distance across the Isthmus to the wall upon the west side is slight, being not over 100 yards. The ravines on each side very nearly divide the hill into halves, and about 100 feet north of the Great Gateway they come so close together that the dis- tance between them is barely 60 feet. At station 89 and at station 306, on the opposite side, begin the circular or crescent-shaped embankments, which run out from the east and west walls. This spur we have named Crescent Gateway, on account of the beauty of the curves at this point, and in order to distinguish this gate- way from the Great Gateway, or the one dividing the Old and New Forts. At station 102 the Great Gateway begins. This will be fully described later on, when each interesting portion of structure is taken up and enlarged upon in detail. At station 105 there is a moat on the inside with no platform or approach to it from the outside. It leads down from the two walls of the Old Fort to the head of a large ravine. If a gateway, it would be difficult of ap- proach from the inside; if a bastion, it would require a great amount of work to make it defend any thing, as it is 100 feet back from the head of the ravine. In coming out, by turning to the left, at the foot of the first mound, one could easily reach the Isthmus outside, and it is pos- sible the opening was left for this purpose. Station 109 is similar to 105, and is an opening in the wall leading directly into a ravine with no approach from the inside. Like station 105, its purpose is conjectural. 59 At station 110 begins a terrace, outside of the wall, which gradually widens in extent, until it passes station 112. It is covered with stone heaps, the exploration of which will be described later. This terrace has been omitted from all previous maps of Fort Ancient, and the only reason we can assign for this omission, is that it is located in the wildest portion of Fort Ancient. The fort wall above is cleared on top, and there is a nice, level path extending around. One could look down into a mass of wild grape-vines, underbrush, logs, rocks, ete.; people did not care to investigate in such a place, it was much nicer and easier walking on the embankment above, so they left these most interesting parts of Fort Ancient for years undisturbed. Mr. J. Thomas Brown of Waynes- ville, Ohio, a geologist, has made a study of Miami Valley terraces and in the American Antiquarian (Vol. X, p. 167), he published a paper, — “ Prehistoric Artificial Terraces in Ohio.” In this he treats of Caesar’s Creek terraces, six miles north of Fort Ancient. They are identical with terraces found on both sides of the river flanking the earth- work, and therefore the writer quotes a portion of Mr. Brown’s remarks : — “One of the most interesting groups is on Mr. Hisey’s farm. ‘The whole hillside is wrought out into broad plat- forms, the upper one being the broadest and shortest, the face of the hill behind, having been dug away so as to form an amphitheatre with an are of about 180 yards. There is a similar example though not so large on the south side of the creek. “As a general thing the terraces, when in groups, are from 200 to 800 yards in length. Some single ones are much longer. “The aggregate length of those which have been dis- covered and traced along Caesar’s Creek is more than 5,850 yards, or considerably exceeding three miles ; besides which it is most likely there are some which have as yet escaped identificaion. In places they are obscure and a practiced eye is needed to detect them, nor is this to be wondered at, on these steep hillsides. There must have been some waste 60 to the width of all of them, through the action of frost and water on the lower side, and a constant tewdency in the mellow loam on the hillside above to slide down upon the terraces for the same reason, so that all of them must be narrower than when they were left by their builders ; but in most cases they are remarkably distinct and well preserved. “The idea that these terraces are merely landslides, is too preposterous for lengthy consideration. That there are landslides there, is true, though not so many as has been supposed, but they can readily be distinguished by the practiced eye from the work of man. In one instance the whole hillside has been broken down from top to bottom and the surface left in uneven billows for a distance of several hundred yards, due, it is said, to the earthquake of 1812. The terraces are uniform, horizontal, often repeated. “A like sweeping objection can be made to the theory that they are alluvial terraces or in any way due to the action of water; their position is too variable along the hill- sides ; they are not composed of the right materials, nor is the geologic history of the valley such as to warrant it. And above all, there is too obvious a method in each terrace and in the groups of terraces. They are platforms built out from the bluff side, generally without much show of excavation along the upper side of the terrace. The earth seems to have been in a measure brought from somewhere else, from the loose surface soil, most likely, wherever it could be most easily obtained. Sometimes the signs of ex- cavation back of the terraces are more readily seen. They are, unqualifiedly, artificial, and would have been so recog- nized and described long ago, but no one had ever seen them all until this late exploration, and the knowledge of them in detail was entirely wanting.” The Fort Ancient terraces are: above the enclosure, below the enclosure, opposite the enclosure and across the river on the western hills. Levels of these were taken by Mr. Cowen. One on the western hills, across the river is 137.7 feet above low water stage in the Little Miami. 61 The second terrace, at Mr. Ridge’s, north of the fort, is 136.6 above low water. The terrace on Mr. Cowdin’s place, just along the fort hill, is 135.2 above low water. These are very remarkable figures, there being but little more than two feet of difference between the lowest and the highest. This is the more remarkable, when we consider that at one point, where the level is nearly the same, the terraces are nearly two miles distant from each other. The question at once arises, could they possibly be due to natural causes? Does nature ever observe such regularity of platforms, whether made by geological de- posits or land-slides ? : No other answer can be made to these queries, save this: that the terraces are artificial; that they were built by men. We excavated in various parts of them, and our investigations go far to settle the question. We have found in them flint flakes, and a few pottery fragments, several inches below the surface; and, in three cases, scales of flint and pottery fragments, one foot in depth. These facts go far in establishing the human origin of the terraces. Obviously, they were occupied by men; used by them for some definite object; for exactly what, it is difficult to tell. Atwater says they were used by the Indians in their wars with the whites; and, in marching against a tribe, they would traverse the terrace as far as it extended. It is noteworthy, also, that these terraces are both numerous and extensive. That which is on the west side, overlook- ing the river, runs for a distance of over a mile. It runs from Mill Grove, on the south, to opposite the railroad station at Fort Ancient, on the north. At Waynesville, 10 miles up the river, there are a number of clearly defined terraces of undoubted artificial origin along the hill-sides bordering on Caesar’s creek. Attention has been called to these by Mr. Brown, of Waynesville, and others. They are of the same appear- 62 ya “0 (Rae dee Popes bee +a - ‘ISOM, SUTYOO]T pue juListIp spied oSz ‘usmyULqUIy JO apis}no vioWeD ‘JIOY MON fO [TBA Sey JO jAvg JO MOTA luUeIsSIGq V a oi ‘I ALVId yy a PLATE hide East Wall of Great Gateway, at the Highest Point. Camera pointed West, The View is from the Base upward. ance, and character, and purpose as those connected with Fort Ancient. There is an interior ditch from station 110 to station 123. Atstation 113, the terrace begins again outside the wall, and extends, sometimes, only a few feet in width, but does not disappear until we reach station 122. There are graves upon this terrace, between stations 113 and 116. Opposite station 115, there is the largest single heap of stones to be found on Fort Ancient, and it may contain as much as 100 tons. Station 116 is a gateway with an interior approach which leads down to the terrace. The outside of the wall at this point is very high and very steep. Between stations 119 and 120, the wall of the fort has been built solid across the head of a ravine, but has washed out. From station 110 to station 123, the wall is built lower than the top of the hill, and this is what forms the interior ditch. The earth for the wall is excavated between stations 110 and | 123. From this point on to station 187, is a succession of washes, spurs, and bastions, which are quite similar in character, and which do not need further explanation, as they can readily be seen on the map. Station 187 is on a very high portion of the wall, and is the south-west corner of Fort Ancient. It is generally called a mound, and is built directly across a spur. From station 190, which is at the foot of this high embankment, often called a mound, the wall is built down the slope to the bottom of a ravine, and up the slope on the opposite side; traversing thus the eiatire ravine. The wall has suf- fered to some extent from rains and floods, but is still dis- tinctly traceable. The wall at this point makes an abrupt turn to the north-east, which trend it keeps quite accur- ately for some distance. At station 194, there is a gateway which has a level approach from the interior of the fort, and there is a moat or ditch on either side of the roadway. Many stones are in the opening, and it opens out upon a spur overlooking the river far below. A large stone grave covers the spur. 64 At station 201, there is a bastion overlooking a deep ravine, and at the corner of the fort there was once a con- siderable pond, but some one has cut through station 201 to drain this pond, therefore, the wall has washed badly. At station 209, there is about the largest ravine in the fort. The wall is built down the slope of this deep ravine, solid across the bottom, and up on the opposite side. There is a gap in it through which the water passes during rainy seasons. It would require a strong wall, with some means of outlet, to prevent its washing down in heavy rains. Considering its position, it is one of the best preserved walls in the entire fort. On the spur opposite station 224 (on the river, or west side), is another stone grave. The fort wall has extended for some distance along the edge of a hill overlooking the Miami, and will continue to do so until we pass station 250. There are two large terraces between the top and bottom of the hill, the upper one of which has many graves upon it. Terraces were favorite burying places Just beyond this deep gulley, is a place where the wall is built across the head of a ravine. ‘There is such a depres- sion above, that if this wall was built to the height of ten feet, it would make a pond of nearly or quite half an acre. This looks so much like a reservoir, that I am tempted to consider it such. Station 231 may be either a gateway or a bastion, and yverlooks a regular slope on the outside, but there is no spur leading direct to the river At station 248, there is a narrow spur which runs out nearly on a level with the in- terior fort. The wall here, as will be seen in the map of the fort, runs out to a point, and overlooks the valley be- low. One mile up the valley—more or less— the river- bank village site is in distinct view. Were the timber cleared, much of the New or North Fort could be seen. If lookout stations were in use among the builders, then this was one. An arrow can easily be shot into the Miami river below. Experimenting with an English yew bow which pulled sixty pounds, the writer was able to throw a steel-pointed arrow clear across the stream and fully fifty feet beyond the western shore. The view is beautiful and 65 an illustration, taken from Mr. Tichenor’s “ Guide to Fort Ancient,” is presented in Plate X XI, p. 97. Stations 245 to 250 comprise the point of the spur, and in the interior there is quite a deep depression clear around; the earth has been taken for the embankment from the in- side. There is a roadway leading down to the mouth of a large ravine, near a spring, and near the river. At station 250, there is a depression in the wall, where it has been built across a ravine. A portion of the area within it has filled up level, but the embankment without is very high and steep. On the spur on which 248 stands, the wall is built below the summit of the hill as far as station 252, at which point it returns to the crest. At station 267, there is a moat, on the interior. This moat is unusually large and deep, and holds water the entire year. It was once un- doubtedly much deeper: the mud in it is quite soft, and some- what of the nature of a quagmire, as a number of cattle have mired and perished in it before they could be extricated. At station 267, there is a gateway, and at stations 268 and 269, there is a graded way leading down the hill to the plain below. In the deep ravine beneath this point, are several excellent springs of water, and it is possible that a pathway led hence down to the springs, and that the hill has been artificially worked to secure an easy approach. Station 286 is the end of the embankment or mound on the west side of the Great Gateway. Station 287 is the middle of the entrance to the Old Fort, between the two so-called “mounds.” There is a platform mound inside this entrance, which leads down to the level within. Underneath the embank- ments, and in this platform, there is a large amount of rock chiefly limestone slabs such as lie about the surface of the Great Gateway. The portion of this platform extending toward the ein was found to contain many human bones. The platform is about four feet above the general inside level. From its appearance, we think it was built before the Great Gateway was completed. It was not an ad- dition ; the whole part of the fortification was built at the same time—the southern part. | 56 OIE PAI, A Corner of the Old Fort, west side. Camera pointed Northeast. From station 289 to 290 is a deep ravine, which has been washed out of the gravel deposit by. both underground and surface drainage. This ravine extends well within the walls at present, but it is probable that, when the fort was built, the wall ran just to the head of it, as in similar cases * at other points in the fort. The wall has been built up around such places, and it is quite likely, also, that the wall extended much further than station 290. The present end, as it stands, reaches to the edge of the ravine, and caves in more or less every year. Before the wall was built, most of the drainage at this point went down in the ravine, which heads at station 294. The wall being built across the head of this ravine, would cause the water to run along the in- side foot of the wall, until it reached the present washout, which it would assist greatly in excavating. At station 295, the wall is composed almost entirely of stone, which shows on the outer slope for fully 20 feet below the top. There is much stone in a gateway at station 301. At station 807, is a depression, where the wall crosses the ravine, which, however, is now filled up nearly level with the adjacent surface. In this immediate vicinity (station 306), begins the crescent wall, just within the fort wall. At station 809, there is a gateway, on the exterior of which is found a large quantity of rock. This gateway leads along a gentle slope of drift gravel, and at the end of the slope is a round knoll, at a distance of about 600 feet from the wall. The knoll is about 25 feet higher than the ridge on which it stands, and from its top there is a regular and gentle descent to the river bottom. The descent is quite uniform, with no juttings or breaks in any of its parts. Viewed from the river side, the slopes that fall away from the knoll are so symmetrical as might almost induce the belief that they are artificial. All the spurs and lower hills outside the fort wall, between the ravine which empties opposite station 248 and the ravine which forms the northern boundary, including the entire hill up which the pike winds its way, are of glacial origin. Between stations 322 and 3829, the wall is built slightly below the top of the hill. At station 324, is a bastion or 68 gateway, leading out on along spur toward the spring. At station 828, there is a bastion, overlooking a deep ravine. From station 320, the wall is built down the slope of a deep ravine almost to the bottom. On the opposite side, the wall extends up the slope from the bottom to the top. It is probable that the wall was built solidly across this ravine, and has been washed out. On the west side, the wall seems to have deflected the water and made it strike against the wall on the east side, as the slope of the ravine on each side is as steep as earth will lie. Erosion at the bottom of the wall would cause the part above to drop or slide down to the lowest part, and be washed away. There is a small mound 100 feet due north from sta- tion 334. Station 337 is a bastion or gateway, with level approach on the interior, with a moat on each side open- ing out on slope leading down to the side of the large ravine. At station 339, the wall is built across the head of the ravine, and is washed out. At station 342, there is a shal- low depression in the top of the wall, where the embank- ment makes a sharp angle. In the interior, is a level ap- proach, with ravine on one side and a deep moat on the other. This gateway leads out on an easy slope down a narrow ridge of drift gravel, descending gradually to the river bottom. Station 345 is a bastion. Station 349 is a gateway, with interior level approach, a moat on each side. leading down along the edge of a deep ravine, giving an easy descent to the bottom below. From station 352 to 3538, across the big ravine back of Mr. Howard’s house, there isa break in the wall. It is not probable that the wall was ever built across this ravine. Some other mode of protection or defense was necessary. The sides of the ra- vine are so steep, and the force of the water so strong, that the earth could not have been made to stand. Between stations 857 and 358 the wall was solid, with a sharp turn, almost a right angle, across the head of the — ravine. Tere there was a moat or small pond inside the wall, and the owner of the land, or some one desiring to 69 *‘I9UIOD JSAMIYNOS dy} Ie9dU ION PIO NES ALY acd j t ‘ ty H et drain it, cut a small trench through the wall, which was built on a graveldeposit. The water soon began to un- dermine and cut out a wide ditch, and in spite of ef- forts to prevent it, the wall on each side caves in more or less every rain. The gap is now 57 feet wide, and will continue to increase unless some effective measures are soon taken to stop it. At station 860 is a gateway leading down hill on a narrow spur toward the railroad station. Between stations 363 and 364 the pike passes. This was apparently one of the main gateways of the fort. On both sides of the pike within the wall, the earth has been excavated to a large extent to be used in the walls. The pike, however, follows the extent of a kind of platform, having the original level for a width of 70 feet, from which part no earth was re- inoved. It has the appearance, viewed from the entrance, of an artificial elevation, but is simply the original surface left to make an easy passage. The first wall on the north side of the pike, although very heavy, forms a crescent, almost a semi-circle. A large amount of earth has been excavated just within to be used in the construction of the embankment. Formerly this contained water to a depth of several feet during the entire year, but it is now almost entirely filled up with decayed vegetation. Station 367 is a bastion overlooking a narrow spur that runs out between the road and a deep ravine on the north. Its gateway could not be reached from the interior di- rectly on account of the pond above mentioned. It would be necessary to approach it from one side or the other on the wall. There is a depression where the wall was built solidly across a deep ravine, but has washed out. At station 3874 there is a gateway leading down to a deep ravine on the north. Beginning at station 375, there is a terrace on the outside of the wall which extends as far as station 387. From station 3870 to station 388, the wall is built below the top of the hill, on the slope. Between sta- tions 878 and 379 the wall must have been heavy across the ravine, but it is now washed out. A natural ravine has ya formed by water running along the inside of the wall, which in process of time, has cut its way through the embankment. Station 882 is a gateway which leads out upon the ter- race. At station 3886 the wall was once solid, but was pierced for the passing through of a road, so it is reported; * but, from the indications, we think there was a gateway there, and very little, if any, excavating was done to allow a wagon road to pass through. There are large flat stones in the bottom of the wall at this point, and they crop out at the edges and can be plainly seen. At station 390 there is a bastion opening out on a ravine. On the interior there is a level, but the gateway is slightly higher. At station 894 the wall was once built across a small hollow, but for some reason unknown to us was left quite low, so that it has the appearance of having been washed out, leaving a depression. about twenty-five feet in width. This has an easy approach from the interior, and on the outside leads down a slope to the bottom of the ravine, at a point where a branch comes in from a good spring in the field north of the fortification. There is a regular passage- way through station 897 to the mouth of this branch. The spring has unusually cold, clear water, and it seems as if an artificial channel led from it to the ravine at the place men- tioned. Station 402, at the north-east corner of the fortification, was probably a bastion, as it opens down into a ravine; but it may have been a gateway leading out to the field north- east. Station 405 is a gateway opening out toward the large mound on the east side of the pike. This gateway has a great deal of stone in it. Between stations 407 and 0 the pike passes. The summary of the survey may be stated in the follow- ing figures : Total length of the walls of Fort Ancient : : : : . 18,714.2 feet.* Length of the parallel walls. os Mag OW a Length of the crescent in New Fort. 269 s 72 Distance in a straight line from sta- tions 187 to 389 (the most distant points north and south) : . 4,998 feet Total length of terraces within one mile of station 0 . : , : 52 miles. Grand total of artificial work in length . ‘ : : : 1037 miles. The parallel walls are 2,760 feet each; readers must not fall into the error of considering the above the length of both taken as one continuous embankment, *This length of the walls is obtained by measuring and surveying the center of the embankment on top. There is no allowance made for spurs, bastions or elevations. The Crescent Gateway is not in- cluded. Were these added we would probably have a total length of 21,400 feet. CHAPTER III. THE POSITION OF THE FORTIFICATION. POINTS CONCERN- ING THE GATEWAY AND THE MOATS It will be observed, on the map, that in the center of Fort Ancient extends a long, narrow isthmus, flanked on each side by two deep and precipitous ravines. The width of this isthmus ranges from 100 yards at its widest point to a contraction compassed within 100 feet. Natives were compelled to traverse the isthmus in passing from one fort to the other. Taking one’s point of view from the western walls, it begins at station 809 on the north, and extends to the Great Gateway, or station 288 on the south. In order to understand this isthmus and the central part of the work, which is by far the most interesting portion of the entire fortification, we will call the attention of the reader to Plates IX, X, XI, and XII. In Plate IX, at page 46, it will be seen that the road which extends through the en- tire length of the fortification passes between two large high mounds. They stand about 800 yards south of the point where the camera was placed for the taking of this view. These two mounds are about 20 feet in altitude, and at the base are ten feet apart, leaving just.space enough for a wagon to pass between them. At their bases and between them is a raised platform four feet in height. This is more extensive on the side next to the Old Fort than on that lying toward the New, and when examined it was found to contain many human bones, in small fragments and much decayed. When within 108 feet on the east and 143 feet on the west of the Great Gateway, the embankment com- ing from the north on the edge of the isthmus on each side abruptly terminates. For a distance of 103 feet on one side and 143 feet on the other there is no embankment, the ravines having such a steep angle on each side that further protection was unnecessary. Plate X, at page 52, will show the surveying corps as they stood on the mound and in the gateway. This plate 74 (198 UOHVIS) “6ggr UT Uaye} 9INJoIg “JOY IPP JO PIS yseq Juowryuequry MoT ve jo pug NX FLV id also furnishes a close view of the Great Gateway, and by the figure standing on the summit of the mound to the left, or east, one will obtain an idea as to its height when com- pared with that of a man of six feet. It may not be improper to observe that in some of the pictures with which this book is embellished, trees and foli- age are very conspicuous, often hiding the walls. It was impossible to secure photographs otherwise; and this con- stituted the main difficulty which we encountered. Nearly the entire area of Fort Ancient lay in a forest so dense that no little clearing had to be done before photographing, sur- veying, or excavating, could be done with satisfaction. Mr. Williams, who took views of the structure in the winter of 1905, for the writer, labored under no such disadvantage. Not only was the season propitious, but the fort is more open than formerly, much of the underbrush having been cut away. All about the Great Gateway are masses of stone which were employed both as coverings for graves and as a pro- tection to the embankment. Recently many of these have been hauled away by farmers. They are most frequent on the east side in a depression between stations 101 and 108. At this point the embankment is the steepest in the entire earthwork. At the base and protruding from the sides are many large water-worn limestones. ‘These must, at one time, have been piled up in the form of a rude wall to strengthen the base of the embankment. The average size of these stones is 18 x 20 inches, weighing probably about 40 pounds each. Human bones are numerous in the soil under them. Plate XI (p. 57) exhibits the east mound-shaped wall of the Great Gateway. The road passes between them, and is four feet higher than the surrounding level on account of the platform mound which lies in the opening. From the Great Gateway the two walls which const::ute the Old Fort sharply diverge. One runs directly east, the other south-west. The wall running east soon swings around to the south; the other wall runs in a very irregular 76 manner, being more tortuous than any other portion of the entire structure. About twenty-five stations beyond the Great Gateway, it assumes a southerly direction for quite a distance. Immediately to the left of the Great Gateway there is a deep depression between the walls, which is filled with rock. These rocks are not the coverings of graves. They are stones that have been used to form a sort of wall at the foot of the embankments. By thrusting an iron rod into the bank at almost any point, one can feel stones still stand_ ing as they were originally placed. The earth from above has washed down and covered them up so that they now appear as if they had been originally covered with earth by the builders. Such is not the case. The stones were on the outside of the wall; the earth has since run down from above and covered them. Many of the stones have fallen down and formed a heap about the base of the high steep mounds at this spot. Plate XII, page 63, shows how steep and high the em- bankment is just above the spot where lies the stone wall described. The figure at the top is that of a six foot man. Compare his height with that of the embankment. Of both Old and New Forts, the interior is cleared, but there is left a fringe of timber extending all around the Old Fort and part way through the New, thus affording a source of protection and preserving the embankment as nothing else could. We find beech, walnut, oak, ash, elm, dog- wood, poplar, and hickory. The beech is more numerous than other trees, and its roots spread out over the surface, forming a perfect net-work in places over the wall, and together with the moss, which is so abundant in many localities, affording an efficient barrier against erosion. The places where the embankment has recently washed are those upon which cattle have stood and cut the earth with their hoofs, and thus started a small gully, or where some one has cut a drain through to allow water which has collected above to escape. The embankments of the Old Fort are markedly more irregular and crooked than those of the New. ‘Their construction must have been more difficult. 77 At page 84 (Plate XVII) there is shown the outside slope of the fort wall, near station 280. The earth at this point has been dumped on the edge of the hill and allowed to fall down upon the outside, which has made the outside slope of the ravine very steep, perhaps 36 or 36 degrees. The height on the inside of the wall at this point is only nine feet. We trace earth artificially deposited at the base on the exterior 50 feet from the summit. ‘There is consid- erable timber on the slope, as will be seen in the illustration, and the growth of grass and weeds is very heavy. We ob- serve a moat here, within the enclosure, and from its size conclude that much earth was removed for the embankment. The moat is of such extent in depth that water stands in it in places. Alongside the embankment, west of the Great Gateway, we dug in the moat to determine its original depth. Although at present it is but two feet deep, our examination led us to believe that when the aborigines completed it, the. depth was five feet greater than at pres- ent—a total of T feet. The earth to a depth of two feet was exceedingly dark and heavy. Four feet from the sur- face were pottery fragments, chips and flakes of charcoal. The bones had probably decayed. From the bottom of the moat to the top of the wall is 16 feet. But as soil from the wall had washed into the moat, the total distance was, we are convinced, at least 19 feet. Plate XX presents a bit of the Isthmus. A little spur juts out a few yards toward the west. From this point one commands a splendid view of the valley far beneath. It is possible for one to discern the hills flanking the river and “Oregonia, three miles up stream, or north. The embank- ment is not steep and varies from four to seven or eight feet in height. In building the walls high, the earth was thrown over the edge of the bluff. One is able to differen- tiate the artificial slope from the natural. To the left of the picture the Isthmus contracts and the walls come nearer each other. At Station 296 (not shown in Plate XX), the embankment runs north and south and is made heavy at the head of another spur. At Station 296 there is an open space in front of the embankment, filled with stones, the design and use of which is by no means easy to explain un- less they formed the walls at the base of the embankment. 78 CHAPTER IV REMARKS UPON THE ILLUSTRATIONS. POINTS OF INTEREST. GATEWAYS AND DITCHES. Standing on station 0, which is to the extreme right in Plate III, one has an uninterrupted view across 2000 feet of New Fort. To the left are the two mounds without the enclosure (see Plate X XIX). The fields are cleared on either hand, and far to the west, a quarter of a mile away, is the other side of the fort wall flanking the river. Note the difference between these embankments in summer and winter. The frontispiece is from the exterior of New Fort, the camera placed 250 yards distant and looking west. In Plate II the camera is brought nearer. In Plate IV, long, straight stretches described in Chapter II are clearly indi- cated. 1000 feet of embankinent is shown, and in Plate V there is a summer view of the same walls as are observed in Plate IV. But in Plate V the view is from the inside of the fortification. Station 0 would be slightly to the left of the margin and is not shown. In Plate VI we are west of the center of the New Fort and look at embankments flanking the Little Miami valley. Plate VIII gives a glimpse of the valley beyond the west wall of the isthmus. The lowest embankments are shown in Plate XXII. The road made use of by those who drive from the turnpike in the New Fort to the village site in the Old Fort is in the foreground. As the embankment is but four feet in height and does not appear to have ever been either steep or high, one queries why it should have been so weak at this particular place. Several theories suggest themselves. One, that palisades were planted to strengthen the wall. Another, that the wall was not completed at this point. Certain it is that the amount of earth now in evi- dence could not have constituted, originally, a wall of more than 6 or 7 feet in height Although the writer is unable to prove conclusively his belief, he is of the opinion that the embankment was not completed. 79 Pvp PLATE XVI. Giant Embankments of Extreme Southern Part of Old Fort. Camera 150 yards distant, looking South. Plate XXIII illustrates how that a small washout, through neglect, may become a menace. This serious break in the wall has occurred since Atwater’s time. ‘The State has since built a heavy retaining wall and further damage can- not occur. The washout was 57 feet in width and nearly 45 feet deep, or more than 20 feet deeper.than the original height of the wall. However, the damage is not without its recompense, for the exposed sections show clearly the composition of Fort Ancient’s embankments. There is variation in color and material, indicating that the natives scooped up amounts of earth varying from a peck to half a bushel, some working in loam, others transporting clay, and again those who carried stone. In the center the stones assume the shape of a rough layer. On the other side the stones weighed as much as 10 pounds each. ‘There is a tra- vertine coating on the stones—a natural formation. It is quite likely that the wall —at least here at station 363 — was built at two periods, separated by an unknown length of time. Vegetable matter accumulated between these layers, and when the wall was completed, this material lay between the first and second sections. The line of division is half an inch thick, is dark, clearly marked, and _ precisely such as is found in mounds, denoting different periods of construction. While loam and yellow clay predominate, not a little blue clay appears. Such material the builders must have taken from ravines and the limestone beds. There has been frequent reference to limestone slabs so numerous about the Great Gateway, in the end of embank- ments and on the outside of the walls. By thrusting an iron rod into the earth at almost any point in the wall, these stones can be felt. Over most of them is a coating caused by carbonated water, flowing over them and dissolving a portion of the stone. In places where the stones are heaped up they seem to have been held together by a cement. The coating is travertine and due entirely to natural causes. Some early writers on Fort Ancient have called it “ Mound Builder cement ” — which, of course, is absurd. The amount of stone and its position indicates that the builders constructed a stone backbone entirely around the 81 enclosure. This varied, but usually it lay near the center of the embankment. It is quite likely that on the exterior stones were laid up forming a wall sloping slightly back- wards —as they naturally would lying against the curve of the embankment. Within the New Fort is a semi-circular, or crescent- shaped, embankment, somewhat injured by the state road running through a portion of it. It will be seen in the map as cut into halves by the pike. The height of this crescent is about two feet; the length of it, 269 feet. There is no use assigned to it. The portion north of the pike was covered and protected in 1899 by a growth of small bushes and trees. The fort wall, on Mr. Ridge’s side, the extreme north, runs comparatively straight. The average height of the em- bankment on Mr. Ridge’s land is 13 or 14 feet, and there are fewer gateways on his portion than on any other of equal extent. There is a ditch on the inside for the entire extent. We dug into the ditch running out from the mound on Mr. Ridge’s side, with the following results: | The part dug was near the large mound in his orchard. At a depth of three feet in the bottom, and resting on un- disturbed earth, and covered by the accumulations of years, was the bottom of what had once been a very large clay jar. It seems, from the fragment found, to have been at least a foot in diameter. ‘The upper portion being gone, we could not tell the height. Several other fragments were found in this ditch. On the south side of the Lebanon and Chillicothe pike, just south of mound 69, there starts another ditch or moat. This we carefully excavated, and found a number of in- teresting things. It has filled to a depth of. three feet. This makes the original depth about four feet. There were fragments of charcoal and some burnt stone in it; that was all. We dug another trench about 100 yards further south, in the same moat, and here took out fragments of pottery, as many as one could hold in two hands. As the excavation was enlarged, more and more pottery pieces were found, but they were well scattered. There were fragments 82 of the bones of a very large animal, presumably those of a buffalo, in the moat, and some flakes of charcoal. There was no burnt earth. A piece of mica, about three inches across, and chips of flint, were also taken from this ditch. Resting upon the undisturbed earth was a layer of gravel reaching about two feet in width, and six inches thick at thickest part, running out to a feather edge toward each side. We do not know how far it extended along the moat, or why it was placed there. -It was put there by the hand of man, as numerous objects, such as referred to above, were found on and in it. The moat here has been filled in by rubbish to the depth of three feet; it is three feet deep now. Its original depth at this point was therefore six feet. Between stations 417 and 418, there is a place which has either been only slightly excavated, or else filled up again after excavation, as it is only a foot lower than the bank on either side, and has but a few inches of black soil above the yellow clay which is found at a depth of three feet in the other parts of the moat. We dug in the “causeway” which leads out from station 5, but found that it was original earth (natural), not filled in, and that the elevation was undoubtedly made use of as a foot-way in and out of the inclosure. After the causeway was examined, pits were sunk in the depression or moat on either side. 20 inches. of black, mucky soil intervened and then the natural clay. It ap- peared to us that here the moats were never very deep. It is possible that the clay may have washed in, but we con- sider that improbable. Outside the embankment at station 3 is a large, long moat, briefly described on page 51. Further excavations were made in it at another time and nearer the woods its original depth must have been four or five feet greater than at present — a total of 6 or 7 feet in excess of what it is today. A hollow into which the ditch extends, rapidly deepens. A terrace follows it for nearly a mile, ending abruptly opposite a peculiar knoll, which may be natural, although 83 4s *(Z-98z SUOT}EIS ieou) 410. PIO “PIS SAM \uowyuequiy, JO ado[g epis]nO JO MOTA “6QQI Jo IOWUNS TIAX ALV Id it appears as if artificially rounded. There are also a num- ber of depressions; all of which should be investigated more thoroughly. It is likely that natives made use of the ditch as a cov- ered retreat when they wished to pass from the mounds, or the parallel walls, or the pavement to the Old Fort and be protected en route. Again, that ditch may carry some ceremonial significance. The writer is of the opinion that the ditches were more extensive when Fort Ancient was completed and that they bore a peculiar significance to the whole earthwork, a rela- tion which is at present imperfectly understood. - ys) CHAPTER V. EXCAVATIONS IN AND ABOUT THE EARTHWORKS. STONE GRAVES, STONE HEAPS, ETC., AND THEIR CONTENTS. Reference has been made to the stone heaps and stone graves So numerous about the Great Gateway and on the terraces. In addition to such, there are seven small mounds on the outside, within a few hundred yards of the fortification, but our map is not large enough to show them, and, besides, they are unimportant. The stone graves and the cemetery were opened very carefully, and drawings and photographs taken of their contents. In the center of the Old Fort in 1889 stood the stump of a large and old walnut tree on a perceptible rise of ground. For a distance of about 110 feet, all around the stump, are many graves, at an average depth of two and a half feet. These graves are formed of limestones, which were brought from the ravines adjacent, or the river valley below, and are placed on each side of the skeletons, at the head and at the feet, and over them. The skeletons found in the cemetery are of an average size, being about five feet six inches in height, and were buried similarly. But one exception of consequence was observed —that of a skeleton surrounded by a circle of stones. The following objects accompanied this interment: Near the left femur was a large spear head of yellow flint ; near the left shoulder were remains of pottery broken into small fragments; near the right femur, a large stone celt. The bones of this individual were quite well preserved, and we saved them almost entire. From the grave-yard we took out twenty skeletons in various stages of decom- position. Some of these were as deep below the surface as three feet, and one was four feet. The stones are about 15 pounds weight on an average. Some are heavier, and others lighter. Between the stones and the body there is usually four inches of earth. It is almost impossible to save anything except the skull in 86 fragments, the femura, tibize, and heavier bones. Some of the larger phalanges and the os calcis are often entire, but the ribs, vertebrae, pelvis, and smaller bones are usually entirely decayed, and frequently no trace of them remains. In this field (Old Fort) was observed at the time of ex- ploration, some house-sites that have since disappeared. Some were clearly defined, others indistinct. They vary in diameter from 22 to 30 feet and two of the best preserved of them have a depth in the center of three feet. In char- acter they are not unlike a small circus ring. The area inclosed is different in color from that outside. Fire has tinged the earth to a reddish hue, and pottery fragments, ashes and animal bones are to be observed. Mr. Hughes, an aged man who has lived near the fort all his life, and was able to furnish us with much information as to the change in character of the surface since his boy- hood days, states that these circles and depressions were plain fifty years ago. At the: time of examination, the writer was led to believe that the large lodges in the South or Old Fort were similar to those built by the Mandan Indians on the Upper Missouri. He is still of the same opinion. If the structures were of that character, when the supports decayed, or the sun-baked clay was affected by frosts, the larger portion of the clay — where it was thick- est —in falling would leave an embankment of circular ap- pearance. THE MOUNDS WITHIN FORT ANCIENT Four of the mounds in the North Fort appear to have formed a rude square nearly in line with the cardinal points. This coincidence carries no significance, one is led to believe. Four plates from the original edition of the book “Fort Ancient”, describing these mounds and some stone heaps are herewith inserted. On the east there isa small mound about 100 yards from station 1 and it is covered with burnt stone. About 200 yards south there is another small mound near 37 the edge of the woods. There are two more equally dis tant to the north and west, thus making a square which, while not altogether exact, closely approaches it. Near station 85, across a deep hollow over in a dense woods, are three mounds. They are 300 to 400 yards * distant from the nearest approach of the wall. They vary in diameter from 20 to 80 feet, but they are all nearly the same altitude. The average height is three feet. These mounds were dug out very carefully and a few interesting things found. The following account of them is taken directly from the Field Book: (The numbers used in reference to graves and mounds require a brief explanation. Last year, when doing field work, I began to number consecutively all mounds opened, in order that my notes might not be confused. These numbers were continued this year.) The first and largest of the three mounds is number 50. It is near a saw-mill, and about one quarter of a mile due south from Mr. George Ridge’s house. The mound is four feet high, about 40 feet in diam- eter, and quite regular in outline. Work was begun Thursday morning, July 18th. For a considerable distance in this structure nothing whatever was found, and, indeed, we were well into the center of the mound when we came upon a large mass of burnt clay, and considerable charcoal and ashes. About six inches above the base line was a fine layer of burnt bone; this was two or three inches thick, and extended over half the mound. Below this, near the center, were two “ pockets” cov- ered by burnt stone, and extending two or three feet deep. There were pottery fragments in each of them. Near one of these “pockets” were three sheets of yellow mica, with edges neatly trimmed, and presenting a disk-shaped appearance; they were about six inches in diameter. There was a fragmentary skeleton in the mound, which had one arrow-head and some pottery fragments buried with it. It had on the right hand quite a mass of red ochre, which was probably used for war-paint. Near the south. 88 west part of the mound a broken celt, and a black stone of rather peculiar form were removed. This latter was a very fine relic and can be restored. The length was about six inches, and the width about one and one-half inches. The pottery found in this mound is thin and well made, but not ornamented. There were no stones in the mound except a few above the bones, and these were not laid reg- ularly. Mound No. 51 is in the same woods as No. 50, and lies nearly south from No. 50, 200 yards, or about 600 yards from the north point of the fort wall near station 32 or 33. It is two and one-half feet high, and 40 feet across. This mound was dug entirely through, and traces of decayed skeletons were seen, but none of the bones were sufficiently well preserved to take them out entire. There were about 30 scales and chips of flint found with some of these bones. No 52 is in the same woods, but is nearer the fort wall; it is on the edge of a hollow, probably about 200 yards across from the fort, opposite station 32. Itis about 17 feet across and two feet high, and had a circle of stones, somewhat burned, lying immediately under the surface, extending completely around it. This circle was about 15 feet in diameter, and 20 inches wide, and about three layers deep; the stones were not laid with any pre- cision, but rather heaped in. There was nothing whatever within this stone circle. In the same woods, where these mounds are, and on the ravines bordering on this side of the fort, there are numerous stone graves, in which skele- tons have been found, and many relics have been picked up in the woods. The first time it is plowed, the find will probably be very remarkable. The terrace on the east side of the Great Gateway has on its surface many stone graves. We opened one or two of these and found some very interesting remains. We here give a few notes from the Field Book as taken on the spot, and upon the same day the finds were made. The stones in this pile covered an extent of 20 feet by 80, the stone running from 15 to 25 inches in height, and 89 ‘ ‘IO PIC ‘ofz *e1S Je JUSUTYyUReqUIY fo Puy *MOTA JOWIUINS Oggr TIIIAX FLV Id D: Dina iM % arossany - ne Alexei. ae Ay the quantity in the pile is not far from 460 wagon loads. The graves are near the Great Gateway, and are on the east side next to the hollow near station 104, and are on the outside of the wall. There they are on a terrace of 25 feet width ; this terrace is about 19 feet from the top of the wall above. We commenced on the west side of the terrace, and dug out a space about 20 feet wide, which was carried right through the stone grave. We then passed over several places where others had dug, and took out 15 feet of grave in one part, and 10 feet in another at the other extremity of the terrace. There were decayed bones scattered all through this stone pile, and pottery fragments in large numbers. These were under the first layer of stone, and very much decayed. They were not over 10 inches deep, most of them, but the larger and better preserved bones were about two feet deep. From the number of bones found, there must have been 18 or 20 individuals interred at this place. Some of the pottery found was decorated, but most of it was plain. In one mass of bones was a very fine celt seven inches long, by four inches wide. In another place was a limestone of about 20 pounds weight, that had three cup-shaped depressions on one side, and three deep grooves on the other, as if it had been used for sharpening a tool of some description; the grooves look as. if copper had been sharpened. The cup-shaped depressions were probably due to the grinding of paint. No animal bones were found in this stone pile, but several very fine knifes made of long curved flint flakes were found. These skeletons had stones heaped over them, not laid regularly. The bones were broken in small fraginents, about two bush- els in quantity. The bones were found in pieces not longer than six inches, and most of them less than four inches. There is a large stone grave at the southern extrem- ity of the fortification, just outside of the fort wall. The grave lies on a high terrace far above the river, and only 36 feet from the fort wall. The grave holds about 40 wagon loads of stone, which are heaped up and not laid in any regular order. Under these gt stones we found fragmentary bones, broken celts, and many flint chips. The bones, like those found in nearly all of the stone heaps, are very much decayed, and very fragmentary. The terraces on the west side of the old fort, which overlooks the river, have scattered graves on them, some of which, when opened, yielded very interest- ing bones and relics; many of them, however, have nothing under the stone save broken and decayed bones. The river flows at the foot of the hill on this west side for some distance, and there are many points on the embank- ment where the descent to the river is. very steep; an angle of 80 degrees, and where one could stand and shoot an arrow without difficulty across the stream. These ter- races do not have graves their entire length, but only in certain places. The following account concerning these graves, and copied from the. Field Book, may be of some interest to readers :—Four of them were opened, situated on the ter- race next to the top, or the third one, going from the river up. Two of the graves opened were located together, and may, perhaps, with propriety be classed as one large tomb. The stone contained in this grave would be equal in quantity to about 100 wagon loads, and is about two feet thick, spreading over a space the width of the ter- race—20 feet—and was about fifty feet long. We threw out all this stone, which occupied the time of three men for two days, and under it we found a total of nearly 20 fragmentary skeletons. The skulls were crushed, and the jaws in most instances were broken, but such jaws as were saved we judged to represent individuals of average size, and quite strong. The teeth were much worn, as if they had eaten little vegetables, and their sustenance had been mainly derived from the flesh of animals. The bones that we did save entire, of the legs and arms, would indicate a people of about the same height with ourselves, but rather stronger. There were the bones of children found in this stone heap, and, judging from the teeth of one, we should say it was about seven years of age.. There were some inter- 2 IIL NARS, DIDS Southern Part of Old Fort. Near View, Camera pointing Southwest. Giant Embankment at Entrance. esting relics, such as a clay dish, nearly entire, and about five inches high; a beautiful ornament or personal pendant some four inches long, made of black slate, with a hole drilled through it ; several arrow-heads; and a stone celt of unusual finish and beautiful shape. There were no bones of animals in this stone heap. The other two graves were situated further north, one on the center terrace, and a third on the upper terrace. These contained numerous fragments of skeletons, but nothing of any interest in the way of relics, save a few small beads, one or two arrow-heads, one spear-head, and a few pottery sherds. The earth wall along the west side is quite high in some places, higher than on the east side of the old fort. The ditch is quite deep here, and will average three feet below the level inside. The embankment in many places has a layer of-stone underneath, presumably to keep it from slipping and sliding down the hill. Landslides in limestone regions being not uncommon, the natives took precautions against the danger here at Fort Ancient. How- ever, some consider the stones of very slight protection or support in case the wall should become loosened in an ex- cessively wet season, and stuart sliding into the deep ravines. The stones can be seen cropping out at the base of the wall in every gateway. Near station 248, on a point overlooking the valley, is a small grave containing about two wagon loads of stone. Yet underneath were three skeletons in fair state of preservation. With the skull of one individual was found a large flint spear-head, and with another several shell beads, a small but finely made arrow-head, and some ocean shells, which had been perforated and worn as orna- ments. These bodies lay about 10 or 12 inches beneath the surface of the ground, with scarcely any covering. In most instances the bones in the graves in the woods and on the terraces are found within a foot of the surface. 94 ‘ISOM SurTyooy ‘(snuryisy) 3410.7 PIPPIN FNL 2 OSCR al CHAPTER. VI. VILLAGE SITE ALONG THE BANKS OF THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER. A preliminary examination was made of this in 1887 and 1888. In 1889 more extensive excavations were under- taken and a number of men employed for a considerable time. The village extends over a space of ground, possibly half a mile long and 400 yards in width. Most of the explorations were confined to a space 100 feet by 400 feet. It is stated that in the heavy woods on the flat across the river is another site, but the writer never attempted explo- rations on the west side of the river. As the river each spring washes and cuts into the banks, a thick hedge has been planted about twenty feet back from the edge. The bank in 1889 was perhaps 15 feet in altitude and nearly perpendicular. We were requested not to dig on the river side of this hedge, and therefore confined all our excava- tions to the east side of it. The first large excavation made was back from the hedge about 80 feet. At a depth of two feet we found numerous bones of animals, ashes, and pottery fragments. The soil at this point is a heavy black loam with some sand in it. It is very rich, and raises annually splendid crops without fertilization. The bones taken out from the depth of two feet were mostly in small pieces, and they were not nearly so numerous as those which we found at a depth of four feet. Four feet of earth has accumulated since the great village was there. It is at this deep level that we find pottery of a beautiful texture and finish, and implements of a better grade than those found at the two-foot level. In these excavations the same order of arrangement is noticed every-where. First, there is a layer of loam about two feet thick; then there is a thin deposit of ashes, char- coal, etc. Then there are two feet to thirty inches of sand and loam, and the heavy deposit of refuse. At five feet we find, in places, a thick layer of bones, pottery, etc.; it is not, 96 wine Beis yee Ss a u zi XXI. From Tichenor’s “Guide to Ft. Ancient.” PLATE View of the Valley. however, continuous like the four-foot layer, and the village that left it was not so large as the two later ones. In some excavations the bones are few, and the mussel shells scarce. In others we seem to strike the site of a lodge and find inany remains of occupation. A few pieces of pottery of a dark red color, which were thick and clumsy, and a few bird bones were all that were found at two feet from the surface. From a depth of two feet until we had reached a depth of four feet we found nothing. At four feet we found the greatest deposit of objects described. This fact indicates that a very consider- able length of time had elapsed since the first village was abandoned before the next one was occupied. At this level we found a large black mass of ashes, and soft earth, and burnt stone; such as would result from long continued cooking on one spot of ground. In this mass of ashes were the bones of 17 animals and birds, and many fish scales. We also took out eight bone needles or awls, such as the women of the tribe would use in the manufacture of gar- ments of deer skin. Some of the pottery fragments found at this level were quite large and nicely decorated. The bones represent the following animals and birds: bear, deer, elk, musk-rat, ground-hog, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit and wolf, wild turkey, wild duck, hawk, owl, quail, cat-fish, turtle, and gar. It is well known that ashes have a wonderful preserving quality and in the deeper pits minute fish scales and bones and the vertebral column of fish were removed in almost perfect condition. Needles, perforators and awls were quite common as were mussel shells used as scrapers and as hoes. Typical perforated mussel shell for the insertion of either a finger or stick is shown in Plate XXVI. Some of the awls may be seen in Plate X XV. 98 A number of children’s graves were uncovered but no group of graves was discovered during the explorations in the summer of 1889. A child, probably two years of age, had been buried with unusual care. The stones were two feet by six inches, three inches thick and weighed about 75 pounds each—the largest that we found either in the valley or upon the hill. Near the head of the skeleton lay four shell discs, two small shell pendants and an arrow point of clear chalcedony. Since the grave was con- structed, natives had camped on the spot above, for there was an ash pit 4 by 38 feet which contained much bone ma- terial and pottery sherds. After the writer’s appointment as assistant under Pro- fessor Putnam, work was undertaken again at Fort Ancient... In “Primitive Man in Ohio” the results of the 1891 exploration were given to the public in Chapters VII and VIII of that work, and about half of the pages relating to Fort Ancient are republished herewith. When we consider the magnitude of the walls of Fort Ancient, the immense amount of labor involved in their erection, and in the construction of the miles of terraces connected with them, we realize that all this required a long period of time or a large number of workers; perhaps, when we bear in mind the primitive methods of the builders, we are even justified in believing that it represents the pro- longed and continuous industry of a numerous population, Taking this view of the case, it is a surprising feature to note that so few mounds occur in connection with this 1 When he was appointed to the position of field assistant for the World’s Columbian Exposition Survey in 1891, Professor Putnam wrote him on March 18th of that year, giving instructions for the work to be carried out at Fort Ancient, viz.: ‘‘ Taking into considera- tion the fact that the Exposition will have the benefit of your former work at this place, and the use of such plans and notes as you already have, I herewith agree that all material obtained during this expedi- tion shall be-at your service for study and description,” 9 / =<4° (6ggt) ‘ePIS ISAM ‘WOT OPPHA ‘SIIBAA SAUSFOUY OT UF JIOg eMoT CYL ‘IIXX HTLV 1d great earthwork, and that even such as do exist are of in- significant proportions. Omitting a few small elevations which have been plowed over until it is impossible to de- termine whether they are natural or artificial, and which have never disclosed anything that would throw light on the question, there are only ten mounds in sight from any portion of the enclosure; all these except one,’ which is in the loop or curve formed by the junction of the parallels, at the farthest extremity of the fort, were thoroughly ex- amined. As the survey of 1889 was not able to thoroughly explore the village sites, under Professor Putnam’s direction the author employed eight or ten men for some weeks in May and June, 1891, on the “Lower” and ‘“Upper”’ sites. These are separated by a small ravine, merely, although the cemeteries were about 700 feet apart. The Lower one— south—was where we had dug in 1889. One can observe both sites from a hundred places upon the towering fort walls above. It is so near the enclosure that but three or four minutes would be occupied in reach- ing safety should the villagers be compelled to flee at the approach of an enemy. Besides the site mentioned, one mile and a half below the southern extremity of Fort Ancient is another large village covering some eight or ten acres rich in graves and debris. At the mouth of Caesar Creek, six miles distant to the north, are two extensive sites, one in the bottoms and the other upon the hills to the south. The 1891 work confirmed what had been observed three years previously. For a depth of two feet there was little indica- tion of occupation. This level was the highest, and therefore 2 This was examined in April, 1891. It contained nothing. Io! JO OPIS IsoM ‘ITPA UL JNoYse AA "OQSI FO JoUIUUNG “EOF "eG vou “IO MON TIXX, Gly id: Sta. 4 } i ; ; WII Sta. 241 Sta. 243 bao Sta. 257 FNM } : 4 42,37 ft. = 37,11 ft. ee prar.60 Baas Sta, 103 PLATE MXIV. Cross Sections of the Embankments. taxen where Contrasts were Marked. — a the latest, of three villages that had been situated upon the bottom. We found great quantities of burnt stone, ashes, charcoal, fragments of pottery, bones of animals and birds. Implements of stone lay scattered about and were, with few exceptions, broken or thrown aside in the waste so abundant in such places. This layer had a thickness of about six inches. After passing through it we found another stratum of soil not less than a foot thick, and in some places as much as eighteen inches. It did not contain any specimens of human handiwork. At a depth of one foot below the first layer the level of the second village site was discovered. It had been occupied for a longer period of time than the other. A few inches of clean earth had formed between the second layer and the debris of the lowest or oldest site. Its highest point is fully five and a half feet below the present surface. The depth of this layer is less than six inches. The greatest depth below the surface at which any relic was found in the three village sites was six and ahalf feet. The specimen was a small highly polished celt of green stone. It must not be inferred that the “kitchen-middens” extended in a continuous, unbroken stratum at the various levels. In some of the pits we found all three strata, in others either one or two. A few places were entirely without layers and did not show any traces of fire from the surface to the bottom of the pit. Articles of aboriginal manufacture were also absent. 103 It is obvious then, that at three different periods in the past, separated from one another by considet- able intervals, this bottom was a place of resort for the aboriginal hunters and fishermen of the Little Miami valley. But whether they came to spend the summer only, or whether the villages were per- manent places of abode will never be known. On one hand is the great amount of refuse accumulated ; but on the other is the fact that the ground is subject to an occasional overflow. At any rate, the intervening strata of earth containing no evidence of human residence, would show that, whichever view of the matter we take, occupation of the site was not continuous. During the excavations at this point we unearthed three skeletons some rods back from the river. The first was that of an adult of small size, not more than five feet six inches long. This burial is notice- able for its peculiarity. The earth had been removed foradepth of two feet, and in the bottom of the space a hole had been dug large enough to contain the body. At each end of this hole a rectangular limestone slab had been placed to serve as head and foot stones. The body had then been deposited and four large flat limestones placed across with their ends resting on the earth at either side so they would not touch the body. The soil had then been thrown over the structure. The bones were well preserved, but no relics of any sort were found in the grave. Within three feet of the end of the grave just referred to was one containing the remains of a child. It was similar in construction to the first, except 104 that the headstone was omitted, and only two stones placed over it. A small quantity of unusually fine, soft black earth was with the bones — possibly the remains of garments or robes in which the child had been wrapped. TRARY NINIS, | 2. @ Qe Bone Awls and Scrapers, from Ash-pits, Fort Ancient. 105 CGHAPTER VIL. GROUPS OF GRAVES. In addition to the scattered graves found here and there under or in the village site, several small cemeteries of three to seventeen graves each, were uncovered. Most of them occurred in the Upper site and were more carefully constructed and different from those of the Old Fort. It is interesting to compare the Fort Ancient graves with those of Kentucky and Tennessee where large cemeteries exist. The graves found at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1903 (see Bulletin No. 8, Department Archaeology, Phil- lips Academy, p. 115), were more nearly, in point of con- struction, like those of Fort Ancient than the ones de- scribed by Gen. Thruston in his ‘Antiquities of Tennessee.” PLATE XXVI. Typical mussel shell Hoe; Village Site; Full size. 106 General Thruston says : “The rude cists, or box-shaped coffins, are made of thin slabs of stone. Sometimes the stones are broken or cut, or rubbed down so as to fit evenly and form a well shaped case, but more frequently they are rudely joined together. Occasionally they are found in mounds or layers, four or five tiers of graves deep. The graves are usually six or seven feet long, a foot and a half to two feet wide, and eighteen inches deep; but graves of greatly varying sizes and shapes are found intermingled with those of more regular form. The children’s graves are proportionately smaller. Frequently the same cist con- tains two or three skeletons, and is not more than three or four feet long, the bones having been placed in a pile irregularly within it, indicating that they were probably interred long after death, and after some intermediate preparation or ceremonies similar to the burial customs of some of the historic tribes. “Many of the graves in the vicinity of Nashville are lined with large, thick fragments of broken pottery, as neatly joined together as if moulded for the purpose. The author recently excavated several graves of this kind on Hon. W. F. Cooper’s farm, near Nashville. The pottery burial cases were symmetrically formed, and seemed to be moulded in single pieces, until an attempt was made to raise them, when they fell apart, and were found to be composed of neatly joined fragments of large vessels; the heavy rims of the vessels, more than an inch and a half thick, having been used as rims or borders for the burial cases. “ Nearly all the stone graves are found to be filled with earth inside, by infiltration. The roots of trees have pene- trated them. The very skulls are usually packed solid with earth, but now and then the iron pick will strike a hollow cist in its original state, and the fortunate explorer may be rewarded by finding a vessel or bowl of clay, perhaps 107 two or three, within easy grasp, beside the still uncov- ered skeleton, and he will thus secure a better oppor- tunity of observing at his leisure all the interesting details of the burial. “ Sometimes a little cluster of stone graves is found, with the usual accompaniments of pottery and rude orna- ments, like many modern plantation burial-places, contain- ing the remains of a single family, or group of families, that doubtless lived an agricultural life in its own farm dwellings. The remains sometimes found in these small isolated burial-grounds show that some of these villagers or country people must have been supplied with many of the domestic conveniences enjoyed by the inhabitants of the larger towns.” The burials in both upper and lower village sites were about equally divided as to adults and children, save in one or two instances. No objects were buried with the adults, but near the children were bead necklaces, small shell ornaments, and shell toys. Frequently a child would be placed alongside an adult woman, probably its mother. Occasionally the short grave of the child, but three or four feet in length, rested directly upon the long hollow vault in which lay the mother. But one or two male skele- tons were found in the group of graves and those were young persons, not over eighteen or twenty years of age. The lower burial site when uncovered presented a very singular appearance. We had excavated a great hole one hundred feet in length and forty feet in width to a depth of four feet, or until we struck hard river sand. Above this floor stood the graves from one to eighteen inches high. See Hlustration 108 XXX. The deeper graves were often in the undisturbed river sand, and more carefully constructed ones were prob- ably hollow, but had partially filled with earth, because the Stones across the top were broken by horses or other weighty animals passing over them.’ The illustration shows some of the stones sloping toward the centre of the grave, thus permitting the water and earth to penetrate to the cavity beneath. Upon a given day the 16 graves, comprising the lower group, were opened in the presence of a large number of people from Columbus, Cincinnati, and surrounding coun- try. In those graves which were covered by perfect stones the skeletons remained well preserved. Out of thirty- Seven graves in the three groups we secured twenty-five Crania entire. All of these crania, together with village site material, were shipped to Chicago to be exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition. AGE OF THE VILLAGE SITE The conclusions set forth after the two explorations men- tioned, vary in detail, but agree in the main. The writer wishes to place on record the observations of that time, with a few unimportant changes. It must be remembered that there is no evidence that the Shawanoes camped for any length of time near Fort Ancient. Their large village, Old Chillicothe, was three miles north of Xenia or 25 miles from Fort Ancient. No glass beads or iron tomahawks or copper kettles have been found in the burials about Ore- gonia or Fort Ancient. The three villages seem to have been in existence before the advent of French or English traders. Mr. Hughes, previously quoted, who came to Ohio at the age of fourteen in 1812, affirms that the site along the river was covered with a heavy growth of scya- more, elm, walnut and oak timber. This testimony is pre- sented for what it is worth. At Oregonia 100 or more stone graves were opened for Professor Putnam. Graves were upon the hill summit and also in a mound of some size. This mound was more nearly like those found in Tennessee and described by Gen. Thruston, (while speaking of a certain mound he refers 1It must be borne in mind that the tops of the graves were some- times within twenty inches of the surface. 109 to stone graves): “A hundred or more of these rude sarcophagi are occasionally found deposited in several tiers, or layers, in a single burial mound.” This statement is borne out in the Ohio valley by our own investigations, as well as those of others. While not at liberty to speak in detail of the work done by the World’s Fair at Oregonia, Ohio, a few general remarks will be permitted regarding a mound of unusual character. Czesar’s Creek, a tributary of the Little Miami River, is noted for the large num- ber of mounds existing near its banks. No archee- ological work was ever carried on in Czesar’s Creek valley prior to 1891. Hence, the field was un- usually rich. Upon the heights overlooking the creek and the Miami River to the south is a large village site, covering sixty or seventy acres of ground. In the bottoms on the south side of the river, below the mouth of the creek, is another large village site, while just above the delta is still a third, and smaller one. At the edge of the village upon the hill is a gravel knoll, from which we exhumed ten skeletons, two whole pots, ete. As is always the case when interments are made in gravel er sand, the bones were remarkably well preserved. Just back of the gravel pit is a mound eight feet in altitude and one hundred and ten feet in length. In the mound were seventy-nine skeletons, twenty of which were enclosed in stone cists, such as we find at Fort Ancient. Two of the vaults were hollow, the others being filled with loose earth which had settled in through the crevices. In many places in the mound there were three or four 110 layers of graves, one on top of each other. The skeletons resting upon the base line were not incased in stones. Upon the extreme southern edge of the mound were five graves in a row, all heading the same way, and some of them containing two or three skeletons each.