Full text of "Aboriginal sites on Tennessee River"

GIFT OF

WRITINGS OX ARCILFOLOGY.

Bv CLARKXCE B. MOOKE.

Certain .Shell Heaps of the St. Johns River, Florida, hitherto unexplored. The American Naturalist,

Xov., 1S92, to Jany.. IS!) I. inclusive. Five papers with illustrations in text, and maps.
Certain Sand Mounds of the St. Johns River, Florida, Parts I and II. Journal of the Academy of Natural

Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, IS!) -I. Vol. X. Quarto, 180 and 123 pages. Frontispieces,

maps, plates, illustrations in the text.
Certain Sand Mounds of Duval County, Florida; Two Mounds on Murphy Island, Florida; Certain Sand

Mounds of the Ocklawaha River, Florida. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1S95. Vol. X. Quarto,

10S pases. Frontispiece, maps, plates, illustrations in text.
Additional Mounds of Duval and of Clay Counties, Florida; Mound Investigation on the Fast Coast of

Florida: Certain Florida Coast Mounds north of the St. Johns River. Privately printed, Phila
delphia, 1S!)(&gt;. Quarto, 30 pages. Map, plates, illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Georgia Coast. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1S97. Vol. XI.

Quarto, 144 pages. Frontispiece, map, plates, illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Coast of South Carolina; Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Savannah

River: Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Altamaha River; Recent Acquisitions; A ( ache of Pendent

Ornaments. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila.. IXitS. Vol. XI. Quarto, 4S pages. Frontispiece,

maps, illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Alabama River. Jtmrn. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., IS!)!). Vol. XI.

Quarto, &lt;&gt;2 pages. Map. illustrations in text.
Certain Antiquities of the Florida West-Coast. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1000. Vol. XI. Quarto.

4(i pages. Maps, illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Northwest Florida Coast, Part I; Certain Aboriginal Remains of the

Tombigbee River. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1901. Vol. XI. Quarto, 100 pages. Maps

illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Northwest Florida Coast, Part II. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila.,

1002. Vol. XII. Quarto, 235 pages. Maps, illustrations in text.
Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Central Florida West-Coast: Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Apa-

lachicola River. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1903. Vol. XII. Quarto, 13G pages. Maps,

illustrations in text.
Sheet-copper from the Mounds is not Necessarily of European Origin. American Anthropologist, Jan.-

March, 1003. Plates in text.
The So-called "Hoe-shaped Implement." American Anthropologist, July-Sept., 1903. Illustrations in

text.

Aboriginal Urn-burial in the United States. American Anthropologist, Oct.-Dec., 1004. Plate.
A Form of Urn-burial on Mobile Bay. American Anthropologist, Jan. -March, 1905.
Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Black Warrior River [Moundville]; Certain Aboriginal Remains of the

Lower Tombigbee River; Certain Aboriginal Remains of Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound; Mis
cellaneous Investigation in Florida. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1905. Vol. XIII. Quarto,

20li pages. Maps, illustrations in text.
Moundville Revisited; Crystal River Revisited; Mounds of the Lower Chattahoochee and Lower Flint

Rivers; Notes on the Ten Thousand Islands, Florida. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1907. Vol.

XIII. Quarto, 141 pages. Maps, illustrations in text.

Certain Mounds of Arkansas and of Mississippi (including Doctor Hrdlicka s paper on the Crania). Journ.

Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 19IK Vol. XIII. Quarto, 130 pages. Maps, illustrations in text, eight

colored plates.
Antiquities of the Ouachita Valley. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1009. Vol. XIV. Quarto, 170 pages.

Maps, illustrations in text, eight colored plates. (In addition in this number is Doctor Hrdlicka s

paper on the skeletal remains.)
Antiquities of the St. Francis, White, and Black Rivers. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1910. Vol.

XIV. Quarto, 1 12 pages. Maps, illustrations in text, twenty colored plates.

Some Aboriginal Sites on Mississippi River. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1911. Vol. XIV. Quarto,

1 Hi pages. Map, illustrations in text, eight colored plates.
Some Aboriginal Sites on Red River. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1912. Vol. XIV. Quarto, 103

pages. Map, plans, illustrations in text, eight colored plates.
Some Aboriginal Sites in Louisiana and in Arkansas. (Atchafalaya River, Lake Larto, Tensas River,

Bayou Maeon, Bayou D Arbonne, in Louisiana; Saline River, in Arkansas.) Journ. Acad. Nat.

Sci. of Phila., 1913. Vol. XVI. Quarto, 102 pages. Maps, plans, illustrations in text, two colored

plates.
Aboriginal Sites on Tennessee River. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Phila., 1915. Vol. XVI. Quarto, 25S

pages. Maps, plans, illustrations in text, four colored plates.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE Ul VER

I3Y

CLARENCE B. MOORK

REPRINTED FROM THE
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, VOL. XVI.

PHILADELPHIA

1915

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.
BY CLARENCE B. MOORE.

INTRODUCTION.

That subdivision of the United States of America known as the State of
Tennessee takes its name from that of two or more Cherokee settlements. 1
The moaning of the word (Tanasi} has not been determined.

The archaeology of few States of the Union has boon more widely described
than has that of Tennessee, especially the region having the city of Nashville
as a center.

Archaeological investigations, mainly in eastern Tennessee, conducted by
Rev. I*]. (). Dunning in behalf of Peabody Museum of Harvard University, arc
included in the Third (1870) and Fifth (1872) Annual Reports of that institution,
with an account of the collection by Jeffries Wyman.

The explorations of Joseph Jones, M.D., mainly in the Cumberland valley,
are described by him in "Explorations of the Aboriginal Remains of Tennessee." -

Prof. Frederic Ward Putnam gives an account of his archaeological researches
in central Tennessee in the Eleventh Annual Report of Peabody Museum of
Harvard University, 1878. These explorations were continued under Professor
Putnam s direction by Mr. E. Curtis until 1880. Numerous references to this
work are given in the Reports of the Museum to 1881.

Archaeological work in Tennessee by agents of the Bureau of American Eth
nology, mainly along the Little Tennessee, but including a few sites on Tennessee
river, is described in the Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau.

In the Reports of the Smithsonian Institution, /xixxitn, are to be found accounts
of archaeological research in Tennessee.

A partial list of Tennessee mounds and sites is given by Cyrus Thomas in
his "Catalogue of Prehistoric Works East of the Rocky Mountains, " :t Bureau of
of American Ethnology, 18!) 1.

Prof. William H. Holmes, in various writings contained in the Annual Reports
of the Bureau of American Ethnology, notably in his "Art in Shell of the Ancient
Americans." 1 and his "Aboriginal Pottery of Eastern United States." discusses
the aboriginal art of Tennessee.

The late ( lonoral dates P. Thruston, in his comprehensive work, " The Anti-

1 " Handbook of . \tnencan Indians, 1 Bureau of American KtlmoloKy, Bulletin 30.

2 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. XXII. p. 2"&gt;(i, 1S70.

3 Bulletin 12.

4 Second Annual Report, pp. I7()-:J&lt;)."&gt;.
Twentieth Annual Report, pp. I -201.

172 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

quiticsof Tennessee " (second edition, 1897), details in a most interesting way his
explorations in the great cemeteries near Nashville, Tenn., and the archaeology
of the State in general.

Mr. W. E. Myer, of Carthage, Tenn., who has widely explored aboriginal
sites along Cumberland river and whose collection is so well known, has written
"An Old Shawnee Town on Cumberland River," and "The Caverns and Rock-
shelters of Cumberland Valley."

As to the former inhabitants of Tennessee we are told 1 that, in later times, the
area occupied by the Cherokee embraced the valley of the Tennessee. Thruston-
says that in the historical period the Shawnee once held sway from the Ohio
river to the Tennessee, and Doctor Jones 3 asserts that the Chaouanons, or
Shawnee, inhabited the valleys of Kentucky and Tennessee, more especially
the Cumberland, and cites Robertson s statement that the region occupied by the
Shawnee was from Tennessee river to north of the Cumberland. The " Handbook
of American Indians " calls the basin of the Cumberland the early home of the
Shawnee. Doubtless at one time the Shawnee occupied much 5 of what is now the
State of Tennessee.

However, to adduce evidence that a territory was once peopled by a certain
tribe is one thing, but to prove that this tribe constructed the mounds and graves
found in that region is quite a different matter. Those who have written on the
archaeology of Tennessee have, with commendable conservatism, contented them
selves with ascribing to the "Stone Grave people" the mounds, graves, and arti
facts of that region, that are connected with the use of stone in sepulture, while
aboriginal interments not associated with stone, have been, with equally praise
worthy caution, left unassigned to any particular tribe.

The stone grave, the most distinctive feature of the archaeology of Tennessee,
though found in northern Georgia," West Virginia, 7 Kentucky, southwestern
()hio, s eastern Indiana, 7 southern Illinois, and sparingly in Missouri, 9 and, as

" Handbook of American Indians," Part 1. p. (ill).

- OIL cil., p. 22.

:l O/i. cit., pp. 147, 154.

4 Part 2, p. 531.

G And probably oven to (he south of Tennessee. Through I he courtesy of Dr. Ales Ilrdlicka we
give an extract from a letter to him from Dr. John R. Swanton. " The Indians of Marshall County.
Alabama/ by Oliver Day (Street of Guntersville, Ala., published in the Transactions of the Alabama
Historical Society, Vol. IV, p. 193-210. This writer brings forward historical and traditional in
formation to show that the Shawnee occupied t he region of the great bend of the Tennessee in nort hern
Alabama between 1600 and 1721. He even locates their principal town near Tennessee river. etc.
Upon the whole there is reason to suppose that during the time when they were settled upon the
Cumberland the Shawnee also made settlements on the Tennessee as well, but I do not think their
occupancy of that region was of long duration."

6 12th An. Rep. Bur. Am. Kthn., p. 302 r7 */. C. ( ..Jones, " Antiquities of the Soul hern Indians,"
Chapter X.

7 12th An. Rep. Bur. Am. Kthn.. p. 571.

"(iorard Fowke/ Archseological History of Ohio," Chap. XI.

9 David I. Bushnell, Jr., " Archaeological Investigation in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri,"
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 46, pp. 041-668, 1914. Thruston, op. cit., p. 28, footnote.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNKSSKK RIYKR. 173

we have been the first to show, in northern Alabama, had such extensive use in
Tennessee that in the minds of most it is associated chiefly witli that State.
" It is in Tennessee that this special form of grave seems to have been made with
the greatest care and maintained with slight variation in construction. It is
here, also, that the largest cemeteries consisting of burials in stone graves are
found and that the graves are often made over one another in tiers forming stone
grave mounds." 1

Xow let us examine the form and contents of the stone graves, as heretofore
described.

Putnam- writes:

"One grave which I opened at Zollicoffer Hill [central Tennessee], though
only a few inches under the surface, had escaped former disturbance. This
grave was formed of six slabs of stone on one side and five on the other, with one
slab at the head, and one at the foot; forming a grave five feet eight inches in
length, inside measure, and six feet outside; the average width being eighteen
and the depth sixteen inches. The side stones were unevenly broken to dimen
sions of eight to fifteen inches in width, by about twenty inches in depth and
two or three inches in thickness. The two stones forming the head and foot of
the grave were larger than those on the sides. All these stones extended a
few inches below the floor of the grave, which was made by placing thinner and
smaller pieces of stone in such a manner as to form a level bottom to this cist. ;i
Five slabs of stone, larger than those used on the sides, rested on the nearly even
edges of the upright stones, and, slightly overlapping, formed the cover or top
of the grave.

"Further examination in other localities showed that all the stone graves
were made after this plan, the only variation being in the size [and number] of
the stone slabs and in the dimensions of the graves. Any rock was used that
could be easily detached in slabs of convenient size. That most common to the
localities I visited was limestone and sandstone."

Doctor Jones says:

"The manner of burial seems to have been as follows: An excavation of a
size agreeing with that of the body of the dead was made in the ground, and the
bottom carefully paved with flat stones. Flat stones or slabs of limestone and
slaty sandstone were placed along the sides and at the head and foot of the grave.
The body was then placed within this rude coffin, and with it wen 1 deposited
vases, small ornaments, pearls, beads, bands of wampum, large sea-shells, idols,
warlike implements, stone hatchets and chisels, spear-heads, arrow-heads, stone

1 Xote contributed by Professor Put 11:1111, who adds that, so far as lie is aware, the building of
slow graves in tiers so as to form mounds is confined to central Tennessee, where some of this kind
were explored by him. and by Mr. Curtis under Professor Putnam s direction.

- (&gt;/&gt;. cit., p. :&lt;()&lt;&gt;.

In some instances Putnam found that the bottoms of the graves were covered with potsherd*,
and still others had evidently had the floors covered with bark. Pea body Mus. Report s. Vol. o. p. IIW.
O/&gt;. rit., p. S.

174 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

swords, paint bowls, and even copper ornaments. The top of the grave was then
covered with one or more flat stones. The upper slabs covering the graves were
generally on a level with the surface of the ground. In some localities, however,
and especially in the most carefully constructed burial mounds, the graves were
covered with a foot of earth or more. . . .

" In some localities the sides of the tombs stood up above the surface from
four to eight inches, as in the case of the stone graves described by Bartram.
When a number of coffins were placed together, the side stones of the first fre
quently constituted the side of the second, and so on. Many of the stone
graves are quite small, and capable of containing only the body of a new-born
infant. These small graves were constructed with great care, and the sides,
bottom and top were formed of much thinner and smoother slabs than the
graves of the adults. Many of the short, square graves, not more than eigh
teen inches or two feet in length, contained the bones of adults piled together,
the crania being surrounded by or resting upon the arm and leg bones."

Doctor Jones next proceeds to explode the theory advanced by certain writers
of the old school who desired to appeal to the sense of wonder (a class not yet
extinct), that the small graves contained remains of a pigmy race. 1

Thrust on 2 describes the stone graves of central Tennessee as follows:

"The rude cists or box-shaped coffins are made of thin slabs of stone. Some
times 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. Oc
casionally, 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 dee]); but graves of greatly varying sizes and shapes are found
intermingled with those of more regular form. The children s graves are pro
portionately smaller. Frequently the same cist contains 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."

The stone graves, unfortunately, are not so rich in artifacts as one might sur
mise from reading Doctor Jones s account. Professor Putnam in a personal
letter writes us: "I think the great center of the stone-grave people was in the
Cumberland Valley. There is where I did my work. Even there objects in
the graves were not frequent. Certainly not more than one grave in twenty or
more had any artifacts and not as many as that had pottery."

Mr. W. E. Myer, of Carthage, Tenn., whose archaeological work along Cumber
land river has been referred to, writes us: "I have found not more than one grave

1 Putnam found in sonic of the comet erics that the children s graves were separated from the graves
of adults, one portion of the cemetery being devoted to the children. It was such grouping of the
graves, lie believes, that led some of the early writers to think there had been a race of pigmies in
Tennessee.

2 Op. cil.. p. 29.

ABOHICIXAL SITKS OX TKXXKSSKK KIYKR. 17:&gt;

in fifty contains artifacts." The reader of the description of our work along
Tennessee river will note the very meagre returns from the stone graves there.

In southwestern Ohio, also, but few artifacts have been found in stone graves.
We are told by (lerard Fowke: 1 So far as may lie judged from personal explora
tion and from the reports of others who have made investigations, not more than
half a dozen graves out of several hundred opened, have yielded specimens of
any sort."

Professor Putnam 2 reports that only eight pipes were found in several thousand
stone graves opened in various sections of the stone-grave area in behalf of the
Peabody Museum. He points out, however, that one may, at times, in stone
graves find objects of surpassing rarity, and describes (in a personal letter) a fine
deposit of rare flint implements obtained in central Tennessee, :i by an agent
working under his direction for Peabody Museum, hitherto undescribed in print,
which much resembles the superb deposit of flints now in possession of the
Missouri Historical Society. 1 This latter deposit, however, which was found in
Humphreys County, Tenn., on Duck river, a few miles above Tennessee river,
cannot be said absolutely to have come from a stone grave, though it probably
was so derived, as set forth in Professor Moorchead s book.

While undoubtedly flints of wonderful form and workmanship have been
discovered in Tennessee, it is almost certain that many flints of very unusual
shape, some of which have been illustrated in various books, are the handiwork
of well-known counterfeiters and fakirs 1 * who reside in the western Kentucky and
Tennessee region, and that genuine flints of unusual shapes in the stone-grave
territory are not found nearly so often as readers of archaeological works might
-uppose. Mr. Myer has found none on ( umberland river, and our lack of success
in the discover} of such flints on the Tennessee lends further evidence as to their
scarcity.

We quote by permission an extract from a letter by Mr. Myer:

"I find flint implements the hardest of all to determine counterfeits.

"It is my belief that a great many bogus relics are placed upon the market.

"In my own collection I found that I had many bogus pieces. 1 obtained
them from men whom I had known for many years and had full confidence in.
Even when I began to doubt them I felt I was doing them an injustice. I did
not believe they knew enough or had the skill to make the flints.

"I was unable to get definite proof, but I became convinced I had been de-

1 "Arrliii ological History of Ohio," p. 40(i.

-Peabody Museum, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Annual Reports, p. Hi,").

Exhibited at the ( Vnleimial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1S7(&gt;, and casts of which are in the National
Museum, at Washington.

(ierard Fowke. Prehistoric Objects Classified and Described," Missouri Historical Society.
Department of Archaeology, Bulletin I. Warren K. Moorehead, "The Stone Age in North America."
Vol. I. fins. Kil, KiL , p. Kit 1 1 xi i/. See also Thruston s interesting supplement to Chapter VII, u/&gt; cil.

The last letter received by us from our good friend, the late (len. (!ates P. Tlmiston, written
shortly before his death, is very specific as to this counterfeiting and faking of flints. The fact, more
over, is well known in archeeological circles.

170 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

coivod. It was a bitter pill to have to take out of my collection some of my most
cherished specimens. I did it and am glad I did. Science wants the truth.
The professional relic dealer somehow gets in touch with much doubtful stuff
of very rare form."

An interesting feature of the archaeology of Tennessee is its pottery, of which
but little has been written except of that of the region centering around Nashville,
on Cumberland river, where most of the pottery discovered in the State has been
found. The earthenware of this region is similar to most of that of the Middle
Mississippi region, whose approximate southern boundary seems to be Arkansas
river in all events west of the Mississippi such is the case.

The pottery of the Middle Mississippi region, while extremely interesting, is
bizarre rather than artistic. The ware, shell-tempered, is coarse, thick and lack
ing in surface finish; forms are often asymmetrical; undecorated vessels abound.
The interest in this ware lies mainly in its numerous curious effigy vessels, and
in its polychrome decoration which, however, is less often met with in Tennessee
than it is across the Mississippi.

For delicate pottery of artistic form, with highly polished surface, often bear
ing gracefully curved, and sometimes intricate, incised or trailed line-decoration,
and seldom without ornamentation of some kind, one must, as a rule, seek farther
south in the Lower Mississippi region. A concrete example of this may be seen
in Plate VIII of Thruston s work, where, in the upper left-hand corner, a vessel
from the Lower Mississippi region is shown, while all the others are from the
Middle Mississippi territory.

The pottery of middle Tennessee, while inferior to that of some parts of the
Middle Mississippi region (the northern part of Arkansas, for example, with its
"tea-pot" vessels, its head-vessels, its exceptional cases of incised decoration)
far surpasses such earthenware as has been found along Tennessee river in
Tennessee, if we except the rare examples of presumably a local culture near
Chattanooga, to be described in this report.

We shall now turn from the archaeology of the State of Tennessee in general
to consider Tennessee river in connection with our archaeological work upon it.

Tennessee river begins in eastern Tennessee, a short distance above the city
of Knoxville, and is formed by the junction of French Broad and Holston rivers. 1
Continuing westwardly and southerly, somewhat below the city of Chattanooga,
Tenn., it enters the State of Alabama, where it follows first a southwesterly and
then a northwesterly course, and, bordering the State of Mississippi for about ten
miles on one side, it again enters the State of Tennessee. Turning northward,
ihe river flows first through Tennessee and then through Kentucky to its union

1 In former times Tennessee river was regarded as beginning at Kingston, by the junction of Ihe
( linrh and Holston rivers. In the report of Col. S. II. Long, made in 1830, Tennessee river is regarded
as beginning at the union of the Holston and the Little Tennessee. At present Tennessee river is
considered as stated in the text. All this information we have from Major II. Burgess, Corps of
Engineers, U. S. A., now stationed at Nashville, Tenn., who in so many ways has aided our expedition.

ABORK1IXAL SITES OX TEXXESSEE RIVER. 177

with Ohio river, at Paducah. Ky., a distance of (&gt;f)2 measured miles, following
the course of the stream.

Tennessee river, which flows through rock and gravel, has not constantly
changed its course as have some other southern rivers which pass through alluvial
deposit.

Though showing ample evidence of aboriginal occupancy along its entire
course, the Tennessee possesses but few aboriginal sites of importance. Its
greatest mound (at Florence, Ala.), quadrangular, with flat top, doubtless domi
ciliary, is 42 feet in height. Xo other mound on the river approaches it in al
titude. The principal, 1 and really only notable group of mounds on Tennessee
river, is on the Battlefield of Shiloh, near Pittsburg Landing, Tcnn., where seven
interesting mounds, most of them quadrangular and probably domiciliary, testify
to the former presence of an aboriginal town. The highest of these is about 15
feet, though in a description of the group which has been published, the height of
this mound, by including part of the river bank, is made considerably greater.

Beginning at Hiwassee Island in eastern Tennessee, and continuing up the
river to Lenoir City, a distance of 101 miles by water, in almost continuous
sequence are groups of mounds, blunt cones in shape, few more than 10 or 11
feet in height and most much less than that. These mounds, erected for burial
purposes, in all probability, contain, so far as is known, but few artifacts in con
nection with the burials, which are but sparsely encountered in them. They
have been largely dug into in a limited way, by people having an exagger
ated idea of the value of Indian objects, fostered by the presence of traders
who themselves, or through agents, almost patrol the river. - Had anything
of any consequence been found in all this digging in these mounds, it is cer
tain that they all would have been torn to pieces long ago, since Tennessee 1
river is thickly populated throughout its length and scarcely a mound on it is
out of sight of some habitation.

Xo aboriginal cemeteries of any considerable size border the river, and sites
marked by the presence of stone graves arc comparatively few and of very
limited extent. Although common report along the river tells of the great flood
of 18(57 (and of succeeding though less important ones), and describes the fields
after its subsidence as showing slabs of stone, human bones, and artifacts, and
although one hears of small groups of stone graves that have been plowed away
within the memory of present inhabitants, it is unlikely the Tennessee valley.
at best but the border of the stone-grave people, ever contained anything like
the number of stone graves formerly found in central Tennessee. Had Tennes
see river ever possessed stone-grave cemeteries similar in extent to those found
farther north, they would have been noted and searched long prior to the great

1 The group of mounds at S;i vamiah, Tcnn., described in the Smithsonian Report for 1S70, p. His
(I xi i/., has been largely dug away, now being within the limits of I he town.

: Part way up the river, we were immediately preceded by a dealer; nearly from Chattanooga on
our downward journey, a t radcr went ahead of us in a motor boat, seeking to buy Indian relics and post
ing notices as to their purchase. Other traders were encountered
i:{ JOUHN. A. N. S. PHI LA.. VOL. XVI.

178 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

flood, as was the case in contra! Tennessee, whose antiquities have been described
for nearly a century.

Herewith we present a map of Tennessee river showing the location of stone
graves along its course, based on our own observation with one exception which
carries the presence of the stone grave somewhat farther cast than we found it.

The reader will note that the stone graves, that is to say burials made in
connection with slabs or masses of stone, have, for convenience, been divided
on the map into three classes: (a) the regular, enclosed burial or box-grave found
most extensively and constantly in middle Tennessee; (6) the burial made on or
under slabs or masses of stone but otherwise unenclosed; and (c) unusual
forms.

It will be noted that, as one might expect, in the northwestern area of Ten
nessee river the box-grave predominates. Box-graves, however, as will be seen,
were found by us to a limited extent in eastern Tennessee, and even, in an
isolated case, on the most southerly part of Tennessee river, in Alabama, from
which State no stone graves of any kind had been reported before, though their
presence there had been conjectured by Cyrus Thomas.

Stone graves of other forms, also, were present along parts of Tennessee
river in Alabama, and probably in a scattering way are, or were, along all the
stream there.

We may repeat that artifacts in the stone graves along Tennessee river, as
the reader will see. are seldom encountered, and though objects of great interest
have been found in stone graves elsewhere, the statement that these depositories
of the dead anywhere are rich in aboriginal remains comes from those who have
never investigated stone graves and who apparently write in ignorance of the
facts.

Stone graves in any part of the country, it may be said, resemble a lottery:
one hears of the isolated winners but not of the legions who drew blanks and
this applies in the main to aboriginal mounds, cemeteries, and burials of every
kind throughout the country.

Often with stone graves, unenclosed burials were found by us along Tennessee
river, though Professor Putnam informs us that in his investigations in central
Tennessee, near Nashville, almost no unenclosed interments were found associated
with stone-grave burials, cither by himself or by Mr. Curtis who continued
Professor Putnam s work there.

Along Tennessee river, as the reader will sec, many stone graves, as stated,
were not of the box-grave variety which in central Tennessee is almost exclusively
found; and along all parts of Tennessee river many mounds and sites containing
burials are without stone graves of any kind.

( omparatively little investigation of a serious character had been attempted
along Tennessee river prior to the commencement of our own work. Here and
there a mound or a group of mounds had been examined, but no systematic work
on the stream had been done.

ABORIGINAL SITKS OX TENNESSEE 1UYEH.

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180 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

In the Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology are
accounts of the exploration of a few sites along Tennessee river in Tennessee
and in Alabama.

In the Smithsonian Reports are accounts of (a) the exploration of the mounds
near Citico creek/ Hamilton Co., in the outskirts of Chattanooga (1867, p. 401
et ?.); (ft) the group of mounds at Savannah, Tenn., already noted (1870, p. 408
ct scq.}, and (c) the mounds on the Williams Farm, Hardin Co. (p. 416 et seq.).

In Catalogue of Prehistoric Works East of the Rocky Mountains, by Cyrus
Thomas, arc noted a number of mounds along Tennessee river, most of which
have been referred to by authorities already cited. The exact location of some
of these mounds is at present hard to determine, owing to change of ownership,
a difficulty not easily overcome, however, in the case of mounds of moderate
size not on some island or near a town or the union of streams.

General Thruston (op. cit.) speaks of the mounds at Savannah (p. 43), and
refers to a group near Johnsonville, Tenn. (p. 46), which probably are the mounds
at Dixie Landing, Humphreys Co., described by us. There are also references
to various aboriginal artifacts found along Tennessee river, including two stone
pipes, one from near Kingston, Tenn. (Fig. 85), the other from near Chattanooga
(Fig. 101).

Practically no description of the archaeology of northern Alabama, which
includes part of Tennessee river, has been published hitherto.

For a description of Ohio stone graves not of the box-grave variety but of
irregular forms (and it is irregular forms one finds as a rule in northern Alabama
and in eastern Tennessee, as we know), consult Gerard Fowke, " Archaeological
History of Ohio," Chapter XI.

Tennessee river (as before stated, 652 miles in length) was investigated by
us, practically through all of January, February, March, April, and November,
1914, and January, February, March, and April, 1915, the stream having been
thrice gone over in the interest of our investigation: once, as we shall detail, by
our agents, and twice by our expedition the journey up and the journey down.

The whole river was carefully searched in advance of our coming by Mr. J S.
Raybon (who later commanded the steamboat during the period of our archaeo
logical work on Tennessee river) and a companion, in the summer of 1913, and
by them the exact situation of mounds and dwelling-sites was determined, with
the names and addresses of their owners, to whom requests for permission to
investigate were sent by us.

In former years, as a rule, permission has been readily obtained, but while
many owners along Tennessee river sent affirmative replies, some refused,
while a fair proportion failed to respond, even though addressed a second time.
Such of these as were called upon by us and found at home (absentees were nu
merous and some lived beyond our reach) usually gave consent.

1 Another Citico creek, which empties into Little Tennessee river and lias a mound near it, is
described in the Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TEXXESSEE HIVKH. 1M

A few refusals were based on the fact that former diggers i doubt less treasure-
seekers, traders, or irresponsible natives) had not conformed to their agreements,
but had decamped, leaving excavations unfilled and fields in disorder, behavior
for which we (and one could not otherwise expect) had to suffer.

We believe the refusal of some of the owners to permit us to dig was not based
on the firm belief in the presence of buried treasure in the mounds and sites,
which prevails all over the South (and probably everywhere else where aboriginal
remains exist), but on an exaggerated idea of the value of Indian objects. Our
offer to hand over to owners all treasure unearthed by us on their properties
has elsewhere been to some extent an inducement to grant permission to explore.
and doubtless had similar influence on Tennessee river, since most of them thus
were having done gratis by others what for years they had been thinking of doing
themselves at considerable cost.

Seldom has faith been more misplaced than is that of the class of owners in
question in the value of the contents of their mounds and sites. The presence
of traders in Indian artifacts along the river and the receipt of circulars from
traders in large cities is likely, of course, to foster an exaggerated belief in the
value of aboriginal relics. In point of fact, however, dealers on Tennessee
river seldom obtain anything other than surface finds, "Injun spikes," "are-
heads" (arrowheads), and celts, in addition to what some of them at least are
seeking, namely, broken masses of flint, rejects and fragmentary points, from
all of which counterfeits of Indian relics and freaks of the fakirs fancy can be
manufactured.

These owners are still further influenced by the exaggerated tales current
among the inhabitants along the river as to the prices obtained for Indian relics.
One person recounted in all seriousness to us how a man having dug in a site
(where we found nothing of any consequence) had obtained curiosities which he
had sold for an immense sum. The fact that this individual had died poor shortly
afterward did not seem to shake the person s belief in his story.

Although in the case of Tennessee river it has been our intention to enumerate
all sites 2 and mounds (of course, investigating them when possible), it is highly
probable, owing to the great number along the stream, that many escaped the
search of our agents, supplemented later by our own.

The names of owners of all mounds, whether permission to investigate has
been accorded or not, have been introduced into this report more clearly to
establish the identity of the mounds and also for the reason that a forthcoming-
publication by the Bureau of American Ethnology, which will draw to a con
siderable extent upon our work, will, when possible, include the names of owners.
When, in our report, the withholding of permission to dig has been noted, this

Sumo owners, of course, permit investigation through interest in science and with no belief in
buried treasure.

- Some small dwelling-sites, evident through superficial debris, when investigated and found prob
ably to be without burials, have not been noted.

182

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

has been done by us to explain the absence of investigation on our part and for
no other purpose.

Although in our "Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Georgia Coast" 1 we have
discussed various forms of aboriginal burial, it may afford information to some
to have the matter presented again.

The extended burial, as its name implies, is at full length, usually on the
back, very exceptionally face down.

FIG. 1. A skeleton closely flexed to
the right . The trunk and extremities are
in the same plane.

FIG. 2. A skeleton partly flexed to the right.
trunk and extremities are in the same plane.

The skeleton closely flexed to the right or the left, lies with the upper part
of the trunk on the back, the lower extremities drawn up close to the body, the
legs back against the thighs, these extremities directed to the right or the left,
as the case may be, as shown in Fig. 1, in which a burial closely flexed to the
right is represented.

The burial partly flexed to the right or the left is similar to the closely-flexed
burial just described, with the exception that the thighs are less closely flexed
and the legs are not drawn up immediately against the thighs. A burial partly
flexed to the right is shown in Fig. 2.

A skeleton closely flexed on the right or left lies with the trunk on the side,
the extremities closely flexed against the body, to the right or the left, as shown
in Fig. 3, in which a burial closely flexed on the right is represented.

A burial partly flexed on, the right or the left has the trunk on the side, the
thighs less closely flexed against the trunk, the legs separated from the thighs
to a lesser or greater extent, as may be seen in Fig. 4, which illustrates a skeleton
partly flexed on the right.

The reader will note that the expression right or left applies to the skeleton
and not to the right hand or to the left hand of the observer who is facing it.

The bunched burial sometimes consists of loosely piled bones with no attempt
at arrangement, and sometimes of masses of long-bones lying parallel, with skulls
placed on top or at the side. A good example of the latter kind is shown in our
"Certain Mounds of Arkansas and of Mississippi," 2 Fig. 1.

1 Journ. Acad. Xat. Sri. Phila., Vol. XI, p. 6 ct ser/.
Mourn. Acad. Nat, Sci. Phila., Vol. XIII.

ABORKIIXAL SITKS OX TKXXKSSKK RIVER.

183

The l)iirial in a sitting position, so often reported by novices, is very rarely 1
encountered, if we may judge from many hundreds of burials noted in our ex
perience, provided the idea intended to be conveyed is that of a skeleton placed
in a sitting posture, upright, in the ground.

If the skeleton in question lies in the position of one seated, who has been
pushed over on the side, then it is simply a flexed burial and nothing else, for
when one is in a sitting position the trunk is vertical.

Human remains in the mounds and sites along Tennessee river are, as a
general rule, much decayed and consequently very fragmentary, sometimes
being indicated only by merest traces. Wishing to avoid repetition of details,
we have not in each instance described in this report the condition of the remains
encountered, but where they have been in a fair state of preservation, the fact

FIG. 15. A skeleton closely flexed on the right.
The trunk and extremities are in the same plane.

FIG. 4. A skeleton partly flexed on the right.
The trunk and extremities are in the same plane

usually has been noted. When the burial is discovered, the depth from the sur
face is recorded, and, as given, is to the upper surface of the bones. Consequently
as the remains usually are crushed, five or six inches added to the given depth
would represent the maximum depth of the burial. All skeletons, when enough
remains were found to permit determination, when not otherwise described, were
of adults.

Thirty skulls, in a condition to preserve, with some other bones, were found
by us and sent as a gift to the United States National Museum, where they have
been received (accession 58353) and examined by Dr. Ales Hrdlicka, curator of
the Division of Physical Anthropology in that institution.

Doctor Hrdlicka has determined that the crania obtained by us at Leadbctter
and Prevatt s Landings, two neighboring sites in western Tennessee, are of the
Algonquin type and differ from others found in our search along Tennessee river.

It has been considered best that no paper on the crania found by us on Ten
nessee river be prepared by Doctor Hrdlicka in connection with this report, it

1 We are told by a prominent investigator that in all his experience he has never encountered
bodies buried in a sitting or squatting or crouching position. (Jerard Fowke. "Antiquities of Central,
and Southeastern Missouri, " p. 2, Bulletin . 57, Bureau of American Kthnology. Burials of this variety,
though most exceptional, have been found by Professor Putnam; and by us, as readers of our account
of the Hampton Place, Hamilton County, Tenn., may see.

184 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

being regarded advisable to await results from our future work in regions border
ing the scene of our latest investigation that a wider field for comparison may be
available.

All pathological specimens obtained by us along Tennessee river have been
given to the Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C.

Dr. M. G. Miller accompanied the expedition, as anatomist, throughout the
investigation of Tennessee river, as has been the case during all our archaeological
work in the South, and has assisted in putting this report through the press.

Mr. S. G. Weir, with us for the fourth and fifth seasons as assistant, lent
efficient aid in many ways.

The thanks of the Academy are tendered Major H. Burgess, Corps of En
gineers, U. S. A., stationed at Nashville, Tenn., for much valuable information
and for lists of mounds and sites, obtained by him from officials under his direction
and covering the entire river; to Prof. Frederic W. Putnam for careful revision
of this introduction and for many valuable suggestions; to Prof. F. A. Lucas of
the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and to Dr. G. S. Miller, Jr.,
of the United States National Museum, for determination of the bones of lower
animals; to Dr. H. A. Pilsbry and Mr. E. G. Vanatta for identification of shells;
to Mr. F. J. Keeley 1 for determination of minerals and rocks; to Dr. H. F. Keller
for chemical tests; to Mr. Charles C. Willoughby for much valuable assistance;
to Miss H. N. Wardle for aid with the index; to Mr. F. W. Hodge for literary
revision of the report.

The Academy also warmly thanks the owners of mounds and aboriginal
dwelling-sites, who so kindly placed them at its disposal for investigation, and
assures them that their courtesy is most fully appreciated.

All mounds and dwelling-sites are described in order ascending the river,
though the investigation, while usually, was not always, made in this way.

Measurements in this report are approximate; reductions are linear.

The conchshell so often referred to in connection with aboriginal handiwork,
formerly called Fulgur by conchologists and by us in all our writings, is now known
as Busycon and is so referred to in this report.

1 Slides for microscopic examination, for obvious reasons could not be furnished Mr. Keeley,
hence exact determination cannot be guaranteed in all cases, as otherwise could have been done.

PART I.

TKXXKSSEK KIVEK i\ KENTUCKY AND IN WESTERN TENNESSEE.

Mounds and Sites.

Mound near Kills Crock, Livingstone County, Kentucky.

Cemetery near the Star Lime Works, Lyon County, Ky.

Mounds on the Ilenson Place, Marshall County, Ky.

Mound near Barrett Ferry, Stewart County, Tennessee.

Mounds on the A. J. Gray Place, Stewart County, Tenn.

Cemetery on the T. J. Gray Place, Stewart County, Tenn.

Dwelling site on the Thompson Place, Henry County, Tenn.

Mounds near Lcatherwood Creek, Stewart County, Tenn.

Dwelling-site on the Sykes Place, Benton County, Tenn.

Mounds and Dwelling-site near Dixie Landing, Humphreys County, Tenn.

Dwelling-site at Prevatt s Landing, Benton County, Tenn.

Mound near West Shipp s Landing, Benton County, Tenn.

Dwelling-site at Leadbetter Landing, Benton County, Tenn.

Mounds opposite, the mouth of Cedar Creek, Decatur County, Tenn.

Dwelling-site near mouth of Beech Creek, Wayne County, Tenn.

Mound near Old Furnace Landing, Decatur County, Tenn.

Mounds on Swallow Bluff Island, Decatur County, Tenn.

Mound at Old Callens Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near Dickey s Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds on the Williams Place, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds at Savannah, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds opposite Wolf Island, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds near Perkins Bluff, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near Pittsburg Ferry, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds near Pittsburg Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near Xash Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds below North Carolina Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near North Carolina Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Dwelling-site near Pickwick Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near Boyd s Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mound near Swan Pond Landing, Hardin County, Tenn.

Mounds near the mouth of Yellow Creek, Hardin County, Tenn.

II .101 K\. A. X. S. I HII.A., VOL. XVI.

MAP OF TENNESSEE RIVER
IN KENTUCKY AND WESTERN TENNESSEE

Scale in miles

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 187

MOUND NEAR ELLIS CREEK, LIVINGSTONE COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

In woods belonging to Mr. W. F. Buford, who lives nearby, was a mound of
loamy clay, about one mile in a northerly direction from the union of Ellis Creek
with Tennessee river. This mound, which had undergone considerable disturb
ance previous to our coming, was two feet in height. Its length and breadth
were respectively 64 and 38 feet. On the surface lay a number of slabs of
silicious rock, the; largest being about 2 feet by one foot, with a maximum
thickness of 3 inches, and was about as large as any subsequently found by us in
the mound.

Five badly disturbed stone graves and two complete ones, all of the box variety,
were encountered by us in an investigation which included a large portion of
the mound.

Burial No. 2 had its upper slabs about one foot below the surface of the mound.
These slabs, which were in two layers, were not found evenly placed, and pre
sumably had undergone disturbance either through the settling of the soil or on
account of roots of a tree, which had entered the grave. The supporting slabs
at the sides, of a single thickness, were not vertical but sloped inward, and while
the margins of some of the upper slabs projected above the general level, others
had fallen into the grave. The grave, which was without slabs on the bottom,
was somewhat contracted toward the upper part. Its inside measurements
were: width, at the top, 10 inches; at the bottom, 21 inches; depth, 14 inches;
length, 6 feet 5 inches. The grave lay ESE. and WNW.

The skeleton, traceable by friable fragments (the greatest, four or five inches
in length) and a few teeth, evidently had been extended, heading eastward.
Near where the skull had been was a pendant of indurated clay, originally copper
coated, having on one side a deep groove. Also near the head, together, were
what seems to be a claw represented in wood and a perforated object of bone
partly decayed, hollowed out on one side perhaps to serve as a socket for the
claw, which shows no perforation or groove for independent attachment. Both
these objects had been overlaid with sheet-copper whose salts had preserved a
small piece of matting found with them. In the grave also, but perhaps of ac
cidental introduction, were several chips of flint.

Burial No. 3 was without trace of bone. The grave, whose upper slabs lay
one foot below the surface of the mound, was in outside measurement: length,
3 feet 8 inches; width, 1 foot 6 inches; height, 14 inches. It extended NX\V. and
SSE. This grave, which had not suffered disturbance as had the other, showed
an effort had been made to keep an even upper margin for the slabs at the sides
in order to have those on top as level as possible. The slabs, however, as in
Grave No. 2, had no uniformity of size and but little in shape, some being almost
triangular, though a tendency could be noted, perhaps, to have the stones roughly
oblong. Although some care had been taken to protect the burial, and in some
instances slabs five or six inches square had been used, presumably to cover

188

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

openings, other openings remained, and through these soil had entered the
grave.

This grave, without slabs at the base, was covered in double thickness, the
upper layer being composed of five slabs, and four fragments to act as stop-gaps,
the under layer having four slabs and three fragments. On one side were three
large slabs, while the opposite side was made up of seven smaller slabs and four
fragments. At each end was a single slab.

In part of a grave which had been left by previous diggers who were said to
have been treasure-seekers and whose methods of search were not such as
investigators employ, was a group of five mushroom-shaped objects of earthen-

FIG. 5. Trowel of earthenware. Mound near Ellis Creek, Kentucky. (Full size.)

ware, of a kind now believed to have served as tools in the making of pottery
vessels, and which are described and figured by Jones, 1 Thruston, 2 and Holmes. 3
One of these tools, whose handle terminates in a rude representation of an
animal s head, is shown in Fig. 5. With these tools, the largest of which is 4.8
inches in diameter and 2.7 i) inches in height, was an object of indurated clay,
somewhat resembling a semilunar knife in shape, though its capacity for cutting
must have been limited.

CEMETERY NEAR THE STAR LIME WORKS, LYON COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

On high ground immediately back of the Star Lime Works, formerly in woods
but now partly in cleared ground, in property belonging to Mr. Crit Nickell,
living nearby, are the remains of a small stone-grave cemetery which has been

1 Op. cit., p. 143.

2 Op. cit., p. Kit et seq., Fi^. 65.

3 20th An. Rep. Bur. Am. Kthn., p. &lt;)&lt;) d xcq., and PI. XXXV.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. lx&lt;)

dug into for many years and recently has been in part plowed over. (Jroups of
slabs lately plowed up were seen by us on the field and other slabs lay in the
adjoining woods. Careful prodding by us all over the ground failed to come upon
stone graves. There is no history of artifacts having been found in the graves
at this place.

MOUNDS ON THE HENSON PLACE, MARSHALL COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

On property belonging to Mr. W. A. Henson, who lives upon it, are a number
of mounds which may be reached from the river by going in from the mouth of
Jonathan creek, about one mile in a southerly direction, though the distance by
the road is somewhat greater. We were informed by Mr. Henson that these
mounds, all of which had been under cultivation for a long time (the Henson
property having been in the family for one hundred years), had no history of
discovery of artifacts or bones.

A short distance from the road, near together, are two mounds, the larger
of which, with flat top, very irregular in outline owing to cultivation, is 11 feet
6 inches in height. Its length is 265 feet. Measurements of width would vary
considerably; one taken near the middle of the mound gave 142 feet. The
smaller mound, also with flat top, evidently had been quadrangular. Its height
is 8 feet 6 inches; its basal diameters, 118 and 128 feet. Farther back in the field,
but in full view from the mounds just described, is another which has lost much
in height through cultivation, as shown by denuded roots of trees upon it. Its
height is 5 feet G inches; its basal diameters, 110 feet and 180 feet. Other rises
in the field have been largely plowed away. As these mounds, in our opinion,
had been domiciliary, they were not accorded a thorough investigation. Trial-
holes made in them yielded no positive result.

Near the two larger mounds, but across the road, in woods, arc five or six
humps or knolls, each from 3 to 4 feet in height and about 40 feet in diameter of
base. These small mounds had been much dug into, some having five or six
holes, left presumably by treasure-seekers. We were informed that human bones
had been found by diggers some time ago, and in our investigation, which cov
ered about all parts left of the mounds, we came upon the remains of a stone
grave, though no other evidence of burial in the mounds was encountered.

MOUND NEAR BARRETT FERRY, STEWART COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On property belonging to Mr. William Vinson, who lives upon it, is a mound
in a cultivated field, about one-half mile NNW. from Barrett Ferry Landing.
According to Mr. Vinson, this mound has been plowed over for nearly seventy-
five years, and so far as he knows, nothing in the 1 way of bones or artifacts has
been taken from it, though the mound has been greatly reduced in height during
cultivation. The mound, which no doubt is greatly spread, is roughly circular
as to the base, the present diameter being about 100 feet. The height is 4.5 feet.
Our investigation showed this mound to have had fireplaces at various levels,
but yielded neither bone nor artifact.

190 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

MOUNDS ON THE A. J. GRAY PLACE, STEWART COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

About one mile in a northerly direction from Moltke, a settlement on the
river, are two mounds near together in a cultivated field, in full view from the
road leading from the landing at Moltke. These mounds are on the property
of Mr. A. J. Gray, whose residence is in sight from them.

The mounds have been plowed over for a long time and their height evidently
has been much reduced. Midden debris, including fresh-water shells, fragments
of coarse pottery, and broken implements of flint, is abundant on their surface
and on the field which surrounds them. A small bi-cave stone, a disc wrought
from a fragment of a pottery-vessel, a similar disc centrally perforated, 1.5 inch
in diameter, several arrowheads of flint, two agricultural implements of the same
material, one rather rude, several flint knives, were picked up on the surface.

The easternmore of the two mounds, 6 feet in height at the time of our visit,
had a diameter of 96 feet. Trial -holes in its central part came upon no sign of
burials, but among others that were put down near the margin of the mound, one
uncovered a skeleton extended on the back, lying on a fireplace about 22 inches
below the surface. This skeleton, which showed no trace of fire and was not
enclosed in slabs, was much decayed and fragmentary. Near the skull was a
pot about 3 inches in height, on which two loop-handles had been, resting in
the fragments of a bowl which had possessed handles similar to the others. Near
these vessels, which are of coarse ware, was a bowl with an extension from one
side to represent the beak of a shell a common form for earthenware in the
Middle Mississippi region.

At the same fireplace, but not near enough to the skeleton to connect them with
it, were fragments belonging to several vessels of earthenware, but not the full
complement. Among these was a well-modeled effigy of a human head which
had formed part of a bowl.

A smaller mound, 3 feet high and 75 feet in diameter, was on a ridge giving
the mound an appearance of increased height on one side. Our digging yielded
no trace of interments.

Near this mound the level ground is very dark and gives every appearance of
long occupancy in the past, but as the field was planted with clover, our digging-
was of necessity limited. Some trial-holes which we kindly were permitted to
put down came upon no trace of burial, though a flint spade was unearthed from
one of them.

CEMETERY ON THE T. J. GRAY PLACE, STEWART COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

This property, adjoining that of Mr. A. J. Gray and belonging to Mr. T. J.
Gray, who lives upon it, includes a field immediately south of the A. J. Gray
Place in which is a ridge extending N. and S., thickly strewn with slabs of shale,
which according to Mr. Gray, the owner, had been plowed up in course of culti
vation of the field. Very many others, we were told, had been gathered and

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 191

hauled away from this ridge, which proved to be what was left of a small stone-
grave cemetery.

Of the remaining graves, we opened nineteen, all of the regular box variety,
and then, in view of the disturbance that had been wrought by cultivation, which
precluded obtaining complete data, and of the fact that no artifact was found in
any of the graves, we discontinued work, hoping later to come upon a more
representative site, though in point of fact we found no stone-grave site equally
desirable on the whole Tennessee river.

The nineteen stone graves which were encountered singly or in groups, but
never more than five together, were none more than a few inches below the surface
and had, in most cases, been disturbed to some extent by the plow. Their
length ranged between 6 feet 7 inches and 19 inches, inside measurement.

The graves had been placed as follows: N. and S., 1 ; NE. by N., and S\V. by
S., 1; ENE. and \VS\V., 3; E. by N. and W. by S., 5; E. and W., 8; E. by S.
and W. byX., 1.

Human remains, when found at all, were badly decayed, sometimes mere
traces, and in the case of children no more than crowns of teeth sometimes but
one or two. Once or twice bones of adults were distinguishable throughout the
burial, but even these were friable and past all chance of preservation. In eight
graves no trace of bones was apparent. Of these, five had belonged to children, 1
two to adults, and one had been disturbed by the plow so that the size was un
determined.

Of the eleven graves containing human remains, eight had belonged to adults
and three to children.

Nine burials had headed in a westerly direction and one toward the north,
the determination at times being based on the position of teeth or of fragments
of skull in the grave. One grave containing minute traces of bone afforded no
indication of the former direction of the head. Its size, however, indicated the
grave of an adult.

As to the arrangement of the body in the grave, no determination was possible
in the case of children. Where it could be made in the graves of adults, the
burial had been at full length, though in one instance the skeleton which in this
case was clearly distinguishable, was considerably out of position as to the upper
part of the body, the bones of the lower extremities, however, being in order.
This disarrangement, moreover, was not attributable to contact with the plow,
as the bones had been amply protected by the slabs of the grave.

The stone graves at this place, all of which were of the box-grave variety,
had been made with considerable divergence as to minor detail. Sixteen had a
flooring of slabs, while three were without this feature. The stone flooring was
invariably of one thickness, though some of the graves had double thickness on
top and at the sides, and, in one instance, even at the head and the foot.

1 \Ye attribute these graves to children, fully realizing the fact that some .small stone graves con
tained disjointed bones of adult skeletons (see Thruston, op. cil., p. 29), but these graves at the T. J.
Gray Place were considerably smaller than are the ones referred to by Thruston and other writers.

192 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Apparently the graves had first been dug and then enclosed interiorly with
slabs. Then, perhaps to support the slabs additionally, the grave was filled in
part with soil, after which the slabs for the floor were placed in position in the
cases where they were used. For example, in one case, a side slab nearly 20 inches
in height, belonged to a grave about 9 inches in depth, inside measurement. All
the graves, however, did not show so marked a difference between the height of
the slabs at the sides and the depth of the grave.

The slabs used for flooring were from one to two inches in thickness; therefore,
as there; was usually a space under the floor of the graves, enclosed by the side
and end slabs, it occurred to us that possibly burials or artifacts might have been
placed in these spaces also. Consequently all such were dug out with a trowel,
with the utmost care, without, however, finding bones or artifacts with the excep
tion of a single fragment of pottery, which probably got in accidentally with the soil.

As the reader perhaps is not familiar with the minutitp of stone graves, a
description of some from this place will be given in detail. The slabs are of shale,
probably from the hillside a few yards distant. All graves had become filled
through percolation of the soil.

Burial No. 4, extending ENE. and WSW. The top, in two layers, consider
ably overlapped the sides of the grave. The upper thickness of the top was
composed of four slabs; the under layer, of five slabs and a fragment probably
used as a stop-gap. One side had three slabs and a fragment, while the other side
had but two slabs. The floor, about eight inches of which was uncovered at one
end, was made up of five slabs. One upright end of the grave was a single slab;
two narrow ones had been placed at the other end. The inside measurements of
this grave were: length, 2 feet 10 inches; width, 1 foot 5 inches. The depth was
4.5 inches, though one of the side slabs had a height of 14 inches.

Burial No. 7, placed E. and W., seemed undisturbed. The top was made up
of five slabs and one small fragment in a single layer. At one side were three
slabs and five fragments, a single thickness; the other side, in two layers, was
made up of eight slabs and two fragments. The head of the grave, in double
thickness, had three slabs. The foot, also double, was composed of three slabs
and a fragment. The floor was paved with six slabs and two small bits of stone.
This grave, 3 feet 8 inches by 11 inches, had a depth of 6 inches, all inside measure
ments. The only human remains encountered consisted of the crown of a child s
molar tooth, in the western end of the grave.

In the two burials described numbers of small slabs were used in enclosing
the graves, but sometimes large slabs were employed. One of the largest graves
found at this place had but two slabs to complete its entire length.

The foregoing was written after a visit to the T. J. Gray Place on our way
up the river. On the way down we made further investigation there in the hope
of finding a stone grave or graves symmetrical and complete to a degree to make
illustration desirable, which we did not consider we had done at the time of our
first visit.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. !.:{

On our second visit we were less exacting, and in one instance, at least, enjoyed
better fortune.

Among the wreckage of graves, all near the surface, we came upon the following
stone box-grave burials worthy of description, besides a number of others which
were too badly disturbed to merit it.

Burial No. 20, a beautiful little box-grave 3 feet 1 inch long, 1 foot S inches
wide, and 10 inches in height, outside measurement. This little grave, which
extended NE. by E. and SW. by W., had been constructed of slabs of sandstone

F;&lt;;. li. Hiii-idl Xo. 20. Stone box-grave of : \ child, 3 feet 1 inch by 1 foot IS inches. T. .7. dray
Place, Tenn.

and of claystone in one and two thicknesses, small masses having been placed
here and there to cover every opening so that no part of the grave was unprotected.
Among the smaller stop-gaps were two water-worn bowlders of silicious material,
each about the size of a man s foot. This interesting grave, which we show in
Eigs. 6, 7, intact and as it appeared after the removal of the covering slabs, had
an inside measurement of 2 feet 5 inches by 10 inches, by *).."&gt; inches in depth, and
possessed a flooring of slabs, as did all the entire graves investigated by us at the
time of our second visit. The child s bones that doubtless once rested in this
grave presumably had long since decayed away.

Burials Nos. 21 and 22, two graves parallel throughout, about one foot apart,
each 7 feet long and 2 feet 3 inches wide, approximately. The tops had been

15 JOUKX. A. X. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

194

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

plowed away. These graves ran easterly and westerly and extended across the
narrow rise in the field in which the stone graves were, as did all the graves found
by us on this second visit, the skeletons in them, where any traces remained,
having the heads at the western end. The two burials under description, like
all determined by us at this place, had been at full length on the back.

FIG. 7. Burial No. 20, the covering of the grave removed. The skeleton had disappeared through
decay. T. J. (Jray Place, Tenn.

Burials Nos. 23, 24, 25, 26. These four box-graves in a group had, with one
exception, lost their covers by contact with the plow. Two of them, 6 inches
apart, were parallel throughout. Two other graves, in line with the former
ones, were not side by side to their full extent, an end of each projecting beyond
the corresponding end of the other. Burial No. 23, the one shown in Fig. 8,
was 7 feet 10 inches long by 2 feet 8 inches wide, its inside measurements being
5 feet 10 inches by 1 foot 6 inches, by 11 inches in depth. The foot-stone of this
grave seemed to have been in common with a grave extending in line from it.
The bones in these four graves, though traceable throughout, were badly decayed.

Burial No. 27, a skeleton represented by fragments, in a box-grave, as were
or had been all at this place, 7 feet by 2 feet 6 inches over all, extending due E. and
W. (Fig. 9). In the illustration it is interesting to note a slab placed above the
others in order to cover a space otherwise left unprotected. The inside meas
urement of this grave was 6.5 feet by 1 foot 7 inches, by 1 foot in depth.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 1K&gt;

FIG. 8. Burial Xo. 23. Stone box-grave, 7 feet 10 inches by 2 feet 8 inehes. T. J. Cray l la&lt;v.
Tenn.

FIG. 9. Burial No. 27. A stone box-grave, 7 feet by 2.5 feet. T. J. Gray Place. JVnn.

190

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 28, a grave running due E. and W., 5 feet 8 inches long by 1.5
foot wide, the inside measurements being 5.5 feet by 1 foot 2 inches, by 10 inches
in depth (Fig. 10). In this grave most careful search failed to discover any
trace of human remains.

In none of the stone graves at this place was so much as a chip of flint en
countered.

Crossing the road which borders the field in which the stone graves were, one
comes to the foot of a hill near the top of which, but still on a gentle slope, is a

,&lt;*

" -

fi j* - *- -&gt; *-v * ^

. ^^ *- ^ **?

FKI. 10. Hurial Xo. 28. Stone box-grave, 5 feet 8 iuclics by 1 foot 6 inches. T. J. Gray Place.
Tenn.

mound slightly more than 7 feet in height, measured from the side highest on the
slope, and having diameters of 58 feet and 43 feet. This mound (A), which
extends NE. and SW., has on top a flat ridge 27 feet long and 4 feet in width.

About 85 yards SSE. from Mound A is another mound (B) in the shape of a
ridge extending NNE. and SSW. Its height is 10 feet; its basal length and width
are 110 feet and 48 feet, respectively. Its top, which is flat, is 62 feet in length
by 5 feet in width. This mound, previous to our visit, had been dug into in two
places to a considerable extent, the sides of the excavations indicating that it was
composed of the surface clay of the hill with an occasional fragment of rock of the
kind which lies plentifully on the hillside.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 197

About 75 yards SW. from Mound B was a mound (0) having a square base
and a square summit-plateau. Its height was 5 feet; the diameter of the base,
45 feet, and that of the summit-plateau, 17 feet.

Just back of Mound A, a few feet apart, in line, are two small mounds, that
nearest Mound A having a height of 3 feet and a basal diameter of 34 feet. The
other mound is 30 feet in diameter of base and 1 foot 8 inches in height.

In that side of Mound A which was highest on the slope, a trench 18.5 feet
long by 8 feet in width was dug, beginning somewhat in from the margin and
including the central part of the mound. From the outer end of this trench a
narrow one was dug to the apparent margin along the yellow, underlying soil.

The mound was composed of the surface soil of the hill, sometimes almost
without masses of rock, sometimes with a mingling of angular, silicious masses
such as one sees on the surface of the hill, few larger than the head of a man, most
much smaller. In places also masses of rock were piled together almost without
admixture of clay, and these masses, by pouring out from the side of the excava
tion into the space at the inner end of the trench, which had been greatly enlarged
by us, seriously impeded our work. In fact it became evident that unless the
mound was investigated with the aid of a larger force of men than was at our
disposal, or that far more time was allotted to it than was at our command, exact
data could not be obtained, much of the stone deposit requiring removal by hand.

The investigation strongly indicated that the actual height of the mound was
considerably in excess of that determined by us from the part highest on the slope,
for besides the likelihood of getting a minimum altitude from such a base, digging
showed later that made-ground to a depth of about 3 feet was present on that
side of the mound, probably a kind of extension the presence of which would
decrease the height of the mound at that part to correspond with the depth of
the extension.

Seemingly the mound had been built largely of masses of rock, having clay
and clay with a mingling of rock exteriorly and sometimes in layers in the body
of the mound. What we believed to have been the original surface of the hill
was reached at a depth of 11.5 feet.

Burials had been made in this mound, possibly throughout it. In our central
digging they were found lying among the masses of rock about 10 feet 7 inches
from the summit of the mound, about one foot above the base. This burial
contained bones of at least three individuals, two adults and an adolescent. The
parts of the skeletons were not in order and were spread over considerable space.
Possibly the burial included more individuals than we have stated, as before the
bones were entirely removed an inpouring of masses of rock in a rather threatening
way prevented further investigation at that point.

In the extension at one side of the mound, to which we have referred, just
under the slope of the mound, the trench put down by us, passing through clay
without masses of rock, reached a burial having mingled bones, including two
skulls of adults, at a depth of 3 feet 9 inches. With these bones were two conch

198 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

shells (Busycon perversum) in bad condition, one having a round hole in the front
of the body whorl, and the other a small perforation at the end of the beak and
another about in line in the body whorl, above the shoulder, near the opening.

In the larger of the two small mounds back of Mound A an excavation 8 feet
square was put down centrally through clay similar to that on the surface of the
hill, containing masses of rock here and there. At a depth of 3.5 feet, about in
the center of the base of the excavation, were remains of bones of one individual,
badly decayed, not in order. At a short distance from these bones, perhaps not
connected with them, was a small aggregation of masses of rock and a deposit of
charcoal.

Beginning somewhat above the margin of the NW. side of Mound C a trench
was begun 22.5 feet by 10 feet, extending through the center of the summit-
plateau. At a depth of about 1.5 foot the clay containing a few masses of rock,
through which the digging had been done, came to an end, below being masses of
rock only, averaging about the size of a clenched hand, some larger, many smaller,
packed together and containing in the upper part clay in the interstices. Soon
practically no clay was found, the mound being simply a heap of stone masses,
comparatively small, wedged together, which after loosening with the aid of a
pick, rolled from the shovels in the tossing so that our men, unused to such
material, were almost as ineffective as is a beginner who essays eating peas with
a knife.

After a depth of 3.5 feet had been reached, work in the outer part of the
trench was discontinued and the masses of rock remaining in an area 10 feet
square at the inner end of the trench were tossed out by hand, gray clay containing
small masses of rock being reached at a depth of 5 feet 2 inches. This stratum of
clay proved to be about one foot in depth and to have formed on the solid rock
of the hill.

It may be said, almost with certainty, that this mound consisted of a great
core of masses of rock, its symmetrical shape having been conferred by exterior
application of clay.

No burials were found, nor did we expect to encounter any in this mound, which
doubtless was domiciliary, as denoted by its form.

We append the opening part of Chapter XI of Mr. Fowke s sterling work,
"Archaeological History of Ohio," this chapter treating of stone mounds, stone
graves, etc., and though referring to Ohio mounds, applies equally well to those
under consideration at this place.

"Where stones of convenient size for handling can be readily collected, they
are often used instead of earth for construction of mounds. This is especially the
case upon high lands or in other situations favorable to denudation by the action
of winds or rains. Such erosion has a double effect. Stones formerly covered
are left loose upon the surface; and earth which resists wash is often tough and
heavy, requiring much effort for its removal. In either event, the rock material
may be easier to procure and is equally adapted for the purpose. In some cases,

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 199

a mound of stone was enlarged by heaping earth over it; in others, the two sub
stances are mingled throughout; but, as a rule, only stones were used in the
larger structures, the debris now filling interstices being the accumulation from
dust and decaying vegetation which has gradually worked downward from the
surface to the interior."

DWELLING-SITE ON THE THOMPSON PLACE, HENRY COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Following the road bordering the river about one mile in a southerly direction,
an aboriginal dwelling-site is reached on property belonging to Mr. F. A.
Thompson, of Springville, Tenn., situated along the bank of the river. This
site, which covers a number of acres, has much debris on the surface Among
other objects, a number of arrowheads of flint, nearly all triangular, were picked
up, and a well-wrought flint point, 5.75 inches in length, from which, however,
the extremity is missing. The soil is a loamy sand.

In one place on the site fragments of human bones lay on the surface, and
trial-holes put down in the vicinity almost at once came upon shallow burials,
none more than 15 inches in depth and some considerably less, though the dark
soil containing midden refuse extended downward several feet. Nine burials,
eight of adults and one of a child, were found, the bones in fairly good condition
though none of the skulls was entire. The burials, with the exception of that of
an adult, which had been disturbed, and the remains of the child, as to which
determination was not possible, lay extended on the back, the heads of three
directed S\Y., and those of the remaining four \VS\Y. No artifacts were with
the remains.

MOUNDS NEAR LEATHERWOOD CREEK, STEWART COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

One-half mile ENE. from the mouth of Leatherwood Creek arc two mounds
each about 2.5 feet in height and 25 feet in diameter, estimated by our agent.
Owner, Grange Plantation Company, Stribling, Tenn. Permission not granted.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE SYKES PLACE, BENTON COUNTY, TKNXKSSEE.

This dwelling-site, on property belonging to Mr. L. J. Sykes, of Eva, Tenn.,
is reached by following the road from West Sykes Landing (formerly Holland
Landing) for about one mile in a westerly direction. The aboriginal site, in a
cultivated Held, in full view from the railroad passing through Johnsville, a town
on the river, is somewhat higher than the rest of the field, and ends in an elcva*ion
at the north, with gently sloping sides. The entire site, presumably, had slowly
grown, under prolonged occupancy, above the level of the rest of the field. The
whole surface of this dwelling-place is so thickly strewn with fragments of flint
(flakes, chippings, and here and there a broken point) that it was literally impos
sible to put one s foot down without treading upon a bit of flint of some kind,
and sometimes upon a number of them. In this great quantity of rejected
material, however, objects of interest were scarce, a prolonged search resulting
in the discoverv of two arrowheads and a small hatchet or chisel.

200 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The surface material differed from some we have seen on sites along Tennessee
river in that no pottery was present; nor was a single shell to be seen. Moreover,
no pottery fragments were found in the digging. Abundance of fresh-water
shells were mingled with the soil, none, however, being within 18 inches of the
surface, though this upper soil was as dark as that below it and evidently had not
been brought there to increase* the height of the site, but had grown under occu
pancy, like the rest. Evidently, then, during the latter part of the occupancy
of the site, shell-fish were not in use as an article of diet.

An excavation carried from the highest part of the elevation to which reference
has been made, went through nearly 6.5 feet of midden soil before reaching
underlying, undisturbed ground. The first 18 inches, as stated, contained no
admixture of shells. Then came about 4 feet having in the upper part numerous
shells, the number growing fewer until in the last foot they were encountered
at rare intervals. The final foot of the excavation, however, had many shells
scattered through it.

Apparently those inhabiting this dwelling-place had buried where they lived,
though no regular cemetery was encountered by us. Four skeletons were found
as a result of considerable digging, at depths ranging between 10 and 39 inches,
lying closely flexed, one on the right side and three on the left. The heads
respectively, were directed N., N. by W., NW., N.

These burials, which were unenclosed, had no associated articles, with the
single exception that with the deepest one had been placed a musselshcll contain
ing a small amount of red oxide of iron in powder.

MOUNDS AND DWELLING-SITE NEAR DIXIE LANDING, HUMPHREYS

("OUXTY, TENNESSEE.

On property of Mr. J. II. Pearl, who resides there, within sight from Dixie
Landing, on high ground somewhat back from the river, is a mound, once quad
rangular with a level summit-plateau. The mound, 8.5 feet in height, measured
from the east, where it adjoins a great level field, seems of much greater altitude
on its other sides, which in appearance are heightened by sloping ground on which
they rest. The basal diameters of the mound, whose sides face the cardinal
points and whose longer ones are parallel to the river, arc 188 feet N. and S. and
125 feet E. and W. The summit-plateau is 1 12 feet and 50 feet in the same direc
tions, respectively. The mound has been under cultivation.

As is well known, large, flat-topped mounds in southern United States very
rarely contain objects of interest, having served, as a rule, for purposes other than
those of burial; yet as interments sometimes were made in superficial parts of
such mounds, it is well for the investigator to sink trial-holes into them super
ficially at least. In the mound under description trial-holes soon reached raw
clay having no trace of interments.

1 There is another place of this name a few miles above this one, also in Humphreys County.

ABORIGINAL SITKS ON TKNNKSSKK RIVER. 201

At about a depth of one foot, however, was a fireplace near which, in a sym
metrical heap resembling a cone with rounded apex, were nineteen masses of
soft, fossiliferous limestone, more or less rounded and ranging- in size between a
clenched hand to double that bulk. These masses, presumably intended as
supports for vessels while cooking was in progress, had most likely been carefully
piled near the fireplace for convenience, and for some reason had not been removed
when the fireplace was abandoned.

To the east of the mound, on the level field, was considerable midden debris,
including bits of flint and of pottery. At one place where fragments of human
bone lay on the surface, trial-holes were put down which almost at once reached
human remains, as follows: a skeleton disturbed by cultivation; an extended
skeleton, the head directed S. by W. ; a layer of bones, including three crania;
an extended skeleton heading S.; the bones of an adolescent, lying partly flexed
on the left side, the head directed SSW.; a skeleton at full length, the cranium
pointing N. by W. The skull and the upper part of the thorax of this skeleton
lay beneath the margin of a fireplace and were calcined. The use of fire in con
nection with this burial perhaps was accidental. Parallel with this skeleton
were two others, from each of which the skull and the upper part of the thorax
were missing. On the pelvis of one of these skeletons lay a skull.

Near the three burials last described was another, that of an adult, lying under
the fireplace to which reference has been made. This burial, which had been
wholly beneath the fireplace, was in anatomical order up to the lower part of the
thorax, the upper part of which, along with the skull, was missing and apparently
had been disturbed through digging, aboriginal or otherwise, as the fireplace at
this point was broken through and parts of it, along with ashes, were mingled
with the soil.

Two feet six inches deep was another fireplace at some distance from the one
described, which had been burnt so hard that when found with the aid of a steel
rod it was taken for a rock or a slab forming part of a stone grave. About one
foot above part of this fireplace were a number of scattered human bones showing
no trace of fire, while at about the same level and over another part of it was the
upper half of a skeleton on which no sign of fire was apparent.

In this field was the remnant of a small, low mound which yielded no return
to trial-holes.

Farther north, in sight from the large mound, paralleling the river which it
commands to the N., S. and W., is an elevation in the form of a ridge. The
northern end slopes somewhat abruptly; the descent on the southern extremity,
steep at first, reaches a small rise or hump from which the slope is gradual. The
measurements of this elevation are as follows: height of ridge, which runs X.
by K. and S. by \V., taken from the northern end, 12 feet 9 inches; length of
base, 170 feet; length of top, northern slope, 32 feet; crest, 88 feet; southern
slope to the hum]), having a drop of 6 feet, 22 feet; the hump and from it to level
ground, 28 feet. Width of base, 58 feet, as follows: eastern slope, 24 feet :
crest, 5 feet; western slope, 29 feet.

10 JOl HX. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

202

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

An excavation 12 feet by 20 feet was sunk by us about midway of the length
of the mound, the longer axis of the hole corresponding to that of the mound,
which proved to be composed of a loamy clay. The base was reached at a depth
of 9 feet 10 inches, our outside measurement having been taken where there had
been considerable wash on the field and in consequence the height of the mound
there was greater than its original height. On the opposite, or western side, the
apparent height was even greater, as one there would be looking up a slope.
Burials were found as follows:

Burial No. 1, at a depth of 6.5 feet, disconnected bones having belonged to one
individual, a heel-bone below the skull, the lower jaw away from the calvariurn,

the long-bones out of place. These bones, in
common with all from this mound, were much
decayed.

Burial No. 2, 7.5 feet down, disarranged
bones including two skulls, not piled as in a
bunched burial but spread. A layer of clay of
a much purer grade than the material of which
the mound was made, lay under Burial No. 1,
and in part over Burial No. 2, which also had
clay under it. Layers of this kind were found
elsewhere in the mound apart from bones, which
probably had decayed away.

Burial No. 3, 8 feet 6 inches deep, disarranged
bones belonging to one skeleton.

Burial No. 4, at about the same depth as
Burial No. 3, consisted of mingled bones having
belonged to one individual.

Burial No. 5, on the base of the mound, rest
ing on charcoal or decayed bark and wood, was
a scattered deposit of mingled bones covering
considerable space, having belonged to at least
seventeen individuals, that number of skulls
being represented. This burial did not lie in a
grave, apparently, or if in one, its depth must
have been inconsiderable, as undisturbed local
layers lay above the burial to a considerable distance in the mound.
Burial No. 6, on the base, part of a child s tibia.

Burial No. 7, seven inches above the base, scattered bones belonging to one
skeleton.

The entire base of the excavation was carefully spaded through in the hope of
coming upon a grave-pit or a ceremonial deposit, but without success.

A few feet from the side of the northeastern end of the mound was a slight
rise above the level at that place, about 24 feet in diameter, showing up red in the

FIG. 11. Plan showing placement
of slabs. Dixie Lauding, Tenn.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 203

plowed field and proving to be made up of particles and masses of clay, reddened
by heat, some of the masses bearing imprints of wattle.

Investigation showed this reddened clay to have a maximum thickness of
about 2 feet. Beneath it was an arrangement of thin slabs of limestone, of clay-
stone, of fine-grained sandstone, some calcined, others flaked by the effect of
heat, lying in one thickness as a rule, but occasionally in double and in triple
layers. These slabs were not arranged with a view to an exact level, a few even
having been placed on edge. The arrangement, of very irregular outline, as
shown in Fig. 11, was about 22 feet long and 12 feet in maximum width, approxi
mately.

The slabs rested on a smooth, hard surface of baked clay resembling a floor,
on which was no charcoal or deposit of ashes.

All these slabs, of course, were removed by hand with great care, but nothing
was found between them and the hardened clay beneath (under which digging
came upon undisturbed soil), except at one place near the northern end of the
arrangement of slabs where were found a few fragments of calcined bones, some
undoubtedly human, the remainder too small to identify but presumably also
parts of a general cremation. Near this place, but above the slabs, also were
found a few fragments of calcined bones.

Presumably the aborigines, in connection with this cremation, had proceeded
in the following way: Human remains were placed on the ground, which seem
ingly had been either purposely smoothed in advance or, which is more likely,
was the trampled, earthen floor of a wigwam, and the arrangement of slabs laid
upon them.

Next a wigwam standing over the remains or near them, was burnt down and
the clay from its wattle and daub walls, while still at high temperature, was piled
over the slabs and the bones beneath, the intense heat calcining and flaking some
of the slabs and consuming most of the human remains.

The clay from the walls of the building must have been intentionally piled
over the remains, and not simply have been allowed to lie where it fell, inasmuch
as the wattle and daub walls of wigwams were not more than 3 or 4 feet in height,
and from them a roof of material unmixed with clay sloped upward. Hence
some labor was required to bring the heated clay from where it fell at the outer
part of the fire and to arrange it so as to make the highest part of the deposit in
the center of the rise as it was found by us.

In connection with this striking ceremony the description of the Bennett
mound in this report will prove of especial interest.

In the field, near the great ridge, was a low elevation from which a stone grave
had been plowed shortly before our coming, the slabs and fragments of human
bone lying on the surface at the time of our visit. Digging at this point came
upon no other stone grave or burial of any kind.

All burials found at this place were without artifact of any kind, yet it was in
the same county (Humphreys), where this site is, on Duck river, probably not

204 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

more than ten miles away, that the superb deposit of flint implements now in
possession of the Missouri Historical Society, to which we have already alluded in
the introductory remarks, was found.

DWELLING-SITE AT PREVATT S LANDING BENTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

At Prevatt s Landing, the property of Mr. H. E. Whitfield, living nearby, is
a ridge in a cultivated field bordering the river bank, composed of rich, dark,
loamy sand and having on the surface fragments of pottery, cord-marked when
bearing any decoration, and some flint, including a few arrowheads. Other
arrowheads of flint were encountered in the digging, as were several piercing imple
ments of bone, wasters of flint, a sphere of silicious material pecked into shape,
slightly oblate on one side, having a diameter of 3 inches. Here and there in the
soil, as well as on the surface, were fragments of fresh-water shells.

Eighteen burials, fourteen of adults, four of infants or of older children, were
unearthed, none deeper than about 3 feet, some in the dark sand of which the
dwelling-site was composed, others on the underlying, yellow, undisturbed sand,
and a few let down into it a short distance.

The adult skeletons, the crania of which were found without uniformity of
direction, had been buried as follows:

Partly flexed on the right 4

Partly flexed on the left 1

Closely flexed on the right 1

Closely flexed on the left 3

Disturbance 1

Burial No. 1 lay on the right side, the right leg closely flexed while the left leg
was only partly so.

Burial No. 4, a skeleton rather closely flexed on the right side in a semi-
reclining position against the sloping wall of the grave-pit, the skull being 22
inches from the surface, while the pelvis and lower extremities were at a depth
of 40 inches. The right humerus lay along the body, having the forearm flexed
to the right shoulder. The left humerus was also parallel to the body, but the
forearm was across the trunk. The legs were closely flexed on the thighs.

Burials Nos. 13 and 16, skeletons each having the trunk on the back, the thighs
flexed vertically, the legs back against them. Along the outer side of the right
humerus of Burial No. 16 were the bones of an infant, the head being in the oppo
site direction from that of the adult skeleton.

Four skulls, some in poor condition, were saved from this place.

Although the site at Prevatt s Landing is but two miles from the mouth of
Duck river, along whose banks such interesting discoveries of artifacts have been
reported, not a single object can positively be said to have been found by us
with any burial in the Prevatt s Landing site. About 15 inches from a skeleton,
and at a somewhat higher level, were two rude, chipped implements of flint small
hoes or hatchets each about 6 inches in length, placed upright, together.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 205

About one foot above and beyond the feet of Burial No. 13, together, were
fourteen flakes of flint, the largest 3 by 2.5 inches, the smallest 1.25 inch by .75
inch. Both this deposit and the one last mentioned may well have been in the
midden debris, having no connection with the burials.

MOUND NEAR WEST SHIPP S LANDING, BENTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

About one-half mile above West Shipp s Landing, within a few feet from the
river bank, on property belonging to Mr. H. D. Odle, of Camden, Term., is a
mound quadrangular with rounded corners, having a flat summit-plateau. The
basal diameters arc 107 feet and 74 feet. The height as measured by us was 6.5
feet, but as the surrounding field is of loamy sand (as is most of the mound) and
has been subject to much wash, it was impossible to determine what the original
level of the ground had been. Neither sounding-rod nor trial-holes led to the
discovery of any interment in this mound.

DWELLING-SITE AT LEADBETTER LANDING, BENTON Co., TENNESSEE.

At Leadbetter Landing, on property of the Aver and Lord Tie Co., Chicago,
111., of which Mr. J. B. Lord is president, is a dwelling-site of inconsiderable size,
on the bank of the river, the higher part of which is covered by a large store
house. At the time of the building of this structure skeletal remains were dis
interred, the discovery creating considerable local excitement.

Extensive digging was done in the earthen floor of the building, in ground
just adjoining it on the outside, and in a continuation of the site in a cultivated
field nearby, though there, apparently, burials were widely apart.

In all, eleven skeletons were encountered, seven of adults, four of infants or
of older children.

Of the adults, one was extended on the back; two were closely flexed on the
right; one, closely flexed on the left; one, partly flexed to the right; one, partly
flexed on the left. One had been disturbed in aboriginal times. There had been
no attempt at orientation of burials at this place. Five crania were preserved,
though some were considerably crushed.

With the skeleton of a child were 151 beads of shell, some discoidal, some
almost globular, the largest having a diameter of .65 inch. A skeleton at full
length on the back had at the neck beads made from the ocean shell Maryinclla.

Alongside this skeleton, beginning at the pelvis and continuing down, the
head directed in the same way as that of the burial near which it was, lay the
skeleton of a child at whose neck were beads, some of shell, small and of the ordi
nary kind, others made from Marginella.

MOUNDS OPPOSITE THE MOUTH OF CEDAR CREEK, DECATUR COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Landing opposite the mouth of Cedar Creek (which is on the other side of the
river and in another county) and proceeding about one-half mile westwardly to
the first high ground, one reaches, on property of Mr. T. S. Hassell, of Clifton,

206 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Term., three mounds, all near together. Two of the mounds are each about 6
feet in height and 40 feet across the base. The third mound is about 2 feet high
and 25 feet in diameter. These mounds, which were visited by us, had unfortu
nately been dug to such an extent before our visit that further investigation
of them was considered useless.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR MOUTH OF BEECH CREEK, WAYNE COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

In sight from the union of Beech Creek with the Tennessee, on the northern
side of the creek, on property of Mr. J. L. Richardson, who resides there, is a
former aboriginal dwelling-site, the surface of which is thickly strewn with midden
debris, from which we selected two pestles, several rude hoes of limestone, many
cutting implements of chipped flint, most of them rudely made, some arrowheads
and knives of flint.

Fragments of human bones lay on many parts of the field, and we were told
that bones and artifacts had been plowed up there for more than thirty years
and probably for a still longer period, as the place had been under cultivation for
a long time before our informant s experience of it began.

Slabs of stone lying here and there indicated the former presence of stone
graves, but as the soil at this place was too tenacious to permit the use of rods to
advantage, we were compelled to rely on trial-holes to discover burials of any
kind. The following burials were encountered.

Burial No. 1 consisted of bones thrown irregularly together and may have
been a disturbance, aboriginal or otherwise. It lay on yellow, undisturbed clay
in the rich, dark, loamy clay of the field. With the bones were a few small,
discoidal, shell beads in bad condition.

Burial No. 2, just below the surface, was a stone grave from which the plow
had taken practically all of the upper part of one end and some of one side.
Within the grave, which apparently had been found and rifled in the past, were
slabs, and fragments of human bones. At one corner, beneath a slab that still
remained in place, were parts of a tibia and a fibula, and foot-bones all in place.
The burial evidently had been that of an adult, the head W. by S. Apparently
there had been no flooring of slabs for this grave.

Burial No. 3, lying on undisturbed yellow clay, 18 inches down, was a skeleton
closely flexed on the left side, the head directed SE. by S.

Burial No. 4, a skeleton partly flexed on the right, the head N., lying in a
grave 1 which extended 14 inches into the undisturbed yellow subsoil. The dark
loam of the field was 8 inches deep at this place, making the total depth of the
burial 22 inches. This skeleton in part rested on the pelvis of Burial No. 5.

Burial No. 5, a skeleton extended on the back, the head directed SSW. The
left arm was flexed, with the hand resting on the left shoulder. This burial,
which was 2 feet deep, had a flint point, probably a lancehead, resting on the left
thigh.

1 When stone graves are under description the fact will be distinctly specified.

ABORIGINAL RITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 207

Burial No. 6, a skeleton extended on the back, lying on the yellow clay which
was but 6 inches deep at this place. The skull, if present, would have been
directed S. by W., but a post or a tree, as indicated by a round hole which ex
tended considerably deeper than the grave, had destroyed the head.

Burial No. 7, the skeleton of a child, just under the surface, had in line beside
it seven earthenware vessels, as follows: over part of the skull and covering an
upright bowl and a pot was an inverted bowl. In contact with this bowl, on tin-
body of the child, was an inverted bowl having two small bowls, also inverted,
side by side against it. In this bowl was a musselshell, somewhat broken, which
no doubt had been used as a spoon. Over the pelvis of the skeleton had been
placed an inverted bowl.

All this earthenware was shell-tempered and without line or painted decoration.
Two of the vessels (all seven dropped to fragments on removal) had knobs below
the rims, while one had a small extension, probably meant to represent the beak
in a rude shell-form. Between two of the vessels, upright, was a small, slender
celt of indurated shale.

Burial No. 8. This skeleton had been closely flexed on the right, the head
pointing NE., but had been badly disarranged by Burials Nos. 4 and 5.

Burial No. 9. Just beneath the surface, and somewhat disturbed by t lie-
plow, was a tiny stone grave let down into the undisturbed yellow clay. The
top of the grave had been plowed away. This grave, not oblong, but with
decidedly rounded corners, was constructed with the aid of eight slabs, some
triangular, and placed with pointed ends downward. The floor consisted of three
slabs, one comparatively small, used to fill an intervening space. The outside 1
measurement of the grave was 21 inches by 14 inches; the inside measurement,
17.5 inches by 10.5 inches. Within the grave were a few decaying bones of an
infant, with which were a considerable number of small, barrel-shaped beads of
shell.

Burials Nos. 10 and 11 were skeletons of children, one considerably disturbed
by the interment of the other. Near one skull were ten barrel-shaped shell beads,
each almost one inch in length.

All the burials described here were near together, though it is of course
impossible to determine if the stone-grave burials were made at the same period
as were those that were unenclosed.

MOUND NEAR OLD FURNACE LANDING, DECATUR COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

At Old Furnace Landing is a property belonging to Mr. W. A. Hassell, of
Clifton, Term. A barn and other buildings are upon a low mound within sight
from the landing. This mound, which is now about 2 feet high and 95 feet in
diameter, approximately, has been trodden and trampled to such an extent by
mules and horses that it is hard to say what its original dimensions were-. \Ye
were unable to find any part of this mound where digging would not have been
a decided injury to it.

208 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

MOUNDS ON SWALLOW BLUFF ISLAND, DECATUR COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On Swallow Bluff Island, owned by Mr. S. S. Dickey, of Saltillo, Tenn., near
the upper end (where principal mounds usually are found on islands in Tennessee
river), are two mounds about 150 yards apart, visible from the bank. These
mounds, we were informed by Mr. Dickey, had never been under cultivation and
but very recently had been cleared from a thick growth of cane. Their appear
ance also showed no sign of the plow.

The northernmore mound, the one nearer the water, is 18 feet in height,
measured from what seemed to be the general level, though, taken from other
points where wash has occurred, or near slopes, the height would be considerably
greater. The sides are somewhat irregular, there being at the present time a
small extension from the northern corner, which, however, is not a graded way,
the slope from the extension being as steep as from the rest of the mound. The
mound, however, is practically square, with a basal diameter of 130 feet, and its
flat top measuring slightly more than 50 feet across. The sides do not all face
the cardinal points, nor are its corners directed toward them.

The upper part of this mound consisted of homogeneous, loamy clay in which
the limits of graves could not be defined. Numerous trial-holes were sunk and
the sounding-rod was freely used in the summit-plateau, resulting in the discovery
of twenty burials which will be described in detail.

Burial No. 1. Together, were the pelves, thighs, and legs (the extremities
being flexed) of two skeletons, the upper parts missing through some cause we
could not determine, no grave having been discovered below them.

Burial No. 2, 3 feet 8 inches down, was the skeleton of a child, having near the
head a bottle of yellow, shell-tempered ware, without decoration. At the opposite
side of the skull were a rude discoidal of limestone, and a flint chisel 3.25 inches
in length by 1 inch in width, having a ground cutting edge at each end. This is
the first chipped flint implement with a ground edge met with us by on the Ten
nessee river. With the chisel was a bone implement crumbling to bits, and a
small hone of sandstone.

Burials Nos. 3 and 4. Two feet from the surface was what seemed to be a
single stone box-grave, 6 feet 3 inches in length and 2 feet 6 inches wide. The
sides of this grave were vertical, and the covering slabs, which were of limestone,
as were all the slabs found on this island, lay squarely upon them. Resting on
an upper slab at one end was a rude pot, and at what appeared to be near the
middle of the grave had been placed a short-necked, undecorated bottle.

On the removal of the covering slabs, what seemed a single grave proved to
be two graves with separate ends, a slab placed above the adjacent extremities
having covered them. The two graves proved to be not exactly in line, that of
Burial No. 3 being ESE. to WNW., while the other was E. and W.

Burial No. 3, the bones of a child, badly disarranged, with the skull at the
eastern end of the grave and immediately under the vessel to which reference has

ABORKIINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER. 209

been made, lay in a grave the inside measurements of which were 2 feet 7 inches
and 1 foot (&gt; inches, the depth being 10 inches. Neither in this grave nor in any
found on this island was there a flooring of slabs. The symmetrical appearance
of this grave, which differed so much from those found in the smaller mound at
this place, was due to the fact that the lower parts of the supporting slabs had
been imbedded about 5 inches beneath the level of the base of the grave, thus
enabling them to remain vertical.

Burial No. 4 lay with the head directed toward the west, the feet in the direc
tion of Burial No. 3. The grave, inside measurement, was 3 feet by 22 inches;
its depth, 13 inches. These quarters were so restricted that the skeleton, that of
a fair-sized adult, had been accommodated with difficulty. Squarely across the
foot of the grave, extending to the right, were the thighs with the legs drawn up
against them, at right angles to the trunk which lay upon (he back; the skull,
which was saved, had been forced forward and turned so that the right sick 1 rested
on the thorax.

At the right shoulder was a small, undecorated pot having two loop handles.
The vessel already referred to as deposited on what seemed to be midway of the
single grave, in reality rested over the feet of this burial.

Burial No. o, a stone grave the top of which was 2 feet 6 inches from the surface
of the mound. Although the slabs had been carefully placed to a depth of some
inches beneath the base of the grave, they diverged somewhat toward the top of
the grave, though the consequent outward slant had not been sufficient to cause
the covering slabs to fall or to lose their horizontal position. The outside meas
urement of the grave was 4 feet o inches by 2 feet 10 inches. The top of the
grave was made up of a double layer of slabs, the upper ones being comparatively
small, while but five had been used for the lower layer, three of which were
unimportant and used to cover spaces left by two large slabs, the larger of which
was 2 feet 6 inches by 1 foot 10 inches, and 2 inches thick. One entire side of
the grave was but a single slab, while the other was a large slab with a small one
used to fill a remaining space. The slabs at the ends were single 1 . The inside
measurements of the grave were: length, 4 feet; width, 2 feet; depth, 13 inches.

On the floor, which was of earth, was the skeleton of an adult, closely flexed to
the right, the head SE.

Burial No. G, an unenclosed skeleton partly flexed to the left , the head N.

Burial No. 7 was a stone grave, its top nearly 2 feet below the surface. ( )ut-
side measurements were 4 feet 2 inches by 2 feet 10 inches. The flat top was
double in places where small spaces had been left. The sides and ends were of
single thickness and their bases extended well into the ground, hence the covering
slabs were firmly supported. The inside measurement of this grave was 3 feet
10 inches by 2 feet 4 inches, the depth being 1 foot 3 inches.

The skeleton, rather closely flexed to the right, the head S. by E., had the
right forearm diagonally over the trunk and the left forearm across it, the humeri
being parallel with the trunk. At the neck were a few small, discoidal beads of

17 JOl K.V. A. X. S. PHI LA., VOL. XVI.

210

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

shell, and at the feet were several badly-decayed, piercing implements of bone,
close together.

Burial No. 8, a stone box-grave 2.5 feet from its top to the surface, oblong,
3 feet 9 inches by 2 feet 1 inch, a single slab at each side and at each end, the cover
ing being a double thickness of slabs in places, smaller ones having been arranged

FIG. 12. Burial No. 8.
Tenn.

Stone box-grave. 3 feet 9 inches by 2 feet 1 inch. Swallow Bluff Island,

over gaps between parts of the larger, under ones. In this grave the covering-
slabs presumably had been held up in part by supports, perhaps of wood, and had
not been placed squarely across the grave. Consequently, when these supports
had decayed, some of the covering slabs had fallen to a slanting position, as shown
in the photographic reproduction (Fig. 12).

This grave, 3 feet 3 inches long by 1 foot 8 inches wide, inside measurement,
contained a skeleton, partly flexed, the trunk on the back, the knees drawn up

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE 1WKU.

211

into the corner of the grave, the left arm and forearm extended along the body,
as was the right upper-arm whose related forearm crossed the trunk. The head
was directed XXW. The grave containing this skeleton is shown in Fig. 13, the
covering and one side of it having been removed.

FIG. 13. Burial Xo. S, showing skeleton, part of the grave having licen removed. Swallow Bluff
Island, Tcnn.

Burial No. 9, a stone grave whose sides formed a rude pentagon supporting a
covering consisting of one large slab on which here and there had been placed
smaller slabs, in some cases in one thickness or again in two thicknesses, the whole
arrangement having an elliptical outline (Fig. 14). This stone grave, 2 feet I
inch in length and 1 foot 4 inches in maximum width, had a height of 1 foot 2
inches, excluding its lower parts which entered the ground. (It is impossible in

212

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

the case of stone graves exactly to determine the height, outside measurement,
since the depth to which the various slabs penetrate the ground is irregular and
not determinable until the grave is demolished. In the case of inside measure
ment, of course, one has the floor from which to determine the height.) Seven
inches below the top was the skeleton of an infant, whose bones, though not well

FIG. 14. -Burial Xo. 9. Stone box-grave of an infant. 2 feet 1 inch by 1 foot 4 inches, over all.
Swallow Bluff Island, Tenn.

preserved, were in better condition than one would expect them to be, and this
applied to all skeletons of infants and of children found at this place. Presum
ably lime from the slabs above them had acted as a preservative.

Burial No. 10. The supporting slabs of this stone grave had not been firmly
set, and having assumed an outward slant, had permitted the covering slabs to
fall into the grave, which under these conditions, was 5 feet 7 inches long by
2 feet 7 inches wide, its top being just below the surface. This grave, which was
in contact with Burial No. 12, at right angles to it, contained a skeleton closely
flexed on the right, having a fragment of a thick cooking pot of earthenware,

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 213

about the size of a man s hand, as a mortuary tribute. Presumably, the ab
origines, who made a deposit of this kind in another instance at this place, con
sidered the gift as at all events better than nothing, an opinion, however, with
which the investigator of stone graves is not likely to agree.

IMC;. 15. Burial No. 12. A stone box-grave, 3 feet 8 inches by 2 feet "&gt; inches, over all. Swallov
f Island. Tcnn.

Bluff Island, Tcnn

Burial No. 11. This grave, 1 foot 2 inches from the surface, was not a box-
grave, like the rest, but a mere arrangement of slabs in one thickness, 3 feet \
inches long by 2 feet 2 inches wide, placed over the bones of a child, which lay
4 inches below.

Burial No. 12, a few inches from the surface, was a fine example of the stone

214

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

box-grave, the sides and ends upright, the covering slabs resting squarely on them.
This grave, oblong, 3 feet 8 inches by 2 feet 5 inches, had the sides and ends of
single slabs, except at one point where there were two slabs. Surrounding the
grave small gaps had been filled with slabs of inconsiderable size; other unim
portant spaces had been left uncovered. The top was composed of three large
slabs forming a single layer, the one at the lower end of the grave, however, having
another slab upon it, forming a double layer at this place (Fig. 15).

FIG. 16. Burial No. 12, showing the skeleton, part of the grave having been removed.
Bluff Island, Tenn.

Swallow

The inside measurements of this grave were 3 feet 3 inches by 1 foot 8 inches.
Its depth was 1 foot 1 inch. The considerable difference in width between the
inside and the outside measurements (the latter taken over all) , is accounted for
by the projecting ends of the covering slabs.

In the grave, partly flexed to the right, as shown in Fig. 16, representing the
grave after removal of certain slabs, was a skeleton, the head directed E. by N.

Burial No. 13, a stone grave, the sides and ends forming an oblong and having
a covering oval in outline made up chiefly of one great slab, diamond shaped, its
four corners resting on the central parts of the sides and the ends of the grave

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

215

(which had boon evenly dressed to afford a level support), leaving four corners of
the top of the grave uncovered. These corners, however, had been carefully
overlaid in double and treble thickness with small slabs whose rounded outlines,
projecting over the corners in places, formed the oval outline of the entire cover-

FKJ. 17. Burial No. 13. Stone box-grave, 3.5 feet by 2.5 feet, over all. Swallow Bluff Island,
Term.

ing, as shown in Fig. 17. The entire grave, which was 2 feet from the surface,
measured 3.5 feet by 2.5 feet over all.

On the bottom of the grave, whose inside measurements were 2 feet 8 inches
by 1 foot 5 inches and 1 foot 4 inches deep, was a skeleton of a young woman, the
trunk on the back, the knees closely flexed toward the left and resting against the
side of the grave, the bottom of which the trunk completely filled, as shown in the

216

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

illustration (Fig. 18). The head, which would have been directed S., owing to
lack of space had been pushed over on the chest.

Burial No. 14, a carefully-made cist, its top 3.5 feet below the surface, 4 feet
by 3 feet 1 inch in size. The sides consisted of single slabs, double slabs being at
the head of the grave while the foot was made up of one slab of fair size, a small

FIG. 18. Burial No. 13, showing skeleton, some of the slabs having been removed from the grave.
Swallow Bluff Island, Tenn.

one filling a space at a corner. The covering, which was level, was made up of
three large slabs, resting on which were four smaller ones covering open places.

The grave, 3.5 feet by 2.5 feet and 1 foot 2 inches deep, inside measurement,
contained a skeleton partly flexed on the right, the head directed S. The skull of
this burial was saved.

Burial No. 15, unenclosed, 3 feet 9 inches deep, closely flexed to the right, the
head SSE.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 217

Burial Xo. 1(5, unenclosed, 13 inches below the surface, partly flexed to the
right, the head SSE. At the left of the skull was a pot having two loop handles,
and at the right another with loop handles and an encircling row of knobs around
the body. At the right shoulder was the shell of a tortoise or of a turtle, with
which no pebbles were found. At the outer side of the right humerus was a
vessel having two loop handles and a rude, incised decoration. All these vessels
were small, more fitted for interment with a child than with an adult, and were
of the most inferior quality of ware.

Burial No. 17, two feet four inches down, the bones of a young child, un
enclosed.

Burial No. 18, a stone grave slightly more than 3 feet in length and 16 inches
in width, about .5 foot below the surface, the sides and ends composed of upright
slabs in single thickness, a space 10 inches in width unfilled at one side. The top,
perfectly flat, was made up of two slabs and a fragment to cover the space where
they failed to meet. There was a small opening, however, uncovered at one
corner.

This grave, interiorly 34 inches by 13 inches and 9 inches deep, was irregularly
oblong, being somewhat wider at the foot than at the opposite end, owing to the
greater size of a covering slab. It contained an infant s skeleton, the head S. by
E.

Burial No. 19, a few feet from Burial No. 18 and at the same depth, but at a
right angle to it, was a grave 28 inches by 20 inches. This grave was not a com
plete enclosure, spaces being at one of the sides, though the top was almost
entirely covered. At the bottom of the grave, whose inside measurements were
2 feet by 17 inches by 1 foot in depth, were the bones of an infant, the head
directed E.

Burial Xo. 20, a grave having the sides pentagonal, the top roughly oval,
made up of two slabs having upon them three small ones covering spaces. This
grave, 23 inches by 17 inches, is shown in Fig. 19.

The inside measurements of this little stone grave were: length, 18 inches;
width, 13 inches; depth, 9 inches. Within it lay the skeleton of an infant which,
notwithstanding its diminutive size, had the legs flexed, a necessity imposed by
the restricted quarters. One end of the grave, not as wide as the opposite end,
was formed of two slabs meeting at an angle and contained the lower part of the
skeleton.

A curious feature connected with this mound, which was plainly a domiciliary
one, having burials in its summit-plateau (which, as we know, is sometimes the
case with this class of mounds) , was that no burials were encountered in the cen
tral part of the plateau, all being marginal, and especially numerous at the four
corners. Did we not know the aborigines sometimes buried under their dwell
ings, we might feel assured the center of the plateau had been the site of a wig
wam and that burials had been made round it, and such, in this particular
instance, may have been the case.

IS JOUKN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

218

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The smaller mound on Swallow Bluff Island, measured from the northern side
on the general level of the field, is 9 feet 6 inches in height. It is about square,
with a diameter of 90 feet; the summit-plateau is about 30 feet across. The
sides and corners of the mound exhibit no orientation evidencing a purpose.

FIG. 19. Burial No. 20.
Bluff Island, Tenn.

Stone box-grave of an infant, 23 inches by 17 inches, over all. Swallow

As the soil of the summit-plateau did not lend itself to the use of the sounding-
rod, recourse was had to trial-holes, which were put down throughout almost all
the available space on the plateau. At a depth of somewhat more than 4 feet
through dark clay with some admixture of loam, hard yellow material was reached
which was not indicative of the presence of graves.

The following burials were encountered in the dark layer above the yellow.

Burial No. 1. Sixteen inches from the surface was a symmetrical, elliptical
fireplace 14 inches by 16 inches and about 5 inches deep, having the sides, which
were not sloping, but vertical, burnt red, and the base hardened by fire but con
taining no ashes or charcoal.

Near this fireplace, but perhaps having no connection with it, was a stone
grave consisting of limestone slabs arranged in a single thickness on another
fireplace, the hardened clay of which served as a floor for the grave, but as the

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 219

grave cut through still another fireplace, it is possible that the position of this
one may have been accidental and that all these fireplaces belonged to the dark
midden layer and not to the graves.

The slabs of this grave were not let into the soil below the level of the floor,
but seemed to have 1 been simply placed on edge on the floor of the excavation and
apparently had bulged out after the completion of the grave. At all events four
slabs covering the grave, a large one and three small ones, had fallen in between
the slabs constituting the sides. The upper margin of the side slabs, moreover,
was very irregular and could have afforded but little support to the covering
slabs.

The grave, outside measurement, was 4 feet in length and about 2 feet wide
at the central part. Its depth, estimated from the top of the side slabs, was 1
foot 5 inches. It was not oblong, but converging and rounded at the end where
the skull rested.

On the fireplace which served as a floor, was the skeleton of an adult, the head
directed E. The trunk lay on the back, the head pushed forward on the chest.
The thighs were partly drawn up to the right, with the legs flexed against them.
The right arm lay along the body, as did the left humerus, but the left forearm
lay across the trunk. There was no room to spare within the grave, the skeleton
being in contact with the slabs at the head and foot, and at the foot of the grave
some effort had been necessary to accommodate the bones, the width of the grave
not having been sufficient, originally, to receive the thighs and pelvis if placed
horizontally on the floor. In consequence, the thighs were angled against one
side of the grave.

In the grave with the skeleton no artifacts were found, but on the upper side
of one of the top slabs that had fallen in was an undecorated bowl which fell into
bits on removal. Seemingly this bowl had been placed on the grave after the
arrangement of the slabs and before the earth was filled in.

Burial No. 2, traces of a skeleton of an adult, about 3 feet down, extended on
the back, the head directed S.

Burial No. 3, remains of the skeleton- of a grown person, which had been
flexed to the left, the head S.

Burial No. 4, crowns of the teeth of a child. This burial, as well as the preced
ing one, was 20 inches deep.

Burial No. 5, a stone grave. From the surface of the mound to the top of
the grave the distance was 2.5 feet. Above the grave were scattered human bones
indicating that another burial had been disturbed in the making of the stone
grave.

The supporting slabs of this grave, in single thickness, had been arranged in
a manner similar to those described in connection with Burial No. 1 in this mound,
and consequently they slanted outward to a considerable extent, with the excep
tion of the slab at the foot of the grave only, which remained vertical. Hence,
the covering slabs had fallen in, some resting squarely on the bones which they

220 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

had crushed, others with one edge down and the opposite side still remaining on
the supporting slabs. The top slabs had been irregularly placed, overlapping,
some in double thickness, some three deep.

This grave, somewhat larger than it had been originally, no doubt, owing to
the outward slant of the supporting slabs, was 6 feet 10 inches in length and 3 feet
4 inches in width. On the bottom of the grave, which was without slabs, was a
skeleton extended at full length on the back, the head directed ENE. The grave,
inside measurement, was 5 feet 9 inches in length and slightly more than 2 feet in
width; its depth, one foot. The astragalus and the scaphoid of the right foot
lay half-way to the knee, though the other foot-bones and the bones of the left
foot were in place.

Artifacts with this burial were not of a gratifying kind. At the right of the
skull, concave side up, was a sherd, 10 inches by 7 inches, which had formed part
of a large cooking vessel. At the outer side of the left knee had been an upright
vessel with encircling knobs below the rim, now decaying and broken.

Burial No. 6. This burial, that of a young child, lay about 2 feet down
protected by a single slab of stone which lay over it diagonally. Presumably the
body had been placed in the bottom of the excavation and the slab had been
arranged above it, the upper part leaning against the side of the grave. Two small
fragments of stone near the skeleton may have had some connection with the
burial, perhaps may have fallen from the protecting slab.

MOUND AT OLD CALLENS LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

At Old Callens Landing (the present landing being somewhat farther up the
river), immediately on the river s bank and apparently having suffered to some
extent from wash on the side nearest the water, is a mound having a flat top with
numerous trees upon it. This mound, 8 feet 6 inches in height, is on the property
of Messrs. Callens Brothers, of Cerro Gordo, Tenn. The diameter of the base
parallel to the river is 106 feet. The present width of the base is 56 feet. The
sides do not face the cardinal points.

The mound, of clay with some admixture of loam in the upper parts, was not
sufficiently soft for the use of the rod. The summit-plateau was tested with
trial-holes in all directions, but without success.

MOUND NEAR DICKEY S LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On the estate of Mr. J. S. Dickey, whose home is upon it, is a mound having
a flat top which, as well as the sides, evidently has been plowed over for a long
time, as the mound has no regular outline. It is situated in a cultivated field
about one-half mile NE. from Dickey s Landing. Its height is 11 feet; its diam
eters of base, 145 feet and 95 feet. Neither it nor the surrounding area has any
history of discoveries of artifacts or bones, though, of course, before the time of the
present generation, aboriginal graves may have been discovered there.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVKH. 221

This mound, which was of sandy loam in the upper two-thirds, lent itself to
the use of sounding-rods, and in consequence was prodded in all parts by us. In
addition, numerous trial-holes were put down, but nothing of interest was
encountered.

MOUNDS ON THE WILLIAMS PLACE, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

The Williams Place, two miles below Savannah, Tenn., on the same side of
the river, is described in the Smithsonian Report for 1870 (p. 416 ct ,srr/.) as having
a number of mounds which were investigated by the agent of the Smithsonian
Institution. Results are detailed that show the lack of success which is likely
to follow mound exploration along Tennessee river.

We did not attempt further investigation at this place, having learned that
some of the mounds there had been plowed away since the investigation referred
to and that no discoveries had been made during the cultivation of the property.

MOUNDS AT SAVANNAH, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

This aboriginal site, originally of importance, was surveyed and investigated
for the Smithsonian Institution, the results being detailed in the Smithsonian
Report for 1870 (p. 408 et .sr&lt;/.), and in the Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau
of American Ethnology (p. 578). Since the visit of Mr. J. Parish Stelle, who
conducted the investigation, the mounds of the group have been destroyed wholly
or in part owing to their presence within the limits of the town. No further
investigation was considered by us to be feasible or desirable.

MOUNDS OPPOSITE WOLF ISLAND, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On the right-hand side of the river, going up, opposite the lower end of Wolf
Island, on property controlled by Mr. J. F. Williams, of Crump, Tenn., are two
mounds about 150 feet apart, near the river bank and in full view from it.

The larger mound, which has a flat top and probably has been quadrangular,
is said to have had a house upon it. Its shape at present is somewhat irregular.
Several small holes, no doubt unambitious efforts of treasure-seekers, were in the
summit-plateau. The height is 12 feet; the diameters, 115 feet and 165 feet.
We were unable, by systematic prodding and by trial-holes, to get any trace of
burials in the superficial part of this mound.

The smaller mound, very symmetrical, about circular as to the base, which
had a diameter of 50 feet, almost without summit-plateau, was on the end of a
ridge about 2 feet above the general level, which gave the mound the appearance,
from one side, of having a height of about 7 feet; but this in reality, was not the
case, the base of the mound being on the upper surface of the ridge, as was shown
by a central hole 8 feet by 10 feet sunk by us to the undisturbed soil and into it.

The mound had been made of clay on top to a depth of about 1.5 foot when
sand having a slight admixture of clay continued 3.5 feet to the bottom of the
mound.

222 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Traces of four burials were come upon, three resting on the sand and covered
by the upper layer of clay, and one (Burial No. 4) completely in the sand, 40
inches from the surface.

Burial Xo. 1 consisted of traces of bone and two crowns of teeth. Burial
No. 2 was remains of the skeleton of an adult, which had been flexed to the right,
the head SSW. Burial No. 3 showed only indications of bone; no teeth or trace
of the skull were recovered.

Burial No. 4, fragments of the skeleton of an adult, which had been partly
flexed to the left, the head SE. At the left shoulder was a small, undecorated
pot of very inferior ware, which had possessed two loop handles, one of which
was missing. At the right of the skull was a small bowl on edge, somewhat
broken, undecorated save for a rude effigy of the head of a bird rising from the
rim on one side, and a conventional tail extending horizontally on the other side.

MOUNDS NEAR PERKINS BLUFF, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Immediately back of the landing at Perkins Bluff is high ground, property
of Mr. G. L. Perkins, of Crump, Tenn., the fields on which have in places small
deposits of midden debris. In light woods bordering the fields are a number
of small mounds from a few inches to 4 feet in height and from 15 to 35 feet in
diameter.

The largest of these mounds, evidently very symmetrical originally, had been
dug out thoroughly as to its central portion prior to our visit, and human bones
lay at the border of the hole. We were told that a shell on which were "letters"
(a gorget, if anything) had been found with the skull of a skeleton lying on the
bottom of the mound. Four equidistant trenches, each about 3 feet wide, were
put in by us from the margin of the mound along its base to where the previous
digging had been, through raw clay in three instances, the fourth trench in clay
and gravel. Our efforts were without success.

Nine other mounds, including one in a cultivated field, some of which had
been previously dug into, were carefully investigated by us. In one, but a few
inches in height and about 15 feet across, was a skeleton 7 inches down, partly
flexed on the right, the head NW. The skeleton lay on raw, undisturbed clay
in dark, loamy soil containing some midden refuse.

In another mound in which some digging had been done, part of a human left
femur lay at the edge of the hole.

A number of other mounds at this place, similar outwardly to those described
by us, and probably inwardly also, were left uninvestigated.

MOUND NEAR PlTTSBURG FERRY, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

About 300 yards NNE. from the landing at Pittsburg Ferry, which is opposite
Pittsburg Landing, in a cultivated field belonging to F. C. Williams, D.D.S., of
Savannah, Tenn., is a mound that evidently has been under cultivation for a
considerable time, and whose dimensions may have differed greatly from those

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 223

noted at the time of our visit, which were: height, 4.5 feet; diameter of circular
base, 80 feet.

The mound, of material mainly clay dark in color, was riddled with explora
tory holes by us except in the outer parts where preliminary digging indicated
no burials were to be found.

In addition, a hole 10 feet by 9 feet was sunk centrally in the summit to a
depth of 6 feet, with four smaller excavations from its base, each about 18 inches
in depth. Five feet 6 inches down a base line seemed to be reached, but this
was not decisive, clay of much the same color as the mound continuing as far
as the digging went, and a fragment of worked flint coming from the greatest
depth. Presumably the mound had been built on the made-ground of the
dwelling-site.

Immediately below the surface scattered fragments of human bones were
found, evidently indicating disturbances by the plow. With one of these dis
turbed burials had been three vessels of earthenware, undecorated and common
place in form, whose fragments were mixed with the bones.

Five burials in all were encountered, none deeper than 2 feet, two of which
had cut through fireplaces in the mound.

Burial No. 1, a skeleton extended on the back, the head E. Lying trans
versely on the thorax was a graceful celt of slate, 5.3 inches in length. At the
right shoulder was a small, undecorated bottle having a globular body with an
angular base. Near the skull was a small bowl with a rude animal head on one
side and a conventional tail on the opposite side.

Burials Nos. 2 and 3 were each partly flexed to the right, the head to the E.
Over the feet of one was a mixture of bones of another skeleton, including the
skull.

Burial No. 4 lay extended on the back, the head directed E. by N. At the
skull was a small, undecorated pot having two loop handles, and a large fragment
of a coarse cooking vessel lay on the trunk. An asymmetrical bottle of yellow
ware, undecorated, having a neck in the form of a truncated cone, was at the
right shoulder.

Burial No. 5, a mixture of bones 15 inches down, seemed rather too deep to
have been a disturbance through cultivation, and may have been an aboriginal
one. All the bones in this mound were badly decayed and fell to pieces on
removal.

In a nearby dwelling-site holes came upon a skeleton extended on the back,
the skull, plowed away in all likelihood, being absent. Its direction would have
been E. by N. easterly like those in the mound. Part of the skull of a child
also was found just below the surface.

MOUNDS NEAR PlTTSBURG LANDING, HARD1N COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

At Pittsburg Landing, immediately overlooking the river, is (he I liiled
States National Cemetery where lie many of those killed on the Union side in

224

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

the engagement at Pittsburg Landing and at the Battle of Shiloh. which took

place on the high ground around the landing, in the Civil War between the States.

The Federal government also has created and maintains the Shiloh National

Military Park, where the Battle of Shiloh was fought, and in this park, near the

Scale in jest
200

FIG. 20. Plan of mounds on Shiloh Battlefield, Tcn?i.

river, is a group of seven beautiful, symmetrical, aboriginal mounds, a plan of
which, made by Dr. M. G. Miller at the time of our visit, is shown in Fig. 20,
and various low humps and knolls of aboriginal origin, one of which, compara
tively low and of very irregular outline, is sometimes described as an eighth
mound belonging to the group.

Immediately on the bank of the river is a superb mound (A) with steep sides,
on which a house has been built for the use of the superintendent of the park.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 225

This mound, as arc five of the others, is square or nearly square, with a flat
summit-plateau, the sides approximately facing the cardinal points. The
heights of the mounds are as follows :

Mound A 14 feet 6 inches. Mound E 5 feet 1 inch.

Mound B 8 feet 6 inches. Mound F-- 9 feet 3 inches.

Mound C 10 feet 2 inches. Mound G 11 feet 6 inches.
Mound D 9 feet 10 inches.

Permission to dig into these mounds is at present unobtainable, though most
of them have been investigated, apparently to a very limited extent, with one
exception (Mound C] to be referred to in due course. The humps, however,
have been dug considerably, owing, perhaps, to their convenient size. Under
the summit-plateau of Mound G were buried the dead of the Twenty-eighth
Illinois Infantry, prior to their removal to the National Cemetery nearby. The
traces of the burial trenches in this mound might be mistaken for vestiges of
former investigation were not the facts a matter of history.

Mound (7, elliptical in outline, was dug into in 1899 and a most remarkable
pipe was discovered in it. An excellent account of the work, by Col. Cornelius
Cadle, who conducted it, is given in Records of the Past (July, 1902, p. 218
et seq.}, the height of the mound as stated by him, namely, 10 feet 2 inches, exactly
tallying with our measurement. 1

Colonel Cadle, in the selection of this particular mound for investigation,
evinced excellent judgment or enjoyed great good fortune, since all other mounds
of the group, being square of base and flat of top, presumably were domiciliary
and most likely contained no burials. We quote from the account:

"Continuing the work we reached the center, driving about 2 feet further.
This cut, commencing at the surface, was driven at a slight angle upward for
drainage in case of rain, and because I expected to make a find on the original
surface and at the center. For a space of about 4 by 5 feet in the center, 8 inches
above the original surface (the surface of the cut), the ground, upon striking it
with the handle of a shovel, sounded hollow. Going back toward the entrance,
1 foot from the resounding area, a hole was dug 2 feet deep and across the cut,
and with knife and fingers the earth slowly taken away, toward the supposed
hollow. We were rewarded in an hour or two by finding, first, that this hollow
area had been covered with large logs. Carefully removing this wood, which was
decayed, we found the remains of three bodies, the crania, the vertebra?, the arm
and leg bones; apparently laid upon the surface of the ground before the mound
w r as started, either in a sitting position; or possibly the bones had been brought
there for reinterment, and the burial place had been timbered so as to form a
cell or room, but the wood in decaying had caused a cave-in, filling up the room.

1 The account, however, is in error in two particulars, namely, in stating that the mounds are oval
as to the bases with one exception (that marked A on our plan), and in assigning to this mound a height
of 25 feet, which altitude, as we have said in the introduction to this report, would require a part of
the river bank on which the mound is, to complete.
19 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

KKI. 21. Effigy-pipe found by Colonel Cadle, in a mound on Shiloh Battlefield. (Full size;.)
(Greatly enlarged from a photograph in Records of the Past.)

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 227

. . . About the center of this burial space we struck something that looked like
an arm in stone. For two hours we carefully excavated and dug, not daring to
use an} r implement but our knives and fingers, and were rewarded by finding a
pipe in human form, bent on one knee, the bowl and place for the mouth-piece
in the back. It is about 10 inches high, carved apparently from either Cat-
linite, the red-pipe stone of Minnesota, or a similar stone. It is the most per
fect piece of prehistoric carving that I have seen, much superior in artistic work
to anything of the kind described and illustrated in Force, Short, Bancroft,
Thruston and others, or that I have seen in various collections."

This remarkable pipe, which, enlarged from an illustration taken from Records
of the Past, is shown in Fig. 21, to which Colonel Cadle does no more than
simple justice, is now in the office of the superintendent of Shiloh National Mili
tary Park at Pittsburg Landing, where it is exposed to fire, theft, and breakage.
Its place is in the National Museum at Washington.

MOUND NEAR NASH LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

About half a mile above Nash Landing, in an open field, on property of
Mr. O. C. Hagy, of Selmcr, Tenn., is a mound reported by our agent, who
estimated its height at 10 feet, to have been very badly dug away; hence the
mound was not visited by us.

MOUNDS BELOW NORTH CAROLINA LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

In a cultivated field about one mile in a westerly direction from North Carolina
Landing, on property belonging to Mr. John T. Morris, living somewhat farther
back from the river, are two mounds about 60 yards apart.

The larger mound has long been under cultivation and the furrows of the
field in which it is are carried continuously over it in plowing, so that on two sides
its slope has become very gradual. On a third side it has been in part cut away
by a road. Its present height is about 7 feet; its diameters, about 100 feet and
150 feet, approximately. The mound, which no doubt has been quadrangular,
with flat top, a domiciliary mound, is of raw, yellow clay and yielded no sign
of burial.

The smaller mound, about 3 feet in height and 50 feet across its irregular
base, has been plowed around and probably over, though not under cultivation
at the time of our visit and has been mutilated by a roadway. This mound
was carefully dug into in a number of places, though its composition, raw,
yellow clay from the beginning, gave little hope of success. A base-line was
reached at a depth of 3 feet 7 inches, but some of the holes were carried some
what farther. With the exception of a broken piercing implement of bone, no
sign of man s handiwork or of human remains was encountered.

From the surface at this place was picked up an arrowhead of gray flint,
1.9 inch in length, .8 inch in width, and having a maximum thickness of only
.15 inch.

228

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

MOUND NEAR NORTH CAROLINA LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On property of Mr. H. B. McGce, living somewhat back from the river, is a
mound in a cultivated field, about one-half mile SW. from North Carolina Land
ing. The mound is without corners, the sides slope gently, and the top is convex.
It is impossible to say what shape the elevation may have had, as it has been
incorporated in the field, all the cultivation of which is shared by the mound.
Its length is 90 feet; its width, 55 feet. Its height, as taken by us, was some
what more than 5 feet, but it became evident in the course of the digging that
the debris of the dwelling-site, which the surrounding field had been, had accu
mulated around the mound, thus impairing its original height.

FIG. 22. Bottle of earthenware. North Carolina Landing, Tenn. (Height 8.7 inches.)

Centrally a hole 8 feet by 10 feet was sunk and the height of the mound from
the original surface was determined as 7 feet. Remains of two post-holes were
found in the digging, and of several fireplaces at different depths, one having
had the outline of a basin.

Though parts of a human skull and several teeth were on the surface of the
mound at the time of our visit, no bones or artifacts were encountered in the

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 229

central excavation, though one of two smaller holes, which were made on each
side of the main excavation, came upon two bottles near together, about 1.5 foot
below the surface, having, however, no human remains in association. One of
the bottles (Fig. 22), with a slender neck expanding toward the mouth, had
been covered with red pigment, much of which had disappeared. The ware is
fairly good, and, in conjunction with the grace of its form, seemed to promise
earthenware of more artistic design and manufacture than we had so far found
on Tennessee river. The other bottle, with a broad neck, is undccorated and
of inferior ware.

Air. McGee, the owner of the property, informed us that recently a stone
grave had been plowed up near the mound, and our digging in the surrounding
field came upon a slab of limestone a few inches below the surface, near which
was part of a human humerus. Presumably a stone grave had formerly been
at this place.

About one-half mile westerly from the mound is a field about eleven acres
in extent, so thickly covered with fragments of flint-wasters, flakes, chippings,
and parts of pointed and edged implements that one could not walk without
covering a number of them at each step. But little in the way of fragments of
pottery could be seen, and complete points or other implements were rare. Mr.
McGee informed us that in the past many arrow- and spear-points had lain on
the surface, but these had been broken by the plow or carried away. We heard
from another source that persons living nearby had searched the field for imple
ments and that an employe on a fleet of dredgeboats which had been quartered
on the river nearby had acted as a collector for a dealer in antiquities.

A number of trial-holes were put down in a small rise in the field, one of which
came upon a slab of limestone 8 inches from the surface, beneath which were the
bones of the upper extremities and the upper part of the thorax of a human skele
ton no doubt the remainder of a stone grave.

There were also found remains of a skeleton, unenclosed, so badly decayed
that the form of burial could not be determined, and two skeletons in very poor
condition, both extended on the back, one heading SE., the other ESE.

Apart from bones were found a sheet of mica about 6 inches by 5 inches, and
a slab of limestone, no doubt having belonged to a stone grave.

There can be little doubt that stone graves were at this place in the past,
but whether of the box-grave variety or not, we are unable to say.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR PICKWICK LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

On property of Mr. T. J. Fields is what is generally supposed to be a mound,
about one mile SE. of Pickwick Landing, on the right-hand side of the river,
going up. ( arcful examination based upon digging showed this elevation, which
is about 11 feet high and 82 feet by 110 feet in basal diameters to be a natural
formation.

In the neighborhood of this elevation has been an extensive, aboriginal

230

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

dwelling-site, many contiguous fields having scattered over them fragments of
stone, flint in the main, and some knives, lancepoints, and arrowheads, of flint,
broken and whole. Three points selected from others gathered at this place
are shown in Fig. 23, one of which, having been broken on one side, has been
worked over to give the broken margin an edge. No rise was apparent in any
of the fields, and the level ground seemed no longer to be midden debris, which
presumably has washed away, leaving on the present surface what had been on
it and in it.

FIG. 23. Points of flint. Site near Pickwick Landing (near Sulphur Creek), Term. (Full size.)

MOUND NEAR BOYD S LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

In sight from the river bank when foliage docs not intervene, about one-quarter
mile in a northerly direction from Boyd s Landing, in woods forming part of the
property of Mr. J. H. Lakey, living about one mile farther back from the river,
is a mound 7 feet in height. The mound has been washed away to some extent,
or dug into considerably, years ago. At all events, part of its northern side is
missing, so that what probably was once a circular base with a diameter of 70
feet, has that dimension now only through its E. and W. parts. There was almost
no summit-plateau, and the mound, judging from its shape, might well have been
erected for burial purposes.

From the summit of the mound a hole 11 by 6.5 feet was carried to a depth of
7 feet 9 inches, reaching a dark band marking the original surface, 7 feet 7 inches
down. From the base of this excavation five holes were dug, one in the center

ABORIGINAL SITUS ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 231

and one in each corner, the corner ones extending 18 inches down through clay
evidently without former disturbance, with one exception where 5 inches below
the line of the base two masses of galena (lead sulphide), one somewhat larger
than a clenched hand, one smaller, were found together. Both these masses
were heavily coated with lead carbonate, the white-lead of commerce, used for
the making of paint. In the great site at Moundville, Ala., we found this white-
lead pigment on ceremonial palettes of stone in aboriginal graves. In the mound
under description, these masses lay on undisturbed clay, but were surrounded
by the dark material composing the base-line, and evidently were a deposit of
some kind.

The central hole put down from the base, 4 feet long by 20 inches wide, was
carried through material that seemed to have been disturbed, perhaps by the
planting of a post. Nothing was discovered in this hole.

In the main excavation in the mound, which went through raw clay without
indication of occupancy or of burial, were no fireplaces. The only artifacts
found were occasional chips of flint and fragmentary projectile points, perhaps
introduced with the clay in the making of the mound. Five masses of galena,
two together, also were come upon in the digging. The discovery of quantities
of galena will be described in our account of Tennessee river mounds in Alabama.
The reader is invited to consult the "Handbook of American Indians" as to
galena.

MOTXD NEAR SWAN POND LANDING, HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Our agent visited a mound a short distance above Swan Pond Landing, on
property of which Mr. Thomas McKelvy is the owner. This mound, according
to our agent, has a flat top, is about 7 feet in height and 70 feet square. There is
a building on this mound and permission to dig was not obtained.

MOUNDS NEAR THE MOUTH OF YELLOW CREEK, HAUDIX COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

About one-half mile due west from the mouth of Yellow creek is a mound in
woods belonging to Messrs. Walker and Ross, of Savannah, Tenn. This mound,
apparently intact at the time of our visit, was 32 feet across its circular base.
Its height varied, the mound being on a slope. From the upper side the altitude
was but 1 foot 4 inches, while measured from the lower side it was slightly more
than o feet.

An excavation 12 feet square was put down in the central part of the mound,
showing it to be of raw, yellow clay and that there was no marked line of the
base, compact clay of lighter shade than that of the mound being encountered,
however, at a depth of 30 inches. This was dug out to an additional depth of
one foot without showing modification and undoubtedly was the underlying clay
of the mound.

Five inches from the surface was a skeleton much decayed, indicating a burial
closely flexed to the left. Ten inches deeper were fragments of two long-bones.

232 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Twenty-eight inches down lay mere traces of bones, and at about the same level,
but some distance away, were the remains of two femora and two tibiae, not in
order but lying side by side and having the remains of a skull at one end.

Twenty-two inches from the surface were two slabs and a mass of sandstone
not in contact, the slabs being about 4 inches apart and the mass 5 inches from
them. Altogether they covered a space 14 inches by 34 inches. On these frag
ments of rock were traces of bones, presumably all that remained of a burial
which had lain on this placement of stone.

Apart from burials were found a mass of galena, and a graceful arrowhead or
lancepoint of flint, slightly more than 3 inches in length, having a conspicuously
long stem and similar to one figured by Thruston 1 as coming from Tennessee.
It is also a Missouri form. 2

One-quarter mile WSW. from the mound just described is another, also in
woods and of the same ownership, into which previous diggers had run a trench
a yard in width, from the margin to the central part, broadening somewhat
there. The height of the mound was 4.5 feet; the diameter of its circular base,
38 feet.

An excavation 16 feet square was put down through the light-yellow clay of
the mound to what seemed to be the base, about 5 feet from the summit, where
compact clay, darker in shade and soon merging into red, was encountered. On
this hillside it was evident no dwelling place had been, so no midden debris was
present between the undisturbed clay and the body of the mound.

Near the surface was a slab of limestone under which were a human pelvis
and the upper parts of two femora, evidently the remainder of a burial which
had been cut away by the previous digging, at the edge of which these remains
were found. Slightly more than one foot down and at a depth of 4 feet, re
spectively, were traces of bones.

About 3 feet down was a fireplace on which clay used in making the mound
had been thrown. This clay had been somewhat discolored by the heat.

About 9.5 feet from the center of the mound, 2 feet 4 inches down, under the
slope, were two slabs, one of sandstone, the other of limestone, and a mass of
cherty material, arranged rudely in the form of a horizontal triangle with an
altitude of 2 feet 7 inches and 2 feet across the base, which was composed of a
slab and a mass side by side, the remaining slab forming the apex of the triangle.
Three other slabs were in the soil somewhat above the grave, separated, without
arrangement, apparently not directly connected with it.

Under this triangle of stone was a burial of an adolescent rather closely
flexed on the right, the bones, even the ribs, retaining their shape but crumbling
somewhat on removal. With the exception of the pelvis, which protruded,
and of small parts left unprotected where the slabs and the mass were not in
contact, the skeleton was completely covered by the stones.

x Op. cit., Plate XI.

2 Gerard Fowke, "Prehistoric Objects Classified and Described," Plate X, Bulletin 1, Missouri
Historical Society, Department of Archaeology.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 233

Five feet to its bottom, in part under the stone grave just described, was a
grave-pit 2 feet 3 inches wide by 6 feet 5 inches in length, extending 2 feet into
the undisturbed clay below the base of the mound. This grave, in which no
trace of bone remained, had been filled with the yellow clay of the mound. It
is interesting to note in this mound the absence of a central grave or of one
comparatively near the center of the base.

PART II.

TENNESSEE RIVER IN Alississippi AND IN ALABAMA.

Here, continuing our investigation on Tennessee river, we leave the state
of Tennessee for a time and for a few miles have Mississippi on our right and
Alabama on our left, as we ascend the stream. Then our exploration is con
tinued in the state of Alabama.

Mounds and Sites.

Mound near Hubbard Landing, Tishomingo County, Mississippi

Dwelling-site at Baugh s Landing, Lauderdale County, Alabama.

Mounds near Riverton, Colbert County, Ala.

Dwelling-sites near Colbert Creek, Colbert County, Ala.

Mounds on the Johnson Place, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Dwelling-sites on Roger s Island, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Mounds near Perkins Spring, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Dwelling-site near Cane Creek, Colbert County, Ala.

Mound and Dwelling-sites on Seven Mile Island, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Mound near Florence, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Dwelling-site on Gilchrist Island, Colbert County, Ala.

Dwelling-site at Lock No. 3, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Periwinkle Hill, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Dwelling-site on the Weaver Place, Lauderdale County, Ala.

Mound on Tick Island, Lawrence County, Ala.

Mounds above Nance s Reef, Lauderdale Co., Ala.

Mound near Sycamore Landing, Lawrence County, Ala.

Dwelling-site on Gilchrist Island, Lawrence County, Ala.

Dwelling-site above Milton Bluff, Lawrence County, Ala.

Mound on Brown s Island, Lawrence County, Ala.

Dwelling-site at Brown s Ferry, Limestone County, Ala.

Dwelling-site on Mason Island, Limestone County, Ala.

Mound on the Steel Place, Limestone County, Ala.

Mound at Decatur, Ala.

Mound and Dwelling-site near South Flint River, Morgan County, Ala.

Mound near Limestone Creek, Limestone County, Ala.

Dwelling-site on the Hopper Place, Madison County, Ala.

20 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

234 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Dwelling-site near Cataco Creek, Morgan County, Ala.
Mounds on the Slaughter Place, Morgan County, Ala.
Dwelling-site at White s Ferry, Madison County, Ala.
Mound and Dwelling-site above Chunn s Landing, Morgan County, Ala.
Mounds and Dwelling-site on Hobbs Island, Madison County, Ala.
Dwelling-site at the mouth of Flint River, Madison County, Ala.
Dwelling-site near Bean Rock, Marshall County, Ala.
Dwelling-site near Paint Rock Landing, Marshall County, Ala.
Dwelling-site on the Foster Place, Marshall County, Ala.
Dwelling-site on the Penney Place, Marshall County, Ala.
Mound near Guntcrsville, Ala.

Dwelling-site on McKee Island, Marshall County, Ala.
Dwelling-site on the Seibold Place, Marshall County, Ala.
Mounds on Henry Island, Marshall County, Ala.
The Roden Mounds, Marshall County, Ala.

Mound and Dwelling-site on Pine Island, Marshall County, Ala.
Dwelling-sites near Garland s Ferry, Jackson County, Ala.
Mounds on the Snodgrass Place, Jackson County, Ala.
Cox Mound and Dwelling-site, Jackson County, Ala.
Mounds on the Rudder Place, Jackson County, Ala.
Mounds near Widow s Creek, Jackson County, Ala.
Mounds near Williams Landing, Jackson County, Ala.
Mounds and Dwelling-site on Bridgeport, or Long, Island, Jackson County,
Ala., and Marion County, Tenn.

MOUND NEAR HUBBARD LANDING, TlSHOMINGO COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.

About one mile in a WSW. direction from Hubbard Landing, near the resi
dence of Mr. R. L. Hubbard, to whom it belongs, is a mound about 4 feet in
height and 30 feet in diameter. We visited this mound but found its central
part completely dug away.

DWELLING-SITE AT BATJGH S LANDING, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At Baugh s Landing is a large, cultivated field belonging to Mr. J. J. Baugh,
who lives about one mile inland. The southeastern corner of this field is
formed by the junction of Baugh s branch with Tennessee river. In this part
of the field is a slight rise above the general level, having an irregular boundary,
but approximately 175 feet in diameter. This elevation was covered thickly
with the usual debris found on aboriginal sites. In addition were picked up a
globular shell bead about .6 inch in diameter, and several discs made from frag
ments of pottery vessels. Bits of human bones lay here and there.

Trial-holes came almost at once upon burials and indicated that interments
had been made mainly in the central part of the elevation, which was slightly

Q -&lt;^o , \ ^ O ? N

236 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

higher than the rest of it. Such burials as were found by us belonged to the
later period of the growth of the midden deposit, as none were found at a depth
greater than 3 feet 8 inches, and most were considerably nearer the surface.

From the surface of the central part of the elevation to undisturbed ground
beneath was 9 feet, through midden soil mixed with shells, the shells being com
paratively numerous but not forming any large proportion of the material.
Away from the central part of the elevation, however, shells in places were
almost without admixture of soil, as if such spots had served as general dumping
places.

Varying in depth between one and two feet the superficial soil of the site was
very dark. Below this it was much lighter in shade, and on this account, and
by reason of the admixture of dark material from above, such pits as were found
in the lighter soil were readily distinguishable. There were, however, in this
lighter material below the dark soil, three graves which had not been sunk through
the dark layer, but lay in the light material unmixed with dark soil from above,
and evidently had been buried before the accretion of the superficial part of
the elevation.

A thorough examination of this site was not made, only two really deep
trial-holes having been put down. By the time the central part of the site, a
space about 40 feet in diameter, had been dug through to a depth not exceeding
5 feet, the owner, by bringing forward a claim that everything found should be
considered his property, caused us to terminate the investigation.

In much of the central portion of the elevation (no burials were found in
the trial-holes sunk in the outer parts, though doubtless some were there and
would have been found by us had the investigation continued) burials had been
numerous, grave often intersecting grave and depriving the earlier burial of some
of its parts. When but a comparatively small proportion of the skeleton was
missing, enough remaining fully to indicate the form of burial, the interment
was included in our list, but scattered bones, of which a considerable number
was found, were not particularly noted.

The condition of the bones at this place probably owing to the presence of
so much shell, which seems to reinforce skeletal remains by the addition of salts
of lime, was fairly good; two skulls were preserved.

In all, twenty-five burials were encountered Of these, fourteen were of
adults, two of adolescents, nine of infants or of older children.

Of the sixteen adults and adolescents, six were extended on the back, one
was closely flexed to the right, three were partly flexed to the right, one was
closely flexed to the left, and one partly flexed to the left. Two were bunched
burials of single skeletons and two will be particularly described.

Of the twelve burials which lay with the skulls directed horizontally in various
directions, one pointed E., one E. by S., two ESE., three SE., two SE. by S.,
one SSW., one W. by N., one WNW.

Burial No. 12 had the pelvis and the feet on the same level, the trunk up-

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TEXXESSEE RIYEK. 237

right, the knees erect but somewhat parted, the forearms drawn up against 1 he-
upper arms, which were in contact with the sides of the body. The head was
forced forward and down, the top of the cranium resting on the ground imme
diately in front of the pelvis. The burial, of course, had been wrapped in this
position, which made for great economy of space.

Burial Xo. 19 much resembled the preceding as to arrangement, with the
difference, however, that the forearms were crossed on the pelvis and the skull
rested on them.

About 3 feet from the surface and immediately on a fireplaces though the
bones showed no mark of heat, was the skeleton of a dog, in complete order,
the identification having been made by Dr. F. A. Lucas, who writes, "It is an
example of the characteristic, short-faced bull terrier breed of dogs that seems
to have been popular in our south and southwest."

The remains of the Indian dog as found in the shell-heaps of Maine (and
incidentally in some shell-heaps of Xew York and in certain aboriginal ceme
teries of Arkansas) have been interestingly described by Loomis and Young. 1
The jaw of a dog found by us in a Florida shell-heap is described by the late
Prof. E. D. Cope. 2

Artifacts were present with but five burials, as follows:

Burial Xo. 3, a child, had at the head a pot with loop-handles.

Burial Xo. 4 had the skull resting on a fragment of pottery. At the left
of the head was a bottle with slender neck and expanding opening, having a
trailed decoration on the body made up of partly interlocked scrolls (Fig. 24),
a design well known on earthenware beyond the Mississippi. At the outer
side of the right elbow were two small celts, one of quartzite, one of igneous
rock, and a somewhat larger one of shale, rudely fashioned, at the outer side of
the right thigh.

Burial Xo. 5, a child, had a pot with loop-handles lying inverted at the right
side of the skull, and a good-sized pot, also with loop handles inverted over
the feet.

Burial Xo. 9 had at the head part of a coarse, undecorated bowl in which
lay a large mussclshell (Symphynota complanata] and an undecorated bottle
with globular body and wide mouth. At the outer side of the left knee was a
large pot having loop-handles, upright, containing a vessel of coarse ware but
of interesting form. Around the upper part of the body are two encircling
rows of knobs, and on the margin of the opening all around have been notches.
From the level of the opening, on two opposite sides, have been extensions
through which fluid could be poured. Part of one of these, unfortunately, was
crushed by the blow of a spade in the hands of one of our diggers. l nder each
of these extensions has been a loop handle, both of which, apparently, have 1 been

1 V. H. Loomis and I). H. Young, "On the Shell-heaps of Maine," American Journal of Science,
Vol. XX. XIV, July, l!ir_&gt;, p. 17 H .-n;,.

2 "The American Naturalist," July, ISM, p. (ill.

238

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

broken off during the period when the vessel was in use; a hole drilled in the
extension remaining intact indicates that the broken one had a similar perforation,
the two holes taking the place of the handles. This vessel, after restoration
of the broken extension, is shown in Fig. 25.

FIG. 24. Bottle of earthenware. Baugh s Landing, Ala. (Height 9 inches.)

A number of vessels of this class (which seems to be found principally in nor
thern Alabama), though varying considerably in detail, was found by us, all
somewhat broken, though restorations have been made, and will be described
and figured by us in the course of our report on that part of Tennessee river
which flows through Alabama.

Burial No. 23, adolescent, had at the neck forty-nine small, discoidal beads
apparently made from fresh-water musselshells, and a shell pendant fashioned
from the columella of a conch (Busycon] pointed at one end, blunt at the other
end which has a transverse hole for suspension.

The pots from this place, coarse, shell-tempered ware, were nearly all badly

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 239

broken when found. The bottle we have figured is symmetrical and exhibits
much more ambition on the part of its maker than any we encountered to this
point on Tennessee river, except possibly the one found by us in the mound
at Pittsburg Ferry, somewhat farther back. The bottle from Baugh s Landing,
however, has trailed decoration of a quality better than any seen by us in Ten
nessee

FIG. 25. Vessel of earthenware of a kind found principally in northern Alabama. With Burial
No. 9. Baugh s Landing, Ala. (Height 4.S inches.)

Mr. Baugh, the owner, had an earthenware pipe which he said had been
plowed up on the site under description. This pipe, which was examined by
members of our party, has a flat base projecting somewhat beyond the bowl.
The bowl of the pipe had been modeled to resemble an ordinary bowl in use for
domestic purposes, having four loop-handles, which, however, had been partly
broken off. Around the body of the bowl are knobs similar to those shown by
us on the vessel from this place.

MOUNDS NEAR RlVERTON, COLBERT COUNTY, ALABAMA.

In a cultivated field belonging to Messrs. Buchanan and Sloan, of Riverton,
Ala., about 200 yards SE. from the government building at the entrance to
Colbert Shoal canal, is a mound which at the time of our visit was f&gt; feet (5 inches
in height and about 100 feet in diameter. This mound, a mixture of sand and

240 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

clay, probably had been quadrangular, with a flat top, but had been plowed
over so continuously that it no longer possessed a definite outline.

Two large trial-holes reached the base of the mound at respective depths
of 6 feet 9 inches and 6 feet, the latter hole being on the slope. These holes
and others, sunk on the sides of the mound, encountered no burials or artifacts.

The field surrounding the mound is covered with quantities of pebbles,
broken and whole, and many chips and fragments, all of flint. Among these
were some broken points but whole ones were rare. No shells and but little
pottery were apparent. This dwelling-site presumably had grown up around
the mound to some extent, which accounts for the discrepancy in height as taken
from the outside and from the inside of the mound.

In the same field, about one-half mile SW. from the other, is a remnant of a
mound, about 4 feet in height and 35 feet in diameter. The presence of a large
stump on top of this elevation presumably has kept it from being plowed away.

A thorough examination accorded this remnant failed to discover bones,
but came upon one arrowhead or knife, of flint, and three masses of galena
(lead sulphide) placed together. The largest of these, which had been rubbed
down to a discoidal form, was 2 inches in diameter and one inch in thickness.
The deposit of lead carbonate on these masses, which, being white lead as we
have stated, the aborigines sometimes used as paint, was thicker and whiter
than we have noted before on galena found by us, and would, with the addition
of bear s grease, make a perfectly white paint.

DWELLING-SITES NEAR COLBERT CREEK, COLBERT COUNTY, ALABAMA.

All on property owned or controlled by Mr. William Rutland, of Cherokee,
Ala., are three dwelling-sites visible from the river.

One, about one mile below the mouth of Colbert creek, was dug into by us
to some extent, but was found to be so solid a mass of crushed shell and soil,
and digging progressed so slowly, that it became evident a very long time would
be required to investigate the site, so work on it was discontinued.

The next site in order going upstream, on the north side of the creek, at its
mouth, was made up of material similar to that found in the other site, and
its investigation was abandoned for the same reason. The skeleton of an adoles
cent partly flexed to the left, the head N., was encountered 13 inches below the
surface. At the outer side of the left elbow was a small bowl having loop-handles.

Immediately across the creek is another dwelling-site, much smaller than is
either of the other two. At one side of this site is a small elevation, probably
intentionally made as a place of burial, as its material, dark alluvial soil, had
no admixture of midden debris.

Four large trial-holes sunk into this elevation, which proved to be only a
remnant of a mound, came, in one instance, at a depth of 15 inches, on the skele
ton of an adult, partly flexed to the left, the head SE. Above the left elbow
was half of a bowl, and a bottle with wide mouth having had a most unusual

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TKXXKSSKK KIYFR.

241

feature for a bottle, namely, a loop-handle at two opposite sides immediately
below the opening, one of which, however, had been broken off and lost prior
to the inhumation of the vessel. This bottle, with the missing handle restored,
is shown in Fig. 2(&gt;.

Fie- 2C&gt;. Botllo of earthenware. Colbert Creek, Ala. (Height &lt;i.f&gt; inches.)

MOUNDS ON THE JOHNSON PLACE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About one-quarter mile back from the landing, at the Johnson Place, be
longing to Mr. John Beckwith, of Florence, Ala., are two line-looking mounds
ne;ir together, one about, 10 feet in height, the other 7 feet approximately.
Permission refused

1)WKLL I NO-SITES OX KoGEIl s ISLAND, LAUDERDALE CoUXTY, ALABAMA.

Roger s Island, controlled by Mr. J. T. Reeder, of Smithsonia, Ala., has
about midway on its western side a landing at w r hich is the only settlement on
the island. Immediately back of this settlement is some cultivated ground,

21 .TOrHX. A. N. S. PIIII.A., VOL. XVI.

242

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

ending in a slope, and on this slope in years past, all within a comparatively
restricted area, have been plowed up, according to the statements of those
living in the settlement, a considerable number of vessels of soapstone, some
whole, some shattered by the plow. At the time of our visit numerous frag
ments of these vessels lay over the surface of the ground, and part of a pailful
of other fragments were shown us by a person living nearby. The flat base of a
soapstone vessel which must have been of interesting shape, is in the possession
of Mr. Reeder, at Smithsonia. We were informed that none of the vessels had
been found for several years, and our investigation of the place where the vessels
had been convinced us that the upper soil which had contained them had been

Fiii. 27. Trowel of earthenware. Roger s Island, Ala. (Full size.)

removed by cultivation and by wash of rain. However, we succeeded in ob
taining one, though not by excavation, the lugs at each side being an interesting
though not an uncommon feature.

Near the upper end of the island is a large field covered with fragments of
flint and of coarse, shell-tempered pottery, some bearing a check-stamp decora
tion conferred, as we know, with a paddle. Here and there lay fragments of
human bones. From the surface we obtained a number of rough implements
of moderate size, and some arrowheads of flint, also a heavy object of earthen
ware, shown after partial restoration in Fig. 27, which, though differing somewhat
from those figured by Thruston, 1 probably was a trowel used for smoothing
earthenware vessels.

1 Op. cit., p. 162.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER. 243

This site was made up of dark midden soil to a depth of about 18 inches,
when a mixture of soil and shell, the shell predominating, was encountered.
Considerable digging led to the discovery of the skeletons of two young children,
both in the upper soil. A knoll at one side of the field was carefully investigated
without success.

We obtained from an inhabitant of this place an oblong gorget of igneous
rock, having two perforations, 5.75 inches in length and 2.25 inches in maximum
width. We were informed by the colored man who had plowed the large field
for a long period back, that ten years ago gorgets of this class were frequently
found there, and we, at the time of our visit, came across fragments of two of
them on the surface.

A woman resident in the settlement showed us a drinking-eup wrought
from a conchshell, which she had found and which was interesting in that it
had a circular hole in the base, not broken through but evidently cut out with
much care, thus clearly demonstrating that the killing" of a vessel for inter
ment with the dead had taken place as far north as northern Alabama.

A spade of shale, 17 inches in length and about 5 inches wide, was picked
up from the surface by a member of our party in another part of the island.

MOUNDS NEAR PERKINS SPRING, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.
Leaving the main landing, which is on the western side of Roger s Island,
and following a road leading across the island, one comes, after about one mile s
walk, to a waterway almost dry when the river is low. Crossing this, one is
but a short distance from Perkins Spring, on property be onging to Mr. J. T.
Rceder, of Smithsonia, Ala., to whom the Academy is indebted for many cour
tesies.

MOUND A.

In a very large, cultivated field covered with fragments of stone, evidently
an aboriginal dwelling-site in the past, is a mound about 200 yards NNE. from
Perkins Spring. This mound is 7 feet 8 inches in height, outside measurement,
and 62 feet by 55 feet in diameters of base. The mound, which had every ap
pearance of having been erected for burial purposes, apparently had never been
under cultivation, nor was any previous digging in evidence.

In its central part an excavation 16 feet square was put down, and eight
trial-holes to be described later were sunk around it.

The mound was of brown, loamy material in the upper part, below which
was black, midden soil containing small fragments of stone and other dwelling-
site debris. Below this, over part of the base of the mound, was raw, yellow
clay which had been dug from underlying clay in making a large grave that had
been filled in part by the return of some of the yellow clay and by black, midden
soil of the kind found in part of the mound.

The base of the mound was reached at a depth of 6 feet inches, and was
marked by the presence of a black deposit, 9 inches in depth, which formed

IMC.. 2s. Agricultural implement of shale, having double cuitin^
(Full size.)

e. Perkins Spring, Ala.

AGA D. NAT. SCI. PHILA , 2ND SER., VOL. XVI

PLATE V

1. MOUND MiAK PFRKINS SPRING. REEL-SHAPED OKNAMEN I OK C OI I KK. (FULL siziO

2. MOTM) ON THI-; SL.UCiHTKK PLACK, RKKL-SHAI KD ( )RN AM KNT OF COI I KK. (FULL SIZE)

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 245

the original thickness of the dwelling-site and rested upon the yellow, undis
turbed clay. Around the mound all this midden soil had been washed away
by rain after cultivation, thus rendering the mound higher than it originally
had been.

The following burials were encountered in the main excavation.

Burial No. 1. About one foot down was a skeleton extended on the back,
badly decayed, having at the left side of the skull a small bowl of a size usually
found with burials of children, having had four rude handles, one of which is
missing, and a double row of indentations below the opening. Near the bowl
was a small knife of flint.

Burial No. 2, two feet from the surface, was the remainder of a skeleton
consisting of traces of the skull and of the thigh-bones, which were at a distance
from the skull such as to indicate that the skeleton had been extended and that
intervening parts of it had decayed away. Along the space where the trunk
had been was a layer of pure clay about 2 inches thick. About 2 feet from the
shoulder was a double-bladed, agricultural implement of shale, 1 1 inches long
and 4.3 inches wide (Fig. 28), possibly having belonged to another burial which
had entirely gone.

Burial No. 3, remains of a skeleton extended on the back at a depth of 5 feet
3 inches, the skull resting in a drinking-cup wrought from a conchshell (Busycon).
At the left of the skull was a small deposit of clay about f&gt; inches in diameter.
On the thorax lay a mass of galena (lead sulphide) about ten pounds in weight,
under which were a few discoidal shell beads, badly decayed.

Burial No. 4 also was extended on the back, at the same depth as the pre
ceding burial. On the upper part of the thorax rested a mass of galena, 2.5
inches by 2 inches by 1 inch thick, flat and showing considerable grinding, as
did nearly all the galena found in this mound. At the feet of the burial was a
small mass of pure clay.

Burial No. 5, not far from the center of the base, was a grave, oblong, 7.5
feet in length and 2.5 feet wide, extending through the midden soil below the
base and entering the undisturbed, yellow clay to a depth of about 2 inches.

In this grave lay a skeleton, extended on the back, having, at each side of
the head, a well-preserved, spool-shaped ear-ornament of copper. On the
upper part of the pelvis was a reel-shaped, ceremonial ornament of copper (Plate
V, Fig. 1), the longer axis of the body of the ornament with its two perforations
lengthwise 1 , corresponding in direction to that of the skeleton. At the foot of
the grave was a mass of pure clay.

The reel-shaped, ceremonial ornament of copper, to our knowledge, has
been but once previously described. Thruston 1 figures one of these objects
and speaks of it as probably used as a pendant or breast ornament. It was
found, he says, in a mound in Marshall County, Tenn. (This county is about
south from Nashville, midway between the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers.)

hiic XV \, p. ::52j.

24(5 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

To Prof. W. K. Moorehead we arc indebted for the information that one of
these ceremonials from a mound at Newark, Ohio, is in the collection of Phillips
Academy, Andover, Mass. In a note accompanying a tracing of this ornament,
written some time ago by Mr. R. S. Peabody, we are told, "Objects of this form
are very unusual in stone and only one or two of copper are in the museums."

Evidently this class of ceremonial ornament hitherto has been but little
known, presumably because its vogue was principally among the aborigines
of northern Alabama, where there has been so little archaeological research.

We have examined the handsome, reel-shaped ceremonial of copper in the
small but interesting collection of the University of Alabama, at University,
Ala., near Tuscaloosa, which, owing to its size and the graceful, terminal expan
sion of the arms, is the most striking example of this class of objects of which we
have knowledge (and we obtained nineteen of them in varying degrees of com
pleteness from mounds along Tennessee river in Alabama). We are under
obligation to Prof. Eugene A. Smith, State Geologist of Alabama and member
of the faculty of the University, for full details as to this ceremonial, which is
nearly 6.5 inches by 8.5 inches, over all, and about .1 inch in thickness. It
came from near the Coosa river in Coosa county, Ala., some distance south
from where most of our objects of this kind were obtained.

We were not able to decide positively on what part of the body these cere
monials were worn, as we found them both on the chest and on the pelvis of
skeletons, and having the perforations sometimes in line with the burial and
sometimes transverse to the skeleton. Usually, however, when determination
was possible (and frequently it was not), the ornament lay on the chest, and
the two perforations were across and not in line with the trunk. Several of our
specimens, wrought from unusually thick material, are without perforations.

Now to return to the burials.

Burial No. 6, lying about midway on the base of the large grave which we
have referred to at the beginning of the account of this mound, was what was
left of a skeleton, extended face down.

The grave, one side of which almost passed through the center of the base
of the mound, was 9 feet 8 inches in length and 4 feet 4 inches in width. The
depth of the grave from the top of the mound was 9 feet 8 inches. It extended
through 9 inches of the midden soil already described and entered the undis
turbed, yellow clay to a depth of 2 feet 5 inches.

Alongside the burial was a mass of pure gray clay, 8 feet long and 13 inches
wide, increasing to 16 inches at the feet. Its thickness was about 5 inches
down to the feet, which rested upon it. Beyond them it increased in thickness
about 2 inches and contained masses of pure red clay. This clay deposit did
not rest against the side of the grave, but lay 10 inches from the head wall and
9 inches from the wall of the adjacent side. Its distance from the foot of the
grave about corresponded with that of the head.

At the right shoulder was a mass of galena, about five pounds in weight.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 247

Under the lower dorsal vertebne was a copper celt, 4 inches long by about 2
inches in maximum width. The preservative properties of the copper carbonate
on this celt were the only means we had to determine that the skeleton had been
placed in a prone position, as several of the vertebrae indicating this fact had
been kept in fairly good condition by the copper salt, the rest of the burial being
represented merely by traces.

At the knees was a mass of galena, weighing ten pounds, and at the ankles,
resting on the clay, was another mass weighing about six pounds.

Burial No. 7, in the same grave as was Burial No. 6, was the skeleton of a
child lying in a direction like that of the adult. If the child s skeleton lay on
its back, which its condition did not permit us to determine, then the skeleton
had a side of the grave at its left and the adult burial at its right, the mass of
clay described lying on the other side of the burial of the adult. Near the skull
of the child, probably at the neck, was a spherical bead of solid copper, flattened
at the poles, one inch in diameter.

Apart from any burial, in the main excavation in the mound, was a small
mass of lead sulphide.

We now take up details of the eight trial-holes before referred to, which,
3 feet by 6 feet each, were put down around the main excavation in the hope
of coming upon additional graves. These holes were greatly increased in all
directions when the base of the mound was reached, so that most of it may be
considered to have been investigated. The result was as follows:

Burial No. 8, a skeleton extended on the back, lay at a depth of 4 feet 9
inches, not far from the base, as the mound sloped considerably above where
the burial had been made. This interment was not in a pit, but had been placed
in the mound during its construction, as the soil above and around it showed
no mingling of material other than that of the mound.

Above this skeleton had been placed an arrangement of slabs, some of lime
stone, some of claystone, certain ones, especially those at the ends, being thin
and of considerable size. The arrangement, 8 feet long by 1 foot 10 inches in
width, in the main consisted of two layers, but in one place, at least, there
were three thicknesses of slabs. Below the lower extremities of the skeleton,
the grave had sunk, the stones above sinking with it, and had become somewhat
disarranged. The reason for this became apparent when it was found that
another grave lay under the lower part of Burial No. 8 and that in settling it
had caused that part and likewise the slabs above, to sink also.

The only thing found with the burial was a mass of pure clay at the feet.
It was evident that the makers of this grave had, as generally seems to have
been the case with stone graves, fulfilled most of their duties when they had
arranged the slabs.

At a depth of 40 inches, in soil darker than the material of which this part
of the mound was composed, the deeper shade probably being the result of decay
of human remains, was a reel-shaped ornament of sheet-copper, parts of which
had disintegrated.

248 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Six feet down, below the slope, was a grave 3 feet 7 inches long by 17 inches
wide, made through the midden deposit and extending one foot into the undis
turbed, underlying clay. Absolutely nothing was found in this grave, which
undoubtedly had been that of a child, possibly an infant.

Immediately on the yellow or underlying clay, 5 feet 10 inches deep at this
part of the mound, was a layer of red clay, 30 inches long by 1 foot in width and
2 inches thick, which probably marked a grave that had been put down through
the midden soil above. Under the deposit of clay was a small amount of dark
material, possibly the remains of a burial, and four small, copper beads.

Eight feet seven inches deep, extending 2 feet into the undisturbed yellow
clay, was a grave 9 feet long and 28 inches wide, in which the skeleton that
undoubtedly had occupied it had entirely disappeared through decay. On
the base of the grave was a mass of lead sulphide larger than a man s fist, and
at one end was a mass of clay.

MOUND B.

Mound B (from which Mound C was but a few yards distant) is in the
same great site as Mound A and also the property of Mr. J. T. Reeder, and is
about one-half mile SE. by S. from Mound A. The mound, which has been
cultivated over for a long period and largely plowed down had, at the time of
our visit, a height of 3.5 feet and diameters of 60 feet and 50 feet, but as the
material plowed from the mound had been spread around it, its height, taken
from the outside, was considerably less than the distance from the summit
to the interior base, while, no doubt, the diameters of the mound were much
less before it was plowed over than at present.

A hole 16 feet square was sunk in the central part of this mound. Two and
2.5 feet down, respectively, were eighteen masses of galena and twelve masses
of the same material, mostly small.

At a depth of slightly more than 3 feet had been a burial, though no trace
of bones remained. This burial, which was not in a grave dug for it, but lay
in the body of the mound surrounded by the material of which the mound was
composed, had been covered by a layer of pure clay, nearly 5 feet long and from
18 to 22 inches in width. This layer, 2 inches thick as a rule, increased to 7.5
inches in thickness at one end. On the bottom of the grave, surrounded by the
clay, was a mass of galena 3 inches by 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches, smoothed in
places by rubbing.

Four feet down were traces of a skull which may have been interred alone,
though it is possible that the remainder of the skeleton, badly decayed, had been
dug away unnoticed by our men, since the remains did not lie in a grave, which
would serve as a guide to those digging, but lay in the material composing the
mound, without mixture.

Having its southeastern corner but a short distance from what we considered
to be the center of the base, was a grave 10 feet 5 inches long and about 5 feet

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 249

in width, its base about 7 feet from the top of the mound, and extending 2 feet
into undisturbed, underlying clay, its long axis in an E. by N. arid W. by S.
direction.

On the base of this grave presumably had been a burial or burials which had
been covered in the main by a layer of pure clay and one of sand, the sand below
the clay. These layers began 19 inches from the eastern end of the grave, and
outside them were the remains of a skull on the base of the grave, the only human
remains found in it. The layer of clay, which had been symmetrically placed
in the grave, with a view to the distance between its sides and its ends and those
of the grave, had a length of 6 feet 9 inches and a width of 2 feet 7 inches. Its
maximum thickness was 5.5 inches.

The layer of sand immediately below the clay apparently began with the
clay at the eastern end and continued to the western end of the clay, having a
maximum thickness midway of about one inch.

Near the eastern extremity of the clay layer and surrounded by it was a
mass of galena, smooth in places, about the size of a cocoanut, but of irregular
outline, which must weigh more than twenty pounds. On the clay, in it and
especially under it, where they were numerous, were small masses of galena,
sometimes several together.

MOUND C.

Mound ( , under cultivation at the time of our visit, is said to have been
dug into considerably in the past, though but little sign of such digging was
encountered Its height was 2.5 feet; its diameter, 45 feet. From the top to
the base, however, was almost 4 feet. An excavation 10 feet square was put
down, which later was much enlarged.

About 15 inches down parts of a skull were found, near a previous digging.

A grave 9.5 feet long by 1 foot 8 inches in width, extending 1 foot into under
lying clay, radiated from the center of the base NE. and SW., the southern
end being nearest to it.

Burial No. 1. On the bottom of this grave, the head at the SW. end, was
a skeleton extended on the back.

Burial No. 2. Having its feet resting on the pelvis of Burial No. 1 was
another extended skeleton, without a skull, lying in a reverse direction.

At each side of the extremities of these two burials was a lower extremity
of an adult skeleton, the feet directed NE., the knees of the two skeletons and
of the partial burial being all together and having on them a skull (probably
that belonging to Burial No. 2) and below them a shell drinking-cup in fragments.

A layer of clay covered the skeletons with the exception of the lower part
of one femur, which protruded, and overlay the entire base of the grave with
the exception of the terminal 9 inches at the NE. end. This layer was about
4 inches thick, increasing to about 5.5 inches at the NE. extremity.

Burial No. 3. Beginning a short distance from the center of the base, its

22 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

250

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

southern end nearest to it, was a grave running SSE. and NNW., and about
at right angles from the long axis of the other grave.

The grave under description, 9 feet 9 inches long, 2 feet 9 inches wide at the
southern, or head, end, broadening somewhat toward the feet, extended 2 feet
into otherwise undisturbed clay. On the base of the grave was a skeleton ex
tended on the back, the skull 19 inches from the end of the grave, having the
front teeth, the chin, and cervical vertebrae dyed light green and olive green
variously by carbonate of copper from thirty-six beads of sheet-copper, some
tubular, some barrel-shaped, all comparatively small except one which is about
1.25 inch in length. Over the skull was a shell drinking-cup in fragments,
also much decayed, and another shell cup and a mass of clay were about 6 inches
distant. On the thorax was a mass of galena about the size of a child s fist,
and on the trunk, above the pelvis, another mass somewhat larger. At the
foot end of the grave was a mass of clay.

A careful search over the great site, including many fields making up this
property, resulted in a considerable collection of lanceheads, arrowheads, and
knives of flint. No triangular arrowheads were found, nor was a single frag
ment of pottery picked up on the surface or discovered in the mounds, though
it was present on nearby Roger s Island.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR CANE CREEK, COLBERT COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Beginning at the mouth of Cane creek and extending down along the bank of
Tennessee river, on property belonging to Mr. R. M. Garner, who resides about

a mile back in the hills, is a dwell
ing-site where a small amount of
work was done by us, resulting in
the conviction on our part that
burials in the site must be widely
separated. One skeleton was found,
however, with no artifacts in asso
ciation, which proved to be of in
terest as presenting an unusual
form of burial. The body had
been bent and flattened, the head
resting upon the pelvis, the right

FIG. 29. Burial near mouth of Cane Creek, Ala.
The trunk and the extremities are in the same plane.

humerus was parallel to the side of
the body, the forearm being closely
flexed upon it, the left humerus

was extended, the elbow being beyond the head, the forearm flexed, with the
hand under the head. The femora were in the same plane as the rest of the
skeleton, but widely separated, the legs closely flexed against them, as shown
in Fig. 29.

To one looking down into the grave, the burial, flattened out on one plane,
with its various projections, presented a curious appearance.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 251

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITES ON SEVEN MILE ISLAND, LAUDERDALE

COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Seven Mile Island, whose length is nearly that implied by its name, abreast
of the town of Sheffield, Ala., as to its upper extremity, belongs to Mr. F. M.
Perry, of Florence, Ala., who kindly placed it at our disposal for investigation.

About one-half mile from the lower end of the island is a small dwelling-site
in a cultivated field, distinguished by much darker soil than that of the rest of
the field, and having a few shells and fragments of flint on the surface. Burials
probably had been made in this site, and in fact a single human tibia was un
earthed, but an investigation that was far from exhaustive, however, shells
closely packed retarding the work, failed to find any.

About 2.5 miles from the head of the island, near its northern side, is a mound
having little shape at present but seemingly one of the domiciliary class, 11
feet in height, the base being about 110 feet square. The mound is completely
covered by a large barn and its adjuncts.

A few yards NE. from this mound, which stands in a cultivated field, is a
slight rise having no shells on the surface or interiorly. A few fragments of
flint, however, lay upon the ground.

Fifteen trial-holes which reached undisturbed clay at a depth of from 2 to
3 feet, variously, came upon two burials, one of which, about 10 inches down,
badly decayed, evidently had been at full length.

The other burial, at a depth of 2.5 feet, had but little left. Near a few frag
ments of bone were several arrowheads, and in the soil which had been thrown
out were others, all presumably having been in a deposit with
a burial, with which also had been a mass of pure clay about
the size of a woman s fist.

These arrowpoints, twenty in all, delicately made, all trian
gular, except one which, differing in shape from the others, is
shown in Fig. 30, ranging between 1.1 inch and 1.7 inch in
length, are of flint variously pink, light brown, gray, red.

About one-half mile from the head of the island is a small d f fl s
dwelling-site distinguished by a slight rise above the general ^ Iile island, Ala.
level and by the presence of scattered shells on the surface. (Full size.)
On this rise was a number of frame structures covering much
of it. Some digging where space could be found reached a skull at a depth of 10
inches and a skeleton of a child somewhat deeper. A number of rude knive s of
flint were found in the soil apart from burials.

MOUND NEAR FLORENCE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

The town of Florence is about one mile from the river. A short distance
from the landing and beside the road leading to town is a mound in a cultivated
field belonging to Mr. George P. Jones, of Florence. This mound, the largest

252

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

on Tennessee river, as we have stated elsewhere, 42 feet in height, quadrilateral
with a flat top, is not rectangular, one end being longer than the other. Neither
sides nor corners are directed in a significant manner. The mound, the sides
of which are so steep that they are ascended with difficulty, apparently
has had at the eastern side a causeway, now almost worn away. The basal
diameters of the mound are 310 feet NE. by E. to SW. by W., and 230 feet
SE. by S. to NW. by N. The diameters of the summit-plateau in the same
directions, respectively, are 145 feet and 94 feet. The ends, however, of the
plateau were 86 feet and 50 feet.

FIG. 31. Vessel of earthenware. Gilchrist Island, Ala. (Height 5.3 inches.)

On the chance that burials had been made in the summit-plateau of this
great mound, thirty-four trial-holes, none less than 4 feet in depth, were put
down without so much as encountering a bone, an arrowhead, or a fragment of
pottery.

In the field adjacent to the mound were several rises just above the level
of the surface, on which was some scattered midden debris including half of a
banner-stone of banded slate, of the type of the double-bladed axe.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER. 253

DWELLING-SITE ON GILCHRIST ISLAND/ COLBERT COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About one mile inland, in an easterly direction from the principal landing
on Gilchrist Island, of which Mr. William Richardson, of Florence, Ala., is
owner, is a small field surrounded by woods. In the eastern part of this field
is a gradual rise having a maximum height of about 4 feet and basal diameters
of 190 feet and 210 feet. The surface is covered with fragments and chips of
stone, mainly flint, but implements, whole, broken, or in any stage of manufac
ture were extremely rare.

Considerable digging in this rise showed a foot or more of black soil containing
quantities of chips and fragments of flint. Beneath was midden soil having
a large proportion of shells closely packed. Burials seemed to have been made
here and there throughout the rise, but nowhere closely associated. A structure,
however, on the central part of the rise prevented our digging in that part
of it.

Five burials were encountered, three of adults, two of children. Of the
adult skeletons, tw r o were in flexed positions and one had been disturbed in ab
original times.

The two children lay together, a young child along the legs of a larger one
which had, at the right side of the body, two masses of rock and two others
at the left of the head. On the legs of this burial was a fragment of a large
vessel of earthenware, the concave side uppermost. In this stood a vessel of
the type first found by us at Baugh s Landing, having extensions on opposite
sides and loop handles (Fig. 31).

DWELLING-SITE AT LOCK NUMBER 3, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At Lock Number 3, in the Musselshoals 2 canal, where Bluewater creek enters
the Tennessee, is a large, aboriginal dwelling-site, said to belong to a Mr. Huston,
of Memphis, Tenn. The site has been washed by rain after cultivation to such
an extent that the midden soil has practically disappeared, leaving on the surface
an enormous quantity of fragments of stone, mostlj" a coarse chert which would
hardly lend itself to superior workmanship. Among the debris were "wasters"
and uncompleted implements, and some rather rude tools, evidently finished
though few were entire, as doubtless, in the course of years, they have been
plowed up and plowed under and occasionally struck by the heavy knives of
cutting machines used in clearing the field of cotton-stalks.

A brief search of the surface yielded a spade of limestone, some compara
tively small, argicultural and cutting implements of flint, barbed arrowheads
(some serrated), knives, and other objects. No small, triangular arrowheads
were found.

Another (iilchrist Island (locally pronounced Gilcrease), in Lawrence County, figures later
in this report.

2 Almost universally spelled Musclcshoals. The name, of course, is derived from the shell-fish.

254 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

PERIWINKLE HILL, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At the upper entrance to Musselshoals canal is a large shell deposit called
Periwinkle Hill (locally "Penny winkle") belonging to Mr. T. J. Thornton,
living some distance back. The "hill," 12.5 feet in height and 128 feet by 168
feet diameters of base, is flat on top, probably through cultivation. As the
"hill" was planted over at the time of our visit, no investigation was attempted.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE WEAVER PLACE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the Weaver Place, of which Dr. L. A. Weaver, of Lamb s Ferry, Ala.,
is the owner, is a slight rise in a cultivated field, 155 feet by 215 feet, in view
from the river. This rise, of dark soil having a sprinkling of shell on the surface,
is markedly distinct from the ground around it, which is of much lighter shade
and has no debris upon it. Trial-holes showed a considerable proportion of
shell mingled with the soil and reached undisturbed earth about 3 feet 8 inches
from the surface. Three burials were found, two of which had a single pebble
each, of circular outline, which probably took the place of discoidal stones. A
number of rude knives were met with on the surface and in the soil.

MOUND ON TICK ISLAND/ LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On Tick Island, of which Mr. R. N. Harris, of Florence, Ala., is the owner,
is a sand mound about one mile from the upper end of the island, near its north
ern side, in sight from the water, did not trees intervene. The mound, about
circular as to its base, has a diameter of 60 feet; its height, taken from the out
side, around which depressions made it difficult to do with accuracy, was slightly
more than 6 feet.

From the northern side of the mound is an extension 34 feet long to where
it joins the mound, and 44 feet in width. This extension does not slope upward
to the top of the mound, but joins it about midway, where its height is 3 feet.

There had been some previous digging in this mound, but the holes had
been of inconsiderable size and comparatively shallow. An excavation by us,
14 feet square, came to light-yellow sand at a depth of 5.5 feet, differing con
siderably from the darker sand of the mound, and though the digging was carried
to a depth of 7 feet and to 8 feet in places, no distinct basal line was seen. Pre
sumably the different colored sand was the underlying soil.

Burial No. 1, disturbed fragments of bones near the surface.

Burial No. 2, 14 inches down, remains of a skull and a femur lying together.
With these was a mass of galena (lead sulphide) about the size of a woman s
fist, rounded as by grinding, and two vessels of very inferior ware, as were all
from this mound, one an undccorated pot, the other belonging to a class found
in northern Alabama, of which we are showing numerous examples (Fig. 32).

1 To avoid confusion it may be well to say that a mound on Tick Island, Florida, has been in
vestigated and described by us.

AHORK1IXAL SITKS OX TF.XXKSSKK RIYKR.

2.-).-,

Burial Xo. 3, two femora not in order, with an undecorated pot having two
loop-handles.

Burial Xo. 4, three feet down, fragments of a skull and part of a femur to
gether. With these were an undecorated pot and one having two small, hori
zontal, opposite extensions from the rim.

Burial Xo. 5, fragments of crowns of teeth in a grave whose base was G feet
6 inches deep, filled in with the dark sand of the mound. With the teeth was

FIG. 32. Vessel of earthenware. With Burial Xo. 2. Tick Island, Ala. (Height 0.2 inches.)

a celt (which was presented to the owner of the mound), 8 inches long and, like
nearly all the celts from this region, carelessly ground, having depressions that
for neatness of appearance should have been obliterated.

A considerable number of objects were taken from the mound, having no
burial in association, though presumably most of them had been with bones
that had decayed away. A well-preserved, spool-shaped ornament of copper,
around the central part of which was a cord preserved by (lie deposit of carbonate
on the metal, lay in the sand near a former digging. Three agricultural imple
ments of shale, the largest somewhat more than one foot in length, were found

256

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

separately, as were three earthenware vessels, broken, like all from this place,
two of the class having oblique extensions and loop-handles with knobs, one of
which is shown in Fig. 33, and one a small, undecorated bowl.

] [&lt;;. 33. Vessel of earthenware. Tick Island, Ala. (Height 5.3 inches.)

Together and certainly a mortuary deposit whose burial had gone through
decay, 5 feet deep, were twenty-five masses of galena, some rounded, the largest
about the size of a goose-egg; two fragments of flint; several masses of clay,
not pure clay such as we often see described in this report in connection with
burials, but having a considerable admixture of sand.

Four slabs lay together near the surface of the mound and evidently
had been disturbed by previous digging, an unfortunate occurrence, for if a
stone grave had been present in this region it would be interesting to
know it.

An excavation 10 feet square, in the extension, came upon traces of a skull
near which were traces of femora and tibia? in order, all in a position indicating
a flexed burial. On the base, 3 feet 10 inches deep, were traces of a skull and
of other bones. Above the skull lay a very rude, agricultural implement of
shale, 1 foot 4.5 inches in length and 5.25 inches wide. With it were two frag
ments of flint.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

257

MOUNDS ABOVE NANCE S REEF, LAUDEKDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About one-half mile above Nance s Reef, one of the most dangerous parts
of Tennessee river, on property belonging to Air. W. F. Harrison, who resides
on it, is a mound on high ground, in full view from the river, about 110 feet
across its base of irregular outline, and 8 feet 9 inches high. This mound,
mainly of clay, had been plowed over for many years, making it hard to deter
mine what its original shape had been. Seemingly, however, it had belonged
to the domiciliary class.

FIG. 34. Vessel of earthenware. Sycamore Landing, Ala. (Height 5.1 inches.)

The mound, at the time of our visit, was covered with growing wheat, but
arrangements were made to put down a hole 10 feet square. The excavation,
however, was abandoned before the base was reached.

About one-half mile easterly from this mound is a low rise largely of shell,
which we did not investigate.

MOUND NEAR SYCAMORE LANDING, LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Almost at the water s edge, in full view from the river, about .4 mile above
Sycamore Landing, is a mound on property of which Mr. J. II. Gilchrist, of
Courtland, Ala., is owner. The mound, 6 feet 8 inches high, with diameters
of 65 and 75 feet, evidently has been quadrilateral and still has a flat top doubt-

23 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

258 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

less a domiciliary mound. About centrally an excavation 10 feet square was
put down, reaching a dark line 7 feet deep over undisturbed, yellow sand. Traces
of two skulls were found separately, somewhat less than 2 feet down. With
one was a vessel in fragments, of a kind found by us in this region, which, put
together, and restored somewhat, is shown in Fig. 34. The ware is thick and
coarse.

About 3 feet down were remains of a flexed burial with which was a large
fragment of an undecoratcd vessel of earthenware. A small pot without orna
mentation was found apart from bones.

We note in this mound no burials lower than 3 feet and conclude it to have
been a domiciliary mound having superficial burials.

DWELLING-SITE ON GILCHRIST ISLAND, LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On Gilchrist Island, on property belonging to Prof. J. H. Patterson, of Nash
ville, Tenn., about midway as to the length of the island and near its southern
side, in a cultivated field that is comparatively level and shows no trace of midden
debris, is a hump 195 feet by 305 feet, approximately, in basal diameters and
about 7 feet in maximum height. This hump is superficially covered with
dark soil greatly differing from that of the surrounding field, and having sprinkled
through it fragments of musselshells and quantities of periwinkles (Campeloma
ponderosum). About 2 feet down our trial holes came to almost solid shell,
encountering disturbed human bones near the surface in one instance, and a
disturbance about 20 inches down, evidently not due to cultivation of the field.
This site is similar to that near Milton Bluff, to be described next in this report,
and belongs to a class that seems to offer little inducement to the investigator.

DWELLING-SITE ABOVE MILTON BLUFF, LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About one mile above Milton Bluff and 200 yards from the water is a mound
in a cultivated field on property belonging to Miss Lucy L. Wheeler, of W heeler,
Ala. This mound, rising from level, bottom land, is said to have bordered the
river within memory of man, the intervening ground having formed in compara
tively recent years. The height of the mound is about 9 feet, its basal diameters
180 feet and 335 feet, approximately. Its surface was thickly strewn with
shells and fragments of stone.

Eight trial-holes showed the first two feet of this mound to be of midden
soil, below which was a mixture of earth, musselshells, and Campeloma pon-
derosum, a univalve, closely packed. Digging through this material made slow
progress. Four burials were discovered as follows: scattered bones near the
surface; adolescent closely flexed on the right, about 3 feet down; a child at a
depth of 22 inches; adult closely flexed on the left, nearly 4 feet deep.

As our deepest hole was but 5 feet 3 inches and still in masses of shell, we
cannot say if this mound was in part natural or wholly artificial. Probably,

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 259

however, as the ground surrounding it was level, alluvial land, the mound was
a mass of shell down to the surface of the field and not a shell-heap on an emi
nence.

A thorough examination of this shell-heap would require far more time than
its character and the probable absence of artifacts with the burials would justify.
In the digging were found several rude knives of flint, an axe 4 inches in length,
having a double groove, the poll, unfortunately, somewhat broken.

On the surface were several knives or arrowheads, of flint, and an agricultural
tool of limestone, about 8.5 inches in length.

About one-quarter mile distant from this shell mound, on high ground farther
in from the river, is what is believed to be a mound by those residing nearby,
but which our agent reported to be in reality a natural ridge.

MOUND ON BROWN s 1 ISLAND, LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At the upper end of Brown s Island (and we several times have occasion to
note that a number of islands in Tennessee river have mounds so situated),
which also is called Knight s Island, its owner being Mr. John W. Knight, of
Decatur, Ala., is a mound quadrilateral with flat top, somewhat rounded in
outline. Its height is 9.5 feet; it is about 90 feet square.

An excavation 10 feet square reached scattering shell at a depth of 9 feet
and came to undisturbed, yellow sand six inches deeper. Probably the mound
had been built on a dwelling-site. At one place, the dark, loam}- sand of which
the mound was composed continued down mingled with shell to a depth of 12
feet from the summit, or about 2.5 feet into the undisturbed sand. There was
not the appearance of a pit at this place, it seeming rather as if the mound had
been built on a rolling surface, such as the ground is today through wash of
water when the river is high, and that the lower level had been raised with midden
soil to the general level and then the mound carried upward from that. Nothing
in the way of bones or of artifacts was found or expected in this domiciliary
mound.

DWELLING-SITE AT BROWN S FERRY, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At Brown s Ferry is a large property which belonged to the late Henry
\\arten, of Athens, Ala., who most kindly had placed his twelve thousand
acres of land along Tennessee river at our disposal.

On high ground just back of the bottom land at this place was a large, abor
iginal dwelling-site, on the surface of which were shells and fragments of stone.
Most of this site, unfortunately, at the time of our visit was covered with growing-
oats. In certain parts of the site not under cultivation, digging at random (there
were no rises to indicate where investigation might be rewarded) was attempted

1 This name has been selected because it is employed in the "Index Map of the Tennessee River,
Survey of the Middle Section, House Document Xo. 300." The island, however, is also well known
as Birkett s Island and Robinson Island, names of former owners.

260 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

without success and with but little encouragement as the midden soil was of
inconsiderable depth.

DWELLING-SITE ON MASON ISLAND, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About 200 yards below the upper end of Mason Island, which is about four
miles long, on property of Mr. J. Greer Mason, of Athens, Ala., is a landing
where, on the border of a cultivated field near the river, is an aboriginal dwelling-
site of small proportions, marked by the presence of shells on the surface.

At the upper end of this site is a slight rise of irregular outline, about 60 feet
by 75 feet in extent, containing much shell, loosely packed, however, and com
paratively easy to dig. The maximum depth of the shells and midden soil
was about 3.5 feet.

This rise was almost completely dug through by us, yielding fifty-two burials,
of which twenty-two were of infants or of older children. The adult and adoles
cent burials, with one exception, the skeleton of an adult extended on the back,
\vere all in some form of flexion, wherever it was possible to determine. There
had been, however, much disturbance caused by intersecting burials. No
interments were found at a depth greater than 38 inches, except in the case of
a grave which will be described in due course. Undisturbed alluvial soil was
reached about 3.5 feet down.

The description of all burials accompanied by artifacts is given in detail.

Burial No. 3, a disturbance. At the feet was a barrel-shaped object of
limestone, sometimes called an anvil-stone, 3.4 inches in height and 3.5 inches
in maximum diameter. This particular stone, however, can hardly have been
used where blows were struck, as the symmetrical depression at each end is
smooth, in fact almost polished.

Burial No. 4, adolescent, the bones somewhat disturbed. At the pelvis,
together, were: a celt of indurated shale, 2.4 inches in length; a pebble about
5 inches long, resembling a celt in shape; a pebble circular in outline; a com
monplace pipe of earthenware, having a band of notches encircling the opening.

Burial No. 5, a disturbance. Near the skull was an undecorated pot having
two loop-handles.

Burial No. 6, partly flexed on the right. Standing in front of the thorax
(the burial, of course, lying on its side) were a bowl and a bottle without decora
tion, and a pot having a very rude, cross-hatched, incised design around the
neck. The skull of this burial, which lay at a depth of 2 feet, was saved.

Burial No. 8, partly flexed on the left, 32 inches down. Near the skull,
which was saved, was a small bowl having had as an ornament an effigy of a
head projecting vertically.

Burial No. 9, partly flexed to the right. Near the skull were an undecorated
bottle having a flat, projecting base; an undecorated pot having two loop-handles;
another pot also with handles, having a rude line and punctate decoration on
the body.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

261

Burial No. 12, a young child. A stain from a salt of copper was on the face.
This skeleton lay with that of an adult, the skull of the child at the knees of the
other burial and directed toward the feet.

Burial No. 10, partly flexed on the left. An ear-plug of the pin-shaped
variety and of considerable length lay at each side of the skull, at the right of
which was a rude pot having two loop-handles, and coarse, lined decoration on
the body. Near the top of the head was a vessel in fragments, having had four
equidistant knobs around the opening. Near the chin was a shell gorget, seal-

FIG. 35. Earthenware vessel coated with carbonate of lime.
Island, Ala. (Height 8 inches.)

With Burial No. 16. Mason

loped and bearing a triskcle design on one side, rather carelessly executed.
Alongside the left shoulder was an undecorated pot having two loop-handles
and containing a pair of spoons carved from musselshells.

At the outer side of the left humerus stood a bottle having a spherical body,
the base flattened, 8 inches in height and 9.6 inches in maximum diameter
(Fig. 35). The neck of this bottle, having a diameter of 3.1 inches, apparently
had been broken off in part, and the remainder, .8 inch in height, had been smoothed
along the line of fracture. Probably but little of the neck had been lost, however,
as a bottle similar in shape, having a comparatively short neck, was found at

262 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

this place later in the investigation. On this bottle with Burial No. 16 is a
white coating which is not kaolin, the pigment used on most vessels having a
decoration in white, but proves to be carbonate of lime.

Somewhat farther up Tennessee river, with Burial No. 53, Mound A, the
Roden Mounds, was a small mass of white material which evidently had been
interred with the burial as an offering. This material was determined to be
calcium carbonate, carbonate of lime, and practically the same as found by us
on the bottle. Referring to the deposit in the Roden Mound, Doctor Keller
writes:

"I have examined the lump of calcium carbonate and find that it is more
dense and distinctly harder in the interior. Whether the soft, chalk-like layer
on the outside is the result of weathering or due to the action of heat and sub
sequent absorption of carbonic acid is difficult to determine.

"As there is no sharp line of demarcation I rather incline to the belief that
the alteration was caused by atmospheric action."

To digress a moment, we have spoken, in connection with this burial, of
ear-ornaments like large pins in form. We are inclined to believe that these
pin-shaped objects were all ear-ornaments, as we know some of them to have
been, and that those having long shanks were passed through the lobe of the
ear, the shank being held in place by masses of hair. These pin-shaped orna
ments of shell, of whatever size they may be, arc almost invariably found in
pairs, one at each side of the skull, unless there is evidence of disturbance in
connection with the burial. Moreover, some of them have a groove immediately
back of the globular head, which evidently is intended to accommodate the
lobe of the car. However, it is possible some of the longest ornaments of this
shape may have served as pins in the hair, though we have found even this
form in place at each side of the head of a burial.

And now to return to the burials.

Burial No. 17, a child. At the neck and extending down the body were
ten massive shell beads and one small one, all well preserved, the largest 1.3
inch in length and 1.1 inch in maximum diameter. Near the skull was a celt
of indurated shale 4.4 inches in length.

Burial No. 19, a child. Under the right elbow lay a bicave stone of quartz
slightly less than 2.5 inches in diameter, having an interesting feature some
times noticed in these stones in that each side may be said to have a double
depression, the main ones having centrally each a smaller one about fitted in
size to accommodate a finger tip. Probably this stone was rolled by a juvenile
player in the game of chungkee, as the children of the Wedauan people of
New Guinea 1 hurl spears and sharpened sticks at a cocoanut rolled along the
ground. The course of this chungkee-stone would be slightly erratic, however,
the stone being somewhat asymmetrical, a fact which might add interest to the
game.

Henry Newton, "In Far New Guinea," p. 63.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

263

Burial No. 21, an infant. Near the skull were five shell beads and two shell
ear-plugs of the pin variety, each .9 inch in length. One of these minute orna
ments was found in place, but the other, disturbed by a blow of a spade in its
neighborhood, required work with a sieve for its recovery.

FIG. 30. Ornaments of wood, copper-coated. With Burial No. 22. Mason Island, Ala. (Full
size.)

Burial No. 22, a child. At the feet were two hollow, wooden ornaments,
copper-coated, containing small pebbles, shown in Fig. 36, one open, the other
as found.

Mr. Charles C". Willoughby considers these ornaments to be representations
of the pod of the milkweed plant. This type of ornament was found by us in
the mound on the Bennett Place, below Chattanooga, and also in a mound in
Arkansas. Herewith is given a note on the subject of ornaments of this class,
kindly prepared for this report by Mr. Willoughby.

"Dear Mr. Moore: In the Pcabody Museum of Harvard University are
two pairs of ear pendants similar to those of which you send photographs; then-
are, however, without expanding tips. Each pendant of the first pair is per
forated near the larger end, and closely resembles the one obtained by you
from a mound in Calhoun Co., Arkansas, and which you figured on page 93
of the report of the Antiquities of the Ouachita Valley. They were obtained
by Mr. Edwin Curtis in 1878 while working for the Museum, and are described
and illustrated on pages 112-113, volume III, of the Peabody Museum Reports.
Professor Putnam says: They are made of wood which, after being carefully
shaped and smoothed, was split lengthwise for the purpose of making a symmetri
cal and smooth oval cavity. ... In the cavity small pebbles of quartz were
placed, . . . which would give a slight jingling sound as the head of the wearer
was moved about. The two pieces were then put together and held in place

264

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

by a covering of very thin plates of copper, which were firmly united by pounding
and rubbing until an even and smooth surface was secured. Through the upper
end a hole was made by which the pendant was fastened to the ear. These
were found, one on either side of the skull of a skeleton, in a stone grave mound,
Harpeth River, central Tennessee. At the time that the above description
was written, but one of the pendants had been opened. This had probably
been done in the field by Mr. Curtis. Noticing that the ornament represented
the seed pod of some species of the genus Asclepias I opened the other specimen
with the result shown in Fig. 37, where the ornaments are pictured with a pod

FIG. 37. Pair of ear-ornaments. Harpeth River, Central Tennessee. To the right, pod of Ax-
clepias cornuti. (Full size.)

of Asclepias cornuti. As will be seen, the pebbles, which represent the seeds,
are carefully placed in position just within the walls of the pod, upon a mass of
fiber, which fills the remaining space in the cavity. The fiber undoubtedly
represents seed down, which is especially conspicuous in the milkweed. This
fiber is now of a deep brown color. It may have been from the stalk of the
Asclepias, the fiber of which was used for cordage, although less extensively
than that of Apocynum. The milky juice of this plant was used by some of
the California Indians to make the pattern of tattoo marks on the skin, and
to hold the soot while being pricked into the surface. Unfortunately but
little is known of the ethno-botany of primitive America, and the extent
to which various plants entered into the ceremonial life of the Indians can only
be surmised. It is probable, however, that some mystic significance was at
tributed to the milkweed and that these pendants embodied that power.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

205

"The second pair of car ornaments in the Pcabody Museum are shown
in Figs. 38, 39. They formed a part of the collection of the late Dr. Cleorge

FIG. 38. Ear-pendants from burial at Lcttermaii, Ark. (Full size.)

Fi&lt;;. 39. Side view of pendant from Lcttennan, Ark., and side view of a pod of .\xrl&lt; i&gt;inx cur/niti.
(Full si/e.)

2-1 JOfKX. A. X. S. I llll.A.. VOL. XVI.

266

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

J. Engelmann and were obtained from a burial at Letterman, Arkansas. Both
had been opened and their contents lost with the exception of six pebbles. The
wooden portion of one of these ornaments is in an excellent state of preservation
and is a beautiful example of working in wood by primitive processes, the walls
surrounding the inner cavity being only about one sixteenth of an inch in thick
ness. The sheet copper which encased the wood has corroded and nearly all
flaked off. It will be noticed that a wooden plug is inserted in a hole at the
larger end and represents the stem, a feature also present in the pendants se
cured by you at Mason Island, Alabama.

"The pods of the 40 or more species of Asclepias found within the United
States vary considerably in size and shape. Some are long and slender, others
arc short and thick. In looking over the collection in the (Jray Herbarium
of Harvard University I found none with expanding tips corresponding to the

form shown in the pendants from Mason
/ \ Island. This feature may have been exagger-

/ atcd in the ornament. It is possible, however,

\ that the Mason Island specimen may represent

the pod of a different plant, the nature of
which is unknown to me."

Burial No. 23, partly flexed on the right.
At the right shoulder was a pot having four
equidistant, horizontal projections from the
rim, which would serve to keep an encircling
cord in place, while back of the trunk was a
pot, undecorated save that two opposite pro
jections were present at the opening, extend
ing horizontally. In each of these projections
a space is present through which a cord at
tached to one enclosing the neck could pass
vertically (Fig. 40). A considerable deposit

of soot is on the body of this vessel, which fact
FIG. 40. Showing method of suspension. . , . ,.

might indicate that the vessel sometimes had

been placed on a fire and sometimes suspended when cooking was not in progress,
for if suspended over a fire presumably the cord would risk destruction. At the
knees of the skeleton was a pot having two loop-handles, and four lobes around
the body (Fig. 41), which is shown not on account of any excellence possessed
by the vessel, but to illustrate the pottery of the region.

Burial No. 24, an infant. At the cranium lay a vessel from the rim of which
were numerous horizontal projections.

Burial No. 26, partly flexed on the right. In front of the thorax had been
placed a rude, undecorated pot.

Burial No. 28, adolescent, partly flexed to the left. At the skull, together,
were a pot with two loop-handles, and a bowl having an effigy of an animal s
head rising from the rim, a conventional tail being on the opposite side.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

207

Burial Xo. 29, a child. At the head was a pot having two loop-handles.
On the thorax, with two shell beads, was a scalloped, shell gorget having two
perforations for suspension and on the concave side two concentric circles, the
outer one being in line with the perforations. Below the gorget was an orna
ment of the pin-shaped variety. An undecorated bottle, 8.3 inches in diameter,
having a wide neck 1.1 inch in height, was at the pelvis. As a rule in this site
the vessels of a size for use by adults had been placed with burials of children,
which usuallv is not the case elsewhere.

FKI. 41. Vessel (if earthenware. With Burial Xo. 23. Mason Island, Ala. (Height 3.8 inches.)

Burial No. 32, closely flexed on the right. At the head was a pot having
knobs around the opening, and containing a small pot having had two loop-
handles, one of which was missing.

Burial No. 33, a child. On the side of the head was a pot having two loop-
handles, and inside it a shell spoon and two flat beads made from a very thick
musselshcll, one of which broke into flakes on removal. On the opposite side
of the head was an undecorated bottle having a wide mouth. Also near the
head, where probably it had fallen from the thorax, was an undecorated gorget
of shell. In position at the neck, where most likely they had been attached
to the gorget, were a number of shell beads and two small, baroque pearls,
pierced for stringing. At the feet was an undecorated pot having a pair of
loop-handles. This vessel was badly broken, as were nearly all the earthenware
vessels found at this site.

Burial No. 34, closely flexed on the hack. At the left shoulder was a bowl
having a crimped decoration at the margin, inside of which was another bowl

268

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

having the head of a bird and a conventional tail on opposite sides by way of
decoration. At the left humerus was a bowl with a beaded margin. An un-
decorated bottle in fragments and a large pot lay along the left shoulder and
elbow.

Burial No. 35, a child. Small shell beads were at the neck, and at the right
side was a pot having two loop-handles, knobs being on the handles and around
the margin of the vessel, in which were two spoons carved from musselshells.

FIG. 42. Vessel of earthenware. With Burial Xo. 49. Mason Island, Ala. (Height 0.0 inches.)

Burial No. 37, partly flexed to the left. At the right shoulder was an un-
decorated pot having two loop-handles. The skull of this burial was saved.
Judging from the appearance of the bones at this site, their condition was ex
cellent, but a kind of dry rot seemed to have affected them and comparatively
few were in a condition to save.

Burial No. 38, a child. On the thorax was a small conchshell (Busycon
pyrum), its beak toward the chin of the skeleton, it evidently having hung in
that position with the aid of a small perforation at the end of the beak. With
it was a shell spoon.

Burial No. 39, closely flexed on the right, in a grave elliptical in outline,
3 feet 10 inches long by 2 feet 10 inches in maximum width and 4 feet deep,
was a skeleton without accompanying artifacts, details of whose burial we in
clude as it was the only unmistakable grave found in the site.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TEXXESSEE RIVER.

Burial Xo. 40, closely Hexed to the left. At the left of the skull was a bowl
having had the effigy of a head rising from the rim and a conventional tail on
the opposite side. \Yith this was a pot having four horizontal projections
from the rim. The skull of this burial was in condition to keep.

Burial Xo. 41, partly flexed to the right. At the pelvis was a large bowl, a
cooking vessel covered with soot, having four horizontal projections near the
rim, ornamented with small notches on the outer margins.

FH;. 4)5. Vessel of earthenware. Mason Island, Ala. (Height 4.1 indies.)

Burial Xo. 42, partly flexed to the right. At the right humerus was a dis-
coidal of jasper breccia, 3.5 inches in diameter. This stone has an effective
appearance, not through excellence of treatment but owing to its component
parts, some of which are yellow, others red, the setting of all being chocolate
in shade. At the right elbow was a discoidal of limestone, 2.5 inches in diameter.

Burial Xo. 45, closely flexed to the left. At the left shoulder and elbow
was a large pot having a number of horizontal projections around the rim, and
another pot decorated in the same way with knobs.

Burial Xo. 49, a young child. At the pelvis was a vessel having two pro
jections from the rim at opposite sides, under each of which was a loop-handle.
Around the upper part of the vessel are four encircling, parallel rows of knobs
(Fig. 42). This vessel belongs to a class which, as we have before said, seems
to be frequently met with in northern Alabama.

In the digging, away from bones, were: a vessel of earthenware (Fig. 43);
ten arrowheads and knives of flint, found singly, four of which are triangular

270 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

in outline; a disc of wood, copper-coated, 1.9 inch in diameter, evidently part of
an ear-plug; the skull of a dog; a bone of a turkey; several piercing implements
of bone; part of an antler smoothed at both ends, possibly intended for a handle;
a discoidal of quart/, 3 inches in diameter; a graceful lancchead of flint, 3.75
inches in length.

A pit of considerable size, traceable from the surface down, filled with shells
and some midden soil, probably had been in use for refuse. At all events no
bones were present in it.

Digging in other parts of the site was without success, no place being found
where the midden soil was of any considerable depth.

MOUND ON THE STEEL PLACE, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On a property said to belong to Mr. Arthur Steel, residence unknown, is a
mound a few yards from the landing, about 12 feet in height. This mound,
which evidently has been a domiciliary one, has been cut away in part to permit
the erection of a building. We were informed by a tenant that nothing had
been found at the time of the partial demolition of the mound. A short distance
from this mound is a small one, evidently much worn away, on which is a building.
No digging was done by us at this place.

MOUND AT DECATUR, ALABAMA.

In the yard of the H. H. Hitt Lumber Company, of Decatur, Ala., is a mound
somewhat the worse for time, about 10.5 feet in height and approximately 80
feet and 95 feet in diameters of base. The mound evidently had belonged to
the domiciliary class, and although Mr. Hitt, president of the company, placed
it at our disposal, we decided, under the circumstances, it would be inexpedient
to dig into it, as mounds of this kind, as we so often have had occasion to say,
rarely yield any return.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE NEAR SOUTH FLINT RIVER, MORGAN

COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the river bank, about 100 yards above the mouth of South Flint river,
on property belonging to Mr. J. B. Gilchrist, of Courtland, Ala., was a mound
5 feet in height and 45 feet across its base, which was about circular. This
mound had been dug into previous to our coming, but though the hole, which
was central, had been of considerable size at the surface, it converged suddenly
and before reaching the base of the mound was of insignificant proportions.

An excavation 16 feet square was put down by us, showing the top of the
mound to be 6 feet 3 inches above the base, which consisted of 2 or 3 inches of
very dark midden soil, beneath which was a solid deposit of shell, no doubt
part of the dwelling-site which was contiguous to the mound. The mound
itself was of raw clay without any admixture of organic matter. In the upper
two feet of the mound, in addition to loose bones thrown out by former diggers,

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

271

three burials of children and one of an adult were encountered, none at a depth
greater than slightly more than 2 feet.

Fio. 1 4. --Bottle of earthenware. Near South Flint River, Ala. (Height S.2 inches.)

Only a few inches from the surface, apart, were two vessels one, undecor-
ated, having a short neck, the other, a graceful bottle, its body consisting
of four lobes. This vessel, of fairly thin ware in which a small proportion of
shell-tempering is apparent, has had a uniform coating of red paint over the

272 ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER.

body (Fig. 44). Though no interments were found near these vessels, it is
probable they had been with human remains, as both were near the edge of the
former digging.

Throughout the rest of the mound, to the base, no burials were met, nor
was any artifact encountered with the exception of part of a large axe, apparently
of claystonc, the posterior part of which was absent, and a rude; knife of flint
found on the base. No pit extending below the mound was discovered.

Immediately adjacent to the mound was a small dwelling-site which, to
some extent, had been cut away by the river that had left exposed parts of
human skeletons in two places. Quantities of broken stones, quartzite and
flint, lay along the shore, with which was an occasional arrowhead. On the
surface of the site, which offered no indication in the way of a rise where digging
might be successful, a few arrowheads were gathered, all with stems, some having
barbs. Pottery of fairly good quality was either undecorated or bore a check
or a cord-marked design.

A limited amount of digging in this site soon came to a thickly-packed de
posit of shell where work progressed slowly, and it seemed hardly worth while,
under such conditions, to devote a long period to finding, at most a few burials
with which, in all probability, nothing had been deposited.

MOUND NEAK LIMESTONE CREEK, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

In a cultivated field bordering Limestone creek and in sight from its bank,
about 1.5 mile back from the union of the creek with the Tennessee, is a mound
on the property of Mr. J. E. Penney, of Birmingham, Ala., who most cordially
placed all his various properties along Tennessee river between Florence, Ala.,
and Chattanooga, Tenn., at the disposal of the Academy for investigation.

The mound, about circular as to its base, had been somewhat spread by
cultivation; its diameter was 55 feet. The height of the mound was hard to
determine, as it was in part on the verge of, and partly on, a slope, so that its
height depended largely on the point from which the measurement was made.
From the level of the crest of the slope the mound had a height of 4 feet 8 inches,
but later a measurement showed the base to have been slightly more than 6 feet
below the summit of the mound.

An excavation 16 feet square, which later was much enlarged in places, was
put down, showing the composition of the mound to be of dark, midden soil,
almost black as a rule, though near the surface in one part there seemed to be a
mingling of clay somewhat lighter in shade.

Thirty burials were encountered, all of which, with one exception, where a
quantity of disconnected bones had been interred, were of the flexed form of
burial or at full length, so far as could be determined. In the body of the mound
especially there had been great disturbance, burials cutting through other burials,
leaving parts of skeletons only. Single skulls were encountered also and were
classed as burials.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 273

In addition to several burials on the base of the mound, ten graves extended
below the base, throe of which contained two burials each. The following
interments present features of interest in connection with their method of burial
or had artifacts with them.

Burial No. G, an aboriginal disturbance having enough remaining to show
the body had been at full length on the back. On the pelvis, its long axis cor
responding with that of the body, was an agricultural tool of shale, 1.5 foot in
length, neatly rounded at both ends, which were 5.25 and 3 inches in width,
respectively, the greater width being ground to a fairly sharp edge

Burial No. 15, the skeleton of a child, lying at the bottom of a grave 3 feet
long and 1 foot 10 inches wide, 6 feet from the surface, the grave extending

1 foot 4 inches below the base. At the neck were two thick, discoidal beads of
copper.

Burial No. 16, a skeleton extended on the back, the bones of the left forearm
missing. Corresponding bones of a left forearm, doubtless the missing ones,
were in the soil about one foot above the burial, which lay at the bottom of a
pit extending about 2 feet below the base, 8 feet long and 1 foot 10 inches wide.
In the grave, beyond the head and the feet, respectively, were single masses of
pure clay. In front of the face, which was turned to the right, was a knife or
lancehead of flint, 2.8 inches in length. Beyond the skull was a celt of indurated
shale, 9.1 inches long. To the left of the pelvis lay a mass of galena, somewhat
smaller than a man s fist.

Burial No. 18. About the center of the base of the mound and in contact
with Burial No. 19, with whose grave No. 18 formed a right angle, was a skeleton
extended on the back in a grave distinct in the red, undisturbed clay (as were
all the graves in this mound), 7 feet long by 2 feet 4 inches in width and extending

2 feet below tin 1 base. At the head was a mass of pure clay, and four small
bits of galena lay together at the right of the pelvis.

Burial No. 19, the skeleton of an adolescent, lay at full length on the back
at the bottom of a grave-pit 5 feet 8 inches long by 1 foot 9 inches in width at
the end in which the head of the skeleton lay, the foot end of the grave being
1 foot 5 inches across. This pit extended 1 foot 4 inches below the base of the
mound.

Immediately on the skeleton and in contact with the limits of the grave
on all sides, was a layer of pure, light yellow 7 clay from 2 to 3 inches in thickness,
which contrasted markedly with the dark clay of the soil around it, as shown
in the illustration (Fig. 45), where the parallelogram is clearly noticeable. At
the neck of the skeleton were a few shell beads, badly decayed.

Burial No. 20, a skeleton at full length on the back, in a grave foot 4 inches
long by 1 foot 5 inches wide and extending 2 feet below the base, had a mass of
clay at the head and another at the feet. In the same grave, its skull G inches
above the knees of Burial No. 20, was the skeleton of a child (Burial No. 21)
lying in reverse direction to the burial beneath.

25 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

274

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 23, a skeleton extended on the back, in a grave similar to others
in the mound, had, beyond its feet, a mass of pure clay extending across the
grave.

FIG. 45. Burial No. 19, a skeleton on the bottom of a grave-pit. The grave was 5 feet 8 inches
long and 1 foot 9 inches wide. The. bones were covered with a layer of pure clay, as shown. Lime
stone creek, Ala.

Burials Nos. 24 and 25, a grave 2 feet 3 inches long by 1 foot 8 inches wide,
reaching 2 feet 2 inches below the base, contained the bones of an adult and of a
child in no order whatever. With this burial were four shell beads, one, one
inch in length, the other three each about .4 inch long. There were also two
sections of columella, one, .75 inch in length, bored at both ends but without

ABORKIINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

275

perforation, and a somewhat shorter section in which no boring had been attempt
ed. With these also were five sections of the body-whorl of a large marine
shell, and a pendant from the body-whorl of a .similar shell, somewhat less than
3 inches in length, having a groove for suspension at one end and a part broken
from the other extremity.

Burial No. 29. This skeleton, extended on the back, lay well out from the
center of the mound and beyond our original excavation, at the bottom of a
grave 8 feet 7 inches in length and 2 feet wide at the base, where it expanded
slightly. From the surface of the slope of the mound to the bottom of the
grave was 10 feet 10 inches, the pit extending 6 feet 10
inches below the base. Well up in the grave lay a skull, and
other bones were scattered around, showing this deep grave
had cut through one or more graves which had preceded it.
The burial at the bottom of this grave was covered with a
layer of light-colored clay having a maximum thickness of o
inches. On the upper surface of this layer was the skeleton
of a child about 8 years of age, the head in the same direc
tion as that of the skeleton beneath.

With several parts of skeletons in this mound, aboriginal
disturbances, were masses of pure clay.

Apart from bones, singly, were found eight arrowheads or
knives, of flint, all with stems, some barbed, two serrated.
One of these latter was of interest from the fact that part of
its pointed end having split away, the remainder had been
serrated along the ine of fracture to continue the point in
use (Fig. 46).

There was also in the mound, probably in the midden debris, the jaw of a dog.

All over the field in which the mound was, but in increased numbers in its
vicinity, were quantities of pebbles and fragments of stone, much of which was
flint, also arrowheads or knives in considerable numbers, some complete, many
broken. Tn addition were picked up at this site a muller of limestone, a celt
of claystone, and several rude implements of flint. The arrowheads from this
place do not include any small, triangular ones, and as a rule are stemmed, some
times barbed and, with one or two exceptions, exhibit little evidence of careful
workmanship.

On the upper side of Limestone creek where it joins Tennessee river, in view
from the waters of both, is an earthwork in the form of a four-pointed star sur
rounded by a ditch. This earthwork, which the older inhabitants remember
to have boon thrown up in the Civil War, has deceived the uninformed, who
have dug into it extensively.

D\VKLI,IN(;-SITK ON THK IIoPPEU PLACE, MADISON COUNTY ALABAMA.

Opposite Bluff City, on property belonging to Mr. W. M. Hopper, who
lives somewhat back toward the hills, is a large field bordering the river, having

FIG. 4fi. Arrow
head of flint, show
ing secondary work.
Limestone Creek,
Ala. (Full size.)

276 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

a sprinkling of shells over most of its surface, and a number of slight rises near
the water, on which were more shells than elsewhere in the field. Artifacts
were singularly few on the ground, almost nothing being found other than a
few small fragments of pottery, one of which had a coating of red pigment.
Considerable digging at this place yielded neither burial nor artifact.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR CATACO CREEK, MORGAN COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the lower side of the mouth of Cataco Creek, known also as Tate Creek,
are a dwelling-site and an aboriginal cemetery of importance, according to our
agent who visited them, which are under the management of Mr. J. W. Dunaway,
of Sommcrville, Ala. Permission refused.

MOUNDS ON THE SLAUGHTER PLACE, MORGAN COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the property of Mr. H. B. Slaughter, of Chicago, 111., of which Mr. John
Millow, who lives on the place, is manager, in a cultivated field were two mounds
but a few feet apart, about one-quarter mile SW. from the landing. These
mounds, blunt cones and symmetrical, were on land that had lately been cleared
and were covered with the stumps of large trees. Evidently with the exception
of a shallow hole in the top of the larger mound, they had not been dug into
prior to our visit. Both mounds were of dark clay, of rather raw appearance,
without admixture of midden debris.

MOUND A.

Mound A, 7 feet 10 inches in height when measured from the outside, and
50 feet in diameter of base, was dug centrally by us to the extent of an excavation
16 feet square which showed the base of red clay, very distinct from the clay
of the mound, to be 7 feet 2 inches from the summit.

Two feet down was a deposit of pure, gray clay differing entirely from that
of the mound, 4 feet long by 16 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches in thickness. At
one end of this were grouped together twenty-five masses of galena (lead sul
phide), the largest 2.5 inches by 1.5 inch by 1.25 inch. Beside these lay a copper
celt 4.4 inches in length and 2.5 inches across the blade. Most careful search
for traces of bones was made in connection with this deposit, but not even crowns
of teeth were discovered, though without doubt a burial had been there.

In the wall of the excavation, 54 inches down, together, were a mass of
galena weighing fourteen pounds and an interesting celt of copper, 4.4 inches
in length and 2.5 inches in maximum width, flat on one side and convex on the
other. If traces of bones were with these objects not any were noticed in the
disturbance, the lead and the copper having been dislodged by a blow of a pick
before their presence in the wall was known. However, careful investigation
showed that no fragments of bone other than possibly very small ones accom
panied them.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 277

Apparently exactly in the center of the base of the mound, was a grave, a
blunt oval in outline, 7 feet long by 5 feet in maximum breadth, very distinctly
defined. This grave, whose sides did not converge, extended 3 feet 4 inches
into the undisturbed, red clay. When the grave was dug the red clay had been
thrown out around it and apparently had not been used in filling it, as the con
tents of the grave consisted of the dark clay of the body of the mound.

In the wall of the grave, on one side, were four small offsets which did not
extend to its upper level, but apparently had been hollowed out after the grave
had been dug. No bones or artifacts were discovered in them.

About centrally on the base of the grave was a mass of pure, gray clay, 2
feet long by 18 inches wide and 3 inches thick. In this clay was a copper celt
3 inches in length and 1.3 inch in maximum width. Almost under the celt was
a reel-shaped ceremonial ornament of sheet-copper (Plate V, Fig. 2) about 4
inches square measuring across the extremities, the longer axis of the body
and its two perforations longitudinal with the grave. Beneath this ornament
were faint traces of bone.

MOUND B.

Mound B, G feet 7 inches high when measured from the level of the field
and 35 feet in diameter of base was investigated by us, a central excavation
14 feet square being sunk to its base, which proved to be slightly more than
6 feet from the summit.

Nothing was discovered in the body of the mound, but almost in the center
of the base was an oblong grave extending E. and W., 11 feet 5 inches long by
6 feet wide at the top, but converging to 5 feet 4 inches by 3 feet at its bottom,
which was 5 feet below the level of the base. All around this grave, for a con
siderable distance, was piled clay taken out in its digging red clay and yellow
clay, the red, undisturbed clay having been dug through, and a lower, under
lying clay, yellow in color, having been reached and thrown out above the red
clay.

As in the case of the grave in Mound A, apparently little if any of the earth
that had been thrown out in digging the grave in Mound B had been used to
nil it, but seemingly the building of the mound had begun over and around
the open grave, the dark material composing the mound filling the grave also.

On the base of this grave, though not completely covering it, was a layer
of pure, gray clay, about 4 inches in maximum thickness, of the kind probably
used for pottery and similar to the clay found in connection with burials through
out this region.

Under the clay layer, about 2 feet 4 inches from the eastern end of the grave,
were two car-ornaments of sheet-copper, of the spool-shape variety, lying about
such distance apart as the breadth of a skull would be. Near these ornaments
were fragments of crowns of teeth, stained green from the copper salt.

About 15 inches farther toward the foot of the grave were the fragments
of a reel-shaped ornament of sheet-copper, badly decayed, which evidently

278 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

had rested on the thorax of the skeleton. Enough of this ornament remained
to show that the longer axis of its body and the two perforations had rested
transversely to the skeleton.

Farther along, following down the line of the burial, the margins practically
in contact, was a similar copper ornament but of much heavier material. The
arms of this ornament had been folded back, one above the other across its body,
evidently ceremonially. The line of its two perforations lay across that of the
former burial, as was the case with the other ornament.

With the exception of part of a drill of flint there were found in these mounds
no objects or fragments of stone or of pottery, save in a small pit below the base
of one of them, which had been filled with midden debris.

DWELLING-SITE AT WHITE S FERRY, MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

At White s Ferry, on property of Mr. Lawson White, of Huntsville, Ala.,
is a dwelling-site and shell deposit similar to a number along the river in this
region. As the site was planted in grass and clover, digging was out of the
question.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE ABOVE CHUNN S LANDING, MORGAN

COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About one-half mile above Chunn s Landing, in full view from the water,
are a mound and a dwelling-site of considerable size, on property of Mrs. M. L.
Chunn, living near at hand. The mound, which has an attractive appearance,
is about 5 feet in height and 45 feet in diameter, approximately. Permission
refused.

MOUNDS AND DWELLING-SITE ON HOBBS ISLAND, MADISON COUNTY,

ALABAMA.

About one-quarter mile below the upper end of Hobbs Island arc two mounds
and a dwelling-site on property belonging to Mrs. F. M. Henderson, of Natchez,
Miss. We were unable even to measure the mounds at this place (which our
agent, before our visit, estimated to be 16 feet and 4 feet in height, respectively),
having received notice from the owner not to set foot upon it.

DWELLING-SITE AT THE MOUTH OF FLINT RIVER, MADISON COUNTY,

ALABAMA.

Immediately at the union of Flint river with the Tennessee is an area of
very irregular outline, about 135 yards by 85 yards, thickly covered with shells,
on the property of Mr. R. A. Parsons, of Taylorsville, Ala. This aboriginal
site has upon it at present various structures, and at the time of our visit a part
of it was in use as a vegetable garden, so that the space open to investigation
was somewhat restricted.

ABORIGINAL SITE8 ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 279

At a point where there seemed to be a rise above much of the remainder
of the site, holes were put down, showing the deposit to be almost solid shell
at first, then midden soil having a slight admixture of shell, this underlaid again
by shell, the whole going to a depth of 6 feet 9 inches, where brown sand with
occasional shells was found even this not being the bottom of the deposit.

Realizing that search at this depth would be inadvisable to prolong, owing
to the time required for holes so deep and in view of the fact that burials found
had nothing with them, thirteen trial-holes only were sunk in this higher part
of the site, resulting in the finding of the skeleton of a child, 26 inches down;
a burial closely flexed to the left at a depth of 22 inches; a skull with the two upper
vertebrae, 4 feet 6 inches from the surface; a skeleton closely flexed on the left,
1 foot down. A few other holes were sunk in outlying parts of the site, but
without success.

Forty inches deep was a deposit of masses of sandstone in single thickness,
arranged in the form of a horizontal triangle except for the projection of a stone
on one side. This irregular triangle, having a base 29 inches in extent and
an altitude of 31 inches, rested on, though it did not completely cover, a fireplace
on which was charcoal and ashes. No bones were discovered.

A number of coarse arrowheads and knives, of flint, were picked up at this
place, and a barrel-shaped stone (sandstone) with a deep depression at each
end, which it was said had been plowed up on the site, was acquired there by us.

In the digging were found a number of arrowheads and knives, of flint; two
neatly-made piercing implements of bone; a bone needle 5 inches in length,
having an eye .1 inch in diameter. The discovery of a needle of this kind has
been very infrequent in our archaeological work.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR BEAN ROCK, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On property belonging to Mr. John Bogcnshott, living nearby, along the
river bank below Bean Rock and in sight from it, has been an aboriginal place
of abode, largely of sandy loam having shell here and there over small areas.
A few arrowheads, broken celts, several whole ones, and bits of pottery bearing
a small check stamp were found on the surface. There were also noticed on
the ground part of a human tibia and a number of slabs which presumably had
been with burials. The place had a history of the discovery of hundreds of
arrowheads which had been gathered there and sold. Numerous trial-holes
in various parts of this site resulted only in the discovery of the skeleton of a
child 46 inches down.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR PAINT ROCK LANDING, MARSHALL COUNTY,

ALABAMA.

On property near Paint Rock Landing, belonging to Mr. John West, of
Guntersville, Ala., is a small camp-site having on the surface little other than
a few bits of undecorated pottery and considerable shell in places. The shell

280 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

proved to be in deposits about one foot in thickness, below which was midden
soil to an inconsiderable depth. We were unable to find at this place any burial
or artifact, with the exception of part of a burial near the surface, the rest of
which doubtless had been plowed away.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE FOSTER PLACE, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Along the bank of the river, in a cultivated field forming part of the property
of Hon. A. M. Ayers, living near Guntersvillc, Ala., is a small camp-site having
some midden debris on the surface, and in places restricted areas where shells
were visible. In that part of the site on which shells were not apparent, digging
soon reached undisturbed soil and no burials were encountered.

Numerous holes in the shell deposits came upon the burials of three adults
and a child, the former in flexed positions.

Burial No. 3 was an adult flexed on the right, lying at the bottom of a grave
28 inches deep, filled with shells to the surface. These shells were without
any admixture of midden soil such as we found with the shells in the general
deposit.

Burial No. 4, an adult in the same position as the other, lay in a grave 14
inches deep, also filled to the top with shells only.

The burials at this site were widely scattered; in all events careful digging
failed to find any in groups.

Thirty inches below the surface was a slab of limestone of irregular outline,
2 feet long and 1 foot wide, approximately. Under this slab and extending
beyond it in places, was a deposit of shells, 1 unmixed with midden debris, having
a maximum thickness of 5 inches, made up of some musselshells (Unio) with
an unusual proportion of univalves in addition, the musselshells in many instances
still having the two valves in apposition. Below this deposit no burial was
found.

One of our trial-holes came upon a large pit which had become filled with
refuse, part-way up in which, as though lost there, was a celt of sedimentary
rock, 9 inches in length.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE PENNEY PLACE, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the Penney Place, the property of Mr. J. E. Penney, of Birmingham,
Ala., in full view from the river-bank, did not trees intervene, is a small ridge
having considerable midden debris on the surface. At each end, though not
occupying the entire extremities of the ridge, is a small rise containing shell
in considerable quantity in places. These rises, which are 25 yards apart,
contained all the thirteen burials found in the place, with one exception, a de
posit of fragments of cremated bones 13 inches by 8 inches by 5 inches in maxi
mum thickness, found 1 foot 3 inches below the surface in the ridge.

1 A selection of shells from this deposit included the following: Unio gibbosus, U. incrassatus,
Dromus dromus, Pleurobcma clava, Truncilla perplcxa, Quadrula pyramidata, Obovaria circulus, Cam-
peloma ponderosum, Pleurocera filiim, P. ungulatum, P. iiobile.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 281

The remaining twelve burials, some near the surface, some in deeper graves,
were nine of adults, one of an adolescent, two of children, the adults and adoles
cent all in some form of flexion. Two came from the more northerly rise, the
rest from the one at the other extremity of the ridge. The northerly rise was
thoroughly dug through by us, but seemed to have been little used as a place
of burial; a large pit, however, filled with refuse was discovered in it.

The more southerly rise seemed well filled with interments, and as parts of
it were not explored by us a number doubtless were left behind.

Burial No. 2 was at the bottom of a pit 2 feet 11 inches wide by 4 feet 8 inches
long, these dimensions being quite sufficient for a flexed burial.

Burial No. 3, without any sign of disturbance, though but 10 inches below
the surface, had the skull alongside the pelvis.

Burial No. 6, a child, had in association an undecorated shell gorget (the
only object found with a burial at this place), oval in outline, 3.6 inches by 2.7
inches, having a single perforation at the smaller end.

Burial No. 10, a pit 5 feet 2 inches deep, the contents of which, consisting
in the main of midden debris, could be traced almost to the surface, had its
lower 20 inches, immediately over the skeleton, filled with shell. This grave
extended 2 feet into yellow, undisturbed soil.

Burials Nos. 11 and 12. These skeletons, about one foot apart and lying
in the same direction, were in a grave 34 inches deep, the lower foot of which
had been filled with shells. Though considerable digging was done around
the upper parts of these skeletons, no skulls were discovered. Presumably the
burials had been made without them, but possibly the crania had been removed
in the digging of another grave, traces of which, however, were not apparent.

Found throughout the digging were: several knives of flint; a small anvil
stone of sandstone; several piercing implements of bone; rude agricultural tools
of limestone; an undecorated pipe of sandstone, having a hole for a stem directly
in the bowl.

On the surface was a fragment of pottery bearing a complicated stamp
decoration, the tempering being apparently finely ground particles of shell.

MOUND NEAR GUNTERSVILLE. ALABAMA.

In sight from the steamboat landing at Guntersville, is a mound on property
belonging to Mr. Green Seibold of that place, 13.5 feet in height and having
diameters of 220 feet and 180 feet. The mound, which has been badly washed,
has had a fiat top and evidently has been a quadrilateral, domiciliary mound.
Three frame structures upon it precluded any attempt at investigation.

DWELLING-SITE ON McKEE ISLAND, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

McKee Island, a short distance above Guntersville, belongs to Mr. T. B.
Seibold, who resides somewhat back on the mainland. The island, about one
mile in length, has its upper third low-lying, and separated by a small water-

20 JOURN. A. X. S. I HILA., VOL. XVI.

282 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

course. The remainder of the island, high ground and fertile soil, has a ridge,
probably largely natural, extending through it longitudinally, easterly and
westerly, somewhat in from the northern side of the island. On this ridge has
been a dwelling-site for the aborigines, whose occupancy, no doubt, contributed
somewhat to its height.

Along the middle part of the ridge are various sites once occupied by wigwams,
all circular so far as we could determine, except one which was square. The
sites were marked by depressions and had been surrounded by small embank
ments, but as the ground had been under cultivation in the past, exact measure
ments were not obtainable. Putnam 1 describes sites of this kind, "circular
ridges of earth," which were investigated by him in middle Tennessee and which,
unlike ours, contained objects of interest. Graves of children only were found
by him in these sites.

One of our circular depressions, 32 feet in diameter, was 11 inches below
the surrounding level, which perhaps included part of the original embankment.
Digging in this site disclosed a fireplace, about centrally situated made up of
three layers of burnt clay showing the level of the fireplace had been raised from
time to time. Another circular site, 24 feet across, also had a fireplace in the
center, approximately, as did still another depression 30 feet in diameter and
1 foot 9 inches deep.

The largest site, 52 feet square, was 1 foot 8 inches below the level around
it, part of which was made up by the surrounding embankment, which was 10
inches in height, so that the actual depth of the site below the general level was
also 10 inches. In none of the sites was any burial encountered; nor in the
largest one, though carefully dug over, was any fireplace discovered, but it is
possible that what was sought is beneath a large tree growing about centrally
in the depression.

In the square depression, about 8 inches below the surface and having the
shape of a wide ellipse of very irregular outline, 25 inches by 27 inches, was an
arrangement made up of a single layer of comparatively small slabs and masses,
some limestone, some quartzite, all placed in contact one with another. Pos
sibly bones of an infant had decayed away.

On the ridge we have described no mound remained, but the outer part of a
low one, which had been perhaps 2 feet in height, had been left by previous
diggers, who had piled a number of slabs on the surface. In one spot remaining
from the wreck we found scattered bones of a child below slabs of stone. These
slabs did not belong to an arrangement made for covering a particular burial,
but formed part of what seemed to have been a general arrangement in the cen
tral part of the mound, perhaps covering all the burials in it.

1 Eleventh Rep. Pcabody Mus., p. 347 et seq. Tidings have come to us at this stage of the
printing of our report, of the lamented death of our old friend Prof. Frederic Ward Putnam, which
occurred at Cambridge, Mass., August 14, 1915. Professor Putnam expressed much interest in this
report on the antiquities of a state in the archaeological investigation of which he was so noted a
pioneer.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

283

Between where the wigwam sites were investigated and the remnant of the
mound, there was, on the ridge, a slight rise, but not of sufficient height or regu
larity to entitle it to be called a mound. Into this rise a large number of trial-
holes were sunk by us, coming on six burials, as follows:

Burial No. 1, partly flexed, the knees to the right, 32 inches down. At one
side of the skull, or of what remained of it (for the burials in this place were

KKJ. 47. Vessel of earthenware. With Burial No. 2. McKee Island, Ala. (Height r&gt;.2 inches.)

batlly decayed), was an earthenware bowl, undecorated save for a rude effigy
of a human head which projects above the margin, and having a conventional
tail opposite. On the other side of the cranium was a pot, its body encircled
with a line of rude knobs.

Burial No. 2, a child, 2 feet deep, at the head being a stone having a natural
formation consisting of a deep concavity. On the other side of the head were
an undecorated bottle, and a pot having horizontal projections around the rim,
which would serve to keep a cord in place (Fig. 47).

Burial No. 3, partly flexed to the left. Near the skull was an undecorated
bottle of excellent ware, having a wide mouth (Eig. 48).

Burial No. 4, a child, having at the skull, which was stained at one place
by salt of copper, a pot with two loop-handles, and glass beads in a friable con
dition. Near what probably had been the leg-bones lay a broken band of sheet-
brass curved as for an anklet.

284 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 5, a grave extending 2 feet into undisturbed, yellow sand, its
depth being 4 feet 8 inches, contained remains of a skeleton partly flexed to the
right. At the left of the skull, together, were a deposit consisting of four dis-
coidal stones, each about 1.2 inch in diameter, one having a small depression
on one side; a lump of carbonate of lime; two small masses of graphitic material,

FIG. 48. Bottle of earthenware. With Burial No. 3. MrKee Island, Ala. (Height 5.3 inches.)

each showing smoothed surfaces whence probably parts had been ground off for
use as paint; three beautiful, triangular arrowheads of flint, ranging between
1.8 inch and 1.1 inch in length, the two largest having long, tapering points
and serrated, the smallest similar but to a modified extent.

Burial No. 6, partly flexed on the right.

In this rise also were two arrangements of small masses and slabs, each being
about 20 inches by 2 feet, beneath which no burials were found.

With no burials visibly in association were: a beautiful ceremonial axe
(Fig. 49), probably of igneous rock, having a blemish on the side opposite the
one shown in the illustration, 7.1 inches in length and 2.4 inches across the
cutting edge, having the perforation usual in these pieces; an undecorated pot
with two loop-handles; a beautiful little implement of flint with expanding
blade and curved cutting edge, 2.6 inches in length.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON T KNNKSSKK H1VER. 285

In this rise and in the wigwam sites, found separately, were eight knives
and arrowheads of Hint, two of the latter being small and triangular.

The lower part of the ridge presented neither wigwam sites nor elevations.
It was tentatively dug by us, but no sign of former occupancy was apparent,
even the surface being without debris.

FIG. 49. Ceremonial axe. MeKee Island, Ala. (Full size.)

The pottery from this entire site, with one exception, was of coarse, inferior
ware, some sherds showing tempering with shell and a small proportion of gravel
together. Other sherds had been tempered with what appeared to be small
masses of limestone, which react to acid and which are not fragments of shell,
their shape being distinctly different.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE SEIBOLD PLACE, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Also belonging to Mr. T. B. Seibold is an aboriginal site in a large field on
the second river level, on the mainland opposite McKee Island. This site has
been plowed away to a large extent, and little remained to mark it save much
debris on the surface and a stone grave. This grave, whose upper surface was
visible in the field, consisted of masses of rock and water-worn boulders, some
double the size of a man s head, many much smaller, thrown together without
much attention, two and three deep. This arrangement of stone, oval in out
line, 7 feet 7 inches long and 5 feet 7 inches in maximum width, had been placed
over a skeleton lying on the base of a grave extending 15 inches into undisturbed,
underlying clay. The skeleton, however, which was at full length on the back,
was not in line with the major axis of the oval, but diagonal to it, the skull being
toward the side of the greater end of the oval, the body extending down, the
feet near the smaller end. It was impossible to determine the original depth
of this grave, so much had been removed from the surface of the field by cul-

286 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

ti vat ion. In addition to the 15 inches which the grave extended into undisturbed
ground, there were 5 inches of midden soil above.

MOUNDS ON HENRY ISLAND, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Henry Island, owned by Mr. Bryant Henry, of Guntersville, Ala., is about
three miles in length. About half-way up the island is a mound we did not visit,
said to have a large, flat top on which are three buildings, and to be about 10
feet in height.

At the head of Henry Island, overlooking the water, has been a mound,
presumably quadrangular with flat top, 10.5 feet in height. Apparently,
however, more than two-thirds of this mound has been washed away. One
diameter, the former length or breadth of the mound, is 100 feet.

At the foot of this remnant, in a cultivated field, itself having long been
plowed over, is a mound, roughly circular, about one foot in height, with a diame
ter of 45 feet. This mound evidently had been plowed away to a considerable
extent. There is a history of stone graves discovered in it.

Numerous trial-holes in this low mound resulted in the discovery of nine
burials. The first seven burials, one of which was of an adolescent, lay five
in flexed positions, two extended. None of these burials lay at a depth greater
than slightly more than 4 feet. The skeleton of the adolescent, better preserved
than were the other burials, was 3 feet from the surface.

One of the burials had a rude, undecorated pot with two loop-handles; another
had, near the skull, a delicate, piercing implement of bone and the stem of an
earthenware pipe. The presence of these two objects may have been adventi
tious, however.

Burial No. 8. Immediately below the surface was a stone grave 6 feet
8 inches by 3 feet, outside measurement. This grave, of the regular stone-box
variety, was made of limestone slabs carefully arranged, the slabs having been
set a number of inches into the ground below the base of the grave, which was
neatly floored with slabs in contact, the small spaces between the larger ones
having been filled with fragments of suitable size. A large, single slab was
upright at the head, which was directed SE.; another, at the feet.

The covering stones had in part fallen in, as shown in our illustration (Fig. 50),
the exposed space at the head of the grave (which is to the reader s right) being
caused by the slipping of a slab which had dropped upon the thorax and skull,
crushing the cranium, especially the facial parts. From the top of the highest
slab to the upper surface of the bones was a distance of 1.5 foot.

Within the grave, whose inside measurements were 5 feet 10 inches by 2
feet 2 inches, and 1 foot 7 inches deep, measuring from the top of the highest
slab was the skeleton of an adult male, extended on the back (Fig. 51). Un
fortunately, the slab at the foot of the grave has interfered with the view of
the legs which, of course, were present.

Following the curve of the forehead, on which it rested, was an ornament

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

287

of sheet-copper which had been square or oblong. We could not determine
if the curve 1 imparted to the ornament had been intentional or was due to the
slab which had fallen upon it, though owing to a certain regularity in the ap-

FIG. 50. Burial Xo. 8. A stone box-grave 6 feet 8 inches by 3 feet, outside measurement. This
places on record the presence of the stone box-grave in Alabama. Henry Island, Ala.

pearance of the curve, we believe it to have been purposely made to allow
the ornament to follow the outline of the forehead and temporal parts of the
skull.

288

ABORIGINAL RITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

FIG. 51. Burial Xo. $, the skeleton lying in the box-grave, shown after the removal of the covering
slabs. Note the stone flooring. Henry Island, Ala.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

289

The ornament, which bore a repousse design, was of purely aboriginal make,
having the material pieced together here and there with the aid of small rivets,
a well-known procedure of early aboriginal artisans in sheet-copper.

The metal, unfortunately, had corroded away in places along the margin
of the ornament and, in addition, went into fragments on removal, though the
central parts by good fortune were less badly broken than were the outer ones,
as it was centrally the principal decoration proved to be.

FIG. 52. Decoration on the sheet-copper. Henry Island, Ala. (Full size.)

Most of the principal fragments have been put together with great care,
and the interesting design they bear, a representation of the head of a man,
so nearly as it can be made out after careful study, is faithfully shown in Fig. 52,

Burial No. 9, eight inches below the flooring of the stone grave, was the skele
ton of a powerfully built male at full length on the back, entirely covered by
the slabs above, except the skull which projected beyond the head of the super
imposed grave.

The site on Henry Island is of special interest in that the stone grave found

27 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

290 ABORIGINAL RITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

there was a regular stone box-grave found in Alabama, a State from which no
stone graves of any kind had been reported by others, hitherto.

THE RODEN MOUNDS, MARSHALL COUNTY, ALABAMA.

About 3.5 miles above Guntcrsville, but on the opposite side of the river,
is the property of Mr. Benjamin Roden, who lives upon it, widely known as the
Henry Bottom Place, it being mainly bottom-land bordering the river and
having formerly belonged for many years to a family named Henry.

About one-quarter mile in a straight line NW. from the landing on this
place, in sight from the river-bank, on the low slope of the first line of hills rising
above the alluvial land were six mounds, within a few yards of one another but
not in line, one somewhat elongated and resembling a ridge. These mounds
had all been under cultivation except the two highest (A and B) which a cause
way two or three yards in length connected though two others (0 and D), we
were informed, had been plowed over but a short period and at the time of our
arrival at the place they were covered with small trees and underbrush. The
remaining two mounds formed part of the field in which they were and regularly
shared in its cultivation.

Mr. Roden, who lives on the property, informed us there was no history of
the finding of aboriginal artifacts on the place, though masses of galena had
been plowed from some of the mounds.

Investigation showed that the mounds were composed of rich, dark midden
loam and of raw clay taken from the underlying soil, in places. Presumably
the mounds were built when the site was covered with midden loam (which
through wash, is not the case at present), and those carrying material took it,
some from the surface, some from the underlying clay after having denuded
the surface in spots. Thus, as a result, parts of a mound, as stated, were of one
material, parts of another.

Individual "dumps" were not apparent as a rule, bands of workers pre
sumably, as a general thing, having gone to one spot for material collectively
and deposited it in the same way.

In all the Roden mounds, very generally the burials were mere traces of
bones, sometimes only fragments of skulls.

MOUND A.

This symmetrical mound, a blunt cone 50 feet in diameter of base, 9 feet
6 inches in height according to our measurement (the surface around it was very
irregular, making exact figures impossible), but proving to be 10.5 feet from the
summit to the base, first was investigated by us by the aid of a central excavation
14 feet square, to undisturbed, underlying soil, light in shade, and then was
completely dug down.

Altogether sixty-four burials, some represented only by fragments and by

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVKK. 291

traces of bone, were encountered in the body of the mound, on its base, and in
graves extending below the base, of which twelve were determined to have
been of infants or of older children. All burials of interest, including each one
accompanied by any artifact, will be described in detail.

Burial No. 1, a faint trace of bones 3 feet 8 inches down. With these was
a celt of indurated shale, nearly 12.5 inches in length.

Burial No. 2, mere traces of bones at a depth of slightly more than 3 feet.
With this burial lay a reel-shaped ornament of copper, about G inches square,
outside measurement, that is to say from the tips of the arms. There are two
perforations for attachment in the body of this ornament.

Burial No. 5. The remains of this burial consisted of what seemed to be
traces of bones adhering to what was left of an ornament, probably a reel-shaped
one, of thin sheet-copper, corroded through and through. Near this ornament
was another reel-shaped ceremonial of thin sheet-copper, about 4 inches square,
having two perforations, the ends of the arms slightly corroded away. A some
what similar ornament, but of much heavier material, 4.5 inches square, having
perforations, was thrown out by the digger from near where the others were
found, and possibly came from the same burial, though in no other instance
did we find a single interment so richly endowed. An arm from this ceremonial
was missing from an early break, the edges of the fracture being carbonated.
With the two copper ceremonials were twenty masses of galena, the largest
about the size of a child s fist.

In no mounds explored by us before has galena (lead sulphide) figured to
anything like the same extent. Some of the masses showed facets, while others
had rounded surfaces indicating that the deposit which, as stated, is the car
bonate of lead, the white 1 lead of commerce, had been ground off for use as
paint.

Burial No. 6. This burial, of an adolescent, 6 feet 3 inches down, was repre
sented by fragments of bone of some size distinctly traceable and in much better
condition than were most of the bones in this mound, except those from the base,
where presumably moisture had not reached them. In this burial a skeleton
extended on the back was clearly indicated. Transversely on the pelvis lay a
copper celt 7.25 inches in length and 3.25 inches across the blade. Nearby
lay the remains of a conchshell (Busycori) from the Clulf.

Burial No. 8. Small fragments of bone badly decayed but indicating the
burial of an adult extended on the back, determined by the relation of the remains
of the teeth to the other traces of the skull, lying at a depth of (&gt; feet 10 inches.
Where the thorax had been were fifty-one small beads, short, tubular, of thick
sheet-copper, the cord still in place in some of them.

Burial No. 9, extended on the back, was at a depth of 8 feet and had with
it a fragment of shell and a small mass of almost pure carbonate of lime of the
kind we shall see had been used at the site near the Cox mound, to be described
in this report.

292 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 10, a skeleton at full length on the back, 10.5 feet from the surface,
in a grave whose beginning was not noted, 1 7.5 feet long by 22 inches wide, ex
tending 8 inches into undisturbed soil below the base of the mound.

Around and above the skeleton yellow sand to a maximum depth of 3 inches
had been placed, the sand totally differing from the soil surrounding it.

In a pile, arranged one above the other, were four bracelets of copper, each
weighing about five ounces and approximately 3 inches by 3.75 inches, made by
hammering the metal over on itself to form a bar, the extremities of which were
bent together, bringing them almost in contact. This pile of bracelets was in
part covered by a side of the skull which rested upon them. Back of the cranium,
as if having formed part of a head-dress, were a number of well-preserved,
small, shell beads, some discoidal, some barrel-shaped.

Burial No. 11. In making the grave for Burial No. 10 the bones of a child
had been disturbed and scattered, a humerus of the child lying near the skull
of the adult burial. Other bones were near the pelvis, while the lower jaw of
the child was at the right knee of the later burial.

Burial No. 12. This burial lay in part below Burial No. 10, which, however,
it had not disturbed and hence had been interred prior to Burial No. 10.

A skeleton fairly well preserved lay at full length on the back, in a grave
7 feet 8 inches long by 2 feet 4 inches wide. The depth of the grave from the
surfaces was 12 feet, the two lower feet extending into undisturbed clay beneath
the mound. The grave was filled with dark, midden debris and was easily
distinguishable as to that part which was surrounded by the light subsoil. On
the pelvis was a reel-shaped ceremonial ornament of copper (Plate VI, I ig. 1),
without perforations, 6.8 inches by 6.1 inches over all, the arms of the ornament
transverse to the line of the skeleton.

Burial No. 13, a child s skeleton, considerably decayed, lay in a grave 10
feet from the surface, extending 10 inches into the light-colored clay beneath
the mound. This grave had been filled with the clay dug out in preparing it,
and consequently presented no contrast to the clay surrounding it, and probably
would not have been discovered had not the grave been somewhat softer than
the surrounding material. We have often noted that graves in undisturbed
soil, when filled, though probably a long time has elapsed, failed to pack to the
same consistency that the ground around them possesses.

Buria s Nos. 14 and 15, one of a child, the other of a young child or an infant,
both in graves extending below the base under conditions similar to those de
scribed in connection with Burial No. 13.

Burials Nos. 10 to 15, inclusive, were all within a few feet of the center of
the base of the mound. All burials heretofore described were reached by the

1 No grave of this place except that of Burial No. 47, a superficial one, was determined as to its
starting point in the mound, owing to prevailing conditions, though it is very probable that all the
graves in it dated from the period of its beginning or from an early stage in its building, as the very
dark material witli which most of the graves were filled was not noted extending up into the mounds
for any considerable distance.

JOURN. ACAD. NAT. SCI. PHILA., 2ND SEP., VOL. XVI

PLATE VI

Af i.

1 AND 2. KODKN MOINDS. MOIM) A. KKKI.-SH AI Kl) ( )RN AM KN l&gt; &lt; &gt;l (.Ol l l.k. i FULL SIZE)

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 293

preliminary excavation. All described from now on were encountered while
the mound was in process of demolition from the circumference of the base in
ward to the central excavation, a fact which should be borne in mind in connec
tion with the depths of burials recorded.

Xo burial was encountered until digging had proceeded some distance in
ward. Near the margin of the base, however, a curious pit was found. This
pit was clearly defined, extending 3 feet 5 inches into undisturbed, yellow clay.
The length of the pit. 5 feet 10 inches, would have been suitable for a grave,
but the width was only 10 inches. No bones or artifacts were present in this
unusual excavation, though very careful search was made.

Burial No. 17, G feet 4 inches down, under the slope, consisted of fragments
of skull ami traces of femora lying on the base of the mound. Where a shoulder
would have been, had it not in all probability decayed away, was a mass of galena.

Burial No. 21. In a grave extending below the base and traceable up into
the mound, were remains of a ske eton having a few discoidal beads of shell,
much decayed, at the neck.

Burial No. 22, the remains of the skeleton of a child, in a grave 3 feet 9 inches
by 1 foot 4 inches and extending 1 foot into undisturbed soil below the base
of the mound, which here was 6.5 feet from the surface. At the neck were a
few decaying, discoidal beads of shell, and at the right thigh, sixteen small
masses of galena.

Burial No. 23, a grave extending below the base of the mound, holding traces
of a skull and femora. Near the bones was a mass of galena, weighing more
than ten pounds, the largest found at this place by us.

Burial No. 26, a grave extending 1.5 foot below the base, containing the
remains of a skeleton having near the head twenty-four small bits of galena.

Burial No. 35, fragments of a skull, having the remains of a femur immediately
beneath it, and some fragments of a large marine shell.

Burial No. 40, the remains of the skeleton of a child, in a grave below the
base. Nearby, in fragments, was a large marine shell (Cassis tuberosa) which,
perhaps, had been a drinking-cup, and thirteen small masses of galena.

Burial No. 41, 7.5 feet down, shown by fragments to have been extended
on the back. At the head and at the feet was a mass of pure clay.

Burial No. 44. Well in the body of the mound were the remains of a skull,
near which were fragments of a large, marine univalve and five shells, some
much decayed, which had been pierced for stringing, like beads.

Now the members of our expedition, from long experience, are familiar with
the small, marine shells (Marginclla and Olivella, and the larger Oliva shell)
often used, when pierced, by the aborigines, in place of beads, but in the case
of these shells with the skull it was evident we had to do with a kind we had
never seen in the mounds before.

The shells were carefully labeled by the present writer, and after our return
to the north were shown to Dr. H. A. Pilsbry, at our Academy of Natural Sciences

294 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

who at once pronounced them to be Cyproea moneta, or the cowry shell of Africa
and the East.

As the discover}- of these shells had never before, we believe, been recorded
as having been found in an aboriginal mound or grave in the United States
(we have made but few inquiries as to the records of other regions), and as our
most careful investigation of the Roden mounds indicated that these had been
built before their makers had any intercourse with white persons, except for
the presence of these cowries, their discovery became an interesting matter
and they were sent to Dr. W. H. Ball, at the United States National Museum.

We quote by permission a letter from Doctor Dall on the subject:

"I should incline to the belief that the cowries were imported in or about
the time of Columbus voyages. Bound, as they supposed, for the Indies,
where the cowry was formerly (like our wampum) a staple article of barter,
the exploring vessels would undoubtedly have carried cowries as well as the
other articles of trade we know they carried. It would not have taken them
long to find out that cowries did not pass as currency with American natives
and reporting this on their return to Spain later traders would not have carried
them for barter. The necklace or bracelet you obtained may have passed from
hand to hand as a curiosity (as I have known such things to do) until it reached
a people who knew nothing of the whites till much later. In fact your cowries
may have come off one of Columbus own vessels!"

From Mr. Charles C. Willoughby we have the information that in the Peabody
Museum, Cambridge, Mass., is a dress of a Cree woman, collected by the Lewis
and (lark expedition in 1804-1805. On this dress arc four dozen cowry shells,
perforated. Mr. Willoughby has described the dress and figured it, 1 but the
cowry shells in question are on the side of the dress not shown in the photograph
and take the place of the upper row of brass buttons on the dress.

The shells found by us differ from those on the Cree dress, which arc of a
larger variety and much more distinctly humped than are our shells, ours being
of the variety atava as described by Rochebrune, 2 who says they come from the
Cape Verde Islands. It must be borne in mind, however, that in our present
state of knowledge as to the cowry shell, Cyprcca moneta of Africa and the East,
one cannot give exact distribution as to special forms. Hence neither our shells
nor those on the Cree dress can now be proved to have come from the same
or from different regions.

Mr. Willoughby believes that cowry shells were sold to the Indians by the
Hudson s Bay Company late in the eighteenth or early in the nineteenth century.

Our attention has been called by Mr. W. J. Wintembcrg to a paper by Prof.
Henry Montgomery 3 wherein is noted the superficial discovery of a cowry shell

1 " American Anthropologist," 1905.

2 Bulletins dc la Societe Malacologiquc do France, Vol. I, 1SS4, p. S3, plate 1, fig. 4.

3 " Recent Arclueological Investigations in Ontario," Transactions of the Canadian Institute,
Toronto, 1010, Vol. IX, Part I, No. 20, p. 7, Fig. 6, PL IV.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 295

near the so-callod Onatonabce Serpent Mound, Peterboro County, Ontario.
The shell described by Professor Montgomery is a regular ( ij/&gt;rnn n/mtcta, or
money cowry of Africa and the East, and not a California shell. This shell,
which, by the way, is not pierced for stringing, is probably one from the Hudson s
Bay Company stock. We do not think the sale of cowries to Indians in the
North at a comparatively late date by the Hudson s Bay Company indicates a
relatively recent origin for the Roden mounds, for, at a period when the supplies
of the Hudson s Bay Company could have reached the makers of the Roden
mounds, articles of European make could have got among them from all directions
and the mounds presumably would have been well supplied with glass beads,
brass, iron, and other things obtained from European sources which, as we see,
was very far from being the case.

Burial No. 47, the skeleton of a child, comparatively well-preserved, having
with it an oblong section of looking-glass, glass beads, a few beads made from
marine shells, a small discoidal stone, an undecorated shell gorget about 3
inches in diameter.

As this burial, having some objects obtained from Europeans, was but 1
foot 8 inches from the surface of the mound, we consider it intrusive and by no
means fixing the period when all other burials in the mound were made. No
other burials were in graves except those beneath the base of the mound, while
the shallow grave containing this comparatively modern burial was clearly
traceable from the surface.

Burial No. 51. This grave was dug into before its nature was determined,
it having been filled with clay removed from below the base when the grave
was dug, and contrary to the usual custom this material had been used to fill
the grave rather than the dark midden soil of which the lower part of the mound
largely was composed. Near fragments of skull was a reel-shaped ornament
of sheet-copper, about 5 inches square, which in part lay over a copper celt,
5.4 inches in length and 1.9 inch across the cutting edge.

This grave was within a very short distance from where our original ex
cavation ended, as were all other burials in this mound detailed from now on.
Had our excavation been made slightly larger, we would have found everything
of interest present in the mound, though it took us forty-six hours steady digging
with eight trained men to find this out.

Burial No. 52. Extending below the base of the mound was a small grave
which evidently had been that of a child, though all trace of bone had disappeared.
The grave was filled with very dark midden soil including small fragments of
pottery. Cutting into this grave, but not going through it, was another grave
containing the remains of a skeleton at full length on the back, at whose right
thigh was a large marine shell (Cassis tuberosa) in fragments, which may have
been a drinking-cup, though not enough of the shell remained to determine
the fact.

Burial No. 53, traces of a skull on the base and nearby a small mass of what

296 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

proved to be almost pure carbonate of lime. In the site on Mason Island,
already described in this report, we have seen that this material was put to
practical use.

Burial No. 58, represented by crumbling crowns of teeth, so far as the skull
was concerned, though traces of thigh-bones were discovered in place, near
which were sixteen small masses of galena. Near the teeth was a copper celt
3.2 inches in length and 1.3 inch across the cutting edge, two masses of galena,
and fragments of an undecorated vessel of earthenware. This burial lay in
the body of the mound 4 feet from the surface.

Burial No. 59. On the base lay fragments of a skull having nearby fifty-one
beads of copper (as in another deposit), each about .3 inch in transverse section
and .2 inch in height.

Burial No. 61. In the body of the mound were some particles of bone ap
parently preserved by the proximity of a copper celt 3.6 inches long and 1.7
inch in maximum width.

Burial No. 62, some fragments of bones lying almost immediately under
Burial No. 61 and having in association a reel-shaped ornament of heavy sheet-
copper, 5.5 inches by 5.2 inches, having two perforations. This ornament,
which neither pick nor spade had approached, the earth near it having been
removed with a trowel, had received about the center a furious blow, possibly
the impact of an arrow or the thrust of a spear, and had been so nearly broken
thereby that the two parts of it had divided when corrosion had set in, though
they lay in complete contact in the ground. The blow, of course, may have
been a ceremonial one, but separation had not taken place previous to interment.

Burial No. 64, fragments of bones in the body of the mound, accompanied
by a celt of indurated shale, 10.75 inches in length, asymmetrical, and having
various superficial depressions which a careful workman would have ground away.

In the mound were encountered, in addition to that of the infant of which
mention has been made, several empty graves, as follows, from which, beyond
question, the bones of former occupants had disappeared through decay: a
grave 7 feet long by about 2 feet in width, extending 1 foot 9 inches into undis
turbed clay beneath the base, contained nothing beyond a mass of galena 2.5
inches by 2 inches by 1.5 inch, flat on two opposite sides, the circumference
artificially rounded, and part of an arrowhead of flint; a small grave evidently
intended for a child contained, when found, only a few small masses of galena;
another small grave extending beneath the base, as did the others, held neither
artifact nor trace of bone.

In the body of the mound had been a burial resembling Burial No. 10 in this
mound, in that a skeleton evident!} had been interred in sand and entirely
differing from the material making up the mound. In this sand, in which no
bones were found, were seventeen masses of galena and a reel-shaped ornament
of thick, sheet-copper (Plate VI, Fig. 2), 3.1 inches by 2.8 inches, having two
perforations.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 297

Found in the soil apart from bones, though probably in some instances
marking the presence of former burials, were: ten arrowheads or knives, of flint,
found .separately; a considerable number of masses of galena, separate as a rule,
though sixteen were found together; a small, rude chisel of indurated shale.

MOUND B.

The story of Mound B is soon told.

This mound, practically contiguous to Mound A, was 48 feet in diameter; its
height from the outside, where, as in the case of Mound A, the surface was irregular,
was 7 feet 9 inches. Inside measurement from the summit to the base, which
was marked by undisturbed, yellow clay, proved the altitude to be 9 feet.

An excavation 16 feet by 20 feet, put down centrally to the base, came upon
eighteen burials, traces and small fragments of bones, such as were encountered
by us in the body of Mound A, four of the burials being in graves extending
into the soil below the base of the mound. In addition, a grave like the rest
had lost its burial through decay.

Artifacts with the burials were as follows:

Burial No. 1, a mere trace of bones 2 feet 8 inches down, had two small
masses of galena and a few, small, tubular beads of sheet-copper much corroded.

Burial No. 2, a faint trace of bones and the crown of a tooth. With these
were a number of masses of galena not in a deposit but short distances apart,
and several tubular beads of sheet-copper. This burial lay 2 feet 10 inches
below the surface, and, like Burial No. 1, presumably had been much deeper,
the peak of the mound having worn away.

Burial No. 13, six feet deep and represented by fragments of a skull, the
remainder of the burial presumably having decayed away. Near where a fore
arm would have been was a celt of indurated shale, 9.5 inches in length.

Burial No. 14, a skull in fragments, 9 feet down, with which was a rude
sphere of galena about 2 inches in diameter

Burial No. 16, a grave 5.5 feet in length by 20 inches in width and 7 feet
8 inches below the surface of the mound, the lower 10 inches extending into
undisturbed clay. On the bottom of this grave had lain a skeleton of which
only fragments of the skull remained. Transversely under the skull was a celt
of indurated shale (a material which seemed to predominate in this region),
more than 10 inches in length, very rudely made, having rough depressions on
both sides, giving the implement an unfinished appearance, though a part chipped
from the cutting edge showed it to have been considered fit for use.

Scattered throughout the mound were various masses of galena apart from
burials. Together, but with no bones in association, though no doubt a burial
had been present, were a few small, tubular beads of sheet-copper, badly corroded,
and four masses of galena. Two arrowheads or knives of nint were found sepa
rately in the soil, as was a small and very rude celt and, at a depth of 7 feet, a
strip of thick sheet-copper, twisted and curved in an irregular fashion.

28 JOURN. A. X. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

298 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

MOUND C.

Mound C, 7 feet 6 inches in height measured from the outside, though from
the top to undisturbed clay at the center of the base it proved to be 6 feet 9
inches, and with diameters of base of 43 feet and 73 feet, had its central part
to the extent of 12 feet square dug out by us to the base.

Traces of seven burials were encountered, none at a depth less than 5 feet
2 inches.

Three graves, each about 20 inches in width and ranging between 6 feet
and 6 feet 9 inches in length were found, extending below the base to depths
between 1 foot and 1.5 foot approximately, one grave being nearly central in it.

In these graves were small fragments and faint traces of bones, in one in
stance indicating that a burial had been extended, as was probably the case
with the other two. The burial in question, if our belief as to its position is
correct, had a mass of galena at the pelvis and two others at the right of the skull.

Here and there in the mound, apart from burials, were found: fragments
of an ornament of sheet-copper; three separate masses of galena; thirteen small
masses of lead sulphide in a deposit, the largest about 2 inches in diameter, of
irregular shape.

MOUND D.

This mound, 5 feet in height and 38 feet in diameter of its circular base,
was surrounded and completely dug down by us, the work being carried on at
a level below that of the base, which proved to be 5 feet 7 inches below the sum
mit of the mound.

No burial was encountered until a point 12 feet from the center had been
reached. The burials found, thirteen in number, ranging in depth between
2 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 10 inches, were so badly decayed that small fragments
and mere traces only were observable. It is probable, so minute were some of
the parts representing skeletons, that burials escaped our notice, though with
these presumably no imperishable artifacts can have been.

In two instances burials were found where it was evident skeletons had not
been interred in anatomical order. In one case remains of a thigh-bone lay
near fragments of a skull. In another were foot-bones beside the remains
of a cranium.

Several burials were on or near the base, two being in shallow graves below
it, one of which we shall particularly describe.

Burial No. 13, radiating from the center of the base of the mound, the head
end directed from it, was very distinctly marked, the black material filling
the grave contrasting with the bright underlying clay into which the grave
had been dug to a depth of 1 foot 3 inches. Its shape was oblong; its length,
6 feet 9 inches; its width, 23 inches. In the grave were found a skull in small
fragments, teeth, a trace of bone here and there.

With one burial, 32 inches deep, were fourteen masses of galena covered with
a coating of lead carbonate (white lead, a paint), as was most of the galena from

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 299

those mounds. Eight of these masses, the largest of which was 2.5 inches by
2 inches by 1.5 inch, were somewhat scattered; the rest were in a group.

With the same burial, probably, all together, were forty-eight small masses
of galena and a reel-shaped ornament of sheet-copper having one of the arms
corroded away.

With another burial was a similar object, the sheet-copper being considerably
thicker. In this one two perforations are present, the other being without
them. A third reel-shaped ornament of hammered copper, without perforations,
differed somewhat in shape from the others; like them it lay near human remains.
The measurements of these objects, respectively, are: 3.2 inches by 3.0 inches;
2.8 inches by 4.8 inches; 3.4 inches by 6.3 inches.

Away from human remains were: two masses of galena found separately;
a spike-shaped arrowhead, another with concave base, both of flint; a celt of
indurated shale, 11 inches long and 2.4 inches in maximum width, which lay
10 inches below the surface and may possibly have been placed with a burial,
traces of which were not discovered.

MOUND E.

Mound E, evidently much spread by cultivation and reduced in height,
had diameters of 40 feet and 50 feet, its height being 5 feet. A measurement
taken later from the summit to the base gave the same result.

A central excavation 20 feet square, which probably included most of the
original mound, although burials were encountered to the very edge of the digging,
was put down to the base.

Twenty burials, often merely indicated, or represented by parts of a skull,
lay in the mound, on its base, and in a few instances in graves extending below
the base.

A single mass of galena lay near each of two burials; in one instance a mass
of pure clay had been interred near a skull.

Burial No. 2, of which only a skull remained, had near it on one side an asym
metrical celt of indurated shale, 12.75 inches in length, and on the other side a
mass of pure clay.

Burial No. 6 had, near fragments of a skull and with traces of other bones,
a rude discoidal of galena.

Burial No. 7, a child, the only one noted in the mound, had at the neck a
number of tubular beads of sheet-copper, badly decayed; another burial had a
few similar beads.

Burial No. 10, a grave 5 feet 10 inches from the surface, extending 1 foot
below the base, 8 feet by 2 feet 10 inches in size, contained fragments of human
bones indicating a burial at length. Near traces of the skull was a sheet of
mica of irregular outline, about 5.5 inches by 5.75 inches, on which were two
small masses of galena.

Burial No. 10, fragments of a skull only, having beside it a rude agricultural
tool of shale, 9.5 inches in length and 4.1 inches in maximum width.

300 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

Several masses of galena were found separately in the mound apart from bones
as were three arrowheads or knives of flint and a small and very rude celt of
indurated shale, roughly chipped, without polish save at the cutting edge 1 .

Lying diagonally in the mound with the extremity of one of its arms at a
level with the surface, was a reel-shaped ornament of sheet-copper about 4
inches square, having two perforations. This ornament had been struck by a
plow presumably, with a resultant bending of two of the arms.

In earth that had been thrown out was found an oblong bead of sheet-copper,
1.25 inch long, .5 inch in width, flat on two opposite sides. The bead had been
shaped in the usual manner by overlapping the sheet-metal.

MOUND F.

Mound F, seemingly three mounds or humps merged in part, had its maximum
height and width, 4.5 feet and 65 feet, respectively, near the western extremity,
whence it sloped downward, tapering considerably toward the eastern end.
Its length was 170 feet. Cultivation had, no doubt, greatly changed its original
proportions.

In the highest hump, centrally, an excavation 25 feet by 29 feet was put
down and carried below the base, showing the mound to be about the height
of its outside measurement.

Twelve burials, affected to almost the last stage of decay, were encountered,
as follows:

Burial No. 1, the remains of a skull, 2 feet down.

Burial No. 2, a skull in the body of the mound at a depth of 2 feet, having,
where the neck would have been, two undecoratcd discs of shell, one about 2.5
inches in diameter, the other somewhat smaller. These discs, which were
badly decayed and in fragments, each had two perforations. There was also
near this skull a mass of pure clay.

Burial No. 3, at the bottom of a grave 26 inches across and 40 inches in length,
extending 16 inches into the undisturbed soil below the mound, was what decay
had left of a sheet-copper, reel-shaped ornament, having two perforations.
Below it, preserved by the copper salt, was a small fragment of a long-bone,
all that remained of the skeleton which, judging from the size of the grave, had
been that of a child.

Burial No. 4. At the bottom of a grave similar to so many found at this
place, were traces of a skull. Above the skeleton had been a thin deposit of
pure clay.

Burial No. 5, a grave apparently made by digging from the original surface
of the site through 4 or 5 inches of midden deposit, which had been present at
this part of it, to undisturbed clay. At the bottom of the grave a layer of pure,
yellow sand, about .5 inch in depth, had been placed. On this the skeleton,
if we may judge by the skull and faint traces of other bones indicating a skeleton
at length, had been placed and over it had been deposited a layer of pure clay,
varying in thickness between 1 and 3 inches.

ABORIGINAL SITKS OX TKXXKSSKK RIVER. :;&lt;)!

Burial Xo. (i, a grave-pit 7 feet 2 inches dee]), extending 26 inches into un
disturbed soil, 3 feet broad by 11 feet in length, there being considerable space
between where the skull had been and the head of the grave. This burial,
represented by part of a femur, and then, at the proper distance, by teeth and
other parts of the skull, at each side of which had been a spool-shaped ear
ornament of sheet-copper, one of which had discolored the adjacent temporal
bone, had, near the head, a rudely-rounded mass of galena about . 5..") inches in
diameter. On the space where the thorax must have been were two reel-shaped
ornaments of sheet-copper, both having two perforations, one of the ornaments
being somewhat decayed as to two of its arms. One of these objects, which
is intact, 3.9 inches by 4.5 inches, lay beside the other, that is, the two trans
versely as to the skeleton, having about one inch of space between them. One,
however, had been placed with its two perforations in line with the burial.
while the perforations of the other ornament were transverse to the longer axis
of the interment. With these ornaments was matting preserved by the copper
salt.

Immediately alongside Burial Xo. 0, and having no partition between, was
a grave of the same length as that of Xumber 6, but 6 inches deeper and 1 foot
6 inches narrower. Xo human bones were present in this grave. In connection
with these two graves were 1 two excavations, seemingly post-holes, the exact
use of which was not determined.

Burial Xo. 7, a grave below the base, in which were faint traces of bones,
two masses of galena, and a lump of clay at one end.

Burial Xo. 8, a grave extending into undisturbed soil, containing a fragment
of femur and a bit of humerus with which was part of a large eonchshell, badly
decayed.

Burial Xo. 9, a grave n which only crowns of teeth were found, having a
large mass of galena, and a quantity of pure clay at one end.

Burial Xo. 10, fragments of a skull at a depth of 3 feet.

Burial X"o. 11, parts of a skull and fragments of other bones, 4.5 feet deep,
on the base of the mound. Over this burial, which had been under a thin stratum
of pure clay, was a mass of galena.

Burial Xo. 12, a grave in which was simply a fragment of bone lying beneath
a layer of clay. A mass of galena was in this grave.

There was also in the mound a grave having pure clay at each end, but in
which no bones were discovered.

A number of masses of galena were scattered through the mound, some
carefully rounded. Also one arrowhead was found, and a celt of indurated
shale, 8.5 inches in length, which, no doubt, belonged to a burial that had left
no trace.

Then* was also present in the mound a mass of soft material about 2.5 inches
by 1.5 inch by 1 inch, through which, for some purpose unknown to us, a hole
had been made. This material has been determined bv Doctor Keller to be

302 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

an earthy variety of anglesite, or sulphate of lead, which could have been used
as paint, gray-white in shade.

In the second hump of Mound F a hole 10 feet square was put down through
the base this hump having almost the same height as the one already described,
resulting in the discovery of three burials.

Burial No. 1, fragments of a skull 20 inches deep.

Burial No. 2, traces of a skull in a grave extending 8 inches into undisturbed
soil.

Burial No. 3, a grave having at one end a mass of pure clay, but containing
only a fragment of long-bone.

There was also a grave 7.5 feet by 2 feet and 8 feet deep, 3 feet 8 inches of
which extended into undisturbed clay below the base. Though a mass of clay
was in this grave, no bones were discovered.

In the smallest hump an excavation 10 feet square came upon four burials.

Burial No. 1, a skull in the body of the mound accompanied by clay.

Burial No. 2, a grave, the base of which was 44 inches from the surface, con
taining only remains of a skull, near which was a mass of pure clay. Where
the pelvis doubtless had been was a celt of copper 3.5 inches in length and 1.5
inch across the cutting edge. In the soil filling the grave, which was 2 feet
9 inches wide by 8 feet 8 inches long, was a mass of galena.

Burial No. 3, a grave 4 feet deep containing two skulls, one just above the
other, the lower accompanied by a mass of clay, the other having a fine spear
head of flint, 6.4 inches in length. This spearhead apparently had been broken
in two parts ceremonially, the fragments lying a considerable distance apart.
The grave, smaller than many in the mound, was 2 feet 3 inches wide by 7 feet
in length. It extended 1 foot 2 inches into undisturbed soil.

Burial No. 4, a grave containing a faint trace of bones, and a mass of clay
at each end.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE ON PINE ISLAND, MARSHALL COUNTY,

ALABAMA.

This island, about four miles long, locally well known as a place where abo
riginal bones and artifacts have been plowed up, is owned by Mr. J. ( . Guntcr,
of Bridgeport, Ala.

At the very upper end of the island (save a small area washed in flood-time
until its level is far below that of the rest of the land) is the remainder of what
has been a mound of considerable size, of which probably not one-third remains,
three sides and much of the body having washed away. What is left of the
mound has a height of about 8 feet above the general level, though one taking
the altitude from the low-lying ground at the extreme upper end of the island,
which is immediately at the farther side of the mound, would of course obtain a
height far in excess of that we have given. It was impossible to arrive at any
estimate of the original diameters of the mound. No digging was attempted

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 303

in this remnant, as it served as a kind of bulwark to stay the rush of water in
times of freshets, and as the mound probably had been of the domiciliary class
it is unlikely much would have been gained from digging it, even had it been
intact.

Beginning immediately at the lower, or down-river, side of the mound, is a
great, level space about one-half mile in length, broadening as the island expands
from its pointed extremity, and having over the surface, here and there, frag
ments of flint or of coarse, shell-tempered pottery. Judging from its appearance,
all this area has been an aboriginal dwelling-site presumably containing scattered
burials which doubtless were more condensed in several low rises and ridges,
none probably more than one foot in height, to be seen at intervals over the
field.

Unfortunately, all this site was planted in grass, though we obtained the
privilege to dig through two spaces in it, one 50 feet by 60 feet enclosing a small
rise, and another 50 feet square which included part of a ridge, both being but
a short distance from the mound.

In the rise were eighteen burials, 1 of which thirteen were of adults, one of
an adolescent, and five of infants or of older children. Of the adult burials
eleven were of the flexed variety, one was extended on the back, one was a dis
turbance. The adolescent lay at full length on the back.

These burials were grouped toward the center of the rise and lay from near
the surface to a depth of nearly 6 feet, this latter measurement being of a grave
extending 8 inches into undisturbed sand. In other parts of the rise, however,
made-ground, which in places had at its base 4 or 5 inches of broken mussclshells
and loamy sand, of which latter material the made-ground was mainly composed,
had a depth of more than 6 feet.

It seemed to us, however, that the deposit in this place was not entirely due
to aboriginal occupancy, as thin layers were present in the lower part of it which,
being of pure sand, might have been deposited by the river in high water, while
that part of the site, though occupied, was lower than it is at present. However,
we could not definitely determine this matter.

The burials in the rise apparently had been made in shallow graves at various
periods in the growth of the site, as above some of these graves was undisturbed
soil of considerable depth.

We shall now describe each burial from the rise that presented any feature
of interest, including all with which artifacts were found.

Burial No. 1, partly flexed to the right, having at the head a fairly symmetrical
bottle with wide mouth, undccorated and of inferior ware.

Burial No. 4, at full length on the back, the arms and forearms alongside
the trunk. Crossing the right forearm, the cutting edge inward, was a beautiful
ceremonial axe of indurated shale, G.9 inches in length, having a countersunk

1 Burial No. 5 included a child and an infant.

304

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

perforation as shown in Fig. 53. At the left of the skull was a mass of red pig
ment, hematite, and various small fragments of mica were on the thorax and
left shoulder

Burial No. 5. At the bottom of a pit, 5 feet 9 inches from the surface, was
an arrangement of slabs and masses of rock, limestone, sandstone, quartzite,
in double thickness in some instances, rudely oblong but tapering somewhat
at one end. This aggregation of slabs and masses was 34 inches in length,
14 inches and 9 inches across the ends, respectively; its depth from the surface
was 3 feet 10 inches.

FKI. "&gt;. }. --Ceremonial axe. With Burial Xo. 4. Pine Island, Ala. (Full size.)

Lying transversely at the wider end was the skeleton of an infant, and, in
addition, with its feet toward the back of the first burial and in part under the
same arrangement of stones, which was without interval and undoubtedly made
at the same time, was the skeleton of an older child, closely flexed, its lower
extremities and the lower part of the trunk covered by the stones, the remainder
of the bones extending out from one side of the arrangement of stones, though
a space 16 inches in length under one end of the arrangement was unoccupied,
as shown in Fig. 54. Evidently the burials had been placed in the bottom of
the pit and perhaps covered with a few inches of earth, and presumably the
arrangement of the stones, though well-intended, had not followed the position
of one of the bodies.

Burial No. 9, a skeleton closely flexed on the left side, lying slightly in a

: NAT. SGJ-. PHILA , 2ND SER., VOL. XVI

PLATE VII

1. SITE ON PINE ISLAND, CEREMONIAL AXE. (FULL SIZE)

2. MOUND ON THK HISS PLACE, CEREMONIAL AXE. (FULL SIZE)

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

305

diagonal position, the head higher than the pelvis. Inverted over the skull,
the upper part of the thorax, and the proximal end of the humerus, was a frag
ment representing more than one-half of a rude, undecorated bowl that had
been 14 inches in diameter.

Scale in feet

FIG. 54. Burial Xo. 5. The slabs and skeletons lie in a horizontal plane. Pine Island, Ala.

Here we observe a kind of urn-burial in Alabama, 1 a state noted for this
class of interments.

Burial No. 10, closely flexed on the left side, a coarse bowl having rude knobs
on the side, back of the skull, shell beads at the right and left wrists.

Burial No. 13, a young child having shell beads at the neck.

Burial No. 14, partly flexed to the right, having an undecorated bottle of
coarse ware with discoidal base at the outer side of the knees. Vertical, near
the skull, a flat side parallel to the cranium, was a ceremonial axe of indurated
shale, 7.6 inches in length (Plate VII, Fig. 1).

At the outer side of the right forearm and parallel to it was a deposit. First
were two celts, one upon the other, the cutting edges directed toward the hand.
Next in order outward was a narrow celt or chisel, beneath which were numerous
fragments of chert. Below these again lay a small chisel. All these implements
were of indurated shale. Next were five bone implements, in fragments, having
nearby a mass of graphite about the size of an infant s hand. Under the imple
ments and the graphite were additional fragments of chert. These fragments,
fifty-seven in all, were none larger than 2 inches by 1 inch and from half to three-
quarters of an inch in thickness.

Away from burials, in the soil, were: a fragment having belonged to a very
large vessel and having attached to it a massive loop-handle; a small discoidal
stone; a fragment of sheet-copper; a small cone of sheet-copper, formed by
overlapping one edge above the other; a single glass bead.

See our article "Urn-burial" in the "Handbook of American Indians."
29 jorux. A. N. s. ]&gt;nir,.\., VOL. xvi.

306 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

In that part of the ridge investigated by us were twenty burials : nine of adults,
one of an adolescent, ten of infants or of older children. Seven adults and
one adolescent had been buried in forms of flexion. One adult lay extended
on the back, while one rested at length as far as the knees, the legs being closely
flexed against the thighs.

Burials Nos. 19, a child, and 28, adult, flexed, had each a shell ear-plug of
the pin variety in place at either side of the head. In addition, the latter burial
had under the chin a shell gorget 2.7 inches by 2.2 inches with excised spaces
and an engraved design on the concave side representing a rattlesnake (Fig. 55) ,

FKI. 55. Shell gorget, rattlesnake design. With Burial Xo. 28. Pine Island, Ala. (About
full size.)

not the conventional serpent such as we sometimes see on gorgets from Tennessee,
but an attempt to portray the snake, similar to some we have found and to those
shown by Holmes in Plates LXII and LXV of his " Art in Shell." The specimen
found at this place, however, is the rudest attempt of the kind with which we
are familiar.

Burial No. 20, flexed, had quantities of beads made from the marine shell
Marginella, these particular shells seemingly having been selected, as their
average size is unusually large. They are in excellent condition. Under the
left shoulder was a celt of iron or of steel, 3.25 inches in length, and a tomahawk
of the same material showing where the handle had been at the back, the blade
expanding to a cutting edge.

Burial No. 22, a child extended on the back, had at one side of the skull a
rude bowl with a small degree of incised decoration around the opening, and
at the other side of the skull, a pot with two loop-handles, undecorated save
for four knobs around the body. In this vessel was a musselshell (Unio). At
one side of the head was an ear-ornament of the shell-pin kind, its companion
lying broken under the skull. An undecorated bowl having two loop-handles
rested on the thighs.

Burial No. 23, a child having at the neck twenty shell beads ranging in length

ABORIGINAL SITKS ON TKXNKSSKK RIVER.

.307

between .5 inch and 1.1 inch, the latter being sections of the columclla of the
conch. With these were two Olira shells pierced for stringing.

Burial No. 26, a child near whose body had been placed an undecoratcd
bowl. A spoon carved from a mussclshell lay at the pelvis.

Burial No. 27, a child. At the skull was an undccorated pot, having had
two loop-handles, one of which is missing.

FIG. .")(&gt;. Vessel of earthenware. With Hurial Xo. 29. Pine Island, Ala. (Height 5.0 inches.)

Burial No. 29, flexed, had at the left shoulder a vessel bearing a small amount
of incised decoration, shown in Fig. 56 as illustrating the best of the ware from
this place. The skull of this skeleton was saved.

Burial No. 32, a child, having at the neck seven marine shells (Olira sayatxt)
pierced longitudinally for use as beads, and in front of the face an undecorated
pot with one of two handles missing.

Burial No. 33, a child. At the neck were two shell beads of fair size, and
at the head an undccorated vessel with two handles, containing a decaying
musselshell that no doubt had served as a spoon.

Burial No. 38, a child about eight years of age, lying at a depth of 4 feet 4
inches. From the neck to the pelvis and at the knees were quantities of glass
beads and a few of .shell. Across the chest, in line, near other beads were four discs
of shell, the largest 2.2 inches by 1.8 inch in diameter, each having a perforation
on two opposite sides near the margin and showing where a cord had extended
across the front. With these ornaments were two tubular beads of shell, each
2 inches in length. On each forearm was heavy iron wire twisted to form a

308 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

kind of bracelet. At the feet was a deposit of eight small, triangular arrowheads
of flint, all pointing in the same direction.

Three feet from the surface, forming almost an oval 2 feet by 1 foot 2 inches,
had been arranged a slab of quartzite about half covering one of limestone.
Below these slabs no burial was found.

Objects apart from burials were: a rude, undecorated pot near a fireplace;
several small knives of flint; a small drill of the same material; a diminutive
boss of impure sheet-silver, centrally perforated; an undecorated bowl about
6 inches in diameter, inverted; a barrel 50 inches in length, having belonged to a
flint-lock firearm. This barrel had a smooth bore and was of iron, not of steel.
No remnant of the stock remained, nor was the lock present, and it is possible
that the barrel, which was only 1.5 foot below the surface, may not have formed
part of the aboriginal deposit. The jaw of a black bear came from midden
debris at this site.

DWELLING-SITES NEAR GARLAND S FERRY, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On property belonging to Mrs. Hattie Garland, of Scotsboro, Ala., are three
small dwelling-sites in cultivated land, and two others, much smaller, which
were not investigated.

A few yards from the river and about 50 yards SW. from where it is joined
by a channel draining rain-water from the hills, is a circular patch covered with
fragments of shell and having a small proportion of other midden debris. Its
diameter is about 35 feet. On the surface lay four slabs which the tenant oc
cupying the property informed us he had struck with a plow and, upon removing
them, had uncovered a skeleton.

Twelve burials were found in this slight rise ten of adults, two of children,
one burial including two children. These burials were of the usual flexed var
ieties, including a number of disturbed bones, and as a rule lay on the original
surface, having over them only about one foot of earth, though no doubt con
siderably more had covered them prior to the cultivation of the field. Several,
however, lay in pits, one of which was 3 feet deep.

Burial No. 2, a child, closely flexed on the right, had a mass of stone which
had been placed in the ground diagonally in a way to cover the pelvis and the
lower extremities, which were drawn up, as of necessity in a closely-flexed burial.
A smaller mass of stone was above the upper part of the skull, the lower portion
of which, as well as the trunk, being unprotected.

A short distance from the skull was what may have been a ceremonial group
of masses of stone, consisting of five in contact. Beneath them was a thin
layer of clay, slightly reddened by heat but not baked, and a small amount of
charcoal. No bones lay beneath this arrangement of stone.

Burial No. 3, the skeleton of a child in a shallow pit, the bottom of which
was 26 inches from the surface. Covering the flexed body and extremities and
part of the skull were two slabs a short distance apart, the space between them

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

309

being filled by the lower part of a mass of rock whose upper portion fitted in to
form part of a second layer, there being a large mass on one side of it and two
smaller ones, side by side, T on the other. The four upper masses were 21 inches

I m. 57. Burial No. .), a burial having arranged above it masses of rock, somewhat in the form
of a horseshoe, 15 feet 2 inches long and 26 inches across the opening, over all. Garland s Ferry, Ala.

long, 1 foot in width at one end, 9 inches at the other extremity, the smaller one
being over the skull, as more space was demanded for the trunk and flexed
extremities. This upper layer completely covered the skeleton.

310

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 9. In a pit 22 inches deep was a skeleton closely flexed on the
right, having at the wrist marine shells (Olivella) used as beads. The skeleton
lay within an arrangement of masses and slabs of claystone, somewhat resembling
a horseshoe, about 3 feet 2 inches long and 2.5 feet across the opening, outside
measurement, as shown in Fig. 57. Of the skeleton there were exposed the
lower half of the trunk, the lower extremities except the knees, and the upper
extremities except proximal parts of the humeri, and the right forearm.

FIG. 58. Burial No. 12. A placement of masses of rock, 4 feet 2 inches long and 2 feet 4 inches
in maximum width, covering the skeletons of two children. Garland s Ferry, Ala.

When the large slab which formed part of the horseshoe had been removed,
the entire skeleton was exposed and it was seen that it lay between four masses
of rock on one side and one long mass on the other side, having behind it a smaller
mass that did not contribute to the length of the side. Evidently, then, the
bones had been placed in an enclosure open at both ends, the sides of which
acted as supports for the large slab placed horizontally over the upper part
of the skeleton.

Burial No. 12 was in a pit 2 feet 10 inches deep and included an arrangement

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 311

of masses of stone, 4 feet 2 inches in length; maximum width, at one end, 2 feet
4 inches; at the other end, 1 foot 9 inches. This arrangement (shown in Fig. 58)
had its upper surface 1 foot 6 inches below the level of the site.

Lying transversely under the wider end was the skeleton of a child four or
five years of age, closely flexed on the right side, covered by the largest pair
of masses and the adjacent stone at the end.

At a slightly lower level than the other burial, which was somewhat above
that of the bottom of the pit, was the skeleton of a child about 6 years of age,
partly flexed on the right side and covered by the remainder of the masses of
stone.

An interesting feature in connection with this burial is that five of the masses,
all of sandstone, are water-worn boulders and all are more or less pitted, probably
by the cracking of nuts, none having more than four pits on one side. Some
of these masses also had concave surfaces caused by use as mortars.

One hundred and fifty yards W. from the other site, in the same field, was
one of about equal size, having, however, much more shell in its soil. In this
site were found seven burials: three of adults, two of adolescents, two of children.
With the exception of an adult burial at full length face down, the adults and
adolescents lay in ordinary forms of flexion.

Burial No. 14. The arrangement of this grave was symmetrical, consisting
as it did of practically three sides of a square formed by masses of stone arranged
side by side, having, however, a few small masses curving in a purposeless way,
apparently, from one end of an open side.

This equilateral area, about 3 feet in diameter, without covering of any
kind, contained a skeleton lying partly flexed to the left, the head, curiously
enough, according to our ideas, being at the open end and projecting somewhat
beyond it. Near the face was a mass of bright red pigment (hematite).

With the exception of a small space left open in one of the sides, the stones
forming them were practically contiguous and included an interesting feature.
The grave next to be described had been made previous to the one under de
scription and had been reached in digging to prepare for Burial No. 14, whose
makers had utilized that part of the grave discovered that could be made to fit
into one of the sides of their enclosure.

Burial No. 15, an elongate pile of stones over the bones of a child.

Burial No. 17 lay flexed on the left side beneath 8 inches of the shell material
composing the site. Above this lay two slabs, one over the lower part of the
trunk, the other above the feet of the skeleton. The upper surface of the slabs
was covered by 18 inches of shell material to the surface.

One hundred yards NE. by N. from the union of the watercourse with the
river, but on the opposite side of it, still on property belonging to Mrs. (Jarland,
was a site similar in appearance to the others and of about the same size, having
upon it a pile of masses and slabs of stone, about 2.5 feet in height and 3 feet in
diameter, which had been plowed up and piled in the cultivation of the field.
In this site careful digging reached five flexed burials of adults.

312 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

Burial No. 19, partly flexed on the left, had a number of small masses of
rock scattered here and there, in the soil above it.

Burial No. 20, partly flexed to the right.

Burial No. 21, closely flexed on the right, had upon it a slab from the feet
to the upper part of the thorax, covering them in the main but not completely.
At the outer side of the knees was a small slab on edge.

Burial No. 22, partly flexed on the left and covered, with the exception of
the pelvis, with masses of stone of very irregular shapes, in single layer in places,
double in others.

Burial No. 23, a skeleton lying closely flexed on the right with the exception
that the dexter thigh was at a right angle to the body, the tibia closely flexed
against it, had upon it an arrangement of masses and slabs of stone (some of
the latter on edge), rudely elliptical in outline, as shown in Fig. 59, 3 feet 3 inches
long and about 2 feet in maximum width. These slabs and masses, which were
variously of sandstone, limestone, claystone, and silicious rock, had their upper
parts 2 feet below the surface, the pit in which the burial lay being 3 feet 3 inches
deep. These slabs, as may be seen in the illustration, did not completely cover
the skeleton, the pelvis and part of the left thigh being exposed.

At this place, once in the second site described and twice in the last one,
were found placements of stones and of slabs, having the appearance of graves,
with which no sign of bones was discoverable.

One of these, 3.5 feet by about 3 feet, was a placement of masses and slabs
of quartzite, of sandstone, of claystone, consisting of two large slabs on which
were seven masses and slabs.

An extensive, irregular placement of masses and slabs, numerous but mostly
small, lay a short distance below the surface.

Another in double layer in places, 8 feet 2 inches long and 2.5 feet at the
middle, having one end 2 feet in diameter and one about 8 inches less, had pre
cisely the appearance of the covering of a grave, but though the soil beneath
was carefully spaded out to a considerable depth, nothing indicating the presence
of a burial was encountered.

Apart from remains in these three sites were three arrowheads of flint, two
with stems, one triangular, and a small chisel of indurated shale.

MOUNDS ON THE SNODGRASS PLACE, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

Almost on the river-bank at the Snodgrass Place, which is owned by Mrs.
Texas Snodgrass, of Scotsboro, Ala., arc two mounds which have suffered through
wash and wear, the smaller only a remnant, having dwellings upon it.

The larger, which has been quadrangular with a flat top, has a roadway upon
it to afford access to a large frame structure covering much of its summit-plateau.
The height of the mound is 19 feet; its basal diameters are 118 feet and 155 feet.

Though Mrs. Snodgrass most generously put these mounds at our disposal,
we felt that investigation of them would be useless.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER.

313

30 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

314 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Cox MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the river-bank, in a large, cultivated field forming part of the estate of
Mr. J. H. Cameron, who resides somewhat back on the slope of the nearby hills,
is a mound about 13 feet in height, having a flat top, known as the Cox mound.
Its diameters of base are 90 feet and 105 feet. The mound has upon it a frame
structure used as a barn for Mr. Cameron s cattle, and for this reason and owing
to its uninviting shape, no investigation of it was attempted.

The Cox mound stands upon a low ridge extending along the river-bank.
On the eastern side of the mound, this ridge, which there is about 75 yards in
width, has abundantly on the surface for a distance of about 250 yards, flint
pebbles, broken and whole; chips of flint; fragments of musselshells; and, to a
less extent, potsherds; broken agricultural tools of limestone; arrowheads and
knives of flint, broken and whole, a few of the arrowheads being triangular,
some having stems. The sherds were undecorated, bore incised, elementary
designs, or had small checks or oblong impressions conferred with a stamp.

All that part of the ridge on which the debris lay was carefully tested with
the aid of a steel rod and by numerous trial-holes. Made-ground extended in
places to a depth of nearly 5 feet, though, as a rule, soil blackened by organic
matter was not found at more than from 2 to 2.5 feet below the surface. Under
this was brown sand containing shells, extending to undisturbed, underlying sand.

All this made-ground was found to be shallower beyond an area extending
about 100 yards easterly from the mound, in which most of the burials proved
to be, though widely-scattered ones were met throughout the whole eastern
part of the ridge on which midden debris was apparent on the surface.

Burials were at all depths, some nearly 5 feet down, and evidently had been
made in graves during successive periods of the accumulation of the made-ground
above them.

The limits of the graves, in nearly every instance, were impossible to distin
guish, as they had been filled with the material removed in the process of making
them, and the made-ground of the site had not been deposited in layers.

Very few graves had been made in the upper dark material and continued
into the brown sand and shells, otherwise, there would have been ample means
to contrast the black soil with the brown sand, but seemed to have been dug
almost exclusively either in the dark, midden material above, without going
deeper, or in the sand and shell beneath it.

Above some of the burials at this place, at different depths from the surface,
a layer of clay, reddened by heat, sometimes mingled with ashes and charcoal,
had been placed. This red layer extended beyond the limits of such graves
where it was found, and consequently seemed to have been on top of the grave
and on the level of the site at the time the grave was made. The depth below
the surface at which these layers were found by us can readily be explained by
the growth of midden deposit after the period of the making of the grave.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

315

This clay did not mark the site of fires made above the graves, but had been
brought from elsewhere, as the clay and the ashes were sometimes mingled.

Thirty burials (fifteen adults, four adolescents, nine children, one disturbance,
one large deposit of bones) were encountered east of the mound. We shall
describe in detail all having artifacts in association, as well as burials having
other features of interest.

Burial No. 1, a young child having at the right forearm twenty-six shells
(Oliva saijana) pierced for use as beads. At the left of the head was an undeco-
rated pot of about two quarts capacity, alongside which was a small, undecorated

FIG. 60. Gorget of shell. With Burial Xo. 4. Near the Cox mound, Ala. (About full size.)

one, evidently intended for a child, having over the opening, a large musselshell
which fell to bits on removal. In connection with this burial was the reddened
clay we have described, mingled with which were fragments of matting, sug
gesting the remains of a wigwam.

Burial No. 3, an infant lying immediately beneath a mass of stone completely
covering the remains, no great space being required as the thigh-bone of the
little skeleton was but 3.25 inches in length. At the neck were shell beads.

Burial No. 4, adolescent, partly flexed to the left, the trunk slanting diag
onally up the side of the grave. At each ear was the columella of a conch having
the upper whorls of the spire still upon it, which had been used as an ear-orna
ment by being thrust through the lobe of the ear. At the beak of one of them
is a perforation.

Near the left humenis, where no doubt it had fallen from the chest, was a
shell gorget (Fig. 60), the design engraved on the convex side, a somewhat

316 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

unusual feature. This design is of a well-known class described and figured
by Putnam 1 and exhaustively treated by Holmes, 2 on which is represented a
figure made up of lines symmetrically looped at the corners, which Holmes
points out as similar in shape to one found in a Mexican codex. Enclosed in
this interesting square often arc crosses and sun-symbols. Invariably at each
of the four sides of the square is the head of a bird, presumably the ivory-bill
woodpecker, of which we have had considerable to say in connection with our
work at Moundville, 3 Ala. The Canada Indians made coronets of these
bills for their chiefs and paid two or even three deerskins for a single bill, not having
the birds in their cold climate.

Shell beads, twenty-one in all, oblate-spheroidal, the largest having a diameter
of .7 inch, lay with the gorget and at the right wrist.

Burial No. 6, the trunk on the back, the thighs diagonally upward to the
left, the legs closely flexed on the thighs.

Burial No. 7, a deposit of bones the upper part of which, near the surface,
may in part have been plowed away. Twelve skulls, one of which was saved,
were recovered from it, and seventeen pairs of femora, having belonged to four
teen adults, one adolescent, two children. With this deposit were Marginella
shells used as beads, many of which were within a skull.

Burial No. 9, at a depth of 3 feet to the upper surface, in contact, lay two
masses of ferruginous sandstone, each about 5 inches thick, covering a space
28 inches by 16 inches, on which lay the bones of a young infant having pierced
Marginella shells at the neck and thorax.

Burial No. 12, the trunk in a semi-reclining position, the head uppermost,
bent over and resting against the knees, the thighs being vertical and having
the legs closely flexed against them. The right humerus was alongside the body,
the forearm at a right angle to it, at the side of the pelvis; the left humerus lay
downward along the thorax, the forearm partly flexed and crossing the pelvis.

Burial No. 14, partly flexed on the right, having shell beads at the upper
part of the thorax.

Burial No. 17, reclining against the side of the pit, the thighs closely flexed
on the trunk, the legs against the thighs, the right arm and forearm along the
trunk, the left arm along the thorax, the forearm closely flexed on it.

Burial No. 18, partly flexed to the left, having shell beads from below the
knees to the ankles.

Burial No. 19, the trunk lying on the back, the thighs flexed diagonally
upward to the left, the legs closely flexed on them; the humeri alongside the
body, the forearms slightly flexed, bringing the hands on the pelvis.

Burial No. 20, a child having marine shells (Olivella), used as beads and
mingled with other shell beads at the neck.

1 Eleventh Ann. Rep. Peabody Museum, p. 308 rt seq.

2 "Art in Shell of the Ancient" Americans," p. 280 ct scq., Plates LVIII, LIX.

""Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Black Warrior River," Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol.
XIII, p. 138 ctlscq., et al

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

317

Burial No. 21, a child having shell beads at the neck.

Burial No. 27, partly flexed to the left, small shell beads at eacli wrist, also
on the pelvis where, in addition, was a discoidal bead of indurated shale, 1.4
inch in diameter and .0 inch in thickness, having a central perforation; small
beads also were near the knees.

Burial No. 28, adolescent, part of the skeleton showing disturbance, though
no cause was apparent. At the right elbow were four vessels of very coarse,
shell-tempered ware; a small, undecorated one within a pot having no decoration;
an undecorated bowl and a bottle having rudely incised around the body a
current scroll entwining a series of knobs.

r&gt;

FIG. 61. Bowl of earthenware. Near the Cox Mound, Ala. (I)iam. 13.7 inches.)

Burial No. 30, a child having pierced Marginella shells at the neck.

Burials hitherto undescribcd were as follows: adults, closely flexed on the
right, 2; closely flexed on the left, 1; closely flexed to the left, 1; partly flexed
to the right, 1; partly flexed to the left, 2; partly flexed on the right, 1 ; adoles
cents, partly flexed to the right, 1; partly flexed on the left, 1; children, 3; a
disturbed burial.

Articles placed with the dead at this place seemed to be in the main objects
wrought from shell, though one could wish the fashion had been more compre
hensive. A marked feature was the attention shown to children, for while but
three out of fifteen adults had artifacts in association, six children out of nine
had been thus favored.

Found in the digging, but apart from burials, were: two bowls, undecorated
and of very coarse ware, one within the other; parts of a gorget of shell, probably
scattered by some disturbance, which, restored as to a small part not recovered

318 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

proved to belong to the same class as the one described from this place, and
also has its decoration on the convex side; half of an undecorated gorget of shell
found with the other; a part of a good-sized bowl, restored and shown in Fig. 61,

found in fragments just below the surface and
bearing a decoration often seen on earthenware
farther south in Alabama; a sherd bearing a com
plicated stamp design (Fig. 62) ; a number of flint
arrowheads and knives similar to those found on
the surface; hoes wrought from musselshells, hav
ing each a perforation for a handle; an amulet of
the bar variety, of impure hematite, having two
perforations; a disc of copper with indentations
around the margin, with opposite sides bent over
in a way that one overlaps the other; a graceful
celt of volcanic rock, somewhat more than 4 inches
FIG. 62. Pottery with compli- in length; red ochre pigment; arrow flakers of ant-

cated stamp decoration. Near the j tfa t h d been t { handl w h however,

Cox Mound, Ala. (lull size.)

were not found.

The ridge west of the mound is of brown loam, the dark, midden soil, such
as was present on the opposite side, being absent. There was almost no midden
debris on the surface, except broken shells, and these were on only limited areas.
Some digging was done in this part of the ridge, but though shells were mingled
with the soil, showing aboriginal agency in the deposits, no burials were encount
ered.

This site, which evidently is pre-Columbian, or in all events dates from a
period when the region had no intercourse with white people, has a considerable
history as to human bones plowed up and artifacts discovered. We were in
formed by Mr. Cameron, the owner, that from the ridge where we dug, a bicave
stone "as large as a saucer" had been taken, and we obtained from him a cere
monial axe of the hoe-shaped pattern, which he informed us had been found
on the place.

MOUNDS ON THE RUDDER PLACE, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On property of Mr. Hugh Rudder, who lives somewhat back toward the
hills, is a mound in sight from the river-bank, rectangular with a flat top, 13
feet high and 100 feet by 114 feet diameters of base. Two holes of considerable
size were in the summit-plateau, but did not seem to have been deeply dug.

Within a few yards of this mound is the remnant of another, 2 or 3 feet in
height, which, like the field from which it rises, was planted in wheat at the
time of our visit. Permission not granted.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 319

MOUNDS NEAR WIDOW S CREEK, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

On the left side of the river, going up, about one mile above its junction
with Widow s creek, on the property of Mr. W. S. Allen, of Bridgeport, Ala.,
are two mounds in a cultivated field near the river bank, less than 50 yards apart.

MOUND A.

Mound A, which may have been under cultivation in the past, though not
in recent years, was turtle-shaped, its height from the outside being 6.5 feet,
its diameters 75 feet and 45 feet.

An excavation 12 feet square, sunk centrally to the base, which reached
dark alluvial soil at a depth of 8 feet 4 inches, showed the mound to be composed
of layers, some almost entirely of musselshells, some with a small proportion
of earth mingled with shells, some having shells and material made up principally
of ashes.

Our excavation gave evidence also that the height of the mound from the
outside was misleading. The discrepancy was accounted for by the discovery
that a considerable deposit of midden soil around the mound in the field had
lessened the original altitude.

The base of the mound, on which was a fireplace, was carefully dug through
in the hope of determining the presence of a pit or pits, but without success.

Burial No. 1, closely flexed on the left, had a slab over the feet, legs, and one
hand. The skull was missing. Depth, 2 feet 8 inches.

Burial No. 2, adolescent extended on the back, 5 feet down. At the right
ear were three pearls, and two were at the left ear, all comparatively small,
four flat like discoidal beads, one an oblate sphere, all pierced. At the right
wrist was a beautiful pearl, oblate-spheroidal in shape, .5 inch in diameter,
without patina, having a beautiful luster. The piercing of this fine pearl and the
effect of time had deprived it of any value it might have had as a gem. At a
site where musselshells were as abundantly used as they seem to have been at
this place, pearls doubtless were numerous.

Burial No. 3, at a depth of 3 feet 4 inches, six slabs and a fragment of stone
had been irregularly placed. On these rested the skeleton of a child, above
which, not always in contact but mingled with shells of the mound, had been
piled other masses and slabs to almost within one foot of the surface.

In another part of the mound stones piled as for a grave were discovered,
much resembling those found with Burial No. 3, but no bones lay beneath or
among them. It is possible that the remains of an infant with which they had
been placed had decayed away.

Burial No. 4. At a depth of 3 feet 8 inches were disturbed bones of an adult
skeleton and scattered masses of rock, no cause for this being apparent.

Burial No. 5, covering that part of the base of the mound which was reached
by our excavation (supposing the alluvial soil without shells to have been the
base, which seems likely), was a layer of ash material and shells. At one part

320

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

of this layer were considerably fewer shells than were present in the other parts.
In fact, the space in question was almost without them.

At this place a burial had been made, presumably when the mound was in a
period of growth but still was insignificant in height. In the ash material with
out shell a grave 7.5 feet long and about 26 inches in maximum width had been
dug to a depth of 1 foot 7 inches. Next, into the grave had been placed shells

Fit). 63. Burial Xo. o. Not a box-grave but a placement of masses and slabs of stone,
!) inches by 2 feet 8 inches, piled over a burial. Widow s Creek, Ala.

feet

without admixture of foreign material, to a depth of about 7 inches, on which
the body had been placed at full length on the back, arms along the sides of the
trunk, and the space above and around had been filled with musselshells. Then
above the burial had been piled a placement of slabs and masses variously of
limestone, of sandstone, and seemingly of claystone, 7 feet 9 inches long and
2 feet 8 inches in maximum width, which was at the foot of the grave (Fig. 63).
This placement consisted of masses and slabs in double layer which sometimes

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 321

rested on masses that had been placed here and there as supports at the sides,
but which were far from continuous. As none of the covering stones resting
on the supports was of a size sufficient to span the grave and hence lay diagonally,
while others had been placed without side support, the upper surface of the
placement was very irregular.

From the top of this stone grave to the surface of the mound was 5 feet 4
inches. That the grave had not been dug down from any part of the mound
above was clearly shown by the presence of unbroken strata to the surface.

Here ends the record of the burials from the central excavation in Mound
A.

On each side of this excavation, in the line of the longer axis of the mound,
a hole 10 feet square was dug to the alluvial soil, resulting in the discovery of
burials as follows:

Burial No. 6. Beneath a slab of claystone, 2 feet by 1.5 foot, that lay 10
inches below the surface, were the bones of a child, 2 inches of shell material
lying between them and the slab.

Burial No. 7. Six feet from the surface, in what seemed to have been a pit,
though its beginning could not be determined, the strata in the side excavations
not being so clearly defined as they were in the central one, though the pit was
distinctly marked at its base, lay a skeleton at full length on the back, the grave
there averaging 6 feet 8 inches long and 2.5 feet wide.

On and around this skeleton was a placement of stones and slabs, as follows:
A slab 35 inches long by 23 inches wide lay immediately over the trunk and skull
of the skeleton. Placed diagonally, so that it slanted over that part of the
great slab which covered the skull, was a thick mass of stone. Beginning some
what above the shoulder, on the right side, there continued along the skeleton,
in line to the knee, a slab, three small masses, and another slab, in the order
named, the two slabs being placed on edge and projecting above the burial, the
three masses simply being at its level. Beginning on a line with the top of the
skull on the left side and continuing down almost to the pelvis was a long slab
on edge rising above the burial, and a number of small masses of stone in line,
all resting on the great slab that lay above the skull and the trunk of the skeleton.
Above these masses, but not in contact with them, were other small masses
in the shells.

In a rude semicircle around the feet and ankles, four masses of rock had been
arranged. One of these, of sandstone, 16 inches by 12 inches, by 7 inches in
thickness, flat on two opposite sides, had been used on both of them as a mortal-,
and also probably to crack nuts upon, as on one side the depression was accom
panied by seven small pits and on the other by ten of them. This interest ing-
stone has been placed on exhibition at The Academy of Natural Sciences.

From the pelvis down the skeleton was not covered.

Burial No. 8, a skeleton partly flexed on the right, 3 feet from the surface.

Burial No. 9. At full length on the back, 4 feet down, lay a skeleton having

31 JOURN. A. N. S. PHI LA., VOL. XVI.

322

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

a mass of stone over the head. Near the thorax was a slender, triangular arrow
head of flint.

Burial No. 10. Ten inches below the surface stones and slabs were reached,
arranged in double layer in an irregular circle, 3 feet 5 inches by 2 feet 9 inches,

FIG. 64. Burial No. 10. A placement of masses of stone and slabs, 3 feet 5 inches by 2 feet 9
inches, lying above the skeleton of a young child. Widow s Creek, Ala.

as shown in Fig. 64. Below these came a layer 2 inches in thickness, of the shell
material of the mound lying on the skeleton of a young child, crushed almost flat.
Burial No. 11. Fourteen inches down were the bones of a child, and piled
above them, in a very irregular way, were small masses of stone and slabs with
a few larger ones.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 323

Throe foot from the surface was a placement consisting of masses and slabs
of moderate size, having the outline of an irregular, horizontal triangle with
an altitude of 6.5 feet and a base of 5 feet 8 inches. These stones and slabs,
contiguous as a rule, were arranged, however, so that several spaces of moderate
size were left uncovered. Below this layer was an occasional mass of stone,
but not in sufficient number to be considered a second layer. No trace of bones
lay above or below this assemblage of masses.

In one corner of one of the smaller excavations in this mound, extending
16 inches below the base, was a circular pit 30 inches in diameter, filled with
ashes and fragments of rock.

Apart from human remains in this mound were found separately a number
of implements of bone, some in excellent condi
tion; a celt of indurated shale, 5.6 inches in length;
a circular mass of sandstone about the size of a
fist, having on two opposite sides a pit probably
to aid in cracking nuts; many portions of antler FIC. 65. Ear-plug of antler.
partly wrought; arrow flakers of antler, whoso -Mound A, Widow s Creek, Ala.
handles, however, were not found; an ear-orna
ment of antler, having below the head a groove showing polish through wear
(Fig. 65).

MOUND B.

Mound B, 80 feet by 60 feet in diameters of base, had a height of 3.5 feel ,
measured from the exterior, though the distance from its summit to undisturbed,
alluvial soil was 2 feet greater This mound, long plowed over and much ex
tended, was composed of musselshells in a way similar to Mound A.

Three burials near the surface had been plowed away in places. Burial
No. 4, a child, and Burials Nos. 5 and 6, all superficial, were closely flexed on
the left.

Burial No. 7, a skeleton lying on the right side, almost at full length, the
thighs, however, slightly flexed, forming an obtuse angle with the trunk, the
legs continuing down in a lino parallel to the long axis of the trunk. The right
humerus was in front of the face, the forearm under the upper part of the cranium.
The left humerus formed a right angle with the trunk, the forearm flexed, bringing
the hand to the forehead. The skull, of a yellow color, was crushed into small
fragments and flat, resembling a squash that has been trampled upon.

This burial was covered by a placement of stones and slabs in double thickness,
8 feet long, 3 feet 9 inches at one end and 2 feet 9 inches at the other, much
similar to the arrangement described in connection with Burial No. 5, Mound A,
at this place, though the one in Mound B showed more irregularity. Its upper
parts lay 1.5 foot below the surface.

This burial had been a dual one. Between the two layers of slabs and masses
that covered Burial No. 7 there lay at the head end of the grave, in complete
disorder, a flattened mingling of the bones of an adult skeleton.

324 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER

Three feet from the top of the mound lay masses of stone and slabs with
spaces between. Above these, here and there, in no evident order, were masses
of stone. No disturbance was apparent and no burial was present.

Apart from bones were found, in Mound B, a small piercing implement of
bone; a rude, triangular arrowhead of flint; a coarse, cutting implement of sand
stone; part of an earthenware pipe.

MOUNDS NEAR WILLIAMS LANDING, JACKSON COUNTY, ALABAMA.

There are four mounds and a shell-heap on the property of Judge J. J. Williams
who lives upon it, somewhat back in the hills.

MOUND A.

The steamboat landing on this estate is known as Williams Landing, other
wise Lone Oak Landing. About three-eighths of a mile N. from this landing,
on the crest of a low hill rising from bottom-land, was a symmetrical mound
in woods, overlooking the river, 6.5 feet in height and 45 feet in diameter of its
circular base. Around it was a trench, almost filled at the time of our visit,
whence came the raw clay and pebbles of which the mound mainly was com
posed. In the center of the summit was a small hole which proved to have been
carried down but a short distance. Around its margin were masses of stone
which evidently had been taken from the mound.

Two feet four inches from the top was a bed of slabs (such as we tested were
of limestone), 6 feet 9 inches in length by 4 feet 7 inches in width, somewhat
disturbed by the previous digging. When found, this placement had an irregular
outline; it was composed of slabs in double thickness in places, and of single
slabs and masses of rock in others, while in some parts no slabs or masses were
present.

On this had rested a burial, fragments of which, disturbed by the former
digging, remained.

Four feet eight inches down, beyond any chance of disarrangement by the
previous diggers, were a few fragments of human bones.

Near the center of the base, which could be distinguished because at that
point ended the slight stratification that prevailed in the mound and red clay
of uniform shade began, lay the bones of a child closely flexed to the right,
flattened to an extent almost to resemble the skeleton of a fossil fish. Directly
on these bones slabs had been placed, and above these again were masses of stone
piled irregularly, not in contact but surrounded by earth.

Almost contiguous to this burial, at the same level, lay a skeleton closely
flexed on the right, having the humeri partly in front of the thorax and the arms
closely flexed, bringing the hands up in front to the face. The thighs and tibiae,
as in the case of a closely flexed burial, were drawn up parallel to the body.

Back of the skull and behind the pelvis were two small masses of stone, and
somewhat in front of each of these masses, as if possibly they had been intended

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 325

as supports, were two slabs that perhaps had slipped from the masses which
otherwise would have held them diagonally over parts of the skeleton. As it
was, most of one slab which would have covered the skull and much of the upper
part of the trunk, lay forward from them, covering only the facial part of the
skull, and the hands. The lower slab, which had slipped less (if displacement
occurred), lay over the pelvis, the lower ribs, and most of the lower extremities.
There remained uncovered, then, much of the skull, the upper part of the trunk,
and the knees.

This burial with its covering occupied a space 3 feet 7 inches long and was
2 feet 3 inches in maximum width.

Beginning at about the center of the base and extending outward was a
pit, oblong with rounded corners, 5.5 feet in length and 3 feet 7 inches in width,
having a depth in the undisturbed clay below the base of 1 foot 2 inches. Pre
sumably this pit had been made prior to the building of the mound and had
not been dug down through it, as undisturbed, local strata were noted almost
above it. Most careful search in this pit, which was cleared with the aid of
trowels, failed to discover any trace of bones, which beyond doubt had decayed
away.

MOUNDS B AND C.

Within a short distance of Mound A were Mounds B and C", respectively
2 feet 7 inches high and 32 feet in diameter, and 3 feet in height with a diameter
of 50 feet. Considerable digging in the larger mound was unrewarded.

MOUND D.

Mound D, about one-half mile NNE. from Williams Landing, was on sloping
ground just above the flat bottom-land, in full view from the river. This mound
had a circular base about 50 feet in diameter and was 6 feet 8 inches in height,
according to a measurement taken from the outside. A second measurement
made from the summit to the base of the mound showed that the height as
ascertained from the outside was about correct.

Previous to our coming a hole had been dug in this mound nearly at the
center of the top, about 3 feet by 5 feet in size and presumably of considerable
depth. From it had been thrown out a number of masses of limestone. There
was evidence also that a small trench had been dug in from the outside, which,
however, had been filled.

The central bulk of the mound was surrounded and dug out by us to below
the base, the size of the excavation being 37 feet by 40 feet, which practically
included all the interesting part of it, judging from the fact that with the ex
ception of one superficial burial none was reached until considerable digging
toward the inner part had been done.

The mound proved to be of rich, dark, loamy clay, evidently the deposit
of a dwelling-site which had overlain the field to a depth of (i inches, as was
apparent from the unmixed layer of midden material found at the base of the

326 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

mound, above which the mound had been built of the same material but consid
erably mingled, as would be expected when it was gathered from the field around.

This mound, which would have been of great interest had the aborigines
who made it been endowed with a more liberal spirit in respect to their dead,
had been built over a shallow grave containing a burial below the base of the
mound. Some burials apparently had been deposited on the base, while others
had been placed in the body of the mound, most of these being in grave-pits,
some clearly let down from the surface, others being traceable some distance
up, but not all the way.

In all, thirty-six burials were found, no account being taken of bones scattered
by the previous digging, by the sinking of pits in aboriginal times, by the roots
of a tree which grew well up on the mound, or of small portions of skeletons buried
by the aborigines themselves, some of which, probably similar to interments
found in other mounds, were bones that had dropped away from skeletons
previous to the time of burial and later were gathered and interred.

In the case of Burial No. 30 in this mound, an interesting example of the
aboriginal interment of fragmentary remains is shown.

The grave below the base of the mound (Burial No. 36), to which reference
has been made, was 7 feet 10 inches to the bottom of its pit from the level of
the summit of the mound, the pit itself cutting through the 6 inches of midden
soil marking the base and entering the undisturbed, red clay a distance of 1.5
foot, the limits of the grave being very clearly defined in the raw clay. The
depth of the original midden deposit on the field, of which we have spoken, was
conclusively proved by the presence of the red clay around the sides of the grave
which had been thrown out when it was dug and had not been used in filling
the grave. This red clay lay over the 6 inches of surface midden debris on
which it had been thrown.

The grave, which was 6 feet 8 inches long by 3 feet 2 inches wide, began
about 4.5 feet from what we considered to be the center of the base of the mound,
radiating from it, the head of the grave nearest the center, as shown by the
presence of a fragment of skull about one inch square, which was the only part
of the skeleton found, even no teeth being present, though the entire contents of
the grave was removed with a trowel.

Over this grave, as stated, having the red clay that had been removed in
its making spread for a considerable distance around it, the mound had been
built, its inception being presumably at the time of the interment, since the
grave was filled, not with the clay that had been taken out, but with the midden
material of which the mound was made.

Practically on the center of the base of the mound was a deposit of calcined
human bones, 3.5 feet by 1 foot 9 inches and 3 inches in maximum thickness.
These bones, reduced to fine particles, bore no trace of order and were in the
vicinity of no sign of fire. This deposit (Burial No. 35) is classed as one burial,
though it is probable that the remains of two individuals were present, side by

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

327

side, as a space 8 inches broad, on which were only scattered fragments, divided
the deposit into two parts. These cremated remains presumably were placed
there at the time the erection of the mound was commenced.

In addition to Burials Nos. 34 and 35, the following, some of which lay on
the base while others were in grave-pits, seem to demand detailed description.

Burial No. 1, 3.5 feet under the slope of the mound, was a placement composed
of eight slabs, some of limestone, some of silicious, veined material, evenly and
symmetrically laid in contact, which measured approximately 4.5 feet in length

FIG. &lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;. Burial No. 1. A skeleton lying upon a fiat bed of .slabs, 4 feet inches by 2 feet.
1), Williams Landing, Ala.

Mound

and 2 feet at the broadest part, where a single small slab had been placed at
each side of the general alignment to accommodate the increased space demanded
by the trunk and the knees.

The skeleton lay closely flexed on the right, the dexter humerus under the
chest, its forearm flexed, bringing the hand in front of the face, (lie left humerus
down, having the forearm slightly flexed into the pelvis. The thighs were up
against the body, having the tibia flexed on them (Fig. 06).

328 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 7, 4 feet 9 inches below the slope of the mound, was a bed of
thin slabs, closely laid in a double layer, 5 feet 6 inches long by 3 feet wide,
completely protecting a skeleton partly flexed on the right, which rested im
mediately below. Over the lower part of the skeleton and the covering of slabs,
and somewhat above the latter, were several masses of rock in the soil, separate
and without arrangement. The right humerus of the skeleton lay under the
thorax, somewhat forward, the forearm partly flexed, bringing the hand to the
right knee, the left upper arm extended downward in front of the thorax, the
forearm being at a right angle back on the trunk, not forward as one would
expect it to be. Back of the skull was a bone pin, much decayed, that probably
had been in the hair.

Burials Nos. 8, 14, 15, a child and two younger children, respectively, in
shallow graves extending down from the surface of the mound, the bones covered
with deposits of musselshells, above which to the surface were musselshells mingled
with earth.

Burial No. 13, a grave-pit 5.5 feet deep, 3.5 feet by slightly more than 2 feet,
was clearly traceable from, or almost from, the surface of the mound, extending
9 inches into undisturbed clay below the base. This pit contained a skeleton
lying closely flexed on the right.

Burial No. 17, the skeleton of a child lying near the surface, doubtless in a
grave but having no musselshells in association.

Burial No. 21, a pit clearly defined, at the bottom of which, 3.5 feet down,
was a skeleton lying closely flexed on the left, the pit being filled with soil and
musselshells mingled.

Burial No. 25. This burial was of a class to be described later in this report
in connection with the Hampton Place, Hamilton County, Tenn., where burials,
closely flexed, were placed almost vertically in narrow pits, the pelvis at the
bottom of the pit, the arms and legs flexed against the trunk.

Burial No. 27, 2 feet 8 inches below the sloping surface of the mound, be
ginning about 7 feet from the center, was a bed of slabs of limestone, 4 feet 7
inches by 3 feet 4 inches, not level as was the placement of slabs with Burial
No. 7, but having an irregular surface. There seemed in this case, moreover,
to be a tendency toward the enclosed burial as found in the stone box-graves,
inasmuch as, in addition to the bed of slabs, there were an upright slab at the
head of the bed of horizontal slabs, and another, also vertical, at the side to the
left of the slabs but at a short distance from them. Opposite this one had been
placed a narrow slab and a mass in such manner that the part of the placement
containing the upper portion of the skeleton was surrounded to some extent.

The skeleton lay on its left side, the left femur closely flexed on the trunk,
the tibia flexed against the thigh. The right femur was flexed to about a right
angle with the body, the tibia closely flexed; the right arm and foream extended
diagonally down and forward, the hand being below the left knee; the left arm
and forearm were directed in line along the front of the trunk.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

32!)

Burial No. 30, at the bottom of a pit about 4.5 feet deep, was a stone grave
covered to the top of the pit with soil having an admixture of shell and showing
the pit had been dug from the surface 1 down. The stone grave, 3 feel (i inches
in length and slightly more than 2 feet in maximum width, had a partial covering
and on one side two slabs standing obliquely, with an opening between them
at the lower part but in contact at the upper edges. The covering slabs, except

Fl&lt;;. (&gt;7. Burial No. 150. A placement (if slabs 3 feet (&gt; inches by 2 feet . over all, above a skelet OH
with which had been interred parts of another skull, visible in the illustration. Mound D, Williams
Landing, Ala.

in one instance, did not rest on the upright ones, being immediately on the bones
which were on the ground.

The skeleton lay closely flexed on the right, both humcri along the trunk
but somewhat toward the front, the forearms flexed to them, bringing the hands
in front of the face, though not covering it. The skull, over which no slab had
been placed, may be seen in the photograph (Fig. 07).

3l&gt; JOt HN. A. X. S. 1 HILA., Vol.. XVI.

330 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

A curious feature connected with this burial was that between its back and
the oblique slabs was a space which had been filled by placing side by side,
their upper surfaces exposed, two large fragments of the skull-cap of another
skeleton. These also show in the photograph, as they, too, were without covering
of slabs. The fragments were of a darker shade than the skeleton, apparently
through long exposure or the result of a stain.

Burial No. 31, partly flexed on the left, was the only one from this mound
whose skull was in a condition to save.

Burial No. 32, in the sloping side of the mound, was a pit 3 feet 4 inches
deep, the lower part 3 feet 9 inches long and 2 feet 9 inches in width, very dis
tinctly marked and sharply rectangular, though it could not be determined
with certainty whether the pit began at the surface or somewhat below it. On
the base of this pit lay a skeleton closely flexed on the left, the right humerus
extending along the thorax, the forearm closely flexed on the humerus; the
left arm and forearm arranged in like manner except they lay below the thorax.

Above the skeleton, to a depth of about 10 inches, the grave had been filled
with mussclshells and masses of rock, having no admixture of soil. Above
the skull, but having a layer of shells between, were three masses of fossiliferous,
silicious vein material, one about the size of a child s head, one about five times
larger, and one intermediate. The upper surfaces of these masses were in line
with the top of the shell deposit. About at the level of their bases was a slab
of limestone 1 foot 8 inches by 1 foot 2 inches, by 2 inches in thickness, having
shells above it and below it. To one side of this slab was a somewhat smaller
one of the same material, at a slightly lower level. On top of the shells was a
small mass of rock. None of these slabs or masses was in contact with the bones.

Burial No. 34, extended on the back, lay almost at the center of the mound,
on or slightly above the base. No mark of fire was near it, though at one spot
the pelvis was charred and the upper part of the skull lay in fragments, badly
burnt, the lower jaw, however, being intact. This burial lay but a short dis
tance from the deposit of calcined bones, and may have been affected by the
fire that reduced them, which, however, must have been elsewhere than in the
mound.

The other burials in the mound consisted of twenty-nine adults and seven
children, disposed as follows: at full length on the back, closely flexed on the
right and on the left, closely flexed to the right, partly flexed on the right and
on the left, partly flexed to the right.

No attempt at orientation was noticeable in the burials in this mound.

Besides objects already described in connection with burials, there were
found: small bits of mica near the skull of an adult skeleton; two arrowheads
of flint, one at the pelvis of an adult burial, one near the shoulder of another;
a few badly-decayed shell beads near the neck of a child.

Apart from the burials described, but often near scattered bones, were:
seven beads of shell, found together; fifteen arrowheads or in some instances

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 331

possibly small knives, of flint, some carelessly made, one of the better ones
being shown in Fig. 08; two ornaments of sheet-copper, found separately, each
1.75 inch in diameter, bosses with central depressions, having each a central
perforation; fragments of sheet-copper found in three instances; an ornament
made of impure graphite, similar in shape to those of sheet-copper, but thicker,
l.o inch in diameter (Fig. 69).

FK;. 08. Arrow-point of flint. Mound D, FIG. 09. Ornament of impure graphite.

Williams Landing, Ala. (Full size.) Mound D, Williams Landing, Ala. (Full size.)

Extending from the base of the mound a few inches into the yellow, bottom
soil was a circular deposit of water-worn pebbles, broken and whole, the largest
about the size of two clenched hands.

The shell-heap, which was but a few yards from the river, after the first
foot had been dug away, proved to be almost solid shell. Its investigation
was not further pursued.

MOUNDS AND DWELLING-SITE ON BRIDGEPORT, OR LONG, ISLAND, JACKSON
COUNTY, ALABAMA, AND MARION COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Bridgeport Island, or Long Island, as it is variously called, has the lower
end in Alabama and the upper part in Tennessee, the state line passing between
the mounds on the island, the large mound being in Tennessee, the two smaller
ones in Alabama.

The mounds, three in number, in sight from the water, on the eastern side
of the island, near its lower end, are near together and form a triangle of which
the largest mound is the apex. Bridgeport Island belongs to Mr. John F.
Brown, who lives nearby on the mainland. Mr. Brown does not desire any
digging on the place.

The largest mound, on which is a small frame structure, has been quadrangu
lar with flat top, evidently a domiciliary mound. Its height is slightly more
than 24 feet, its base is about 130 feet square.

The mound farthest from the water has a circular base about .").") feet in diam
eter and is 7 feet high. It is nearly flat on the summit at present, but has the
appearance of having been dug into, and may have had, at one time a more
conical outline.

332 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Nearest the water is a mound which presumably has been leveled to some
extent to accommodate a barn standing on it. Also, it has been greatly trampled
by cattle and is of very irregular outline. Its present height is 9 feet; its diameter,
about 110 feet,

Near the mounds is a dwelling-site with much shell on the surface, and some
other debris, including fragments of pottery.

Mr. Brown, the owner of this place, has some celts and pottery vessels dug
from it, the vessels being of inferior ware and of commonplace form.

PART III.
TENNESSEE RIVER IN EASTERN TENNESSEE.

Our expedition has now left Alabama and the concluding part of the investi
gation is in eastern Tennessee.

Mounds and Sites.

Dwelling-site on Burns Island, Marion County.

Mound and Dwelling-site at the Mouth of Sequatchie Creek, Marion County.

Dwelling-sites at Shcllmound, Marion County.

Dwelling-sites near Riggles Ferry, Marion County.

Mounds on the Bennett Place, Marion County.

Mound and Dwelling-site on the White Place, Marion County.

Williams Island, Hamilton County.

Mounds on the Carter Farm, Hamilton County.

Mound and Dwelling-site at Williams Island Ferry, Hamilton County.

Dwelling-site and Mounds on the Hampton Place, Hamilton County.

Dwelling-site on Chattanooga Island, Hamilton County.

Citico Mound and Site, Hamilton County.

Mound on the Bell Place, Hamilton County.

Mounds on the McKenzie Place, Hamilton County.

Mounds below Harrison Ferry, Hamilton County.

Mound on the Hixson Place, Hamilton County.

Mound at Lovelady Landing, Hamilton County.

Mound near Lovelady Landing, Hamilton County.

Mound below Igou Ferry, Hamilton County.

Dwelling-site on the Davis Place, James County.

Mound and Site on the Eldridge Place, James County.

Mounds and Sites on Hiwasscc Island, Meigs County.

Mounds near Armstrong Ferry, Mcigs County.

Mounds near mouth of Mud Creek, Rhea County.

Mounds near Gillcspie Landing, Rhea County.

Mound near Hoyal Ferry, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Spencc Place, Rhea County.

MAP OF TENNESSEE RIVER IN EASTERN TENNESSEE

o _ 3 _ ra

Scale in miles
1913

334 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Mound on the Jones Place, Meigs County.

Mound on the McDonald Place, Rhea County.

Mounds near Cook Landing, Rhea County.

Mounds near Viniard Landing, Rhea County.

Mound on the Luty Place, Rhea County.

Mound on the Keyforver Place, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Kimbrough Place, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Wheelock Place, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Garrison Place, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Lower Hampton Place, Rhea County.

Mounds at Euchee, Meigs County.

Mounds on the Upper Hampton Place, Rhea County.

Mound near Red Cloud Ferry, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Hope Place, Rhea County.

Mounds on the Cagle Place, Rhea County.

Mounds near Jackson Ferry, Meigs and Roane Counties.

Mounds on the Fitzgerald Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Campbell Place, Roane County.

Mounds near Rockwood Landing, Roane County.

Mound on the Hood Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Butler Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Ewing Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Tedder Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the De Armond Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Evans Place, Roane County.

Mounds near Hood s Ferry, Roane County.

Mounds on the Goodwin Place, Roane County.

Mounds on the Biss Place, Roane County.

Mounds on Long Island, Roane County.

Mounds near Huffine Ferry, Roane County.

Mound on the Pickles Place, Roane County.

Mounds near Paint Rock Creek, Roane County.

Mounds near mouth of Pond Creek, London County.

Mound near Cave Creek, Roane County.

Mound on the E. E. Blair Place, London County.

Mound on the W. W. Blair Place, Loudon County.

Mound opposite Loudon, Loudon County.

Mound on the Carmichael Place, Loudon County.

Mounds on the Arthur Place, Loudon County.

Mound near Lenoir City, Loudon County.

Mounds opposite Lenoir City, Loudon County.

Mounds on the Edward Prater Place, Blount County.

Dwelling-sites on the S. E. Prater Place, Blount County.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. :f&gt;

Dwelling-site on Grant Island, Blonnt County.
Dwelling-site on Cox Island, Knox County.
Dwelling-site on Prater Island, Knox County.
Mound and Site on the Jackson Place, Blount County.
Dwelling-site near Little River Shoals, Knox County.
Mound opposite Looney Island, Knox County.
Mound near Knoxvillc.

DWELLING-SITE ON BURNS ISLAND, MARION COUNTY.

Burns Island, belonging to Mr. Leroy Peoples, has upon it two rises on
which are frame structures, and a dwelling-site with much shell upon it. Per
mission not granted.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE AT THE MOUTH OF SEQUATCHIE CREEK, MARION

COUNTY.

On the lower side of Sequatchie creek, at its union with Tennessee river, is a
large property belonging to Mr. W. S. Wilson, who resides somewhat back from
it on the hills.

In full view from the river is a mound to some extent on sloping ground,
so that measurement of height depends on whence it is taken. It would be
safe to call the height of the mound 20 feet, approximately. This mound,
doubtless domiciliary and quadrangular with a flat top in the past, at the time
of our visit was of very irregular outline through cultivation of its sides and
through wash. Its basal diameters were 205 feet and 185 feet.

In the hope of coming upon superficial burials, trial-holes were sunk in the
summit-plateau, but with the exception of one, where a few fragments of human
bones were encountered, nothing was found, and all the holes soon reached
raw clay in which burials could hardly be expected.

The dwelling-site, most elevated near the river, extends for a considerable
distance along the bank at varying widths to, or almost to, Sequatchie creek,
the ending of the site being apparently about in line with the mound, which
stands somewhat farther back from the river.

On the surface of the site were many fragments of shell and some of stone
and of pottery, a number of bits of the latter having the check-stamp by way of
decoration. Complete artifacts were almost absent, and even fragmentary
ones were extremely scarce, a few arrowheads or knives being the only unbroken
objects gathered superficially. Careful search over all the surface of the site
came upon no human bones, nor could we learn of any history of the discovery
of burials or of artifacts by those cultivating the place.

Two days digging with eight men at work at this site failed to discover a
cemetery, all the slight rises being carefully examined to no purpose.

The midden debris on this property extended deeper than is usually the case
in sites of this kind, some of our trial-holes going between 7 and 8 feet without

336 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

reaching undisturbed soil, though the black earth filled with fragments of shell,
of which the site was composed, was seldom deeper than 5 feet.

But three burials were encountered, all considerable distances apart and at
varying depths, hence it is possible that the makers, who must have occupied
the site a long time, however, were buried here and there throughout all its extent
and that their remains could be reached only by long-continued digging which,
under the circumstances, would not be wise to undertake.

The burials were not in graves the limits of which could be traced, but prob
ably had been interred in rather shallow ones dug into the homogeneous deposit,
which were filled by the return of the material taken out. The unusual depth
of two of them can be accounted for by the probability that the growth of the
site continued long after the burials were made.

Burial No. 1, a child, 6.5 feet deep, having at the neck four well-preserved
shell beads, the largest of which, an oblate sphere, was .75 inch in diameter.

Burial No. 2, partly flexed to the right, lay at a depth of somewhat more
than 2 feet, the pelvis resting in a good-sized fragment which had formed part
of a large vessel of earthenware. The skeleton lay on the midden soil, earth
blackened by admixture of organic matter, and having a considerable proportion
of shell, but was covered at the sides and on top by a deposit of sand, 10 inches
deep above the skeleton. On this sand, above the lower part of the trunk of the
skeleton, three slabs of limestone had been placed, the largest 19 inches by
17 inches, and 2.5 inches thick. The others, much smaller, had been arranged,
one partly beneath the large slab, the other beside it.

At the neck of the burial had been two large, tubular beads of sheet-copper,
much of which had corroded away.

Near the head and shoulders of the skeleton was a placement of slabs of lime
stone in the form of a rude semicircle, consisting of a floor of slabs laid flat and
surrounded on the peripheral part by other slabs, set vertically, whose upper
surfaces, however, were far from being at a uniform level. The floor of this
combination of slabs was not on a plane with the burial, which was considerably
above it, at about a level with the top of the vertical slabs. The open part of
the placement was away from the burial.

This placement, which had a basal diameter of about 2 feet and was 2 feet
9 inches across at the top, had a depth of about 10 inches. It contained no
evident sign of a burial, though on part of its base was a dark deposit that may
have been all that remained of the skeleton of an infant. We think it doubtful
that this placement had any connection with the burial near which it was.

Burial No. 3, a child, lay 7.5 feet down on brown sand. Above it for 2.5
feet was sand similar to that on which the burial lay, but having a slight sprink
ling of shell. Above this was the black soil and shell of the midden deposit.
This burial must have been made at an early stage in the occupancy of the site.

Throughout the digging, apart from burials, were: a vessel of earthenware
having two loop handles, and knobs at considerable distances apart, somewhat

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 337

below the opening; a number of rude spades of limestone, the largest about
10 inches in length; several Hints with sharp points and cutting edges, the largest
4.75 inches in length; several small flint knives and scrapers; half of a bar-
amulet of limestone; an amulet of similar shape and material but without per
forations; several pebbles worked into the form of celts, one 5 inches long, and
given unusually sharp cutting edges; a small triangular point of flint; a curious
tool wrought from the antler of an elk, slightly more than G inches in length
(Fig. 70).

FK;. 70. Implement of elk antler. Scquatchie creek, Tenn. (Full si/e.1

DWELLING-SITES AT SHELLMOUND, MARION COUNTY.

The name of this place is derived from a shell deposit formerly there, in or
near which human bones and artifacts were found when the railroad, by laying
its track, cleared away the shell-mound and adjoining area. The place, how
ever, had been dug into for relics since the time of the Civil War, and probably
before.

A short distance N. of W. from the railroad station, in a cultivated field
along the railroad track, belonging to Mr. W. Y. Burnett, resident nearby, was
a slight rise about 50 feet in diameter, on which were scattered fragments of
shell and an occasional bit of stone. Considerable digging showed the soil
to be dark with organic matter and having a considerable sprinkling of shells,
the underlying, undisturbed ground being reached somewhat more than 2 feet
from the surface.

A single trial-hole resulted in finding four burials, two immediately above
two others, one being partly flexed to the left, the skull of which was saved;
two partly flexed to the right, one being the bones of an adolescent. The fourth
skeleton was that of a child. Considerable digging in and near a neighboring
shell deposit was without success.

DWELLING-SITE NEAII HIGGLES FERRY, MARION COUNTY.

On property of Mr. William Gowins, who lives upon it, are a number of
dwelling-sites having little on the surface except shell, extending for half a mile
down from the ferry in fields bordering the river. Careful digging showed

: JOl KN. A. N. S. PI 1 1 1, A., VOL. XVI.

338 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

these sites had but little depth and presumably were without burials. A frag
ment of pottery bearing a complicated-stamp decoration was picked up on the
surface.

HALE S BAR, DAM AND LOCK.

Next in our investigation along the Tennessee we reach the dam and lock
(shown on the map) which recently has been constructed about 33 miles by
water below the city of Chattanooga and which has transformed Tennessee
river for about 35 miles up, by water, into a kind of pool, navigable the entire
year, and furnishing power for various public and private utilities in Chattanooga
and beyond.

The permanent rise in the river above this dam, while of great benefit in
various ways, has submerged a number of aboriginal sites which our agent,
descending the river before the dam was operative, had discovered for us, though
some places in this region, fortunately for us, were on ground not affected by
the water.

MOUNDS ON THE BENNETT PLACE, MARION COUNTY.

On the left-hand side of the river, going up, is a large property belonging to
Mr. Samuel Bennett, who lives somewhat back from the river, on the hills.
The lower-lying part of this great estate, abreast of which in the past was an
island noted for aboriginal relics discovered there, has been submerged in common
with the island since the completion of the great dam.

At the time of our visit (November, 1914) unusually low water prevailed in
Tennessee river, and in consequence several small islands were noticeable in
this submerged area, all in full view one from another, and two at least of which
owed to aboriginal occupancy their height above the general level of the sub
merged ground.

MOUND A.

Mound A, that nearest the river, stood, when we were there, on ground
oblong in outline with rounded corners, whose extent out of water was about
120 feet by 75 feet. The maximum height of this area was 4.5 feet above the
level of the river at that time.

As it was impossible to decide from the exterior just what part of this area
constituted the mound, preliminary excavations were made which soon showed
we had to do with an aboriginal earthwork of a most unusual kind, in whose
making the ceremonial use of fire had been accorded a prominent part.

An excavation 47 feet by 65 feet, including the highest part of the area above
water, was then made, which showed that a part of this area, about 34 feet by
61 feet, had been devoted to burials and to ceremonies connected with fire, as
may be seen on the plan of the mound (Fig. 71) made by Doctor Miller on the
spot. It will also be noted that a few scattered burials were present outside the
burnt area.

-0,

///

^eo/

e *Caw3/

Scalein jeet

IMC. 71. Plan of Mound .1, .showing l)iirials. Bennett Place, Tciin.

340 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Unfortunately, the base of the mound was not determined, as holes sunk
below the level of the river quickly filled with water, though it was discovered
that layers of clay reddened by heat and other evidence of the use of fire were
present somewhat below water-level. However, as no burials were encountered
at a depth greater than 3 feet, except a stone grave which will be described in
due course, it is to be hoped that no feature of special importance has been
omitted from our investigation of this interesting mound.

About 3 feet below the highest part of the elevation and, of course, corre
spondingly less under the slope, was clay reddened by heat. This red clay
was not in a continuous layer, though it covered most of the area where it was
found, but seemed to have been spread in various deposits ranging in maximum
thickness between 2 or 3 and 16 inches, the last being very exceptional.

Between these deposits of reddened clay, some of which were much more
extensive than others, were spaces of limited extent but sufficient to prevent
the deposits from forming a continuous layer. In areas where burials were
not present, however, and yet red clay was found, this clay was scattered over
the surface and not arranged in heaps.

At about the same 1 level, immediately beneath the deposits of burnt clay,
sometimes individually, sometimes in groups, were burials, charred, burnt, or
calcined, as the case might be. In spaces between the deposits of clay also
were a few burials unaffected by fire, while some, partly covered, showed the
effect of heat only where the clay had rested upon them. Moreover, several
burials were found on the upper surface of the burnt clay. These burials,
however, were only parts of skeletons single skulls in two instances which
seemed to have been left over, as it were, then gathered and placed on the clay
after it had been distributed above the other burials. That the clay was still
hot when these fragmentary burials were placed upon it, was clearly shown by
their under surfaces, which were burnt; their upper parts, be it said, showed
no trace of fire.

The degree of heat-action exhibited by the bones seemed proportionate to
the thickness of the reddened clay resting upon them, some being only charred,
others much burnt, while many were calcined.

Most of the burials lay in anatomical order, though the bones were often
in small fragments. A few of the burials, however, were only parts of skeletons
which probably had been carried out as such from the dead-house and interred
with entire skeletons the bones of which were still held together by ligaments.

Below such burials as were beneath the clay was a layer of black material,
carbonized by heat, an inch or two in thickness. This material was the remains
of matting, fabric, and other organic matter evident in the carbonized material,
which probably constituted the lower part of the wrappings of the burials that
had escaped the fiercer heat above, and also may have included matting placed
ceremonially on the ground to receive the burials.

A measurement selected at random in the course of the excavation was as

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 341

follows: Clay reddened by fire, (&gt; inches in thickness; below the clay, bones in
order but calcined and crushed, having a thickness of 2.5 inches; below the
bones, carbonized remains of matting, etc., 1.25 inch thick.

Below burials not affected by fire this carbonized layer was not present,
some of these burials lying upon a thin, dark line visible through the mound
and which probably marked a period of occupancy. This layer showed the
level at which the burnt burials lay and was smooth like a floor. The ground
beneath the unburnt burials, however, was comparatively soft, while under those
which lay below the reddened clay the soil was hardened though not discolored
by heat.

We shall now discuss the; method adopted by the aborigines for the crema
tion which probably took place at one time. The reddened clay was made up
of masses of different sizes, some bearing imprints of reeds, grass, etc., and
seemed to have formed part of a wattle-and-daub building or buildings, the
burning of which in connection with aboriginal burials has been described in
the case of an Arkansas mound, 1 and of the kind found by us at the base of the
large mound on Little Island, South Carolina, 2 though this had not been de
stroyed by fire.

It seems likely, then, that a building or buildings, the limits of which, how
ever, we were unable to determine by the presence of post-holes, were burnt and
that some of the clay which fell at the collapse of the structure, while still in
tensely hot, was piled over the bones, covering most of the burials completely
but leaving parts of some uncovered, and the areas shown on the plan containing
no burials, which showed burnt clay to a lesser extent than the other parts,
were spaces from which the clay had been gathered to heap over the burials,
some of it, however, being left.

In different parts of the mound two trenches were encountered in connection
with post-holes, but these trenches and holes penetrated the red clay we have
described and the burials beneath it, and consequently were not of their period.
They belonged, presumably, to another deposit of clay reddened by fire, which
\vas encountered in the mound, about 14 inches above the one we have described.
No burials lay immediately below this upper deposit, which differed from the
lower one in that it was not heaped up in places, but extended evenly and had
mingled with it charcoal, carbonized, coarse matting, thatching, etc. Pre
sumably, after the mound had been filled in over the burial layer, another
structure was erected which in its turn was destroyed by fire, though perhaps
not intentionally, and in all events not in connection with burials.

Our theory as to the method pursued by the aborigines in connection with
the bones showing evidence of the effect of heat is as follows: But little charcoal
was present in or on the red clay above the burials, none being found over con-

1 12th An. Hep- Hi"-. Am. Ktlin., p. 20l&gt; cl seq.

- ( &lt;Tt:iin AliorisiiiKtl Mounds of the Coast of South Carolina," Journ. Acad. Nat. Sri. Phila.,

Vol. xi, p. ir&gt;4.

342 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

siderablc areas, and it is clear that the bones were burnt and calcined, not by
the direct use of fire, but through contact with the heated clay placed upon
them. This use of burnt clay in connection with burial rites is interestingly
shown in connection with Burial No. 62, at the Citico Place, above Chattanooga,
described in this report.

We shall now take up the description of each burial found in Mound A,
prefacing the account with the statement that the entire deposit of red clay
above the burials, and the burials themselves, were carefully removed with
trowels, and that no account is taken of various scattered bones present in the
mound, which did not seem of sufficient importance to be designated as burials.
All burials not otherwise described showed the effects of heat to a greater or less
extent. The reader will bear in mind that burials are of adults unless otherwise
stated. As the plan clearly shows, the burials headed in all directions.

Burial No. 1, a child, lay outside the burial layer connected with the red
dened clay and had been let down into a grave which cut through the upper
layer of burnt earth. This burial, of course, showed no trace of the effect of
heat.

Burial No. 2, a child, under the same conditions as the preceding one, had a
hatchet of indurated shale, 6.2 inches long, at the left hand.

Burial No. 3, an infant in a grave like the others, having a few shell beads
at the neck and, resting on the skull, what had been a handsome ornament of
sheet-copper, representing an eagle.

Burial No. 4, a child, also in a grave apart from fire, having at the head an
urn-shaped vessel of coarse ware, undecorated, of a capacity of about one quart.

Burial No. 5 lay extended on the back, the left arm and forearm along the
body, the right forearm flexed back to the upper arm, which was somewhat away
from the trunk.

Burial No. 6, on the back, the legs slightly flexed to the right.

Burial No. 7, closely flexed, face down, the knees slightly to the left. Charred
fabric and beads of shell were at the pelvis. These beads, like all found in this
mound, are in excellent condition, blackened by heat but not otherwise injured
by it.

Burial No. 8, closely flexed on the right. Under the skull had been a mat
made of reeds, and a flint knife 8.4 inches in length.

Burial No. 9, closely flexed to the left. The skull of this burial, which pre
sumably had been in small fragments, probably had been thrown out in making
one of the original trial-holes.

Burial No. 10, closely flexed on the left, one of the burials described as showing
no trace of fire. At the skull was a chisel of indurated shale, 4.1 inches in length.
At the feet was a small arrowpoint of flint.

Burial No. 11, closely flexed on the left. At the knee was a hatchet 5 inches
in length, which was presented to Mr. Bennett, the owner of the property.

Burial No. 12, closely flexed on the right. Except on part of the trunk,
the reddened clay was absent from this burial.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 343

Burial No. 13, adolescent extended on the back.

Burial No. 14, closely flexed face down, the knees to the left.

Burial No. 15, closely flexed, face down.

Burial No. 16, an aboriginal disturbance having near it a flint knife with
both ends missing, the remainder being 8 inches in
length, and an undecorated vessel of coarse ware,
badly crushed.

Burial No. 17, a deposit of unburnt bones in no
order. Near these was a small pipe of claystonc
(Fig. 72), a carbonized coating of material in the

. . . , f ,. FIG. 72. Pipe of day stone.

bowl giving evidence of former use. wuh Burial No 17 Benn( , tt

Burial No. 18, closely flexed on the left. pi. lC e, Tenn. (Full size.)

Burial No. 19, a disturbance.

Burial No. 20, a deposit of unburnt bones or a disturbance, having two
skulls, etc. Nearby was a pointed implement of bone.

Burial No. 21, closely flexed on the right.

Burial No. 22, closely flexed on the right. Near the feet was an ornament
of charred wood which had been copper-coated, containing, in a hollow space,
small pebbles. Mr. Charles 0. Willoughby considers ornaments of this class
to be imitations of a milkweed pod (Asclepias), the stones representing the
seeds, and fiber the fleecy material present in the pod (see page 263) . In this
instance no fiber was found, possibly through its having been consumed.

Burial No. 23, a skull and bones in disorder, unburnt.

Burial No. 24, somewhat similar to No. 23.

Burials Nos. 25 and 26, closely flexed on the right.

Burial No. 27, similar to Burials Nos. 23 and 24.

Burial No. 28, closely flexed on the right.

Burial No. 29, a child having four bone beads at the neck.

Burial No. 30, closely flexed on the left, having at the head a hatchet of
indurated shale, 6.3 inches in length.

Burial No. 31, closely flexed on the left.

Burial No. 32, a stone grave, rude but nevertheless of the box-shaped variety.
the covering slabs, which had fallen in from one side and consequently slanted
downward considerably, being 4 feet below the surface. The depth to the
bottom of the grave, which was a fireplace and hard, without slabs, was 5 feet.
The slabs, of limestone, were two on the right side, three at the left; and the
covering slabs, which were two in number, and in addition a fragment on the
lower part of the grave. At the head was a single slab, but none was present
at the foot of the grave, for a cause that later will be apparent. Outside measure
ment, the grave was 3 feet 10 inches in length and about 2 feet in width. This
grave is shown in Fig. 73, the water which collected around it being apparent in
the illustration.

344

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

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A&AO. NAT. SCI. PHILA.. 2ND SEP., VOL. XVI

PLATE VIII

1 AND 2. MOUND ON THE BENNETT PLACE, VESSELS OF EARTHENWARE. (FULL SIZE;

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 345

Within the grave was the unburnt skeleton of a child 8 or 9 years of age,
extended on the hack, the right arm and forearm being alongside the body, the
left forearm across the trunk.

Between the top of the skull and the slab at the head of the grave was a
space 9.o inches in length in which was a bowl about 0.8 inches in diameter,
resting upright on a rude undecorated pot. In the bowl was a spoon carved
from a musselshell, which rested on another. In the spoon were four barrel-
shaped beads of shell, each about .5 inch in length. The space to be occupied
by the vessel presumably had not been taken into account when the grave was
constructed, consequently the legs of the skeleton projected beyond the foot of
the grave; hence the absence of the foot-stone.

This bowl, shown in Plate VIII, Fig. 1, is of special interest in that it has
had a striking design painted in red on a background of yellow slip, the nature of
the design differing entirely from anything found or heard of by us along Tennes
see river except between the Bennett Place and Citico creek, about thirty miles
farther up, where fragments of vessels of this kind were found, as was also the
case at the White Place, an intermediate point. We have been unable to learn,
though the foremost authorities have been consulted, that designs of the kind
on this vessel and on the other bowl from this mound have been discovered else
where in the State of Tennessee. Evidently vessels of this kind belonged to a
culture local and restricted in area. The designs shown in the illustration
appear three times on the vessel. The white evident on the vessel in places
is not, we think, due to color applied by the aborigines, but possibly resulted
from exposure to heat, though not at the time of the fire ceremony in this mound.

Burial No. 33, closely flexed on the right, having below it a bone implement
badly burnt.

Burial No. 34, closely flexed on the left.

Burial No. 35, partly flexed to the right, having a flint knife, pointed, 7.25
inches in length.

Burial No. 36, partly flexed to the left.

Burial No. 37, extended on the back.

Burial No. 38, partly flexed to the left.

Burial No. 39, partly flexed to the right. The upper part of this skeleton
was burnt, the extremities projecting beyond the clay. At the outer side of the
knees was a hatchet of silicious material, 4.25 inches in length. Lying trans
versely on charred matting, under the right humerus, just above the elbow, the
edge away from the body, was a celt of indurated shale, 5.75 inches in length.
A small, undecorated vessel in fragments was on the upper part of the thorax.
At the right side of the neck was a pin of bone having a blunt point, a hair-pin,
perhaps, under an implement of indurated shale, 4.5 inches long, having a blunt
edge. At the neck of the burial were a few discoidal shell beads.

Burials Nos. 40 and 41, partly flexed on the right.

Burial No. 42, adolescent, partly flexed on the left.

:;i ,101 HX. A. X. S. I lIILA., VOL. XVI.

346 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 43, partly flexed to the right, the right humerus almost at a right
angle from the trunk, the forearm closely flexed on it; the left humerus along the
thorax, the forearm diagonally upward and across the trunk.

Burial No. 44, extended on the back, the upper arms along the body, the right
forearm diagonally across the trunk, the left straight down. At the neck were
shell beads.

Burial No. 45, at full length, face down, a post-hole having removed the
skull, the legs cut through by a trench from an upper layer in the mound. The
upper arms were parallel to the trunk, the right forearm flexed upward across
and under the thorax, the left closely flexed against the humerus.

Burial No. 46, partly flexed on the left.

Burial No. 47, trunk face down, the legs partly flexed to the left, the right
humerus extending almost at a right angle to the body, the forearm flexed to an
acute angle with the upper arm, the left humerus and forearm being similarly
disposed.

Burial No. 48, disturbed bones of an adolescent, Shell beads and two
small, flint arrowpoints were near the skull.

Burial No. 49, a mass of disarticulated bones together, having four skulls,
other scattered bones being nearby. Having been placed in a space between
two deposits of red clay over burials, none of these bones showed marks of fire.
Over part of this deposit of unburnt bones were grouped four masses of unburnt
limestone, the largest 7.5 inches by 6.5 inches.

Burial No. 50, partly flexed on the left. At the thorax were two pebbles;
shell beads were at the neck.

Burial No. 51, the upper part of the trunk face down, the legs partly flexed
to the right, the right humerus parallel to the trunk, the forearm closely flexed
against it, the left humerus at an angle of forty-five degrees from the body, the
forearm flexed under the trunk. At the right elbow was a small shell disc,
imperforatc. At the neck were many shell beads and remains of a long mussel-
shell which may have been a kind of pendant,

Burial No. 52, closely flexed on the left. In the space between the thighs
and the body was a celt of indurated shale, 7.1 inches in length. The handle
of this celt was in place, but was so badly charred that it fell to fragments on
removal. This burial lay, in part at least, on a kind of mat made of reeds or of
small canes placed parallel in contact and joined together with cords crossing at
right angles.

Burial No. 53, closely flexed to the left.

Burial No. 54, partly flexed on the right, both humeri somewhat extended
in front of the trunk, with the forearms partly flexed on them. At the neck
were shell beads, near which were three arrowheads. All the projectile points
from this mound are of medium size or small, triangular, and delicately made.

Burial No. 55, closely flexed on the right.

Burials Nos. 56, 57, 58, all disturbances, having been put in disorder, to

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 347

some extent, by an aboriginal trench. At the neck of Burial No. 50 were shell
beads. Burial No. 57 had, at the neck, a hatchet of indurated shale, 6.1 inches
long, having a handle badly charred which extended under the upper part of
the thorax.

Burial No. 59, extended on the back. Resting on the pelvis was a vessel of
coarse ware having a rude head, in fragments, which has been restored and
proves to be a bottle of about the same kind as that found with Burial No. 77,
this mound, shown in Fig. 70. The bottle from this burial has been sent to the
I nited States National Museum (Accession 58442).

Burial No. 60, a disturbance.

Burial No. 61, extended on the back. Under this burial had been a mat
such as has been described in connection with other burials in the mound.

FIG. 74. Gorget of shell. With Burial No. 75. Bennett Place, Tenn. (About full size.)

Burials Nos. 62 and 63, children, the small skeletons considerably burnt.

Burial No. 64, partly flexed on the left.

Burial No. 65, partly flexed on the left, On the chest had been an ornament
of sheet-copper reduced to small fragments when found.

Burial No. 66, partly flexed on the right, the humeri along the body, the
forearms flexed against them. At the neck were shell beads; under the skull
was a handsome knife of flint, more than 9.5 inches in length, having a fine
point at one end, neatly rounded at the other.

Burials Nos. 67 and 68, partly flexed on the right, Burial No. 68 having shell
beads at the neck.

Burial No. 69, partly flexed to the right.

Burial No. 70, partly flexed on the right.

Burial No. 71, closely flexed on the right.

Burial No. 72, partly flexed on the left.

348 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 73, extended on the back.

Burial No. 74, at full length, face down.

Burial No. 75, the skeleton of a child about two years of age, lay in a grave,
showing no mark of fire. At the neck were five globular beads of shell to which
had been attached a shell gorget of unusual shape (Fig. 74). Shell beads also
were at the ankles, making 103 in all for this burial. At the feet was a painted
bowl about 5.5 inches in diameter (Plate VIII, Fig. 2) of the fine ware noted in

vniiii.innnnn,

FIG. 75. Design of decoration on vessel with Burial No 75. (Half-size.)

connection with the bowl from the stone grave in this mound. This bowl,
standing upright, had upon it a pot of the usual coarse ware, having two loop-
handles and containing a carved spoon of shell.

The design on the bowl, part of which suggests the swastika, is shown in
diagram (Fig. 75), the painted portions represented by cross-hatch lines. This
design is in part similar to one on a bowl from New Mexico, described by Doctor
Fewkes, 1 and incidentally we would call attention to a dancing female figure on
a vessel described in the same work 2 which greatly resembles one on a bowl found

1 J. Walter Fewkes, " Archaeology of the Lower Mimbres Valley," Smithsonian Misc. Coll.,
Vol. LXIII, No. 10, Fig. 31.

2 Plate I, No. 2.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

349

by us in the Rose Mound 1 on St. Francis River, Ark. The shade of the pig
ment on this bowl from the Bennett mound differs from that usually found on
aboriginal ware decorated in red, being richer and resembling closely the color
of the material found by us with certain burials along Red river, in Arkansas,
that proved to be red oxide of iron which had been subjected to heat.
Burial No. 76, partly flexed to the left.

FIG. 76. Vessel of earthenware. With Burial No. 77. Bennett Place, Tenn. (Height 13.75 inches.)

Burial No. 77, closely flexed on the right. At the head was a bottle in
man} 7 fragments which have been put together (Fig. 76), the head probably
representing that of some animal or perhaps a human head. An attempt has
been made to indicate the ears. At the neck were a few shell beads.

Burial No. 78, closely flexed on the left. About one foot from this burial
lay a beautiful ceremonial axe of indurated shale, 8.9 inches in length, width of
blade 2.9 inches, width of opposite end 1.1 inch, flaring at the cutting edge as

1 "Antiquities of the St. Francis River," etc., Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XIV, Plate XII.

350

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

do many copper axes (Fig. 77). Axes of this kind in stone are uncommon, but
are occasionally met. This one, however, is figured on a much larger scale
than has been accorded before to this class of axes. With the axe were three
arrowheads of flint.

Burial No. 79, partly flexed on the right. This burial had but a thin deposit
of reddened clay above it, and in consequence was inconsiderably burnt.

Burial No. 80, extended on the back.

FIG. 77. Ceremonial axe. With Burial No. 78. Bennett Place, Tenn. (Full size.)

Burial No. 81, partly flexed to the right, This skeleton lay beyond the
red-clay deposit and was unburnt.

Burial No. 82, extended on the back.

Burial No. 83, at full length, face down. Shell beads were at the pelvis.
A remarkable feature in connection with this burial was that the brain, much
reduced in size but retaining its shape, was found in place in the skull, which
lay in fragments.

This interesting specimen was given by us to the Army Medical Museum,
Washington, D. C. A letter expressing our willingness to publish a communi
cation in regard to it remains unacknowledged.

Burials Nos. 84 and 85, children, the latter skeleton having a large mussel-
shell at the head, burnt and broken.

Burial No. 86, a skull and a femur, unburnt, lying beneath a mass of sand
stone.

Burial No. 87, extended on the back, the arms folded on the chest, the legs
crossed near the ankles. This skeleton lay on the red deposit and showed no
mark of fire. At the neck were 166 pearls pierced for use as beads. Shell beads

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 351

were at the thorax and at the knees. Three vessels of coarse ware, undecorated,
crushed, had been in line parallel to the right thigh.

Bnrial No. 88, adolescent, extended on the back. At the left thigh were a
celt of indurated shale, 3.7 inches long, with double cutting edge, and a coarse,
undecorated vessel badly crushed.

Burial No. 89, partly flexed to the left. Under the knees was a coarse,
undecorated bowl, and a vessel, also of inferior ware, filled with carbonized
organic matter. Near the skull was a small, earthenware
pipe (Fig. 78) which was somewhat broken by a blow from
a trowel but has since been restored. Near this burial was
an object of wood which had been copper-coated.

Burial No. 90. Rising water on the last day of our in
vestigation prevented determination as to the form of this
burial.

Burial No. 91, adolescent, slightly flexed to the left, Oli-
vella shells, pierced for suspension, lay with this burial. FlG 7x. pi p ,. &lt;&gt;f

Burial No. 92, disturbance. earthenware. With

Found apart from bones or near scattered ones were three I 5 """! &gt;&gt;"&lt;&gt; v
celts of moderate size, found separately, a discoidal of quartz ))out f ^]| Ki/(1 ) "
(not bicave), 4 inches in diameter; a ceremonial axe of the
hoe-shaped variety, of indurated shale, 5.8 inches long; and two small knives
of flint. The ceremonial axe and the knives lay together, just below the sur
face, entirely away from burials and probably constituted a cache. Holmes, 1
speaking of these hoe-shaped axes, says: A suggestion of cultural connection
with South America is found in the frequent occurrence in this [Florida] and
other Gulf states of a perforated hoe-shaped stone implement which corre
sponds closely with a type of ax prevalent in South America. It is believed to
have had only a ceremonial use north of the Gulf."

Other objects found were: most of a small, shell gorget having excisions to
form a cross of the cardinal directions; two large musselshclls, each to receive a
handle, fitting them for use as hoes; an imperforate disk of shell 1.5 inch in diam
eter; a rude, undecorated vessel of earthenware; part of a coarse vessel having
had an animal s head as decoration; the penis-bone of a raccoon, the end sharp
ened for use as an implement; jaw of a black bear.

MOUND B.

Mound B, a few yards NNE. from Mound A, had an area of about 50 feet
square. Its maximum height above the water was about one foot, and holes n
greater depth than that became quickly filled.

William II. Holmes, "Areas of Ameriean Culture Characterization Tentatively Outlined as
an Aid in the Study of American Antiquities," American Anthropologist, July Sept., 1914, p. -\ 2:\.

352 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

MOUND C.

A short distance N. by W. from Mound A was Mound ( , on a very irregular
area of about 5,400 square yards. The mound, having a circular base, was 5
feet in height and had a diameter of 50 feet. An excavation 12 feet square was
sunk until water was reached, passing through dark soil containing organic
matter but having no trace of burials. The base of the excavation was care
fully prodded for stone graves, but without success.

A short distance NNE. from mound A is an area above water, somewhat
greater in extent than is that upon which was Mound C The area in question,
which had a barn upon it before the construction of the dam, had no elevation
which was distinctly a mound. At its highest part, however, several feet above
water-level, trial-holes showed no sign of aboriginal occupancy and soon reached
undisturbed subsoil.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE ON THE WHITE PLACE, MARION COUNTY.

In full view from the river, on property of Mr. Taylor White, resident upon
it, was a mound 7 feet 4 inches in height and 52 feet by 35 feet in diameter of
base, which was said never to have been dug into or plowed over. The dwelling-
site lies between the mound and the river.

The mound, which would have been a symmetrical, blunt cone had not the
marginal parts on two opposite sides been plowed away, was dug by us to the
extent of an excavation 14 feet square, sunk centrally and including a consider
able portion of the slope as well as all the summit, there having been practically
no level space on the top.

What was seemingly a base was reached at a depth between 6.5 and 7 feet,
the clay at that level having been of a lighter shade than was that of which the
mound was composed. Masses of sandstone, some about double the size of a
human head, others of greater or less dimensions, were scattered here and there
in the mound with no arrangement.

About 9 inches from the summit was a human skull in fragments, much
decayed.

Four feet below the top of the mound, approximately, but somewhat less
from the sloping surface under which this burial lay, were traces of human
remains, indicating a burial partly flexed, the knees to the right. This burial
was represented by traces of a skull, then a space where ribs, vertebrae, and
arms had been, and then traces of femora and tibise.

In a grave 4 feet 7 inches by 1 foot 10 inches, extending about 1 foot below
the base of the mound and very clearly denned in the light-yellow clay, was a
skeleton at a total depth of about 8 feet, considerably decayed and fragmentary,
but in much better condition than was the one above it in the mound, lying
closely flexed to the right, the head directed SSW. Both humeri were parallel
to the body, the right forearm flexed closely against the upper arm, the left
forearm across the body. This burial lay at the end of our excavation.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

About central as to the base and extending 1 foot 4 inches into the yellow
clay below it, was a grave in the form of a wide ellipse, (i feet by 4 feet, approxi
mately, containing a much-decayed skeleton partly flexed to the left, the head
NNE., the whole burial being indicated simply by small fragments. The

FIG. 79. Grave in the center of the base of the mound, 6 feet by 4 feet, having an arrangement
of stones placed over a skeleton, the crushed skull of which is visible in the illustration. White Place,
Tenn.

skeleton had been placed immediately on the base of the grave, and directly on
the skeleton and around it had been arranged irregularly twenty-six blocks of
sandstone as shown in Fig. 79, a .space, however, having been left uncovered

35 JOURN. A. N. S. 1 HILA., VOL. XVI.

354

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

over and around the skull, which was in fragments when found, as shown in the
illustration. No artifacts of any kind lay with this burial.

The dwelling-site, of limited extent, but which perhaps had been in part
submerged when the dam caused the rise in the river at this place, was of sandy
loam and was known in the vicinity as a place where bones had been exposed by
plowing.

Fifty-one trial-holes, however, showed that burials were widely apart in it,
only four being found, as follows: one partly flexed to the right, which had been

somewhat disturbed by cultivation; another ly
ing with the trunk face down, the lower extrem
ities closely flexed to the right, the upper arms
parallel to the trunk, having the forearms flexed
against them, this burial being in a pit 15 inches
below undisturbed ground which, at that spot,
was 32 inches deep; a third burial, 27 inches
down, being a skull and thoracic parts with the
upper-arms, the rest of the skeleton having been
cut away by a pit which contained no burial;
and, lastly, a skeleton closely flexed on the right,
the head ESE., 3.5 feet deep, the last 18 inches
of which being the depth of a grave extending
into the sand underlying the field.

Several arrowheads or knives, of flint, were
found in the soil apart from burials, as was an
interesting object of claystone, shown in Fig. 80, having a part missing when dis
covered, which has since been restored, none of this part, however, showing in
the illustration.

WILLIAMS ISLAND, HAMILTON COUNTY.

Williams Island, which belongs to Mr. Walter Hampton, of North Chatta
nooga, to whom we are indebted for permission to investigate a number of
interesting sites on Tennessee river, is about five miles by water below Chatta
nooga.

The island, which has a history, both local and otherwise, of aboriginal
relics discovered there, is about two miles in length and one-half mile in maxi
mum width.

Its principal aboriginal site is about half-way down the island, on the eastern
side, bordering the water, arid is a small field of rich, dark soil having some
aboriginal debris scattered over the surface. In this field, near the water s
edge, was a slight elevation in which, we were told, the principal digging had
been done by those who had visited Williams Island in search of relics.

Eight trial-holes were sunk by us in this elevation to underlying, undisturbed,
yellow, sandy soil, which was reached at a depth of from 2 to 3 feet without

FIG. 80. Object of clay.stone.
White Place, Tonn. (Full size.)

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER.

encountering other than fragmentary human remains, save in one instance
(Burial No. 1) where a grave continued into the subsoil, containing a skeleton
partly flexed to the right, the head S., at a depth of 5 feet 2 inches. Near the
skull was a rude flint knife.

Another low rise a short distance in a southerly direction from the first, and
ground adjoining buildings near the rise, contained ten burials, full details as
to which we give, not because anything of marked interest was found with them,
but for the reason that Williams Island is so famous a spot for the discovery of
aboriginal remains.

Burial No. 2, the trunk prone, the legs partly flexed to the right, the humeri
parallel to the body, the right forearm flexed against the upper arm, the left
forearm in line with the upper arm, the head N. by E., depth 34 inches.

Burial No. 3, extended on the back, the head directed N. by E., depth 22
inches. At the outer side of the left thigh were two small knives, one a chipped
pebble, the other a flake of flint; a shell ear-plug; a small shell disc; a few beads
made by perforating marine shells (Marginella apicina); two bone beads; two
small, tubular beads of copper a strange collection strangely placed unless we
consider them to have lain together in a bag.

Burial No. 4, aboriginal disturbance.

Burial No. 5, aboriginal disturbance including three skulls.

Burial No. 6, a child, 20 inches down.

Burial No. 7, adolescent, extended on the back, the head W., lay at a depth
of 2 feet, in a grave. Above the skeleton and for some distance up in the grave
were materials from a fireplace, including clay colored red by heat, ashes, and
charcoal. In places burning wood had been in direct contact with the skeleton,
as the face, the front of the thorax, and the front of the right knee, on all of
which lay charcoal, were charred, while the under part showed no mark of fire.

Burial No. 8, adolescent, extended on the back, the head W., depth 18 inches.

Burial No. 9, at full length on the back, the head N., depth 32 inches.

Burial No. 10, a child lying at full length on the back, the head S., 22 inches
down. A pot having two loop handles, and small, coarse, lined decoration
below the rim, lay at the left of the skull.

Burial No. 11, extended on the back, the head directed toward S., depth
3 feet. Between the shin-bones was a small, cutting implement of chipped
flint, and a similar one lay at the left of the skull. Seventy-two shell beads
were at the neck.

In the soil, apart from human remains, were a considerable number of pottery
disks, found separately. One of sandstone has incised on one side a cross and
on the other side a small central depression with six about equidistant lines
radiating from it.

There were also found in the dark earth a number of flint arrowheads, grace
fully made, some small but not more so than are present in many aboriginal
sites along Tennessee river; a large part of a bowl having knobs around the mar
gin; a leaf-shaped implement of flint, 3 inches in length; jaw of a black bear.

35G ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Here ends the description of the sites into which, it is believed, relic-hunters
have dug before, the remaining two sites having been, we are confident, undis
turbed before our visit.

About one-quarter mile above the lower end of the island is a restricted
area of dark soil having fragments of shell and bits of flint on the surface. No
rise was apparent.

Thirteen trial-holes came upon two burials, as follows:

Burial No. 12, closely flexed on the right, the head NNE., depth 9 inches.

Burial No. 13, partly flexed to the left, the upper arms parallel to the trunk,
the right forearm across the body, the left forearm flexed against the humcrus.

Bordering the water s edge, on the eastern side of the island and one-half
mile, approximately, from the upper end of it, is an aboriginal dwelling-site of
considerable extent, as evidenced by the character of the soil and the presence
on the surface of fragments of shell, of stone, and of pottery to a limited extent,
one bit of the latter bearing a design conferred with a stamp.

Considerable digging in this place, where no rise was apparent above the
general level, yielded two burials:

Burial No. 14, closely flexed on the right, the head SW., lay in a grave more
than 4 feet deep.

Burial No. 15, 3 feet down, partly flexed to the right, the upper arms along
the body, the right forearm closely flexed on the humerus, the left forearm in
line with the upper arm. The skull, which was directed W. by N., was saved
in excellent condition. A piercing implement of bone lay at the inner side of
the left elbow. This burial was in material similar to the surrounding soil.
No limits to the grave could be determined.

Here ended our investigation of Williams Island, as no other aboriginal
sites were apparent. It would not have surprised us to have found no burials
on this island, considering the cultivation and the amount of digging that is
said to have taken place there, but to find so few and comparatively unin
teresting objects interred with the dead at this well-known place was entirely
unexpected.

We may not leave Williams Island without reference to the minute arrow-
points alleged to have been found there and along Moccasin Bend, nearby.

These minute points, some hardly more than one-sixteenth inch in length,
are well known to archaeologists. They have been described by Professor
Moorehead 1 who, however, never having visited the locality, of course had to
rely on statements made to him. Professor Moorehead says:

"One of the strangest things in Middle South archaeology is the high art
exhibited in the exceedingly small points found at Moccasin Bend, Tennessee
river. . . .

"Col. Young [Col. Bennett H. Young, of Louisville, Ky.] has the largest

1 "Prehistoric Implements," p. 168 et seq.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 357

collection of those small Tennessee arrow-points in this country. Not more
than 500 have been found, and he has in his cabinet a collection of 350. They
have attracted attention and created much interest wherever exhibited and
for a long time many people were disposed to believe they were counterfeit
productions of the present time. In order to satisfy himself of the absolute
authenticity and genuineness of these arrow-points, Col. Young, on two occasions
visited the place where they were found. He crawled on his hands and knees
over the sand, sifting it, and after three days hard work secured two very fine
specimens and found hundreds of broken pieces, showing that these arrowheads
were made at Moccasin Point [Bend] in large numbers. The spawls from the
agate and flint are still found in large quantities; but whatever race made them
had evidently attained the highest possible skill and perfection in the manu
facture of arrowheads and obtained a knowledge which had not been communi
cated to other tribes, for in the same locality, within a hundred miles of this
point, no similar articles have ever been found."

Descriptive of the illustrations of some minute arrowpoints and other small
points of remarkable appearance, Professor Moorehcad quotes Colonel Young s
letters as follows:

"The most unusual of the objects on this card is the flint fish-hook, which
has a well defined barb. The small drills at the top of the plate and one at the
bottom are very unusual, some have square, some have rounded heads. All
of these came from Williams Island in the Tennessee river, at Moccasin Bend.
They are not only of splendid material many of them being of agate but the
points are very sharp, the serration is regular and even, and the shoulders to
the points are not only very much prolonged but the points are fine as a needle.
These were evidently made in modern times. It is impossible to conceive of
such serrations on arrowheads of such small size without the use of metal imple
ments of some kind, either for the purpose of sawing the material from which
these points were made or for the purpose of cutting them."

Colonel Young courteously replied to inquiries from our Academy in rela
tion to his connection with the minute arrowpoints, stating, among other things:

"I secured nearly all these small arrowpoints. I first got them from a dealer
in Cincinnati long since dead who had a sort of trust with the person who
found them in Moccasin Bend. These points were so remarkable that their
genuineness was questioned, and some ten or twelve years ago I went to Chatta
nooga and stayed three days. I got numerous perfect ones. The way I secured
them was to take the sand which washes down from the first and second dams
of the Tennessee river and at the deposit where then 1 would bo a pool of water
caused by the flow from the first and second dams we would sift the sand with a
very fine sifter and in this way we got not only the perfect but the imperfect
arrowpoints. I must have gotten a thousand broken ones, some fairly good
even though not perfect."

The facts as to these minute points (so far as it is advisable to publish them

358 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

in the JOURNAL), determined by us after strenuous search on the surface and
by digging, and by repeated interviews with persons in Chattanooga informed
on the subject, during a visit of six weeks to that city and its vicinity, including
Williams Island and Moccasin Bend, and later by correspondence with experts
in various parts of the country, are as follows:

1. None of these points was found by us on the surface or in graves. Had
the points been made near the river-bank and then some washed to places along
the stream, one certainly would expect others to have been carried inland and left
on the surface or deposited with burials.

2. No one living on Williams Island or along Moccasin Bend seems to know
anything of the presence of these minute points there, either now or in the past;
and citizens of Chattanooga, well informed as to the matter, have sought them
in vain and know of no proof of their actual discovery, and from various details
connected with these arrowpoints are inclined to consider them fraudulent.

3. Years ago these arrowheads were put on the market in great numbers 1
by a citizen of Chattanooga, a dealer in curiosities and in relics purporting to
come from the battlefields around Chattanooga, who later obtained a distributing
agent for the arrowheads in Cincinnati, to widen the market for them.

4. Colonel Young, of whose good faith in this matter there is no question,
when he obtained the minute arrowpoints in place did so under the guidance of
this original vendor. Williams Island is but a short distance from Chattanooga.

5. Though the original vendor, it is said, used to state that some of the
minute arrowheads had been found on Williams Island by boys, there is no
proof of any of these small arrowpoints having come into the possession of any
one except through the original vendor or through those in his company when
the alleged discovery was made.

6. In the foregoing statement no consideration has been accorded to the
minute arrowpoints on sale until recently or to the present time by a well-known
fakir in Virginia and by parties in the western Tennessee and Kentucky region.

MOUNDS ON THE CARTER FARM, HAMILTON COUNTY.

The Carter Farm, opposite Williams Island, belonging to the Chattanooga
Estates Company, C. E. James, Esq., President, has three mounds on it all
in sight from one another and from the river bank.

MOUND A.

Mound A, the most westerly of the three, is in a cultivated field and evidently
has been greatly spread by the plow. Its present height is slightly less than
4 feet; its diameter, 60 feet. Eight trial-holes, which included most of the
mound other than the marginal parts, came upon, in one instance, a double
burial in the center of the base of the mound, which seemed to have been placed

1 We know of the present whereabouts of more than six hundred.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER. 359

on the original surface soil, which was about (i inches in thickness and rested
upon undisturbed yellow clay.

The grave had been filled in for a depth of about one foot with musselshells,
having a small admixture of clay. From this depth upward the proportion of
shells mingled with the soil became gradually smaller until at the top scattered
shells were found only here and there. Elsewhere in the mound no such deposit
of shells was encountered, and it was evident they had been brought to place
over the burials in this grave. At the bottom of the grave lay the skeleton of
an adult partly flexed to the right, probably a male, judging from the size of the
long-bones, the skull being badly crushed.

With its skull resting on the thorax of the adult skeleton were the bones of a
child lying partly flexed on its left side, its pelvis extending somewhat below
that of the other skeletal parts. Beads made from Olirclla shells were at the
neck and waist of the child s skeleton. The left tibia of the adult skeleton lay
in its proper position in respect to its femur, with the exception that it was re
versed. Probably in conveying the skeleton to the mound the tibia had become
detached, and when the bone was replaced by the aborigines (which they did not
always take the trouble to do) it had been reversed as described.

MOUND B.

Mound B, the middle mound of the three, has a height of 4.5 feet, measured
from the outside. Its diameters are 60 feet and 35 feet. The marginal parts
of the mound had been plowed away to some extent on two opposite sides,
which accounts, in part at least, for the unequal diameters. Otherwise, the
mound showed no sign of former cultivation. Previous diggers, however, had
left a hole near the center, but not sufficient in extent to interfere with serious
investigation.

An excavation 12 feet square was sunk by us centrally in the mound to its
base, or at least to what seemed the base indistinctly marked, which was reached
at a depth of 6 feet. The mound was of perfectly dry clay and work in it was
carried on with the aid of picks.

Burial No. 1 lay at a depth of 2 feet 2 inches and consisted of the lower ex
tremities of an adult, flexed. There was no sign of previous digging near these
bones, and possibly the remainder of the skeleton had decayed away, or, what
we consider more likely, the burial had been originally a part of a skeleton only,
such as we found occasionally in mounds farther up the river.

Burial No. 2, partly flexed to the right, the head N\V., depth 3 feet 10 inches.
The bones were badly decayed. About one foot from the left shoulder were
two celts of indurated shale, 7 inches and 5.5 inches long, respectively. With
these were the remains of a columella of a sea-shell. Over this burial was a
deposit of musselshells mixed with the clay of the mound.

Burial No. 3, partly flexed on the left, the head directed ENE., depth 5 feel.
Here again a deposit of river shells lay just above the burial. A similar deposit

300 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

in another part of the excavation was not visibly associated with skeletal re
mains, though possibly decay might account for their absence. No other shell
deposits were found in the excavation.

Burial No. 4, a pit extending about 1 foot 3 inches below the base of the
mound, contained fragments and traces of bones which indicated that the
skeleton had been partly flexed on the right, the head pointing SSW.

MOUND C.

This mound was 45 feet distant from Mound B, and, like it, very dry and
hard. Its height was 6.5 feet, outside measurement; the diameters were 58 feet
by 36 feet. Here, too, the marginal parts had been plowed away on two opposite
sides. A trench about 4 feet wide had been carried in by diggers previous to
our coming, along the base to about its center.

An excavation 12 feet square sunk by us through the middle of this mound
included part of this trench, and at a depth of 7.5 feet came to what seemed to
be undisturbed ground in which no fragments of stone or other indication of
the presence of aboriginal products were noted. No shell deposit was encountered
in any part of the excavation. After reaching the base, a hole about 2 feet square
was carried 18 inches deeper without passing through other than seemingly
undisturbed ground.

With exception of traces of a skull found at a depth of 5.5 feet, no signs of
human remains were met by us in this mound, though it is not unlikely that
other burials formerly present in the excavated part had deca} r ed away.

At Carter Farm, which, as we have said, is opposite Williams Island, were
a number of places where the surface soil had been washed and furrowed by
rain and where quantities of small chips of flint were present. No arrowheads,
however, were found, though it would be at a place such as this that the minute
points reported discovered in this vicinity might be expected.

MOUND AND DWELLING-SITE AT WILLIAMS ISLAND FERRY, HAMILTON COUNTY.

The landing place of a ferry from the mainland to Williams Island is on
property belonging to Mr. Walter Hampton, of North Chattanooga, whose
courtesy to the Academy we have had occasion to note in connection with
Williams Island.

About one hundred yards easterly from the eastern end of Williams Island
Ferry, in a cultivated field, is a mound slightly more than 2 feet in height and
about 50 feet in diameter, whose shape has probably been altered by long culti
vation.

Eight trial-holes, which covered fairly what had been the original mound,
came upon a skeleton (Burial No. 1) lying at full length on the back at a depth
of 2 feet, in the base of the mound. Near the left shoulder was an arrowhead of
flint.

About 50 yards in a northerly direction from the mound, in the same field,

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVER. 361

was ;i low elevation having considerable debris on the surface. Five skeletons
were uncovered as a result of considerable digging.

Burial No. 2, closely flexed on the right, the upper arms parallel to the body,
having the forearms closely flexed against them, had two slabs of limestone
over the feet. This burial was 8 inches below the surface.

Burial No. 3, adolescent, partly flexed to the left, lay in a grave 18 inches
below the surface, one foot of the grave extending into undisturbed yellow clay
which afforded a marked contrast to the dark soil with which the grave was
filled. Beads made by piercing sea-shells (Olivdla) were around the waist,
along both forearms, at the inner side of the right upper arm, at the front of
the upper part of the right side of the thorax, and at the back of the right shoulder-
blade, 888 in all. At the right elbow, encircling the forearm, were nine beads
from 1.1 inch to 1.0 inch in length, made from columclla? of marine shells.

Burial No. 4, at full length on the back, depth one foot.

Burials Nos. 5 and 0, children lying side by side, one foot down.

DwELLIN(i-SITK AND MoUNDS OX THE HAMPTON" PLACE, HAMILTON (BOUNTY.

On the left-hand side of the river, going up, in sight from the lower part
of the city of Chattanooga, on Moccasin Bend, famed for the discovery there of
aboriginal remains, is one of the numerous properties so courteously placed by
Mr. Walter Hampton, of North Chattanooga, Term., at the disposal of the
Academy for investigation.

Over much of this estate, in places, lies debris left by aboriginal occupancy,
and circumstantial accounts from various sources, of the finding of many relics
on the place, superficially and by digging, are current.

Wires carving power to the city of Chattanooga and beyond from the elec
trical plant at Halo s liar dam cross Tennessee river at the lower end of this
estate. About two hundred yards ESE. from the last iron structure supporting
the wires on the side of the river on which the estate 1 is, we noticed ground
slightly higher than was most of the cultivated land surrounding it, and were
told by Mr. Ilaney, the tenant on the lower part of the Hampton Place, that
human bones had been dug from this place in the past.

Extensive digging by us in this higher ground strongly indicated that burials
in it had been confined to a restricted area of irregular outline, 34 feet long
and 19 feet and 2o feet wide at the two ends, respectively.

This burial place was completely dug through by us and proved to be loamy
sand extending down about 4 feet to underlying clay. In it were encountered
thirty-one burials (excluding several disturbed by previous digging), all in graves
or in grave-pits, the graves being such as we had been accustomed to along the
river, containing flexed burials and burials at length.

The grave-pits, however, were circular, about 2 feet in diameter, and were
deeper than the graves, sometimes extending afoot or more into the underlying
:&gt;jori{\. A. \. s. rmi.A., VOL. xvi.

362 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

clay. In these grave-pits burials, through lack of space, had been placed more
or less vertically, as will be described in due course.

Nearly every burial in this cemetery, but not all, had been interred in con
nection with the use of ceremonial fire, the graves and pits having been first
filled and then above there had been placed an extensive layer of clay, greater
in extent than the area of the grave. This clay, red from the effect of fire,
probably had been placed above the graves while hot. 1 In several instances
imprints of matting, etc., were found on these masses of clay, which imprints
probably denote that a wigwam had been burnt ceremonially.

That this red clay did not come from fireplaces made directly over the graves
is clearly proved by the fact that the material of this site was of loamy sand, as

stated, and could not have burnt into lumps
such as were found, through the effect of any

. Loarny sand. - degree of heat. Evidently the burnt clay

had been brought and deposited. Further
more, no ashes or charcoal were with the

; ;,; ; .-; ..-; . "~ : : - :: layers of clay, nor was the sand below them

&gt;,- ; Tilling of grave-;.: affected by heat to any marked extent. Clay

. -. /. : . v /S V. V i ,;.: for wattle-and-daub buildings, which presum-

ably had been burnt ceremonially at the time
^ these burials, could, however, easily have
^ een obtained from the underlying clay or
Underlying W-M*vtfv^/ c ay from rolling ground not more than one hun-

dred yards distant.
Scale in jeet s These layers of reddened clay, however,

were not on the present surface of the ground,

FIG. 81. A typical burial. Hampton

Place Tenn. but at some depth beneath it. .Presumably,

after the burials had been made and the cere
monial rites performed at this place, the occupancy of the site continued with
a consequent increase in its height.

A typical example of the grave-pits, but by no means applying exactly
to all of them, as they varied considerably in detail, is as follows (see section,
Fig. 81):

Loamy sand on top, 14 inches.

Reddened clay, 6 inches.

Material filling that part of the grave-pit in the made-ground, 30 inches.

The same material continuing into underlying clay, 12 inches.

Depth from surface, 5 feet 2 inches.

Here follow details of the burials:

Burial No. 1, partly flexed on the right, 46 inches to the upper surface of the
bones. A flint knife or arrowhead lay in the soil nearby.

1 See our account of the Bennett Place, pages 338-352 of this report.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 363

Burial No. 2, partly flexed to the left, depth 49 inches. A pot of coarse
ware with rude decoration of elementary design lay near the skull.

Burial No. 3, depth 4 feet, lay at length, face down as far as the knees, the
legs being closely flexed against the thighs, the forearms and arms parallel to
the body.

Burial No. 4, a skeleton in a grave-pit 52 inches deep, closely flexed, the
pelvis at the bottom of the pit, the body bent above it so that the head lay
over and upon the pelvis. The thighs were in an almost vertical position, the
legs flexed against them. The skull of this skeleton was saved.

Burial No. 5, a skeleton partly flexed to the left, there being a depth of 43
inches to the upper surface of the bones, our method of measuring such burials.
The right arm and forearm were parallel to the trunk; the left humerus was
against the side of the body, the forearm flexed on it. At the neck were three
tubular, brass beads, much corroded, and a disc of brass (the reader will note
we are describing a post-C Columbia site) slightly more than 3 inches in diameter,
having a central opening .8 inch across.

Burial No. lay in a grave 40 inches down, the trunk on the back, the thighs
vertical, at right angles to the body, the legs flexed against them. The humeri
were parallel to the trunk, the forearms lying across it. Near the chin lay
an iron celt 2.5 inches in length. Alongside the skull was a layer of powdered
hematite, about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch in maximum thickness, in which
lay a tubular bead of brass. On the upper part of the, thorax was a boss of sheet-
copper about 4 inches in diameter, having a small central perforation, which
evidently had been suspended by many strung glass beads which, including two
tubular beads of brass, each about 1 inch in. length, were at the neck. Glass
beads also were at the left elbow. An arrowhead or knife lay near the right
wrist, and two deposits of arrowpoints of flint, three in one deposit, two in the
other, were near the pelvis. None of these points was less than an inch in
length.

Burial No. 7, a child, 53 inches down.

Burial No. 8, a partial burial consisting of a skull without the lower jaw, a
femur and a tibia, together, under unbroken layers.

Burial No. 9, a skeleton which Burial No. 6 had cut through, leaving bones
from the pelvis up only. With this burial was a deposit of powdered hematite"
11 inches by 8 inches, and 1 inch in maximum thickness, with which was a tubular
bead of sheet-brass. At the side of the skull were two discs of brass, placed
vertically together, while two others of the same material lay horizontally be
neath the chin. Near the skull was a tubular bead of bone 1.7 inch in length,
and behind the skull the remains of a large marine shell (Cassis tuberosa), the
interior of which had been removed to form a cup.

The discs, one pair about 4.25 inches in diameter, the other pair slightly
larger, all had central openings ranging between 1 inch and 1.5 inch in diameter,
one of the larger discs having in addition four small perforations in a row. The
skull of this skeleton was saved.

364 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 10, an aboriginal disturbance having part of the skull and of
one shoulder cut away by the grave of Burial No. 11. This burial (No. 10)
had been loosely flexed in a semireclining position. Near the head, together,
were two pipes, one of claystonc (Fig. 82), the other of limestone, both of an
interesting and unusual form seemingly popular at this place, three of this
kind having been found here. The shape, very novel, may be a highly con
ventionalized bird-head or animal form. An iron knife lay on the thorax and a
flint arrow-point was near the left thigh.

At some little distance from the remains, though probably placed in con
nection with them, was a grooved hammer of flint.

Fi(i. 82. Pipe of claystono. With Burial No. FIG. 83. Pipe of earthenware. With Burial No.

10. Hampton Place, Teun. (About full size.) 12. Hampton Place, Tcnn. (About full size.)

Burial No. 11, at the bottom of a grave-pit slightly less than 5 feet deep,
was a skeleton closely flexed in a vertical position, the knees in front of the
chin, the arms along the trunk, the forearms brought forward to the outer side
of the legs. Near the right elbow was a deposit of red hematite in powder,
about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches in maximum thickness, approximately.
Partly around each humerus was an armlet of sheet-brass about 3.5 inches in
width. These armlets had not entirely enclosed the arms, the extremities being
about 1.5 inch apart and having each two holes to accommodate a cord or sinew.
Around each wrist were bracelets of iron, two in one instance, three in the other.
These bracelets, which are badly corroded, are open at one place, like the armlets.

Burial No. 12 was at the bottom of a grave-pit, closely flexed and reclining
against the side of the pit. Two pipes, one of earthenware (Fig. 83) and a small
globular one of limestone, were at the left forearm; a small, flint arrowhead lay
in front of the pelvis. A deposit of red pigment was along the left side of the
trunk.

Burial No. 13. This skeleton was reclining against the side of the pit, the
thighs vertical, the legs bent against them, the skull bending over until it reached

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 365

the pelvis behind the thighs. The right humerus was almost horizontally
forward, the forearm partly flexed toward it; the left humerus downward and
forward, the forearm flexed across the trunk. This grave-pit was 5 feet 8 inches
in depth.

Burial No. 14 was reclining, closely flexed, against the side of a grave-pit
4 feet 2 inches in depth, the head bent over between the knees, both humcri
along the trunk, the forearms lying across the pelvis.

Burial No. 15, badly disturbed by the pit dug for Burial No. 12. Near the
bones lay part of a pipe of claystone, which probably belonged to the midden
debris around, the broken surface of the pipe showing age.

Burial No. 16, reclining against the side of the grave, the trunk tilted to one
side, the thighs upward and widely separated, the legs closely flexed on them,
the skull bent over against the right leg just below the knee, the right liumerus
projecting horizontally forward, the forearm partly flexed, the left humerus
extending out from the side of the trunk horizontally, the forearm partly flexed
on it. Depth of pit, 5 feet.

Burial No. 17, the trunk reclining against the side of the pit and somewhat
tilted to the right, the right femur extending upward and outward, the left femur
vertical, the legs closely flexed against the thighs, the head crushed down on the
pelvis, the right humerus downward along the trunk, the forearm across the
pelvis, the left humerus extending laterally at a right angle from the body, the
forearm flexed closely on it. In front of the right humerus, in a little heap, were
one flint arrowhead and seven small scrapers of like material. Below these,
between the skull and the femur, was a knife of iron or of steel, having a pro
jection from the blade, which, perhaps, had been encased in wood to serve as a
handle. With the knife were two pebbles and a large flake of flint.

Burial No. 18, partly flexed on the left, 3 feet 10 inches down.

Burial No. 19 lay at length on the back as far as the knees, the legs closely
flexed against the thighs, 4 feet 5 inches down.

Burial No. 20, partly flexed on the left, the humeri along the trunk, the
forearms closely flexed on them.

Burial No. 21, the trunk leaning against the side of the pit, which was 5 feet
8 inches deep, the thighs widely apart, the legs flexed against them, the skull
crushed down between the thighs and resting on the pelvis, the humeri parallel
to the trunk, the forearms brought forward across it.

Burial No. 22, closely flexed, reclining against the side of the grave-pit, the
knees drawn up nearly to the head, which leaned over somewhat. The arms
were down alongside the body, the forearms across it. Depth of pit, 5 feet 6
inches.

Burial No. 23, partly flexed on the left, 4 feet down. A boss of sheet-brass,
.6 inch in diameter, having a small, central hole for attachment, was at the left
ear, none, however, being present on the opposite side of the head, though part
of one was found on the pelvis where presumably it had fallen. Glass beads
were at the left forearm.

366 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 24, the trunk resting sidewise against the wall of the pit, which
was 5 feet 2 inches deep, the head forced down on the pelvis and resting between
the thighs, which were flexed obliquely upward, having the legs closely flexed
against them. The right humerus slanted downward and outward, the fore
arm flexed on it and crossing the pelvis; the left humerus extended obliquely
down alongside the skull, the forearm partly flexed across the pelvis. A pipe of
limestone (Fig. 84) was above the left shoulder, and ten arrowheads of flint, the

FIG. 84. Pipe of limestone. With Burial No. 24, Hampton Place, Tenn. (Full size.)

smallest of which was 1.1 inch in length, were at the outer side of the left humerus.
The skull of this skeleton was saved.

Burial No. 25 had been cut away in part by a grave for another burial. Both
humeri, however, were present, and on each was an armlet of brass of the kind
already described as having been found at this place.

Burial No. 26, reclining on the side of the pit, which was 4 feet 3 inches
deep, the femora about vertical but somewhat separated, the legs flexed on them,
the head bent over between the knees, both humeri alongside the body, the
forearms crossing to the pelvis. On the chest was a disc of sheet-brass 5.25
inches in diameter, having a small central hole for attachment, and a number
of glass beads which probably had been strung on the cord by which the disc
had been suspended.

Burial No. 27, partly flexed to the left, the trunk face down, the right humerus
slightly forward and under the body, the forearm in line with the humerus,
the left upper arm somewhat out from the body, the forearm flexed back under
the thorax.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 367

This burial was exceptional, the skeleton lying in a grave 4 feet 3 inches
deep, which had been filled in to a depth of 14 inches with the ordinary material
from the site, leaving a concave surface. Above this was a layer of charcoal,
7 inches deep, which followed the outline of the sandy loam. Above the char
coal was reddened clay in small masses, having a maximum thickness of 15 inches,
which, in its turn, was covered by 14 inches of sandy loam.

Burial No. 28 lay partly flexed to the right, the right humerus along the
trunk, the forearm crossing the body at about a right angle, the left upper arm
along the thorax, the forearm flexed upward and across the thorax. Three
chips, and five flint arrowheads, the smallest 1.05 inch in length, lay at the
left of the skull, and at the outer side of the left elbow, in an elongated pile,
were 47 fragments nearly all of flint, a few probably of quartzite, the largest

FIG. 85. Pipe of earthenware. With Burial Xo. 28. Hampton Place, Tonn. (About full size.)

having the bulk, but not the outline, of a hen s egg; three pebbles; three leaf-
shaped implements of flint, the largest 3.75 inches in length; a small flint scraper.
On the thorax lay an interesting pipe of earthenware (Fig. 85) having perforated
projections on two opposite sides of the bowl, a very rare form, and two discs,
one of copper, about 5 inches in diameter, lying immediately above the other,
which is of brass and has a diameter of 6.3 inches. Both these discs have central,
circular openings, the smaller slightly more than 2 inches across, the larger 3.3
inches in diameter.

Burial No. 29, a child 44 inches down, having glass beads at the neck and
wearing a bracelet of sheet-brass rolled to make a roughly-circular cross-section
and having the extremities drawn around to bring one somewhat above the other.

Burial No. 30, the trunk lying extended on the right side at the bottom of a
pit 5 feet in depth, the right humerus projecting somewhat from the side, the
forearm partly flexed on it, the left upper arm along the trunk, the forearm flexed
against its upper arm, the right femur diagonally across the pelvis, the tibia
closely flexed on the thigh, the left femur vertical, its tibia partly flexed on it.

368 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 31, the trunk against the side of the pit, bending forward, the
thighs together and vertical, the legs closely flexed on them, the skull bent over
back of the femora, on the pelvis, the right humerus down along the aside of
the pit, the left humerus diagonally forward and down, both forearms across
the pelvis. On the sternum was a disc of sheet-brass 4.5 inches in diameter,
having a circular opening in the center somewhat less than 1 inch across. Above
the head was a rusty blade of iron or of steel. Burnt clay lay just above this
burial, which, however, was not affected by heat. The grave-pit was 5 feet in
depth.

In the digging were found, apart from burials, a number of arrowheads and
scrapers of flint; a celt of igneous rock, 4.5 inches in length, grooved on its nar
rower sides to facilitate fastening; a pebble about 3.5 inches long, rudely chipped
to form a spearhead; and a jaw probably of a young bison.

The entire property at this place was carefully searched with a view to the
discovery of minute arrowpoints and in the hope of finding another cemetery,
in both of which efforts, however, we were unsuccessful, though considerable
digging was done in various places which evidently had been aboriginal dwelling-
sites.

From the surface came: A considerable number of arrowheads and knives of
flint, some of the arrowheads being slender and triangular like most found in
this region, the smallest one being about .75 inch in length; small scrapers of
flint; rude chisels of shale; a pebble notched on two opposite sides, evidently a
sinker, found near the river-bank; a stone of considerable size, deeply pitted in
three places and showing other somewhat elementary pits; a handsome point of
flint, 3.5 inches in length; a small, triangular pendant of sheet-brass, pierced at
one end for suspension.

Mr. Earle Haney, son of the tenant on the lower part of the Hampton Place,
a pupil at the high school in Chattanooga and much interested in Indian anti
quities, informed us he had resided on the place eight years and had found on it
quantities of arrowpoints, none of which, however, was less than one-half inch
in length, and points of this size were very exceptional.

Following along the bank, upstream, on this property for about one mile,
one comes in sight of a mound (Mound A) near a building used for the storage
of hay. This mound, 6.5 feet high, measured from the outside, and 42 feet in
diameter of its irregularly circular base, evidently had been much dug into
previously in the upper part.

A central excavation 12 feet square was put down by us, soon reaching bones
scattered by former diggers, and in another place, four slabs of stone near which
no bones were found. At a depth of 4.5 feet the upper part of a skeleton was
reached, the remainder having been cut away by digging, aboriginal or recent.
A dark base-line was reached 6 feet 7 inches down, which had been cut through
by a grave 45 inches long by 2 feet wide, extending 10 inches into the undisturbed,
underlying soil. In this grave no trace of bone remained, though a small quartz
crystal, which doubtless had been with a burial, was found.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 369

In sight from Mound A, did not the building" intervene, was a low mound, or
the remainder of a mound, which had been under cultivation. Its height at
the time of our visit was 18 inches; its diameter, 50 feet. A central excavation
12 feet square was put down by us, about in the middle of which was a skeleton,
closely flexed on the left, which evidently had been placed on the original surface
of the ground and earth piled over it. At the lower part of the pelvis, not in a
pile but scattered along near one another, were twenty-three triangular arrow
heads of flint, having concave bases, some slightly broken, the smallest of which
was .75 inch in length.

This mound was on a slope, consequently the outer part of it on one side
was of greater depth than were the central parts, and that portion which was
higher on the slope. A burial found considerably away from the center and in
that part of the mound which descended the slope, was at a depth of 3.5 feet.
The mound at this point was 27 inches to the base, and the grave in which this
burial lay extended 16 inches into underlying soil, the grave being 4 feet wide
by 6 feet 2 inches in length. The skeleton lay at full length on the back, without
artifact of any kind.

About 250 yards W. by N. from Mound A was another which probably had
been about 3 feet in height, but which was so thoroughly gutted that marginal
parts only surrounded an excavation.

Approximately 180 yards NNW. from Mound A was one 3.5 feet in height
and 45 feet in diameter, rilled with comparatively recent burials in coffins.

In the neighborhood of 315 yards NE. from Mound A, on the summit of a
low hill overlooking the river, was a mound 5.5 feet in height and 35 feet in
diameter of its circular base. This mound, which culminated almost in a peak,
had trees upon it and evidently never had been under cultivation. An excava
tion 12 feet square reached a distinct, dark, basal line resting on clay and gravel
at a depth of 6 feet 3 inches from the summit of the mound. No sign of bone,
sherd, or chipped stone was encountered in this mound, and no grave had cut
through the base.

DWELLING-SITE ON CHATTANOOGA ISLAND, HAMILTON COUNTY.

Opposite the city of Chattanooga is a small island, the property of Mr.
Joseph Willis of Chattanooga, which has some history of burials and artifacts
discovered there in the past. A careful examination of the island showed it
to have been an aboriginal dwelling-site, but its proximity to a large city pre
sumably had been the cause that but few" objects of interest were visible on the
surface. No fragments of human bones were to be seen, nor was there any rise
of the ground or marked darkening of the soil to indicate the presence of
burials.

A number of trial-holes were put down in different parts of the island, one
of which came upon a skeleton lying closely flexed to the right, the right forearm
flexed back against the humerus, the left forearm diagonally up across the thorax.

37 JOUHN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

370 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The head was directed E. by N. This burial, which was without artifacts, lay
at a depth of 28 inches.

On the surface were picked up by our party twelve arrowheads or knives, of
flint, all with shoulders or rudimentary shoulders, or with single shoulders (some
having been made in this way). These twelve flints ranged in size between
somewhat more than 1 inch and about 2 inches. The flint was variously black,
pink, white, and shades of brown and gray.

At the Citico site, which next will be described, and which is visible from
Chattanooga, quantities of arrowheads were found, almost all of which are
triangular, and all, save very few, are of black flint. These facts illustrate how
difficult it would be to generalize as to this region.

CiTico 1 MOUND AND SITE, HAMILTON COUNTY.

A short distance above the city of Chattanooga, in view from its water
works and from Tennessee river, is a mound in a large, cultivated field, belonging,
at the time of our first visit, to Mr. George W. Gardenhire, of Chattanooga,
and when the place was again visited by us, to the Montague estate, represented
by Mr. N. Thayer Montague, of Chattanooga. The mound, which takes its
name from nearby Citico creek, 15.5 feet in height, has been quadrangular with
a flat top, but as every part of its surface has been under cultivation, the corners
of the mound are now rounded, though the sides are astonishingly steep consider
ing the plowing and subsequent wash of rain to which they must have been sub
jected. In basal diameter the mound is 110 feet by 145 feet; the summit-
plateau in corresponding directions, 71 feet by 42 feet.

The investigation of the mound described by Mr. M. C. Read in the Smith
sonian Report for 1867, tells of a tunnel carried into the mound, of skeletons
found below the base, and of the discovery of post-holes, etc.

Probably a structure of some kind had existed and burials had been made
beneath it, or it had been erected over burials and the mound had been built
around and above the structure.

The mound, however, was domiciliary and not a burial mound, as an excava
tion 12 feet square sunk by us to a depth of 12 feet from the center of the summit-
plateau encountered no interments or signs of interments. Evidence of former

1 The Citico mound described here, and the creek of that name which is referred to, as we have
stated before, must not be confused with others of like name described in the 12th Annual Report of
the Bureau of American Ethnology, pp. 373 and 375. The Citico creek there mentioned, near which
a Citico mound is, flows into Little Tennessee river and the mound is near the junction in Monroe
County, Tenn. Little Tennessee river enters the Tennessee opposite Lenoir City. The Citico mound
in Monroe County is referred to by Cyrus Thomas in his "Catalogue of Prehistoric Works," p. 210.
For the name Citico (Si tiku ) see Mooney in 19th An. Rep. Bur. Am. Ethn., p. 531. The Citico
mound near Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, examined by us, is described in the Smithsonian
Report for 1867, p. 401 el seq., and is referred to by Cyrus Thomas in oth An. Rep. Bur. Am. Ethn.,
p. 77 et seq.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 371

digging was found in places, but no trace of skeletal remains was present in the
material. 1

Extending ENE. and WSW. from the mound, which is near the western end,
is a ridge with flat top, about 250 feet in width and 600 feet in length, and having
a height, judging from holes put down from the surface to undisturbed clay, of
about 4 feet. On the eastern end of this ridge is an elevation of about 3.5 feet.
The ridge is artificial, or mostly so, and has grown up under prolonged occupancy.

Over the surface of the ridge, the elevation, and part of the mound is abundant
midden-debris, including shells, considerable pottery, and fragments of flint.
The pottery, shell-tempered, is as a rule coarse and undecorated, some of the
fragments, however, bearing very elementary, incised designs rudely executed.
One sherd, however, of hard, smooth ware and having but little shell-tempering,
if any, had an incised decoration of partly interlocked scrolls, fairly well executed.
Another bore a design conferred by the aid of a stamp, and a fragment of yellow
ware was found bearing part of a design in red paint.

Finished artifacts on the surface were rare, the site evidently having been
carefully searched by visitors from town, where there is a ready market for
antiquities, and we learned that a former resident of Chattanooga had syste
matically dug into the ridge for a considerable period in search of artifacts to sell.
The elevation at the end of the ridge, however, strangely enough, had remained
uninvestigated. Our surface "finds" consisted of one rude celt; a number of
arrowheads of flint, nearly all triangular, some slender, some almost equilateral,
and nearly all less carefully made than the projectile points taken later from the
graves by us; a part of a small pipe of earthenware, having much of the bowl
missing and the marginal surfaces carefully smoothed to allow the part of the
pipe remaining to serve some purpose; a small, undecorated pipe of soapstone.

On various parts of the ridge and of the elevation at its eastern end were
fragments of human bones.

Trial-holes in the elevation which soon reached burials, showed it to be some
what unlike the ridge, the elevation being composed in part of midden debris,
but having also local layers of clay of varying shades to within one foot of its
surface, above which was midden deposit. Presumably the elevation had been
built on the ridge and then lived upon.

The ridge was carefully dug over by us, and burials were found to be widely
scattered in it and to have almost no artifacts with them. Presumably, more
important persons had been interred in the elevation, which was constructed
for burial purposes exclusively.

In all, one hundred and six burials were discovered, and numerous fragments
and scattered bones. Such burials from the elevation as were comparatively

1 Since our visit, two-thirds of Citico mound has been dug away in making the new River Road.
We are informed by a friend in Chattanooga, who was greatly interested in the work, himself a
collector, and explorer of mounds, that nothing of interest was found during tho removal. Burials
and some artifacts were encountered near the base.

The newspapers, of course, made the most of the matter.

372 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

deep had been deposited in graves which could be traced almost from the surface
down, and no doubt had been made from the surface, but the confusion arising
from cultivation of the field made impossible a determination as to the upper
few inches of the soil.

The burials, whose heads were directed to various points of the compass,
were: of adults, 70; of adolescents, 4; of children and of infants, 32.

The forms of burial were as follows:

Extended on the back, 2.

Closely flexed to the left, 1.

Partly flexed to the right, 17.

Partly flexed to the left, 17.

Partly flexed on the right, 15.

Partly flexed on the left, 6.

Bunched, 1.

Positions to be described in detail, 8.

There were also seven disturbances, recent and aboriginal.

The reader will recall that, when not otherwise stated, burials are those of
adults, and that the form of burial of infants and children is not included.

We shall now describe in detail all burials from this place with which any
artifact was found, as well as such burials which otherwise may seem worthy of
special notice.

Burial No. 2, but a few inches from the surface, partly flexed to the right, the
cranium pointing S. by E. At each side of the head was a shell ear-plug made
from a conch-shell, and resembling a bracket in shape. 1 At the neck were shell
beads rather badly decayed.

Burial No. 3, one foot down, extended on the back and having the right fore
arm flexed back on the humerus, the hand resting on the shoulder, the head SE.
At the outer side of the left forearm was a small, undccorated pot of inferior
earthenware.

Burial No. 4, partly flexed on the left, the head S. by E., lay in a pit 2 feet
deep, 25 inches wide by 4 feet in length. Under the body, so that both elbows
rested upon it, where probably it had slipped, was a mask-like gorget of shell,
showing human features. This ornament, which belongs to a well-known
class, 2 is greatly decayed and somewhat broken in one place.

Burial No. 5, a child, 9 inches deep, the skull SE. At each side of the cranium
were small, shell ear-plugs of the "bracket" shape.

Burial No. 6, presumably a bunched burial, having three skulls together,
the long-bones being somewhat loosely placed.

1 William II. Holmes, "Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans," 2d An. Hep. Bur. Am. Kthn.,
p. 210, Fig. 10. (lutes P. Thruston, "Antiquities of Tennessee," 2d eel., 1S97, p. 315, Fig. 223.

2 William II. Holmes, op. cit., p. 293 et seq. George Grant MacCurdy in "American Anthro
pologist," July-Sept., 1913, p. 395 et seq. C. B. Moore, "Antiquities of the St. Francis, White and
Black Rivers," pp. 287, 321, Figs. 16, 45; and "Some Aboriginal Sites on Mississippi River," pp.
412, 415, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XIV.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 373

Burial No. 7, the scattered bones of a disturbance, presumably including two
skulls, at a general depth of 16 inches. Somewhat apart from the bones, though
no doubt originally with them, was an implement of gray flint, somewhat more
than inches in length (Fig. 86). One of similar shape, but smaller, was found

FIG. 86. Blade of flint. With Burial No. 7. Oitico, Tcnn. (Full size.)

by us in the aboriginal cemetery on the Bradley Place, 1 Crittenden County, Ark.
We have not been able to find other illustrations of mplements exactly like this
one in publications relating to aboriginal work in stone. Dr. H. M. Whelpley
of St. Louis, however, whose collection is so well known, tells us the specimen is
not uncommon and that in his collection are a number similar in type.

Also out of place among the bones was an ear-plug of the pin-shape variety,
made from the columella of a conch-shell and having a considerable knob at the
head; and a small arrowpoint of flint.

Burial No. 8, partly flexed to the right, the head ESE., in a grave 2 feet in
depth. Under the skull was some red pigment, red oxide of iron.

Burial No. 9, about one foot deep, had that part of the skeleton which is
below the pelvis cut away by another grave. The head was directed SE. On
the lower part of the thorax was a handsome celt of argillaceous, sedimentary
rock somewhat exceeding 8 inches in length and plamly showing where the
handle had been attached. Immediately on this implement lay a celt of iron
or of steel, about 4 inches in length.

Several celts of this kind were found with burials at the Citico site, yet
absolutely no other objects indicating contact with white people were present
except four glass beads found with a comparatively superficial burial. One
would expect in a site where the aborigines had been able to obtain iron from the
whites that many other articles of European origin would be present. We
were so impressed by this anomalous character of the deposits at this place
thai though we realized the chances of having found celts of meteoric iron
(which, as the reader knows, could have been made by the aborigines without
contact with whites) were small, we decided to have the matter definitely deter-

1 "Some Aboriginal Sites on Mississippi River," Fig. 44.

374 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

mined by submitting one of the celts to Harry F. Keller, Ph.D. (whose tests,
especially in the case of copper, have aided us to such an extent in the past),
with the request that an examination of the celt be made with a view of deter
mining the possible presence of diamonds and nickel. Dr. Keller reports as
follows :

"The iron blade shows no distinct crystalline structure when etched with
dilute nitric acid or with iodine, and careful chemical tests show that the metal
is free from foreign metals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper. A solution ob
tained from several grams of the metal, after precipitating the iron, did not
respond to that most delicate of reactions for nickel: the dimethylglyoxime test.
There can be no doubt, therefore, that this iron is not of meteoric origin."

Here, then, we find the aborigines possessed of a number of blades of iron
manufactured by the whites, and yet apparently having almost no other objects
of European provenance.

Burial No. 10, in a grave 35 inches deep, was a skeleton partly flexed on the
right, the head SE. At each side of the skull was an ear-plug of the pin-shape
variety, about 6 inches in length. At the right of the cranium were the remains
of a rattle consisting of the shell of a turtle or a tortoise, enclosing pebbles, and
one valve of a large cockle (Cardium robustum), a marine shell. At the outer
side of the left shoulder, grouped together, were: fragments of the shell of a
turtle or a tortoise, with a number of small pebbles, mingled with which were
some of the throat teeth of the fresh-water drum-fish (Aplodinotus grunniens), 1
which no doubt made an excellent substitute for pebbles; the penis-bone of some
animal; 2 a bone piercing implement; nine musselshells (Lampsilis anodontoides) .
On the upper part of the thorax was a gorget of shell with scalloped margin,
much resembling one shown by Thruston 3 and by Holmes, 4 which has incised
centrally a triskele. With the gorget was a shell bead .75 inch in length. In
the space between the femora (which the reader may recall were drawn up)
and the trunk was a bowl of earthenware, 6.5 inches in diameter, undecorated
save for six small lugs projecting from the margin of the opening.

Burial No. 11. This skeleton, 22 inches down, heading SSE., lay on the
back, the right thigh extended in line with the trunk, the left thigh slightly
bent toward the right one. Both legs were flexed to an acute angle with the
thighs; the left forearm was flexed closely on the humerus.

Burial No. 12. In a grave 3 feet deep lay a skeleton partly flexed to the
right, the head NW. At each side of the cranium was an ear-plug of the pin-
shape variety; small shell beads were at the neck and at the right wrist. At
the right hand was an earthenware pipe badly crushed, which has since been
restored (Fig. 87).

1 This variety of drum-fish frequents the Mississippi and its tributaries.

2 This bone went astray when submitted for identification.

3 Op. cit., Fig. 230.

4 "Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans," PI. LVI.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 375

This interesting pipe is of a form characteristic of the Citico site. MKluire 1
shows a pipe somewhat like ours as coming from Caniden County, (Ja., mentions
another from Blount County, Tenn and says
they apparently establish quite an interesting
conventional treatment of the beak of a bird.

At the upper end of the left femur were
three discoidals of fine-grained, igneous rock,
each about 1 .5 inch in diameter. Six slender
arrowpoints of flint lay near the knees.

Burial No. 13 had been somewhat disturbed
by the plow, but there were clear indications
that the bones had been partly flexed to the
right, the head NNW. Near the skull was a
celt 5.5 inches in length, which was presented
to Mr. (iardenhire, the owner of the property.

Burial No. 14, partly flexed to the right, the

i i cidT-i i i ii i -L i 11 1 1(1 - s ~- Pipe f earthenware,

head bbE., had at the right shoulder a small, NVi(h Hui . iul No 12 ( , iti( . o T( ,, m

undecorated pot, a part of which had been (About full size.)
plowed away.

Burial No. 15 consisted of remains of a skeleton somewhat disturbed but with
parts in order. At the knees and neatly piled were twenty small arrowheads
of flint, all triangular and all pointing the same way.

Burial No. 16, a child, the bones somewhat disturbed by an intersecting
grave. With this burial were two discoidals of igneous rock, each about 1.25
inch in diameter.

Burial No. 17, about 2 feet deep, lay partly flexed to the right, head ESE.
Under the lumbar region was a small flint arrowhead.

Burial No. 18, 32 inches deep, lay partly flexed 1o the right, the head SE.
The left forearm was across the trunk. Under the skull and extending under
the left shoulder and down the outer side of the humcrus were fifty-nine mussel-
shells, badly decayed and broken. Some of these shells were perforated at one
end for suspension, as doubtless all had been, but parts of some which would
have testified as to the fact, were missing. On the thorax were eleven similar
shells; there were five on the lower part of the trunk, and nineteen on the outer
side of the right forearm.

Burial No. 19 was a disturbance. At the left of the skull lay an undecorated
bowl badly crushed.

Burial No. 21, partly flexed to the left, head E. by S.; depth, 3 feet. Near
the skull were two pebble-hammers.

Burial No. 22, partly flexed to the left, head NW. ; depth, 2 feet. At the neck
were a number of marine shells (Marginella apicina) perforated for use as beads.

Joseph D. McGuire, "Pipes and Smoking Customs of the American Aborigines," Rep. U. S.
Nat. Mus., 1897, Fig. 234.

376 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 23, partly flexed to the left, head NW. ; depth 14 inches. On the
thorax lay a gorget of shell, the surface much decayed away in places, which
had borne a conventionalized design of the rattlesnake. Gorgets better pre
served than this one and likewise having the design of the rattlesnake, will be
shown in connection with Burials Nos. 41 and 56.

Lying immediately on the gorget was a ceremonial axe of porphyry, 5 inches
in length, of the "hoe-shaped " variety. 1 These axes, which have been extensively
figured by others as well as by ourselves, often show where the handle has been
placed on them. "We found, moreover, at Moundville, Ala., 2 a shell ornament
showing one of these axes set in its handle.

The ceremonial axe, including the South American type, has been inter
estingly discussed in the superb work of Vcrneau and Rivet."

Near these, but some little distance from the skeleton, were two undecorated
shell gorgets which had perhaps belonged to a much-disturbed burial, parts of
which were nearby. To the left of the pelvis, grouped together, were a small
chisel of iron or of steel (see our description of Burial No. 9) ; a flat pebble of
flint, 3 inches by 2 inches, much chipped at one end as by use; six small arrow
heads, three leaf-shaped implements and two triangular, all of flint, ranging
between 2.3 inches and 3.5 inches in length; also many flint fragments and
chips.

Burial No. 24, partly flexed to the left, head NW., rested on Burial No. 23.
On the lower part of the thorax was a celt which was given to Mr. Gardenhire.

Burial No. 26, partly flexed on the right, head SSE., both forearms closely
flexed against the upper arms; depth, 2 feet 7 inches. Immediately on this
burial were two slabs of cedar, each nearly 4 feet long and about 5 inches in
width, which had been rudely split, not dressed like planks. On the left shoulder
and extending down over the body were fragments of bones of lower animals.
These fragments did not show decay and evidently had been broken intentionally.
The following animals were represented, according to the identification of Dr.
F. A. Lucas: raccoon, part of jaw; black bear, a large animal, parts of humerus
and femur; Virginia deer, parts of vertebra?, foot-bones, shoulder-blade, etc.;
wild turkey, upper part of tarsus; loon (Urinator imber} femur; soft-shelled turtle
(Aspidonectes spinifer} cranium and shoulder-blade; Mississippi catfish (Amiurus
lacustris) a big fellow, 75 to 100 pounds in weight, back of cranium.

On each side of the head was a shell ear-plug of the pin-shape variety, one of
which had been moved slightly from the skull through some cause or another.
Two similar ornaments lay side by side on the upper part of the thorax, the

1 C. B. Moore, "The so-called Hoc-shaped Implement," American Anthropologist, July-Sept.,
1903.

2 "Moundville Revisited," Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XIII, Fig. 99.

3 R. Vcrneau et P. Rivet. Ministcre de 1 Instruction Publiquc. Mission du Service Geog-
raphique de I Arme e pour la Mesurc d un Arc de Meridieii Equatorial en Amerique du Sud, le sous
Controle scientifique de 1 Academic des Sciences, lS99-190(i. Tome G, "Ethnographic Anciennc
de PEquateur." Premier fascicule. Paris, 1912.

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TEXXESSEE HIYKR.

377

points toward the skull. The- putting of an extra pair of ear-plugs with a burial
by the aborigines is not new in our experience. Between the arms was a celt of
quartzite, 3.3 inches in length, and a smaller one of fine-grained igneous rock
rested between the elbows and pelvis. Xine arrowheads of flint, whose position
was disturbed on removal, had been on the right knee.

Burial Xo. 27, partly flexed to the left, the head SE., the right forearm
across the trunk; depth, 17 inches. On the lower part of the thorax was a
marine univalve, dropping to fragments through decay. At the outer side of
the left shoulder were two bone implements. Each of these had the end formerly
in use greatly rounded either intentionally or through service. One, 8.5 inches
in length, made from a femur of a deer, has the articular portion removed: and

FIG. 88. Pipe of earthenware. With Burial Xo.
33. C. itico, Tenn. (About full .size.)

FIG. 89. Pipe of daystone. With
Burial No. 3a. Citifo, Tenn. (About
full size.)

below, on one side, is a hole as for suspension. The other, about 8 inches long
on which the articular part remains, is worked down from "the left ulna of a
re i-}i large panther" (Felix concolor). We are indebted to Dr. F. A. Lucas for
the identifications.

At the right elbow was a small, undecorated vessel of earthenware a pot
or possibly a wide-mouthed water-bottle. At the feet were fragments of rattles
which had been perforated for suspension. In place within the tortoise or
turtle shells had been, instead of pebbles, the rounded throat-teeth of the fresh
water drum-fish (Aplodinotus grunniens).

Burial Xo. 30, partly flexed on the right, head XW. ; depth, 32 inches. At
the neck were a few shell beads, and in the soil nearby, perhaps an adventitious
deposit, was a disc made from part of a pottery vessel.

Burial Xo. 33, the remains of a badly decayed skeleton which had been partly
flexed to the right, the head SE.; depth, 28 inches. Near the skull was a pipe
of indurated clay, with a rim extending laterally, as shown in Eig. 88, after
restoration. At the left shoulder were two chisels of shaly, sedimentary rock,

38 .I0ri&lt;\. A. X. S. I HII.A., VOL. XVI.

378

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

each about 4 inches in length, rudely circular in cross-section, and a celt 3.25
inches long, which was presented to Mr. Gardenhire.

Burial No. 34, the bones of a child, 20 inches down, which had been some
what disturbed. At the neck were a number of shell beads, rudely discoidal
as a rule, some small, but many nearly .75 inch in diameter. With the beads
evidently had been suspended an undccorated gorget which lay on the chest.
Broken car-plugs were near this burial.

Burial No. 35, partly flexed to the right, the head SSE.; depth, 20 inches.
Near the outer side of the left shoulder was a pipe of indurated clay, somewhat
resembling the one found with Burial No. 33. The end of the portion intended

FIG. 90. Vessel of earthenware. With Burial No. 39. Citico, Term. (Diam. 5.3 inches.)

to receive the stem had been broken and the ragged margin had then been
smoothed to allow the continued use of the pipe (Fig. 89). About 9 inches
from the left elbow was a celt of quartzite, about 5.5 inches in length, which
may have belonged to another burial, scattered bones from which were
nearby.

Burial No. 36, partly flexed on the left, the head SW. This burial lay in a
grave-pit 4 feet 7 inches deep. The failure to find artifacts of any kind after
the trouble taken in its removal was a disappointment.

Burial No. 39, a child. At the head were two shell ear-plugs, and two small
vessels of earthenware, one undecoratcd, the other with loop-handles and a
rude decoration of parallel, incised lines (Fig. 90). Shell beads were at the neck,
and near the cranium was a rude stone ring of ferruginous, silicious rock, a natural
formation helped out by art. On the skull, covering a very small area, was a
green stain showing the former presence of copper.

Burial No. 41, a young child, 28 inches down. Large and small shell beads
were on the neck, and on the thorax was a gorget of shell 5 by 6.5 inches, bearing
an incised, well-known design of a conventional rattlesnake (Fig. 91).

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

379

The design of the rattlesnake highly conventionalized on gorgets, seems to
be almost exclusively a product of the aboriginal art of Tennessee, practically
all the gorgets of this class figured and fully described by Holmes 1 being from

&lt;.

FKI. 1)1. (iorget of shell, with conventional rattlesnake design. With Burial Xo. 41. Citico, Tenn.

(About full size.)

that state. Thrustoir speaks of thirty or forty of these elaborately carved
gorgets as having been found along the upper valleys of the Tennessee river
("meaning from the tributaries of the Tennessee), and says of gorgets of this
class: "The central head, the coiled body with its complicated and obscure
involutions, the scaly surface, and the marginal band, arc constantly repeated

1 William II. Holmes, "Art in Shell of tin; Ancient Americans," Plates LXIII, LXIV, LXV, Figs.
4 and G, LXVI, Fig. 2.

2 Op. cit., p. 3:51 et sci/.

380 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

in the general design. Sometimes the strange, coiled figures can scarcely be
recognized, yet, upon patient examination, the mythological serpent is always
found to be represented." The gorgets of this kind figured by Thruston are
taken from Holmes "Art in Shell," and are from Tennessee. The earliest
account of the design of the conventional rattlesnake on gorgets is by the late
Jeffries Wyman. 1

Burial No. 42, a young child, 32 inches down, having shell beads at the neck
and an undecorated gorget of shell on the chest.

Burial No. 45, a young child, 3 feet down. On the chest was a shell gorget
in the shape of a mask representing the human face, 4.7 inches long and 3.8
inches wide.

Burial No. 46, a child; depth, 39 inches. A small discoidal of limestone was
at the knees. Incidentally, it may be said that in the midden-debris at this
place and on the surface were a number of small, discoidal stones, and stones
of this kind were found with the burials of children. Also there were found
many discs of pottery made from fragments of earthenware vessels, some of these
discs being very carefully rounded. The small stone discs presumably were
not of sufficient size to have been used in the game of chunkey, but it is possible
they were employed in some other game and may have been used interchangeably
with the pottery discs. As the reader probably is aware, these discs of earthen
ware, found so widely throughout the United States, were used in ancient times
abroad. They are found in Italian neolithic stations and in Egypt. 3 Similar
discs belonging to a prc-Roman period have been discovered in Basel, Switzer
land. 2

Burial No. 47. The trunk of this skeleton lay on the back, the right humerus
along the body with the right forearm crossing to the pelvis. The left upper
arm lay along the trunk, the forearm across it. The thighs were widely sepa
rated, the legs being flexed at an acute angle, bringing the feet together. The
head was directed NNW. The burial was 4.5 feet deep. At the neck were
small marine shells pierced for use as beads (Marginella apicina). On the chest,
having been suspended by a string of beads, was a shell gorget of the human-
face variety, 6.5 inches long by 5 inches in width. At the right and left wrists
were beads of the same variety as those found on the neck.

Burial No. 49. The upper part of the trunk of this skeleton, which was 32
inches from the surface, was on the right side, the lower part on the back, the
thighs being flexed to an almost vertical position and being, of course, near
together. The legs were flexed down from the knees at an acute angle, being
consequently near the thighs. The head was NE. At the right hand was a
leaf-shaped implement of flint, 5.6 inches in length and 2.4 inches in maximum
width.

1 Fifth Annual Report Pcabody Museum, p. 17 et scq.

2 Angolo Mosso, "The Dawn of Mediterranean Civilization," pp. 88, 89.

3 Karl Stehlin, "Die Praehistorisc he Ansiedelung bei dor Gasfabrik in Basel," "Anzeiger fiir
Schweizerische Altertumskunde," Band XVI, Heft 1, p. 9.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

381

Burial No. 50, a young child, bones badly decayed, 33 inches down, having
shell beads at the neck.

Burial No. 51, partly flexed on the left, the head SSE.; depth, 3 feet. With
this burial was a pipe of indurated clay, having a small part missing from the
end which received the stem.

Burial No. 52, a child, the bones much decayed; depth, 34 inches. At the
neck were shell beads, and at the chest a shell gorget of the human-face variety,
very badly decayed. Beside it was a broken bowl of earthenware, undecorated
except for small projections which probably represent head, tail, and fins, an
effort to bring it into the effigy class.

FIG. 92. Gorget of .shell, having a conventional rattlesnake design. With Burial No. 50. Citico,

Term. (About full size.)

Burial No. 53, a child, 40 inches down. At the neck were shell beads, each
flat, oblong, and notched on two opposite sides, which had served to suspend a
gorget lying on the chest, bearing an engraved design representing the con
ventional rattlesnake, part of which had scaled away through the action of
moisture.

Burial No. 55, partly flexed on the right, head NW. ; depth, 40 inches. Shell
beads were at the neck.

382 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 56, a child; depth, 26 inches. On the chest was a shell gorget
having the conventionalized rattlesnake design (Fig. 92).

Burial No. 57, a child, depth, 31 inches, having at the neck shell beads and
on the chest a gorget bearing the design of a rattlesnake, conventionalized, part
of which had scaled away. Over the pelvis were two vessels a bowl with
undecorated body having two small, flat handles projecting horizontally, in
which, upright, stood a pot with two loop-handles and rude line-decoration on
the upper part of the body which also was surrounded by a fillet. In this pot
was the skull of an infant which probably got there through the great disturbance
of burials prevailing in the elevation.

Burial No. 58, partly flexed to the right, head NE. by E.; depth, 6 inches.
Shell beads were at the neck.

Burial No. 59, partly flexed to the left, head N.; depth, 16 inches. At the
neck were 411 shell beads, in addition to broken ones, some globular with flattened
poles, some barrel-shaped, the largest bead being about .75 inch in diameter.

Burial No. 60, partly flexed on the left, the right forearm across the trunk,
the head SW. ; depth, 35 inches. At the neck were small marine shells used as
beads, very badly decayed, and at the chin was a gorget of shell on which had
been engraved the usual conventional rattlesnake design, most of which, how
ever, had decayed away. Both wrists were stained green by salts of copper.
At the right wrist there still remained small, tubular beads of that metal.

Burial No. 61, partly flexed to the right. Some of the skull was missing
through contact with a plow, which doubtless had carried away also a shell
ear-plug of the "bracket" variety, one of which was found at the under side
of the skull.

Burial No. 62. This burial must be considered in a synecdochical sense,
a part for the whole. Presumably a skeleton wrapped in fabric of some sort and
still further enclosed perhaps in hide, had been placed at the bottom of a grave
about 35 inches deep. On the burial had been thrown very hot clay, filling the
grave, which was 2 feet wide, to a depth of 11.5 inches. This clay, which the
fire had turned red, had been sufficiently hot thoroughly to char the materials
wrapped around the bones and the bones themselves, but had not been sufficiently
heated to discolor the clay on the sides and the bottom of the grave. The bones
and enveloping material at the base of the pit had a maximum thickness of
about 3 inches. Above them, as stated, came 11.5 inches of brick-red clay,
on top of which, to the surface, was the ordinary soil of the elevation.

Now, unfortunately, there remained in the ground but a section of the burial
from which to draw conclusions, one grave having cut away the burial under
description from the lumbar vertebrae up, while another grave, intersecting, had
removed the skeleton from the pelvis down. There remained, then, to indicate
the form of burial, but the pelvis, the lumbar vertebrse, and part of the forearm
bones of the right side. Above these were sections of the grave as described.

This use of hot clay in connection with burials has been fully described in
our account of the mound on the Bennett Place, Marion County, Tenn.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER, 383

Burial No. 63, a child, 15 inches down, having a small, rude, stone disc at
the chin and another at the right of the skull, one of slate, one of kaolinized,
felspathic rock. Fragments of a shell gorget lay on the thorax.

Burial No. 65, the bones of a child, lying at a depth of 16 inches. Beneath
the skull was a triangular arrowhead.

Burial No. 66, partly flexed on the right, the left forearm across the trunk,
the head SW.; depth, 26 inches. A small, spool-shaped ear-plug of shell was
at one side of the skull, but its mate, for some reason, was not found.

Burials Nos. 67 and 68, each a child having shell beads at the neck, 33 and
21 inches deep, respectively.

Burial No. 69, partly flexed to the right, with both forearms flexed against
the humeri, the head SW. At the neck were six perforated pearls used as beads.
A small celt of igneous rock was at the left shoulder. At the right side of the
skull was a pile of graceful, triangular arrowheads of flint, thirty-two in number,
all of which pointed in the same direction with the exception of five which were
disturbed by the trowel, but no doubt had coincided in direction with the rest.
With the arrowheads was a pipe of indurated clay, in fragments but since put
together.

Burial No. 70, partly flexed to the right, with both forearms flexed against
the humeri, the head SW.; depth, 37 inches. Under the right femur was a
leaf-shaped implement of flint, 7 inches in length.

Burial No. 72, a child, 30 inches deep. Scattered around this burial were
eleven small, flint arrowpoints of the usual triangular type found at this place,
one beautifully serrated, which probably had been in a deposit with the burial
of an adult, the bones of which the child s interment had greatly disturbed.

Burial No. 73, a child, 3 feet down, having near the skull the remains of a
shell gorget which probably had swung out from the neck or chest at the time
the burial was deposited. This gorget evidently had been attached to a string
or strings of shell beads which lay in front of, and at the left of, the skull. Similar
beads were found down the left arm and forearm, and along both thighs and
legs. These beads, of moderate size, some discoidal, others globular with flat
tened poles, numbered 530. With them were 383 small marine shells (Marginella
apicina) which had been pierced for stringing. Immediately under the chin,
on the chest, were two discoidal stones, one of quartz, the other probably of
some sedimentary rock, each about 1.5 inch in diameter.

Burial No. 75, a deposit of calcined fragments of human bones occupying a
space 20 inches by 18 inches and having a maximum thickness of 2 inches,
lay 10 inches below the surface.

Burial No. 76, lying partly flexed to the left at a depth of 28 inches, the
head N. by W., was a skeleton having between the trunk and knees an inverted
bowl, undecorated, somewhat crushed, which had been placed over an upright,
undecorated bowl, also crushed when found.

Burial No. 78, partly flexed to the left, the right forearm crossing the pelvis,

384

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

FIG. 93. Pipe of earthenware.
With Burial No. 78. Citico, Tenn.
(About full size.)

the head SSE.; depth, 40 inches. A few inches from the left of the skull, with a
small quantity of charcoal, was a deposit of seven celts of indurated shale,
ranging in length between 3.25 inches and 9.5 inches, one being somewhat
different from the ordinary hatchet or chisel. This tool, slightly more than

6.5 inches in length, is flat on one side and con
vex on the other, and has, at one end, a cutting
edge showing use. The tools in this deposit,
which were horizontal and without uniformity
as to the direction of the cutting edges, lay par
allel to the skeleton and to each other, and were
all in contact one with another, or nearly so.
The implements had been arranged in two rows,
the one nearest the skull consisting of two, one
placed above the other, and two lying singly;
the lower row being the large celt with two
smaller ones in line with each other, beside it,
the celts first mentioned in each row being nearest
the bones.

Immediately under this deposit were the re
mains of a shell gorget of the human-face variety.
An earthenware pipe (Fig. 93) showing the con
ventional beak of a bird, a form prevalent at this place, lay at the inner side
of the left forearm.

Burial No. 79, a child buried at a depth of 26 inches. Around the base of
the skull lay a necklet made up of six tubular beads of bone, from 3 to 3.5 inches
in length, fashioned from wing-bones of birds. This necklet evidently had held
suspended an ornament of copper which had deeply dyed green one side of one
of the beads. The metal ornament had been made from sheet-copper, circular
in the main but having a small projection to accommodate a perforation for
attachment. A circular opening in the middle has a diameter of about one inch.
At each ear was a small ear-plug of shell, having a groove to accommodate
the encircling lobe of the ear. At the right wrist were four blue glass beads and
a few crumbling beads of shell.

Burial No. 80, the skeleton of an adolescent, partly flexed to the right, lay
at a depth of 18 inches, the head SE. In the angle between the flexed thighs
and the pelvis was a deposit consisting of a flat pebble, roughly circular, about
2.7 inches in diameter, on which rested the remains of a large musselshell; four
worked fragments of deer antler, three small, the other with a cutting edge and
probably having served as a tool; a stone implement of a widely prevalent type,
somewhat resembling a celt but having a blunt edge, and sometimes with a
perforation at the upper end; two rude knives of flint.

Burial No. 82, partly flexed to the right, the head SSE., lay at a depth of
32 inches. At one side of the head was a shell ear-plug of the "bracket shape,"

ABORKilXAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 385

its mate on the opposite side of the skull probably having been broken and
thrown out by our digger who came upon the skeleton at the part where the ear
plug would bo.

Burial No. 85 had the upper part of the trunk lying on the right side; the
lower part and the thighs, which extended in line with the trunk, had been twisted
so that they lay prone. The legs were closely flexed back against the thighs.
The head pointed SE.; the depth was 20 inches. Above the legs was an un-
decorated pot, having two loop-handles.

Burial No. 90, partly flexed to the left side, the head directed SSE., lay
near to, and at the same level as, the last-mentioned burial of a child whose bones
had been somewhat disturbed by the later interment of those; of the adult.
Scattered at considerable distances apart, near the bones, were fragments bo-
longing to shell gorgets of the type of the human face, which evidently had
been broken at the time of the disturbance, as the margins of the broken parts
showed the effect of time. Strenuous effort to recover all the fragments was
unsuccessful.

Burial No. 94 lay with the trunk on the right side, but owing to the grave
being narrow, the logs and thighs were flexed upward to the right. The head
was directed \VSW.; the depth, 18 inches.

Burial No. 95, the skeleton of a child about three years of age, lying 4 feet
below the surface in a grave the beginning of which could not be determined in
the comparatively homogeneous deposit of the ridge.

On one side of the skeleton two slabs, one of sandstone, one of limestone, had
been placed obliquely over the skeleton, which lay partly flexed on the left side,
facing the angle made by the slabs and the ground. Those slabs did not rest
at the same level as the bones, their bases having been placed 6 inches above the
bottom of the grave, the upper margins being about a foot above the bones.
The slabs, one of which slightly overlapped the other, provided a covering 25
inches in length. They were irregular in outline, their diameters being roughly
about 1 foot 5 inches by 1 foot 2 inches, and 1 foot 2 inches by 1 foot, respectively.

At the neck of the child was a circular gorget of shell, about 2 inches in
diameter, without decoration, having a single hole near the edge for suspension.
Two small beads, barrel-shaped, were with the gorget.

Burial No. 96 was closely flexed to the left, the head SW., depth 16 inches.
A radius having a united break, belonging to this skeleton, has been sent by us
as a gift to the Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. ( .

Burial No. 97, a child about five years of age, rested on the skeleton of an
adult female (Burial No. 98), the head of the child on that of the woman, its
body, so far as it extended, on and parallel to the lower burial. The woman s
arms had not encircled the child.

Burial No. 98, partly flexed on the right, the head EXE., depth 30 inches.
Both upper arms wore against the body, as was the right forearm, the left fore
arm being flexed across the trunk. The skull of this skeleton was preserved.

39 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA.. VOL. XVI.

386

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

A few inches from the head was a pot having two loop-handles and a row made
up of six small projections encircling the body below the rim.

Burial No. 100, adolescent. The trunk lay on the back, the left arm and
forearm along the trunk, the right arm being beside the body, the forearm across

it above the pelvis. The thighs were flexed up
ward, the legs back against them. The head
was directed SSE.; the depth was 18 inches.
Three tubular, bone beads, each about 1.5 inch in
length, were near the skull, which was saved in a
somewhat damaged condition, and without the
lower jaw, which was not present.

Here ends the list of burials found by us
near the Oitico mound, though doubtless many
others were left behind, especially in the ridge.

So numerous were intersecting graves in parts
of the elevation and consequent disturbances of
burials that dissociated objects or artifacts with
scattered bones were fairly plentiful in the soil,
the following objects having been found in the
elevation: a number of triangular arrowheads of flint; shell beads; three un-
decorated shell gorgets and one with a design partly decayed away ; two earthen
ware pipes, one of which, shown in Fig. 94, belongs to the class representing a

FIG. 94. Pipe of earthenware
Citico, Term. (About full size.)

FIG. 95. Vessel of earthenware. Citico, Tenii. (Diam. 7 inches.)

conventional beak of a bird, noted before at this place; one undecorated pipe of
claystone; three undecorated pots of earthenware, one with rude, line decora
tion, another showing somewhat more ambitious endeavor (Fig. 95) ; an earthen
ware trowel, mushroom-shaped; a number of small, discoidal stones, one bicave;
two small celts of iron or of steel; a leaf -shaped implement of flint, with part
of one edge broken out; a bone tube 2.5 inches in length.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 387

With scattered bones was a group of objects as follows: a bone piercing imple
ment ; a small cube of galena, artificially shaped, as the structure does not agree
with the crystalline, or natural, cube; a bit of red oxide of iron; two rude or
partly-finished arrowheads; a flat pebble resembling a celt in outline; some
pebbles and parts of pebbles, of flint; one small mass of limestone.

With other disturbed bones was a deposit of flint arrowheads, unfortunately
thrown out and scattered by the digger, from which twenty-two were recovered.

From the soil of the ridge came: discoidal stones and discs of pottery; a
bead of bone, nearly one inch in length; a bicave of earthenware; 1 a pipe blocked
out of claystonc (Fig. 96); the lower jaw of a wolf, having, when found, a bone

FIG. 96. Pipe blocked out but unfinished. Citico, Tcnn. (Full size.)

piercing implement resting upon it; a fragment of earthenware from a con
siderable depth, the ware being tempered with fine particles of shell and having
a superior, yellow slip bearing a decoration in red paint, very carefully con
ferred. This fragment, similar to one found on the surface, belongs to the same
class of painted ware as do the two bowls found in Mound A at the Bennett
Place, below Chattanooga (pages 338-352). At the Citico site apparently this
fine ware was too highly prized to place it with the dead.

MOUND ON THE BELL PLACE, HAMILTON COUNTY.

The Bell Place, of which Mr. James S. Bell, of Hill City, Tcnn., is the owner,
is just above the union of South Chickamauga creek with Tennessee river. In
a cultivated field at this place is a mound within sight from the river, slightly
more than 10 feet in height and 60 feet across its circular base. This mound,
covered with stumps and trees, had been so greatly dug into in various parts
that no investigation was attempted by us. In sight from this mound were

1 Dr. H. M. Wholpley refers to bicaves of pottery in \V. K. Moorehend s Prehistoric Imple
ments," p. 105.

388 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

several slight rises which we were told were what remained of mounds that had
been plowed away.

MOUNDS ON THE MCKENZIE PLACE, HAMILTON COUNTY.

On the McKenzie Place, of which Mr. R. N. McKenzie, of Chattanooga,

Tcnn., is the owner, are three small mounds in full view from the southern end
of the C. N. 0. and T. P. railroad bridge which crosses the Tennessee river at
this place. These mounds, never of any importance as to size, have been dug
into and plowed away to such an extent that no measurement would give any
idea of their original dimensions or shapes. No investigation was attempted.

MOUNDS BELOW HARRISON FERRY, HAMILTON COUNTY.

Two miles below Harrison Ferry, on the right-hand side of the river, going
up, is a group of four mounds, all in full view one from another and from the
river-bank. Two of these mounds are on the property of Mr. James Hunter,
living some distance back from the river, one symmetrical with circular base,
having a diameter of 44 feet, being almost intact. Its height is 7 feet.

The other mound, also circular as to the base, is 48 feet in diameter and 7.5
feet in height, according to our measurement, which is uncertain, as masses of
material thrown up by a previous digger have bushes growing over them and
can not be distinguished from the mound proper. Permission to dig was not
granted.

The remaining two mounds are on the Montgomery Place, which adjoins
that of Mr. Hunter and of which Mr. J. H. Montgomery is the owner. The
mound farther from the river-bank is 42 feet in diameter and 4.5 feet in height.
An excavation about 5 feet by 8 feet was put down in the central part of this
mound, passing through part of a former digging. In a portion of the mound
not included by our predecessor, at a depth of one foot, was the skeleton of an
adult lying partly flexed to the right. Part of a skeleton near this one, and at
about the same depth, had been cut off by a former trench. In one part of
our excavation was a thin deposit of musselshells (Unio) which included a mass
of silicious rock in that part of the deposit dug through by us. This deposit of
shells was about 32 inches from the top of the mound and seemed to be on what
had been the original surface of the ground, though our measurement from the
outside made it somewhat more. Cutting through the deposit of shells was a
grave-pit, the starting-point of which we could not determine; its base, however,
was somewhat more than 5 feet in depth. On the bottom of the pit lay the skele
ton of an adult, extended on the back.

In the same grave as the preceding burial was a skeleton almost extended
on the back but having the knees projecting somewhat to the right. At the
left of the pelvis was the axis of a conch-shell, much decayed.

The other mound on the Montgomery Place had a diameter of 38 feet, the
height being somewhat less than 8 feet. An excavation 8 feet 3 inches by 4 feet

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 389

9 inches was sunk by us, which passed down beyond a former hole and came to
what was apparently undisturbed soil at a depth of G feet 8 inches, passing through
a considerable deposit of musselshells at one place, mingled with which, without
arrangement, were masses of silicious rock, most about the size of a human
fist, some larger, some smaller. About 4 feet down was a skeleton flexed to the
left, the skull somewhat disturbed, probably by the former trench. Between
the thighs lay what had the appearance of a celt of shaly, sedimentary rock,
about 5 inches in length, but the cutting edge was wanting, in its place being a
surface nearly one-quarter inch in width. Between the legs, together, were
three piercing implements of bone; a chisel about 4 inches in length, with pecked
surface; and a small celt somewhat broken.

In a grave which extended into the original soil were four burials, all near
together, two about 7 feet down, the other two probably 6 inches deeper. With
none was artifact of any kind. The forms of burial were as follows: One closely
flexed, face down, both forearms flexed back against the upper arms; two at full
length on the back; one, extended, face down. An arrowhead of flint was at
some distance from the bones.

A small and unpromising dwelling-site at this place was not investigated,
owing to its being planted in vegetables.

MOUND ON THE HIXSON PLACE, HAMILTON COUNTY.

On the left-hand side of the river, going up, about opposite the middle of
Dallas Island, is the farm of Mr. Foster Hixson, who resides nearby. On this
farm, in sight from the river, is a mound in a cultivated field, which has been
practically square, with a flat top. The height is 16 feet, the diameter, about
105 feet, of which 55 feet, approximately, is covered by the summit-plateau.
No significant orientation distinguishes the sides or corners of this mound.
There is a small site adjacent to the mound, having, however, little but frag
ments of stone on the surface. Permission to excavate not granted.

MOUND AT LOVE LADY LANDING, HAMILTON COUNTY.

On the side of a low hill is a mound in full view from Lovelady Landing, on
the property of Mrs. Jane Lovelady, of Pride, Tenn. The mound, in a culti
vated field, and itself covered with growing wheat at the time of our visit, is fairly
symmetrical. Its height is 6.5 feet; the diameter of its circular base, 50 feet.
Owing to the growing crop on the mound no investigation was attempted.

MOUND NEAK LOVELADY LANDING, HAMILTON COUNTY.

Directly in line from the mound just described, and in sight from it, is a
mound in a cultivated field belonging to Mr. Jesse C.ann, who lives a little back
from Lovelady Landing. This mound, 3 feet 8 inches high and 50 feet in dia
meter, covered with growing grain when we were there, has been much plowed
over and doubtless considerably spread. We were courteously permitted to

390 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

put down a hole 6 feet by 9 feet in this mound, which was of sandy clay. Twenty-
eight inches down was a deposit of musselshells (Unio), which covered much of
the base of our excavation, about 6 inches in thickness in the middle parts and
tapering at the margin to about half that thickness. This deposit contained
here and there nine masses of silicious rock, the largest being about the size of a
human head.

This shell deposit rested on a layer of dark soil which evidently represented
the original surface, as beneath it was undisturbed ground. This deposit was
carefully removed with a view of determining if burials lay immediately beneath
or in grave-pits extending into the subsoil, but nothing was discovered.

Beyond the deposit of shells, however, was a skeleton extended on the back,
31 inches down, not in a grave, so far as could be determined, the burial having
been placed, apparently, immediately on the original surface of the ground.
Another skeleton lay 9 inches above, partly flexed on the right. The heads of
these burials were directed toward exactly opposite points. The deeper burial
apparently lay on the original surface, and the mound, in being piled above,
had included the other burial, as no sign of a pit was discernible in connection
with it.

MOUND BELOW IGOU FERRY, HAMILTON COUNTY.

About one mile below Igou Ferry, in a cultivated field, in sight from the
river, on property belonging to Mrs. Mattie Igou, who lives upon it, is a mound
7 feet 6 inches high as measured by us from the outside, and 52 feet in diameter
of base. This mound, which has a circular base, was fairly symmetrical, showing
no sign of cultivation or of previous digging. Numerous trees, one of consider
able size, were on the mound at the time of our visit.

A central hole, 9 feet by 16 feet at the top and somewhat greater at the
bottom, was put down. About 6 inches below the blunt apex of the mound,
Burial No. 1 was reached, which lay beneath irregular slabs of stone in the
following way: First came two slabs of silicious rock, side by side, 1 foot 8 inches
by 10 inches by 3 inches thick, and 1 foot 10 inches by 1 foot by 6 inches in
maximum thickness, respectively. Immediately beneath these masses was a
slab of limestone 11 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches thick. All these slabs, of
course, were of irregular outline. A few inches below the slabs were the remains
of a young child having near the head a pot of inferior ware, 3 inches in height,
with a margin four times scalloped and below each elevation a small knob.
About the neck and on the chest of the skeleton was a profusion of shell beads of
various sizes and shapes, the largest ones being barrel-shaped and about .5 inch
in length. There were also discoidal beads and diminutive tubular ones, some
only about .1 inch long. With these were a few, small, marine shells pierced
for use as beads.

Burials Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 were widely apart in the limits of the excavation at
respective depths of 22, 38, 36, and 38 inches, and consisted of, respectively:
the decaying remains of a skull; two femora in fragments; teeth and traces of a

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 391

skull; a fragment of a femur. All these bones had belonged to adults. They
were not, so far as we could determine, in pits.

Burial No. G, at about 33 inches from the surface, in the central part of the
mound but not immediately under Burial No. 1, was a grave-pit 3 feet (5 inches
by 4 feet 6 inches, filled with musselshells, with which were mingled large pebbles,
fragments of pebbles, masses of silicious rock, and one fragment of limestone.
The thickness of this deposit was 10 inches. While the sides of the grave-pit
surrounding the shells were clear-cut and perpendicular, it was impossible to say
if the pit began with the shells or above them, as the material above the shells
was precisely similar to the clay and sand of which the mound was composed.

Under this mass of shell and stone was the skeleton of a child lying at full
length on the back, on whose skull had been placed a flat, quadrangular mass of
mica schist, 11 inches by 9 inches by 3 inches, which had crushed the cranium.
At the neck were many small, marine shells of two varieties (Mttryhiclla apicina
and Olivella mutica), used as beads, apparently similar to others found with
burials along the river. At the outer side of the right elbow and of the right
femur, respectively, was the columella of a conch (Bust/con), both ends of which,
in each instance, had been clearly cut across and not broken. These columella!
probably were material in the rough for the manufacture of beads or of pendants,
and probably are the "hearts" of shells such as were carried by Cabeca de Vaca
on his journey early in the sixteenth century, to trade with the Indians.

The mound contained no fireplaces and, as we have said, no midden-debris.
The upper part was yellow, sandy clay, varying in thickness from 3.5 feet to
4.5 feet; next came from 2 to 3 feet of similar material, though of a slightly
darker shade; then the yellow soil of the upper part of the mound. Our excava
tion was carried through these strata and beyond to a depth of one foot, bringing
the depth of the excavation to the measured height of the mound, but no basal
line was encountered, nor were two good-sized holes sunk from the floor of our
excavation to a considerable depth successful in determining the base.

Seven feet eight inches from the surface of the mound were two badly decayed
libirc of an adult, side by side, no foot-bones or any other parts of a skeleton
being present. These bones seemed to lie in a grave, judging from the fact that
around them the soil was somewhat looser than elsewhere. Incidentally, it
may be said that it is remarkable for what length of time, in some cases, soil
that has been disturbed gives evidence of the fact through a certain lack of
compactness.

It is impossible to say how far up the grave had extended, it having been
dug down upon by one of our men. With the bones were: a mass of red pigment
(hematite), on which rested a celt of slate, about 4.5 inches in length; part of a
femur of some lower animal; 1 a tine of stag-horn; a triangular flint point, 3 inches
in length; a mass of manganese ore, about 1.5 inches in diameter, ground flat
on two faces; an irregular mass of limestone, about 2.5 by 1.5 inches; a rude disc

1 This Ijoiii went astray when .submitted for identification.

392 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

of the same material, about 2 inches in diameter, pitted on opposite sides; a
small flint drill.

Probably the two tibiae (Burial No. 7) belonged to the same class of inter
ments as did some of the others found in this mound. There is a chance, how
ever, that more of the skeleton was present in the grave and was thrown back
by the digger, inasmuch as four arrowheads, together, were found 2 feet from
the tibiae and may have been a deposit with or near the remainder of the skeleton.
This, however, is very unlikely, unless the bones were hardly more than pow
der, as not only was the digger watching carefully, but our entire party as
well.

In the mound, apart from burials, were two arrowheads of flint, having stems
and shoulders.

On parts of the field surrounding the mound was a slight sprinkling of midden-
debris, with which were found four celts, two of them broken, one probably of
schistose rock and showing a polished surface only where ground on its rather
graceful cutting-edge. There came also from this site a conical pestle and four
arrowheads.

DWELLING-SITE ON THE DAVIS PLACE, JAMES COUNTY.

A few yards from the river-bank, on the Davis Place, which is part of the
old Thatcher Place and belongs to Mr. J. W. Davis, who lives somewhat farther
back toward the hills, is a small, aboriginal dwelling-site, on the surface of which
lay some debris. At one end of the site was a slight rise which seemed to have
been a place of burial. In addition to bones disturbed by cultivation of the field,
part of which the site was, five burials were encountered, as follows:

Burial No. 1, partly flexed on the right, the head SW., 10 inches down. A
rude, undecorated pot lay in fragments near the cranium.

Burial No. 2, partly flexed on the left. The skull, which had been struck by
a plow, had been directed N. by W.

Burial No. 3, partly flexed on the right, head NE., 18 inches down. Part of
a celt lay at the inner side of the right elbow, while under the left arm was a
pebble much resembling a celt in outline and probably a mortuary substitute for
one.

Burial No. 4, a child, 15 inches down. On the chin, around the neck, and
on the back of the head were forty discoidal beads of shell which probably had
been strung around the neck but had been displaced when the body was laid in
the grave. These beads, varying in size between 1.9 inch and .8 inch in
diameter, are pierced through the lesser diameter, so that when strung they
were face to face and were found by us in rouleaux.

Burial No. o, the trunk on the back and thighs extended in the same line,
the legs drawn close to the thighs, the feet to the right, the skull ESE., 14 inches
down.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 393

MOUND AND SITE ON THE ELDRIDGE PLACE, JAMES COUNTY.

doing about one-half mile by the road which leads from Eldridge Landing
to the nearby hills, one passes the remnant of a mound in sight on the right
of the road, in a cultivated field forming part of the property of Mr. J. F. Eldridge,
resident on the place. This small elevation had a height of 2.5 feet, a diameter
of about 50 feet. Midden-debris and fragments of human bones lay on its sur
face.

On digging out most of the central part of this mound it became apparent
there had been much previous disturbance. Scattered bones, including several
skulls, were found, with the bones being two celts, one given to Mr. Eldridge,
and one of diabase, 5 inches in length, fairly well made though the cutting edge
is not squarely conferred. There were also encountered in the mound six skele
tons, the deepest 28 inches down, three of children, and three of adults, all
closely flexed on the right, heading respectively S., S. by W., ESE. On the
surface of the mound lay a graceful, triangular arrowhead of flint.

On this property, in the level ground, Mr. Eldridge informed us, there had
been plowed up recently a human effigy of stone, about 1.5 foot in height, which
a tenant had taken to Chattanooga and was, at that time, in that city endeavoring
to turn the find to advantage by displaying it in a room to the public, with a
charge for admission.

The Eldridge place enjoys the distinction of being the only one on Tennessee
river in eastern Tennessee where groups of stone graves of the typical box-
grave variety were encountered by us, though, as will be recalled, a single box-
grave was found by us at the Bennett Place.

Over various fields on the Eldridge place were scattered sparsely evidence
of aboriginal occupancy, including several arrowheads of flint and one of quartz.
A short distance from the mound already described, debris of this kind could
be seen and much prodding with steel rods was attempted, but the ground
being naturally hard, and dry in addition, little effective work could be done.
However, one stone grave, 7 inches from the surface, which had in part been
plowed away, was found. The grave, 20 inches by 16 inches by 9 inches deep,
had a flooring of slabs (as had all the stone graves seen by us at this place), and
contained the skeleton of a child closely flexed on the right. About 300 yards
ENE. from the mound, in a field of wheat, at the foot of the hills, slabs of lime
stone, of which material were all the slabs found here, lay on the surface. We
were informed that a number of stone graves had been plowed into at this place,
the contents of some of which had been examined. We were also informed,
though the tidings were not of an encouraging nature, that in all the graves
opened on the property, nothing had been found other than bones.

Three stone graves were found here by the use of the rod.

Burial No. 1. The slabs of this grave had been displaced and the bones in
the main removed.

40 JOTJRN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

394 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

Burial No. 2. The top covering of this grave had been plowed away and the
sides were down in places. Scattered bones were present.

Burial No. 3. The top and some of the slabs forming the sides of this grave
had been plowed away, but sufficient remained to show that the grave, inside
measurement, had been 22 inches by 15 inches, by 13 inches deep. On the floor
in the center of the grave, lay the skull of an adult, immediately surrounded by
the smaller bones and having the long-bones carefully piled on two sides of it
and over it. The pelvis was at one end of the grave. All the space in this
grave had been utilized, and it was jocularly remarked that there was no room
for artifacts.

Two hundred yards, approximately, from the site just described, in an ESE.
direction, in an adjacent field of wheat, was another small cemetery, on the
surface of which lay a number of slabs where four stone graves were discovered
by sounding.

Burial No. 1, 6 inches down, was 35 inches by 2 feet, by 17 inches deep, inside
measurement. One end of the grave consisted of a single slab; the other end was
made up of two slabs projecting outward and forming an angle in which the head
of the skeleton rested. The sides of the grave consisted of one slab each, a small
space at one side being filled with fragments. The sides stood erect, but their
upper margins were very uneven, so that the top, consisting of four slabs, had
fallen in. The burial lay closely flexed on the right, and, for good measure,
perhaps, had on the left side, against the slab, the skull of an adult with some
of the long-bones of its skeleton, and a femur and a tibia of a child. On the
opposite side of the grave, against the slab also, lay a femur of still another adult,
making five full-sized femora in the grave.

Burial No. 2. This grave had been disturbed superficially. The burial
was made up of detached bones, but no skull.

Burial No. 3, a grave partly plowed away, having a few bones of the skeleton
of a child remaining.

Burial No. 4. The top slabs of this grave, which was 2 feet 9 inches by 1 foot
11 inches, by 11 inches deep, and irregular in outline, had been partly plowed
away, without disturbance, however, to the contents, which consisted of two
bunched burials, each with a skull.

No artifacts were with any burials in the stone graves discovered here by
us, hence the record of the place was maintained.

MOUNDS AND SITES ON HIWASSEE ISLAND, MEIGS COUNTY.

Hiwassee Island, 1 the property of Mr. and Mrs. P. D. Bcnham, who reside
upon it, is about two miles long and one mile wide.

1 Cyrus Thomas, " Catalogue of Prehistoric Works," p. 209. Hiwassee Island is described under
the name of Jolly s Island, which it probably bore at one time, and twenty-four mounds are referred
to as upon it, which might well have been the case, long ago, when the island was visited by Mr. J. W.
Emmert, on whose information the statement is based.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 395

This island, as to which there is a report respecting the finding of a stone
image, has an added interest as being the starting point of a great chain of groups
of comparatively low, conical mounds extending up Tennessee river to Lenoir
City, a distance of 101 miles by water, as we have stated in the Introduction.

At the extreme upper end of the island, and in sight from most of it, is a
mound (A) 22.5 feet in height, 2 which probably has been square or nearly so
as to its basal dimensions, but at present, through wash in periods of high water,
its outline is irregular. Its basal diameter is 136 feet, 58 feet of which are
under the summit-plateau, which is flat, wooded, including an oak-tree of great
age, and gives no indication of ever having been under cultivation.

At various distances apart, extending down the island, not in line, are three
mounds, B, C, and D, while near together, toward the lower end of the island,
are two mounds, E and F. There are also scattered over the island various
humps and rises and parts of mounds that have been mostly plowed away.
The more important of these mounds have dimensions as follows:

B, elliptical; 10 feet 3 inches in height, 63 feet by 48 feet in diameter.

C, circular; height, 8 feet 2 inches; diameter, 48 feet.

D, circular; height 9 feet 2 inches; diameter, 45 feet.

E, circular; height, 5 feet 7 inches; diameter, 30 feet,

F, circular; height, 9 feet 10 inches; diameter, 54 feet.

As the owners of the island take great interest in archaeology, and desire, so
far as possible, to preserve intact the mounds now on their island, none of those
herein particularly described has been plowed over or dug into to any appreciable
extent, excepting, of course, the one (E) investigated by us.

Mounds E and F were kindly placed at our disposal, but as we doubted our
ability to restore the larger mound to its original condition in the time at our
command (the prevailing low water of the river having been a great source of
delay to us), we decided to devote our attention to Mound E exclusively.

To avoid disturbing trees, an excavation 10 feet long by about 6 feet wide
was made somewhat away from the center. The mound was composed of
sandy clay of a brown shade. Thirty inches down a fragment of decaying bone
about one inch in length was encountered. Other than this fragment, no bones
were discovered in the mound, nor was any fireplace or midden-debris found
in the digging.

At a depth of 5 feet 10 inches an indistinct basal line was discovered, beneath
which was undisturbed, yellow clay.

Not central in the excavation, but nearly so as to the base of the mound,
a pit was discovered, 3 feet by 3 feet 4 inches, extending one foot into the yellow
clay and filled with the brown soil of the mound. How far this pit extended

2 In the 12th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, p. 405, this mound is given
:i- :!."&gt; foot in height, or about 12 feet more than the correct measurement. We would not refer to this
error, which is very likely typographical, were it not that we are on record in this report as saying
ilia I I he mound at Florence, Ala., is 42 feet in height, no other mound on the river approaching such
a figure.

396 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

into the body of the mound, if at all, could not be determined. The contents
of this pit were removed with the utmost care with the aid of a trowel, having
in view the possible presence of a burial, but not even the crown of a tooth was
unearthed.

Together, on the base of the pit, in a little pile, were: a hone of sandstone,
elliptical in outline, 4.5 inches by 3.5 inches; a pebble-hammer, discoidal, 2.25
inches in diameter; a triangular point of flint, about 2 inches in length; an object
of slate, about 5 inches long, resembling a celt but having a rounded, blunt
edge and possessing on one side, at one end, a lustre, as if conferred by wear;
a similar object of slate, slightly more than 3 inches long, having lost a part of
one end through an unsuccessful attempt to make a perforation, and having a
depression below the fracture where another hole had been attempted; still
another object of slate, of the type of the foregoing, 3.3 inches in length, this
one, however, having a perforation at one end.

In the neighborhood of Mound A are extensive dwelling-sites with con
siderable debris on the surface; but this being pasture land, the sites were not
subject to investigation. Mr. Benham informed us, however, that some time ago
his son and a companion had dxig extensively in the sites, finding many burials
with accompanying artifacts. A portion of the objects discovered was inspected
by us at Mr. Bcnham s home on the island, and while the objects are of much
interest as illustrating the aboriginal culture that prevailed on the is and, the
collection contained nothing notable, the pottery being of inferior ware and of
inferior form, while no object of flint of exceptional interest was present. The
only engraved shell gorget in the collection bore the triskcle surrounded by the
conventional rattlesnake. Glass beads and objects of brass also were present.

MOUNDS NEAR ARMSTRONG FERRY, MEIGS COUNTY.

Mounds on property of Mr. A. F. Armstrong, living near them. Two about
one mile below Armstrong Ferry, 200 yards apart approximately; one about one
mile above the ferry: all in open fields. The dimensions estimated by our agent,
an expert judge of the matter, are, respectively, basal diameter 40 feet, 50 feet,
40 feet; height, 6 feet, 9 feet, and 8 feet. Permission refused.

MOUNDS NEAR MOUTH OF MUD CREEK, RHEA COUNTY.
Mound at the lower side of Mud creek, one-half mile NNE. from the mouth,
and 100 yards N. from Mud creek, 40 feet by 40 feet by 6 feet. Three hundred
and fifty yards N. from the first mound, in open field, is another, 40 feet by 40
feet by 7 feet. At the river, just below the mouth of the creek, a campsite.
Mounds visited by our agent and dimensions estimated by him. Owner, Mr.
Summerfield Fisher, resident on the property. Permission not granted.

MOUNDS NEAR GlLLESPIE LANDING, RHEA COUNTY.

Near the river, on the Gillespie Place, belonging to Mr. J. W. Gillespie living
about 1.5 mile back from the landing, are two mounds about one mile apart,

ABORIGINAL SITES OX TENNESSEE RIVKI5. 397

5 feet and (&gt; feet in height, respectively, and each about 40 feet in diameter,
according to the estimate of our agent. Permission refused.

MOUND NEAR HOYAL FERRY, RHEA COUNTY.

About one-quarter mile westerly from Hoyal Ferry, in a cultivated field, on
property belonging to Mrs. Harriet W. Hoyal, of Spring City, Term., is a mound
5 feet 9 inches in height and 35 feet in diameter. The mound had been trenched
into from two sides and some of the margin had been plowed away, but much
of the mound still remained intact.

Nearly centrally we put down a trench 12 feet 6 inches in length, and averaging
about 7 feet in width. A short distance down were fragments of human bones
in the old digging, and a knife or an arrowhead, of flint, also a triangular point
of black flint, about 3.5 inches in length.

The digging continued through the brown soil which composed the mound
without reaching fire place or burial, until at a depth slightly more than 6 feet
small parts of a human skull were discovered, with remains of teeth. At a dis
tance from where the skull had been, with no bones intervening, were decaying
fragments of two femora, side by side, the space between which and the skull
being about what would be expected to accommodate the remains of the trunk.
Farther along no trace of leg-bones or of the feet were discovered. Near the
skull, or what was left of it, was considerable red pigment and the following
objects grouped together: two piercing implements of bone, in fragments; a
disintegrating mass, probably what remained of a hoe of sandstone; a small
triangular point of flint; a graceful arrowhead, resembling a drill, also of flint;
a celt of shale, about 4.3 inches in length; a tool of shale, of the kind found by
us in the mound at Hiwassee Island, 4.5 inches long and 1.4 inch in width, having
a curved, blunt edge at one end and a perforation about .75 inch from the other
end. We speak advisedly of this implement as a tool, since the blunt edge gives
evidence of the fact, being rubbed and striated on half of each side.

At a depth of 6 feet 6 inches, compact, yellow clay was encountered, evidently
previously undisturbed. No base-line was distinguishable*, and the bottom of
the mound probably had been somewhere between the yellow clay and where the
burial was found.

Three intelligent boys, sons of the tenant cultivating this place, said that a
man traveling down the river in a house-boat in search of antiquities (the agent
of a dealer, no doubt) recently had visited the place and had bought from them
all the "Injun spikes" they could find for him on the surface. They added the
significant information that the man also was acquiring quantities of fragments
of flint.

MOUNDS ox THE SPENCE PLACE, RHEA COTNTY.

About one-quarter mile back from the river, on the Spence Place, Mr. Albion
Spence, owner and resident thereon, on the beginning of the slope of the hills,
some in sight from the river, others masked by light woods at the time of our

398 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

visit, are six mounds. These mounds, parallel to the river in an irregular line,
seemed to be from 5 to 9 feet in height and from 30 to 50 feet in diameter of
base, the smaller ones having been under cultivation and doubtless reduced in
size. Permission not granted.

MOUND ON THE JONES PLACE, MEIGS COUNTY.

About one-half mile in a straight line from the landing at the Jones Place,
from which it is visible, was a mound 5 feet 2 inches in height and 37 feet in
diameter, on property belonging to Mr. J. P. Heglcr, of Decatur, Tenn.

The mound, in a cultivated field, did not seem to have been plowed over,
and the presence of large trees upon it prove that no cultivation could have
taken place there for a long period.

FIG. 97. Spearhead of flint. Jones Place, Tenn. (About full size.)

Previous to our coming, a trench about 8 feet across had been carried into
the mound, but digging had been discontinued some distance from the center.

A central excavation 11 feet by 12 feet was sunk by us, which included but a
small part of the previous digging. Fourteen inches from the surface a mass
of limestone was reached which projected above a number of other masses
not slabs with which it was, and at a depth of 3 feet 5 inches was a group of
similar masses of all sizes and shapes, some having thrice the bulk of a human
head or more, some much smaller. These two groups evidently had been
arranged with some definite design as to shape, but the upper group had been
disturbed by an excavation of which there was no evidence on the surface of
the mound, and in which we found a fragment of a glazed jar, while part of the
lower group had been cut away by the trench we have described. Consequently,
we were unable to form a definite idea of the original arrangment of the masses.

The loamy material of which the mound was made, which lay under these
masses of rock, was examined by us with the utmost care down into the yellow,
undisturbed clay which underlay the mound at a depth of 5 feet 10 inches. No

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER, 399

trace of bones or of artifacts was discovered, however, nor was then; any sign
of a pit extending below the base.

Off at one side of our excavation the side farthest from the masses of rock
a grave 6 feet 9 inches long by 4 feet wide, the major axis about due E. and \\ ..
was discovered, the brown loam of the mound extending into the undisturbed
underlying clay to a depth of about 1 foot 9 inches. On the base of the grave
were particles of charcoal, and on both sides, but not at the ends, were masses
of charcoal and ashes, as if there had been a fire preliminary to the placing of a
burial and the coals and ashes had been swept to each side to make way for it.

The entire contents of the grave was slowly sliced away with a trowel and
resulted in the discovery of traces of leg-bones, and remains of two femora,
apparently in anatomical order and not visibly affected by fire. Alongside one
of the femora was a graceful weapon of flint (Fig. 97), notched on each side for
hafting, which we recognized to be of a rare type. Dr. II. M. AYhelpley writes
us: "The broad, notched flint is uncommon in shape and the notches are rare
as to position. I do not find in my collection a piece which 1 can call similar."
Mr. Charles ( . Willoughby kindly has sent us a tracing of a much smaller point
than ours, but of the same type, which is in the Peabody Museum collection. It
came from Chichen Itza, Yucatan.

MOUND ON THE MCDONALD PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

Mound in sight from landing on the McDonald Place; owner, Mr. Joseph
McDonald, Dayton, Term. Height and diameter of mound, respectively,
7 feet and 50 feet (estimated). Permission not granted.

MOUNDS NEAR COOK LANDING, RHEA COUNTY.

On the estate of Mr. M. G. McDonald, residing nearby, are three mounds
in a cultivated field, in line and but a short distance apart, all in sight from
Cook Landing, and another mound in the same field, nearly half a mile easterly
from the northernmost mound of the three.

Mound A. The southernmost, 3 feet 3 inches in height, 50 feel in diameter,
much spread by cultivation. A hole 12 feet by 12 feet was put down, reaching
a base-line at a depth of 4 feet and coming upon traces and fragments of bone
at various depths.

Mound B, a remnant next in order, 1 foot 9 inches in height and 40 feet in
diameter. Digging came upon parts of a skull.

Mound C, slightly more than 7 feet in height, with a diameter of 42 feet,
had never been under cultivation, but unfortunately it had received (he atten
tion of previous diggers who had left a circular hole centrally in the mound, about
6 feet in diameter and reaching almost to the base. In the side of the mound
also had been an excavation about 9 feet by 7 feet, probably reaching to the
level ground. A central excavation 12 feet square was carried by us to a depth
of 7 feet 5 inches, where undisturbed yellow clay was encountered, the base of

400 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

our excavation being- thoroughly cleaned out in a vain search for pits. On the
base, however, was some charcoal which we at first thought might indicate the
presence of a burial beneath, but the material lay on the same yellow clay which
was under the mound.

One foot from the surface was a skeleton much decayed, lying partly flexed
to the left. Twenty inches down were some bones disturbed by the previous
hole in the center. At a depth of 5 feet 9 inches lay a decaying skull alone.
A skeleton partly flexed on the left lay at a depth of 6 feet 4 inches.

Two feet down, together, were two bowls of inferior, porous ware, without
decoration. No human remains were found near this pottery, but possibly
they were removed during the former excavation.

Dissociated in the soil was a carefully-smoothed celt, 6 inches in length,
without a cutting edge.

Mound D, evidently long under cultivation, having a circular outline of base,
had a diameter of 100 feet, a height of 6 feet. Regarded from the lower part
of the slope on which it is, the mound seems considerably higher. As it had
become evident to us that all the mounds on our list could not be dug into in a
season s work, an investigation of this mound was not attempted. Around it
had been an extensive dwelling-site, judging from the dark soil and from some
midden-debris on the surface, on which several arrowheads and discs of pottery
and of stone were picked up. Considerable digging in this site came upon one
skeleton, which lay partly flexed on the right, 21 inches down.

MOUNDS NEAR VlNIARD LANDING, RfiEA COUNTY.

Viniard Landing is about one mile above Cook Landing, and is also on
property of Mr. M. G. McDonald, whose mounds at Cook Landing have just
been described. We learned that Mr. McDonald hitherto had objected to any
digging into his mounds, not desiring to have them disturbed by other than
scientific exploration. All of Mr. McDonald s mounds were cordially placed at
our disposal, a courtesy which the Academy greatly appreciates.

About one-quarter mile following the road in from Viniard Landing, which
there traverses a cultivated field, in the verge of woods, all but one visible from
the landing when foliage does not intervene, are six mounds, three near together
and forming a triangle (A, B, C), and three others (D, E, F) a short distance
apart and comparatively near the three mounds just described. About one-
quarter mile NE. from Mounds E and F are two others (G, H) in a cultivated
field and having themselves been plowed over and planted upon.

Mound A, the first visible going upstream and the most westerly of the tri
angle, was slightly less than 5 feet in height and 35 feet across its circular base.
But little previous digging had been attempted in it.

An excavation 12 feet by 14 feet reached yellow clay at a depth of 4 feet;
presumably wash of water had removed soil to the depth of a foot from around
the mound.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 401

Twenty-five inches down was a skeleton, much decayed, partly Hexed on the
left, the head W., and in another part of the excavation the skeleton of an adoles
cent lay partly flexed on the right, the head S. One of these burials seemed to
he in a grave and the other probably was also. It was dug down upon by one
of our men before this question was determined.

About centrally in the base of the mound was a pit, 4 feet in length, extending
6 inches into the yellow, undisturbed clay. The width^of this pit was not
ascertained, as the margin of the grave was partly dug away before its presence
was noted. Though the digging was closely watched, it is possible that part
of the burial was removed, as the remains, of which only a skull was found, were
hardly more than a trace.

Mound B, 110 feet about E. from Mound A, 9 feet 9 inches in height, 60 feet
across its circular base. No sign of previous digging.

Mound C, 100 feet NE. by E. from Mound A, 12 feet in height, base circular,
diameter, 73 feet. A large trench had been dug in from the eastern side.

Mound D, about 270 feet E. by N. from Mound B; height, 6 feet; diameter
of circular base, 42 feet. This mound had been dug into to a slight extent.
A large tree on top and others on the slope made the mound a mass of roots.

Mound E, 50 feet NE. from Mound B; height, 9 feet; diameter of circular
base, 50 feet. It is encircled by a well-defined ditch slightly more than one
foot deep. The mound forms a very symmetrical cone, slightly truncated.
A trench had been dug in from the eastern side prior to our visit.

Mound F, 120 feet N. from Mound E; height 5 feet 4 inches; elliptical base,
40 feet by 48 feet. Two small previously-made holes were noted, one in the
summit, the other in the side.

A hole 12 feet by 12 feet was sunk by us, which soon passed beyond the small
hole referred to and reached yellow clay, which was encountered 5 feet 2 inches
below the top of the mound. No sign of burial or of artifact was encountered
in the body of the mound, which was made up of two layers, the upper one of
yellow, loamy clay, about 2 feet thick, and the lower one of brown clay con
taining some sand about 3 feet in thickness. No pit had cut into the light-
yellow layer from the surface, nor had any grave originating in that layer ex
tended into the brown stratum below it.

The base of the mound was scraped clean by us, showing yellow, undisturbed
clay all over, except at one place where a grave 7 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet
2 inches wide extended one foot into the otherwise undisturbed soil. This
grave, which was not central in the base, but commenced at about the center
and lay ENE. and WNW. (the same direction as the major axis of the mound),
the eastern end being the one away from the center, had been dug only from the
original surface down and then the mound had been built upon it. This was
evident because at each side of the grave was piled the yellow clay dug from it
originally, while the grave itself was filled with the brown material composing
the lower stratum of the mound.

41 JOUKN. A. N. S. PHILA.. VOL. XVI.

402 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

On the upper part of the grave, somewhat above its base, at one side, was a
deposit of charcoal, and a small amount of the same material was at one end of
the grave, also near its upper surface. In neither instance did the clay near the
charcoal show any mark of fire.

The entire contents of the grave were removed by hand with a trowel, the
material being carefully sliced away under critical examination. Near the
middle of the grave was the faintest trace of what may have been a small part
of a single bone. No artifact was present.

Mound G, 10 feet 3 inches high, 65 feet across the circular base. A sur
prisingly symmetrical mound, and especially so in view of the fact that it has
been under cultivation. No previous digging was apparent.

Mound H, 138 feet ESE. from Mound G, 7 feet high, 50 feet in diameter
of base. No former digging was noticeable.

A hole 12 feet by 12 feet was put down. The mound differed from others
at this place in that, especially in the lower parts, it contained many irregular
local deposits of material of a darker color than was that of the rest of the mound.
These deposits were not in layers, but seemed to have been brought from a place
other than where the rest of the soil had been taken, perhaps from a swamp which
is nearby. In digging from above these deposits of dark material were mis
leading, as they seemed to indicate the presence of graves.

Burial No. 1. In a grave apparently was a burial 32 inches down, at full
length on the back, head W. by S. At the left of the pelvis was a flint knife
with shoulders, a considerable part of whose pointed end had been broken off.
The margin of the fracture had been chipped to confer a cutting edge. Five
fragments of the columella of a conch, much decayed, were at the neck, two at
the left elbow, one at the left hand.

Burial No. 2. A skeleton closely flexed on the left, head S., was 5 feet 10
inches down, seemingly in a grave.

Burial No. 3, a skeleton partly flexed to the left, the head WNW.; depth
7 feet.

Burial No. 4, at one corner of the excavation, partly flexed to the left, the
head SW. by W., very badly decayed. At the pelvis of the skeleton was a small
arrowhead of flint. This burial lay at a depth of about 8 feet, and probably
was on the original surface, but when it was discovered heavy rain was falling
and had been for some time. The base of the excavation was a mass of mud
and remained so during the time our work in the mound continued. Conse
quently determination as to the exact base-line of the mound was not possible.

Incidentally, it may be asked why digging is not postponed in mounds when
conditions arise interfering with thorough investigation. Postponement in
investigation of mounds in a region where visitors are numerous is inadvisable,
especially when the work is nearing the base, as outsiders are likely to finish the
digging in one s absence.

Burial No. 5, partly flexed to the right, the head SW. ; depth, 8 feet.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 403

Dissociated in the mound were two or three small arrowheads or knives, of

flint.

MOUND ON THE LUTY PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

The Lntv Plaee adjoins that of Mr. McDonald and belongs to Mrs. James
Luty, of Rhea Springs, Term. This mound, in view from the landing, has been
plowed out of shape by long-continued cultivation. Its height at the time of
our visit (when it was covered with a growing crop) was 6.5 feet; its diameter,
about 90 feet. The obstacle to investigation encountered at this place, namely,
the presence of growing grain, while resulting in no inconvenience in this instance
(as the mound, which seemed to have had a flat to]), presumably had been a
domiciliary one, and, moreover, seemed practically to form part of a group
we had no desire to expend additional time upon), was one we had to face from
this time, about April first, until the end of the season.

MOUND ON THE KEYFORVER PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

On the crest of a low hill overlooking the river, on the verge of woods, is a
mound on the property of Mrs. Ellen Kyle, who lives upon it, which is visible
from the water when the foliage does not obstruct the view. The mound,
never under cultivation, on a slope, depends considerably, as to its height, on
the point from which measurements are taken, one about midway on the slope
giving an altitude of 4 feet 8 inches. The diameter of base is 45 feet.

A hole, 10 feet by 10 feet, showed the mound to be of yellow clay of almost
the same color as the underlying ground. A line, seemingly that of the base,
was encountered at a depth of 4 feet, and on it a small amount of charcoal was
found. No artifacts or bones were discovered, though the bones, presumably,
had disappeared through decay.

MOUNDS ON THE KIMBROUGH PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

The Kimbrough Place, belonging to Mr. R. B. Kimbrough, who lives upon
it, is on the left-hand side of the river, going up, opposite Piney Island.

Shortly after passing the lower end of the island a remnant of a mound is
visible in a cultivated field on the Kimbrough Place, possibly a foot in height
and 40 feet in diameter. From it, we were informed by Mr. C. C. Brown, who
lives nearby, two similar objects of copper, one of which subsequently was lost,
were plowed up by his sons. The other, obtained by us from Mr. Brown, is a
ceremonial axe, such as were found by us in considerable numbers at Mound-
ville, Ala., and especially resembles those referred to in a previous report. 1
These ceremonial axes, made of native copper hammered in the usual way, on
which parts of the wooden handles in some instances remained in place when
found, resemble long chisels with flaring edges, the edges, however, bearing
ceremonial notches.

"Certain Aboriginal Remains of the Black Warrior River," .lourn. Acad. Xut. Sci. Phila.,
Vol. XIII, pp. 154, 157, 162, 163, 173; Figs. 28A, B, 33, 61.

404 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The axe obtained from Mr. Brown, which had been badly battered since
its discovery, is 10 inches in length and slightly more than .25 inch in maximum
thickness. The flaring blade (on which traces of notches are still visible) is
about 1.5 inch in width, while the opposite end is .5 inch wide. The weight is
twelve ounces.

An employee of Air. Kimbrough, the owner of the property, also plowed
from this mound, according to Mr. Kimbrough, a ceremonial axe of native
copper, of the same kind as the other, which Mr. Kimbrough values highly and
has preserved in perfect condition. The length of the axe, which we carefully
inspected, is 16.75 inches; its maximum thickness about .2 inch. The minimum
width, which is at the end opposite the blade, is .17 inch. At the union of the
flaring blade with the body of the axe the width is .9 inch; and that of the blade,
on which are thirteen notches, is 1.5 inch.

Later we saw a son of Mr. Brown who showed us a bicave of quartz, with
central perforation, very symmetrical, about 6 inches in diameter. This hand
some specimen, which we were told had been plowed from the mound from
which the ceremonial axes were taken, was in use as a soap dish.

We also obtained from Mr. Brown, as having come from the place, though
there seems some uncertainty as to just what part of it, a small celt, a grooved
axe, and what has been called an anvil-stone, similar to one figured by Thruston. 1

Farther along, in an adjacent field on the Kimbrough Place, is a mound in
sight from the landing, which has been largely plowed away. Its height was 3
feet 4 inches; its diameter of base, 47 feet. On the surface are many slabs of
fossiliferous limestone and some fragments of human bones.

This mound, which was made up of clay mixed with sand, was suitable for
the use of a sounding-rod, which was freely employed. In addition, trial-holes
were put down throughout much of its higher parts. Fragments of a skull
were found in two instances, near the surface.

At a depth of 13 inches was a stone grave differing from those found by
us so far, in that the burial lay between horizontal placements of slabs but
having none on the sides and at the ends. A much-decayed skeleton lay closely
flexed to the right, the head WNW., the right forearm flexed up to the shoulder,
the left forearm lying across the body. On the skull was a small slab of lime
stone (all slabs from this place were of this material), and a long, narrow slab
lay across the upper part of the thorax. A third slab was over the pelvis and
lower extremities.

Beneath the skull and the upper part of the thorax lay a slab; another had
been placed beneath the trunk; a third was under the pelvis and extremities.

All the slabs in connection with this burial had been carelessly placed, there
having been no attempt to avoid leaving open spaces, of which there were a
number.

In two places in this mound were two lines of slabs arranged in a slanting

1 Op. cit., Fig. 172.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 405

position. Those, beyond doubt, had formed parts of graves of a kind we found
in another mound at this place. The graves in the mound under description
had been largely plowed away. No trace of bones remained near the slabs.

On the line between the Kimbrough Place and the property of Mr. ( . ( .
Brown, which adjoins it, is a mound visible from the river-bank. This mound,
about evenly divided by a fence, has a diameter of about 45 feet. The height
of the southern half, which is on the Kimbrough Place and has not been under
cultivation, is about 5 feet 8 inches. The other portion, long plowed over,
and covered with growing grain at the time of our visit, is considerably lower.

Our investigation was first directed to the southern side of the mound, on
which were some trees of rapid growth (poplar) and from which a marginal part
had been plowed away, though, as we have stated, this side of the mound had
not been plowed over. Many slabs which had been unearthed in the plowing,
lay around.

In an excavation in the middle of this southern half of the mound we found
a pile of bones in no anatomical order, at a depth of 14 inches, which may have
boon a bunched burial or an aboriginal disturbance, as near it, but lower, was a
stone grave without slabs at the sides, ends, or bottom.

Twenty-eight inches down was a skeleton partly flexed to the left, the head
W., the partial flexion of the remains causing the knees to project from the line
of the body. Above 1 the skeleton had been placed an oblong arrangement of two
thicknesses of flat fragments of limestone in line, all small or of moderate size,
from a side of which, at right angles, was a projection of similar slabs arranged
to cover the knees, the entire covering, however, being in excess of the area
required to protect the skeleton.

Also in the southern part of the mound, 22 inches down, lying partly flexed
to the right, the head NW., was a skeleton with no slabs in association.

Not far from the other was an interesting form of stone grave in the shape
of a right angle composed of a single thickness of slabs unevenly placed. These
lay nearly 3 feet from the surface, above the skeleton of a child, partly flexed
to the right. Covering this skeleton, or nearly doing so, for part of the skull was
exposed, was one side of the angular grave, having a length of 42 inches, a width
of 22 inches. A head-piece had been placed about vertically. Slanting down
from this head-piece was a slab covering most of the skull, the rest of the skeleton
being protected by two other slabs in a horizontal position.

From the head of the line of slabs was an extension at right angles, 2 feet in
length and 17 inches in width, made up of single slabs. The purpose for this
extension was not apparent, inasmuch as no part of the skeleton projected beyond
the line of its covering slabs, (he part of the skull exposed being so through an
irregularity in the shape of the slab immediately above it. No sign of bones
or of artifacts lay beneath this extension.

In the northwestern, or cultivated, part of the mound, was a burial of a new
variety so far as our experience along the Tennessee extends. It is interesting

406 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

to compare, however, the description of an almost identical form of stone grave
found in Ohio, 1 the illustration given therewith very closely resembling the
grave discovered by us.

Near the base, yet not far from the surface, as it was away from the center
of the mound, was a rude flooring of slabs, horizontally placed except two,
which were upright, having been thrust in to fill small gaps. This flooring,
which was roughly circular, was about 6 feet in diameter. Next a kind of
enclosure had been arranged around the flooring, made up of large slabs on
edge, in double thickness, sloping outward, and projecting upward, a few inches
on an average, above the stone pavement. The basal diameter of the whole
grave, still irregularly circular, was about 11.5 feet.

About centrally on the floored space lay a skeleton partly flexed on the left,
the head ENE. No sign of slabs or of masses of rock was above the grave.

In the northeastern part of the mound, 28 inches down, not far from the base,
slabs had been piled horizontally, often with small spaces between, in one thick
ness usually in the outer parts of the flooring, but in two, three, and even four
thicknesses elsewhere. The flooring, however, was level on the whole, at places
two or more thin slabs being used to equal a thicker one.

The outline of the flooring, which was not surrounded by slanting slabs as
in the preceding case, was somewhat irregular, ranging between 8 and 9 feet in
diameter.

Near the center of this flooring, above which were no slabs or masses of rock,
was the skeleton of a child.

But one part of this interesting mound was left unexplored, the outer, north
ern portion, where it is unlikely undisturbed burials would have been found.

On the Kimbrough Place, superficially, flint points were numerous, most of
them probably knives, and showing little care in their manufacture. A few
slender and graceful, triangular points of flint were found, however, the two
basal angles projecting downward slightly. One rude arrowhead of quartz
also was found.

MOUNDS ON THE WHEELOCK PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

There are four small mounds on this place, the largest about 6 feet high and
50 feet in diameter, in sight from the landing. Owner, Mr. W. E. Wheelock,
Chattanooga, Tenn. Permission not granted.

MOUNDS ON THE GARRISON PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

Two mounds on this place, in full view from the river, each about 9 feet
high (estimated), have been considerably dug into, resulting in the discovery of
bones only, we were informed by the owner, Mr. J. E. Garrison, who lives on
the place. We decided to make no investigation here.

1 Gerard Fowke, " Archaeological History of Ohio," p. 402, Fig. 128.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 407

MOUNDS ON THE LOWER HAMPTON PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

On the Lower Hampton Place, belonging to Mr. Walter Hampton, of North
Chattanooga, extending for some distance along a ridge, as a rule, sometimes in
pairs or in groups of three, some in woods, some in cultivated fields, are fifteen
mounds, the largest, 9 feet in height and Go feet in diameter. All these mounds
are of the type common in this region, namely, the blunt cone.

One of these mounds, on the fiat crest of a ridge, a short distance back from
the river, about 30 feet from another mound, was 4 feet in height and 40 feet in
diameter. A hole 12 feet square was put down, reaching at a depth of 40 inches
a decaying skull with no trace of other bones.

About 4 feet 9 inches deep undisturbed red clay with pebbles was readied.
The entire base was carefully searched without discovery of any burial or further
trace of human remains.

MOUNDS AT EUCHEE, MEIGS COUNTY.

At Euchee are two mounds belonging to Mr. J. P. Celvahouse, of that place.
These mounds, of the usual shape, estimated by our agent to be 12 feet and 4 feet
high, with diameters of 75 feet and 50 feet, respectively, are used in time of
high water to store goods upon, thus saving their transport to the hills; conse
quently, digging into the mounds was not desired.

MOUNDS ON THE UPPER HAMPTON PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

On the Upper Hampton Place, belonging to Mr. Walter Hampton, a num
ber of whose properties we have described in this report, are five mounds in an
irregular line, but a few feet apart, none of which has been under cultivation.
Taking these mounds in order, beginning with the most northerly one, the
heights are: 6 feet 9 inches; 9 feet 8 inches; 15 feet 9 inches; 10 feet 2 inches;
6 feet 4 inches. The diameters of the circular bases of these mounds, taken in
the same order as the heights, are: 55 feet; 60 feet; 85 feet; 55 feet; 50 feet.
Numerous slabs, unquestionably from stone graves, lay upon one of them.

Selecting the smallest mound for investigation, a hole about 11 feet square
reached the base-line at a depth of 4 feet 4 inches, showing that the mound had
been increased in height, presumably by the washing away of adjacent ground,
which could readily be the case, the mound being on a slope.

Not far from the center of the excavation, on the dark material marking the
original surface of I lie ground, were remains of a skull, no other bones being
present. With the skull was part of the columella of a conch-shell.

At one corner of the excavation were remnants, here and there, of bones
which, from their position, indicated they had formed part of a skeleton lying at
full length. Near the skull were two parts of the columella of a conch; two similar
ones had been placed near where the left shoulder had been.

Extending over a number of acres along the river, at the Upper Hampton
Place, is an aboriginal dwelling-site, now a cultivated field, having on the surface

408 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

considerable debris, including bits of pottery, some having crude, incised decora
tion of parallel and crossed lines.

There were gathered from the surface, besides some graceful, triangular
arrowheads and many carelessly-made ones, all of flint: a hatchet and part of
another one; small discs of pottery and of stone; a tubular bead and a small
boss of brass; a flint knife. A very careful search conducted by nine persons
failed to find any trace of human bones on the surface, and a limited amount of
digging and sounding with the rod were unsuccessful in discovering burials.

MOUND^NEAR^RED CLOUD FERRY, RHEA COUNTY.

Near Red Cloud Ferry, on property belonging to Air. William E. Wheelock,
of Chattanooga, is a mound about 5 feet high and 40 feet in diameter (estimated).
Permission not granted.

MOUNDS ON THE HOPE PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. H. R. Hope are three mounds visible from the river,
ranging between 7 and 9 feet in height, each about 50 feet in diameter (estimated).
Though Mr. Hope kindly placed these mounds at our disposal, the low water
prevailing in the river prevented our approach within a distance convenient for
conducting the investigation.

MOUNDS ON THE CAGLE PLACE, RHEA COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. W. N. Cagle are three mounds, all between 5 and 6
feet in height and with basal diameters between 40 and 50 feet (estimated).
Permission not granted.

MOUNDS NEAR JACKSON FERRY, MEIGS AND^ROANE COUNTIES.

On the property of Dr. and Mrs. T. L. Smith, of Harriman, Tenn., are
fourteen mounds, to investigate which we were unable to obtain permission.
In ascending the river one comes first to a mound about 10 feet in height in sight
from the bank. Farther along is one about 3 feet in height and opposite the
mouth of White creek is another 5 feet high, approximately. These mounds
probably are in Meigs County.

A short distance in from Jackson Ferry, on the Smith property, some of which
are in sight from it, are five other mounds in line and but short distances apart,
the largest having a height of about 5 feet.

Farther back on a hill, on the extremity of a ridge, in woods, is a very inter
esting group of six mounds, all near together, all very symmetrical and nearly
of the same size, the largest being 16 feet in height and 80 feet in diameter.

MOUNDS ON THE FITZGERALD PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the Fitzgerald property, belonging to Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzgerald, of Rock-
wood, Tenn., are seven mounds between 6 feet and 11 feet in height. Permission
to dig not granted.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

409

MOUNDS ON THE CAMPBELL, PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. E. F. Campbell, of Cleveland, Tenn., immediately
opposite Half Moon Island, are six mounds a short distance back from the river,
the smallest mound of the group immediately in from the landing, being 5 feet
in height and 35 feet in diameter.

A short distance from this mound are four others, almost in a straight line
and but a few yards apart, all very symmetrical, none showing previous digging

FIG. 98. Mounds on the Campbell Place, Tenn.

or disturbance by the plow. These mounds arc shown in Fig. 98. Their heights
in order going eastwardly are 9 feet, 9 feet 4 inches, 8 feet 2 inches, 1 1 feet 3
inches; their diameters, 45 feet each, with the exception of the highest, which
is 50 feet.

A short distance from these mounds, though not in line with them, is another,
1 1 feet 5 inches in height and 70 feet in diameter. A trench of considerable size,
which we were informed had yielded only fragments of bones, had been put in
from one side.

The mound nearest the landing, the one 5 feet in height, was selected by us
for examination, and an excavation 12 feet square was put down by us through
the base, which proved to be at a depth of slightly more than 4 feet. At 1(5, 20,
and 22 inches down were decaying fragments of bone. On the base-line was a
fragment of the petrous part of a temporal bone of a human skull.

MOUNDS NEAR ROCKWOOD LANDING, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Dr. Charles Wilson, of Rockwood, Tenn., are five mounds
ranging between 4 and 9 feet in height (estimated). Permission not granted.

MOUND ON THE HOOD PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On property of Mr. T. L. Hood, in full view from the water, is a mound
] 1 feel in height and 55 feet in diameter (estimated), which, when visited by us

42 JOUHN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XVI.

410 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

at the close of the season, was surrounded with growing grain. In view of the
unproductive character of the mounds in this region, and the damage to property
which the work would entail, we did not consider it worth while to investigate
this mound.

MOUNDS ON THE BUTLER PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Mrs. Fanny Butler, of Harriman, Tcnn., immediately
across the river from the Ewing Place, next to be described, in sight from the
water, are three mounds, two about 5 feet in height, one 3.5 feet high, approxi
mately, having respective diameters of 50, 50, and 40 feet (estimated). These
mounds at the time of our visit were covered with growing grain and were not
investigated by us.

MOUNDS ON THE EWING PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. R. E. Ewing, resident thereon, arc six mounds in a
cultivated field, a few yards from one another, none of which has been plowed
over. The group is visible from the river. Someone, doubtless a victim of
unrequited endeavor, had dug a large trench into one of the principal mounds
before our coming, but otherwise no sign of previous disturbance was apparent
in the group.

These mounds are in height, respectively: 12 feet 6 inches, 10 feet 9 inches,
10 feet 2 inches, 8 feet 5 inches, 7 feet, 5 feet 7 inches; the diameters being 65 feet,
55 feet, 65 feet by 55 feet, 50 feet, 50 feet, 45 feet.

A hole 12 feet square, sunk by us centrally in the smallest mound, came
upon parts of a skeleton at a depth of 16 inches, so badly decayed that even the
teeth crumbled when rolled between the thumb and fingers.

A distinct base-line was reached at a depth of 6 feet 3 inches, and on this
dark stratum, in a corner of the excavation, were the remains of a skull in the
last stage of decay, other bones perhaps having disappeared. With the skull
was an asymmetrical banner-stone of sandstone, a rounded ellipse in outline,
with the perforation so clumsily made that fragments of the stone were broken
out at each extremity of it. At some distance from the skull was a rude arrow
head or knife, of flint.

On one side of the center of the excavation was a roughly circular grave
between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 10 inches in diameter, cutting through the
base-line and extending 2 feet 3 inches below it, at the deepest part. The sides of
the grave, however, sloped considerably, and it was only in the central part that
the greatest depth was attained.

The pit had been dug into undisturbed red clay, and some of this clay had
been piled around the opening, while more of it, mixed with dark soil which had
been scraped from the surface and of which the mound was made, had been
used to fill the grave. Careful search failed to discover any trace of skeletal
remains in this pit, and as the soil in the bottom of it was very moist it is almost
certain that a burial originally in the grave had decayed away.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 411

MOUNDS ON THE TEDDER PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On property belonging to Mrs. Sarah Tedder who lives upon it, are three
mounds a short distance apart, two on high land and visible from the river,
one on sloping ground, a short distance farther back. The two mounds first
mentioned, 10 feet and 9 feet 3 inches high, respectively, and each about 50 feet
in diameter, are in a cultivated field, but themselves untouched by the plow.

The third mound, reduced by cultivation, is 4.5 feet high and 50 feet in diam
eter of base. Into this mound, centrally, a hole 12 feet square was sunk to
the base resting on undisturbed clay. Somewhat away from the middle of
the excavation was a skeleton extended on the back, not in a grave, apparently,
but which seemingly had been placed upon the original surface of the ground and
the mound erected over it. To the left of the skull were twelve musselshells
( Unio crassidens) .

MOUNDS ON THE DE ARMOND PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On property of the De Armond estate are three mounds in a cultivated field,
on a ridge overlooking the river, from which they would be visible did not trees
intervene. The mounds are 8 feet 3 inches, 4 feet 8 inches, and 3 feet 6 inches
in height, and 50 feet, 45 feet, and 45 feet in diameter, respectively. The two
smaller mounds have been under cultivation and have been much spread; the
largest mound had trees upon it and seemingly was untouched by the plow.

In the central part of the smallest mound a hole 12 feet square was put
down which came upon small deposits of musselshells, here and there, uncon
nected with burials. The mound proved to be of dark soil which seemingly
had been gathered from a dwelling-site, though the surface of the surrounding-
area, at the present time, shows no sign of admixture with organic matter.
Probably the soil of the midden site, long since loosened by the plow, has been
washed away by rain.

Off toward one side of the excavation was a grave, extending 2 feet below the
base of the mound, which was 3 feet 5 inches below its highest part. This grave-
pit was distinctly marked, the dark soil of the mound extending into the red clay
and gravel of the hills.

On the bottom of the grave was a skeleton extended on the back, much
decayed. A small amount of charcoal lay beside; it.

MOUNDS ON THE EVANS PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

The Evans Place, on which is the terminus of a branch railroad which there
transfers iron ore to a steamer, is under the management of Mr. J. W. Bowman.
A short quarter of a mile. in from the landing at this place are three mounds,
two of which,!) feet and (i feet in height, respectively, and each 45 feet in diam
eter, have never been under cultivation and are filled with roots of trees, some
of great size.

412 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The third mound, which we selected for investigation, was 4 feet in height
and 50 feet in diameter. It had been under cultivation for a long time. A hole
12 feet square came upon traces of a skull, 6 inches down, and reached the base
line of the mound at a depth of 3 feet.

Off toward one side of the hole were two burials which apparently had been
laid on the original surface of the ground and the mound then had been built
over them. These burials, which had been placed face to face in flexed positions,
were traceable only through the presence of badly decayed bones of the legs
and thighs in both instances, of the pelvis in one case, and of both skulls. No
other bones were in evidence, and presumably they had decayed away. Near
these mounds were remnants of several others almost plowed to the level of the
field.

MOUNDS NEAR HOOD S FERRY, ROANE COUNTY.

On property of Mr. R. H. Alford, who lives on it, are four mounds and several
remnants of mounds, in sight from Hood s Ferry and from one another. These
mounds, which have all been under cultivation, are: 10 feet high, 55 feet in
diameter; 4 feet in height, 65 feet in diameter; 12.5 feet high and 50 by 75 feet
in diameter; 6 feet 8 inches in height and 65 feet in diameter.

The mound last mentioned was selected by us for investigation, with the feel
ing on our part that it was as likely as any of the others to demonstrate how
little of an imperishable nature was put with the dead by the aborigines of this
region. The usual excavation, 12 feet square, was put down centrally in the
mound and showed it to be composed of the brown clay mixed with sand, of
the bottom-land on which it was, and proved also that the height taken from
the outside, namely 6 feet 8 inches, was misleading, as the sloping ground on
which the mound was reared had been exposed to wash which had hollowed out
the ground immediately around it. A dark line marking the base was reached
at a depth of 4 feet 8 inches. This line, however, was not apparent at one corner
of the excavation, though careful digging failed to discover a pit.

Lying on the base of the mound to one side of the center of the excavation,
was a small deposit of calcined fragments of human bone. Above them the
ground was soft to a height of about one foot, but no pit could be determined,
as the material covering the bones was of the same color as that of the rest of
the mound.

About three-quarters of a mile back from the river, also on Mr. Alford s
property, arc four other mounds near together, which were visited by our agent.
We were informed that these mounds were about the same size as those already
described on this place.

MOUNDS ON THE GOODWIN PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On property belonging to Mr. R. E. Ewing are three mounds, 9 feet, 6 feet,
and 5 feet in height; and 50 feet, 40 feet, and 35 feet in diameter, respectively.
Owing to a misunderstanding as to the nature of our expedition, permission to

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 413

explore those mounds was not granted by Mr. Ewing, who was consulted by
telephone. Later, when we called on Mr. Ewing, another place owned by him
was cordially put at our disposal.

MOUNDS ON THE Biss PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. Henry D. Biss, who resides on it, are three mounds.
Two of these, about 60 yards apart, on high ground, are visible from the river,
the larger, which has an extensive hole in the center, left by a previous digger,
being 11.5 feet in height and 60 feet in diameter, and having, like nearly all the
mounds of this region, an almost circular base.

The smaller mound, between 3 and 4 feet in height, and 45 feet in diameter,
is on a slope.

An excavation 12 feet square was put down in the smaller mound, reaching
undisturbed clay at a depth of 3 feet 7 inches. Just beneath the surface were
remains of a skull and fragments of other bones. An arrowhead of flint was
found isolated in the clay.

At a depth of 2 feet 5 inches was the skeleton of an adolescent, partly flexed
to the left, without the skull. While the bones of this skeleton were badly
decayed and friable, they were distinct, so that it was clear that the skull was
not missing through decay. No sign of disturbance, aboriginal or recent, was
noticeable near the skeleton, which apparently had been interred without the
cranium.

At the right shoulder was a small, triangular arrowhead of flint, and four
of the same material and shape were at the left shoulder, a particularly graceful
one being 1.7 inch in length and .65 inch across the base. On the pelvis was
part of the columella of a conch-shell, much decayed.

A most careful search failed to reveal any sign of a burial below the base
of the mound.

We obtained from Mr. Biss, who informed us he had plowed it from this
mound, an object of coarse-grained diabase, 6.6 inches in length, 3 inches in
maximum width, 1.1 inch wide at the narrow end, 2.75 inches at the opposite
end, and .3 inch in maximum thickness (Plate VII, Fig. 2). In shape this
object much resembles a ceremonial axe, which we believe it to be and that it
was carried attached to a handle, as the perforation is placed in a position in
the blade similar to that found in numerous unquestioned ceremonial axes.
The absence of a cutting edge in the specimen under consideration does not, in
our opinion, seem incongruous in the case of an axe intended only for cere
monial use.

An object of like material, and otherwise similar, save that it is somewhat
smaller, is in the Vaux collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila
delphia and is reported to have come from West Virginia.

In a description of the Mason collection in the American Museum of Natural
History, New York, is figured 1 another of these ceremonial axes (according to

1 Alanson Skinner in "The American Museum Journal," April, 1914.

414 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

our belief) which the author classes among pendants. This axe or pendant,
as the case may be, resembles ours (again even as to material), but in addition
has certain notches at one end. Its size is not given. The Mason collection is
said to be composed of objects from the vicinity of Jonesboro, Tenn., which is
in the northeastern corner of that state.

In an interesting paper 1 Dr. A. C. Simoens da Silva figures one of these cere
monial objects which he describes as "a stone axe without a cutting edge" and
calls it "the insignia of an Indian chief." This axe, he tells us, is a fine-grained
diabase and was found in southern Brazil. He believes it was worn suspended
from the neck.

On the Biss Place also is a remnant of a mound which had been considerably
dug into previous to our coming and was not examined by us.

MOUNDS ON LONG ISLAND, ROANE COUNTY.

On Long Island, which is about 3 miles in length and is owned by Messrs.
Gorda Johnson Sons, of Lookout Mountain, Tcnn., is a mound about 18 feet
in height, and a considerable number of small mounds, none, we believe, having
an altitude of more than 7 feet. Permission was refused.

The large site on Long Island was in part investigated on behalf of the
Bureau of American Ethnology, 2 resulting in the discovery of an interesting
stone image which is figured in the report. Long Island, as we have explained, is
in a part of Tennessee river formerly called Holston river, and it is so spoken of
in the account.

The statement made (page 359) that the large mound on Long Island was
known as the Brakebill Mound and was explored by the Rev. E. O. Dunning on
behalf of Peabody Museum of Cambridge, Mass., is an error. The Brakebill
Mouncl :! is near the junction of the Holston and French Broad rivers, just above
Knoxville, Tenn.

MOUNDS NEAR HUFFINE FERRY, ROANE COUNTY.

About 400 yards in a southerly direction from Hurfine Ferry and in full
view from the river is a mound on cultivated land belonging to Mr. B. F. Huffine
who resides nearby. The mound, which has been plowed over for a long time,
is on a slope, and presumably the ground around it has been washed away, as
its height, 4.5 feet as measured from the outside, proved to be considerably
less when our excavation, 12 feet square, was carried centrally to the base.
The 1 diameter of the mound was 40 feet.

Near the surface was part of the shaft of a human femur. At a depth of

1 "Points of Contact of the Prehistoric Civilization of Brazil and Argentina with those of the
Pacific Coast Countries." Proceedings of the International Congress of Americanists, XVIII
Session, Part II. London, 1912.

2 Twelfth An. Rep., p. 358 et seq.

3 Fifth An. Rep. Peabody Museum, p. 11.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 415

26 inches a dark line was reached, presumably the original surface of the ground,
beneath which was the undisturbed red clay of the hills.

In the eastern side of the excavation was a grave in the form of an irregular
circle with diameters of 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 6 inches. This pit apparently
had been dug to a depth of 2 feet below the base of the mound and was clearly
defined, extending into the red clay.

On the bottom of the grave was a skeleton partly flexed on the left side, with
charcoal under it and along it in places. The grave, which was concave, re
sembling a large basin, had been partly filled with the red clay that had been
dug out in its making and which also was piled around the margin of the grave.
The red clay that had been used to fill was easily distinguishable from the clay
of the same color of the solid ground surrounding it, as it was much less compact
than was the undisturbed clay. Evidently the mound had been built largely
from the brown material taken from the surface, and this material had been
used to complete the filling of the grave.

About one-half mile SSE. from the mound just described, also on the property
of Mr. Huffinc, is another, somewhat smaller, which we decided not to investigate.

MOUND ON THE PICKLES PLACE, ROANE COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. J. E. Pickles is a mound 40 feet in diameter and
5 feet high (estimated). Permission not granted.

MOUNDS NEAR PAINT ROCK CREEK, ROANE COUNTY.

One-half mile S. by E. from the mouth of Paint Rock creek, in a cultivated
field belonging to Mrs. J. H. Byrd, of Loudon, Tenn., is a mound about 9 feet
high and 75 feet in diameter (estimated). This mound, though kindly placed
at our disposal by Mrs. Byrd, was covered with growing grain at the time of
our visit and was not dug into by us.

On the property of Mr. R. H. Bell, on the lower side of Paint Rock creek,
are seven mounds: one 3.5 feet, three 5 feet each, one 10 feet, one 12 feet, one
22 feet in height (estimated). The two largest mounds have flat tops; on the
smallest is a building. Permission refused.

In the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology (page 461)
is an account of these mounds near Paint Rock Ferry, which is near the mouth
of Paint Rock creek. The height of the largest mound is given as 40 feet, a great
over-estimate. In a mound at this place, according to the investigator for the
Bureau, a stone grave (not of the box-shape) was found and stone slabs lay on
the surface.

MOUNDS NEAR MOUTH OF POND CREEK, LOUDON COUNTY.

About one-quarter mile W. by S. from the mouth of Pond creek, and in sight
from it, is a mound in a cultivated field, the mound also having been plowed
over. Mr. F. A. Berry, the owner of the property, who resides on it, informed

416 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

us that while the field had long been under cultivation, the mound had only
recently been cleared of trees and, so far as he knew, it had not been dug into
to any extent. This absence of wear and wash doubtless explains the symmetry
of the mound, which, though 10.5 feet in height, was only about 60 feet in diam
eter, its shape being the usual blunt cone found in this region.

A few feet from this mound is what the plow has left of another one, the height
of this remnant being about 2 feet, the diameter about 45 feet. As this remainder
had been dug into considerably before our visit, it was not investigated by us.

On that part of the field which surrounds these mounds, considerable midden-
debris, seemingly free from any objects of interest, is scattered.

In the larger mound a hole 12 feet square was put down to and through the
base, which, in the shape of a dark, irregular streak about one inch in thickness,
was encountered at a depth of 12 feet.

Throughout the digging human remains were ten times encountered at
depths beween 16 inches and 10 feet 7 inches, the upper burials being in a far
poorer condition through decay than were the lower ones, presumably because
the upper part of the mound (which was of clay from the bottom-land on which
the mound stood) was damp, while the ultimate three or four feet were perfectly
dry at the time of our visit. While it is likely that in the rainy season the whole
mound may be affected by moisture, the lower part is dry for a much longer
period each year than is the upper portion.

The burials in order of depth were as follows: a bunched burial with bones
belonging to at least four persons, having in association a canine tooth of a large
carnivore, too much decayed to determine if it had been perforated or grooved
for suspension, and parts of two columellac of conch-shells; a skull having the
lower jaw much decayed; traces of a tibia and a femur; remains of a skull;
remnants of bones of two legs flexed; fragments of a skull; a skeleton partly
flexed on the left side; one partly flexed on the right side; one closely flexed on the
right side, having with it a small quantity of ashes and charcoal; a skeleton at
full length on the back, having near the skull a small, triangular arrowhead of
flint, with the line of the base concave.

No grave-pits were apparent in the body of the mound.

In one corner of the excavation was a pit, roughly circular, about 33 inches
in diameter, tapering considerably toward its base, which was 14 feet from the
summit of the mound. This pit, which clearly cut through the dark line of the
base of the mound and two feet beyond, was not determinable as to where it
commenced in the mound. Probably it had been started from the original surface
of the ground, and after it had been filled the mound was built over it.

In the bottom of the pit and around the sides of the lower part were masses
of very hard clay, or possibly claystone which had deteriorated since the time
of its burial. Enclosed by these masses was granular soil easily removed with a
trowel, while to loosen the clay in that part of the mound which surrounded the
pit the use of a pick was necessary. This granular earth extended about 10

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 417

inches above the base-line of the mound, and probably was what was left when
the pit was filled. Over this little mound, to the height of about a foot, was
dark clay resembling that found on the surrounding field. This clay probably
had been gathered from the level ground and piled above the small mound as a
nucleus for the greater one. Above this dark clay was a deposit of thirty or
forty musselshells, much decayed.

Although great care was exercised in the removal of the contents of the pit ,
no trace of human remains was discovered. If the pit had served as a place of
burial, the remains that had been interred in it had decayed away. Presumably
the pit below the base of the mound, into which water probably could percolate
from the general level of the field, would contain more moisture than would
lower parts of the mound above it.

MOUND NEAR CAVE CREEK, ROANE COUNTY.

A mound about one-quarter mile due N. from the mouth of Cave creek, in a
cultivated field, on property of Air. Robert Dowdy, 4 feet in height and 40 feet
in diameter (estimated). Permission not granted.

MOUND ON THE E. E. BLAIR PLACE, LOUDON COUNTY.

About one-half mile in from the river, on the property of Mr. E. E. Blair,
living in the vicinity, in a cultivated field, is part of a mound now nearly plowed
away. We did not consider this remnant worthy of investigation.

MOUND ON THE W. W. BLAIR PLACE, LOUDON COUNTY.

On the property of Mr. W. W. Blair, who lives upon it, about one mile below
the town of London but on the opposite side of the river, is a mound one-half
mile from the landing in a cultivated field and in view from the road. The mound
4 feet in height and 45 feet in diameter of base, which we were told had been
plowed over for years, showed no evidence of previous digging, though the
presence of musselshells upon it, while none are on the surrounding field, indicated
that digging had been done or that parts of the mound had been plowed away.

Later an excavation 12 feet square showed that a trench about 4 feet wide
had been dug in from the western side of the mound, and, extending below its
base, had reached its central part. Evidently this trench had been filled in
during the cultivation of the mound.

Human remains, all very badly decayed, were encountered as follows: frag
ments of bones disturbed by the plow; a skull 10 inches down; remains of a
skeleton at a depth of 14 inches, which apparently had been partly flexed to the
left; remains of bones indicating a burial partly flexed to the right, 28 inches
deep; remnants of the skeleton of a child, 3 feet 8 inches below the surface;
fragments of bone in the former digging and other fragments in the mound near
the trench, 3 feet 10 inches deep.

4IJ JOUHN. A. N. S. PIIILA.. VOL. XVI.

418 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER,

The mound was composed of the red earth of the hills to a depth of 3 feet
3 inches, below which, for somewhat more than one foot, was what seemed to
be brown soil gathered from the adjacent surface. Below this was undisturbed
red clay.

On this undisturbed clay, 4 feet 5 inches down, was a skull which may have
been interred alone, or, as it lay near the trench, it may have been all that had
not been cut away by the previous digging.

Throughout our investigation of this mound the only artifact found was a
small, flint arrowhead.

MOUND OPPOSITE LOUDON, LOUDON COUNTY.

On property of Mr. Walter Blair, opposite the town of London, at the foot
of the hills, about one-quarter mile in from the river, is a mound 5 feet in height
and 40 feet in diameter (estimated), a large part of which has been dug out.
Permission to investigate this was not urged by us.

MOUND ON THE CARMICHAEL PLACE, LOUDON COUNTY.

On a low hill about one-quarter mile in from the river, and in sight from it,
is a mound slightly more than 3 feet in height and 36 feet in diameter, on property
belonging to Mr. N. B. Carrnichael, who resides upon it.

The mound was composed largely of the red clay of the hills, which is reached
a few inches below the general surface, but the upper clay having lost part of its
iron through the growth of vegetation, had assumed a brown or yellow appear
ance. This superficial layer made it easy to determine when the base of the
mound, the original surface of the ground, had been reached, and the red clay
beneath it made the determination of intruding yellow or brown clay in pits
also an easy matter.

An excavation 12 feet square came upon, at a depth of 14 inches, a skull face
down, and some small decaying fragments of bone, among which were recognized
part of a humerus and small remnants of a forearm.

The base of the mound was reached at a depth of 2 feet 4 inches. Somewhat
off from the center of the base was a pit, 4 feet 10 inches by 4 feet 2 inches, ex
tending 1 foot 2 inches below the original surface, or base of the mound. On
the bottom of the pit a skeleton, hardly more than traceable, lay partly flexed
to the left, the head W. by S. The pit evidently had been filled prior to the
building of the mound, as the mixed material in it differed from the composition
of the mound in the neighborhood of the grave. In addition, the material filling
the grave had been made into a little mound 10 inches in height above the
grave, over which the mound proper had been built.

Another pit, 4 feet 11 inches by 2 feet 8 inches, also was somewhat away
from the center of the base. Its depth below the original surface of the ground
was 10 inches. In it lay faint traces of a skeleton partly flexed to the right,
the head SSE.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 419

MOUNDS ON THE ARTHUR PLACE, LOUDON COUNTY.

On cultivated ground belonging to Mr. Felix Arthur, whose home is near by,
are four mounds, all in sight from the bank of the river, the largest 5 feet 8 inches
in height and 55 feet in diameter. Three of these mounds are in line and but a
few feet apart. The fourth, about 200 feet away, is at a right angle from the
middle mound of the three. Trees of considerable size on all the mounds give
evidence that they have not been under cultivation in recent years; indeed,
judging from their appearance, they have never been plowed.

The mound chosen for investigation (the one at a distance from the rest)
was 5 feet 6 inches in height and 40 feet in diameter. A hole 12 feet square,
dug into the central part, reached a decaying skull and some small fragments
of bone, about 22 inches down.

In another part of the excavation, at a depth of 16 inches, were traces of
bone and teeth of a child, with which were a few shell beads, and some marine
shells (Olivclla mutica) pierced for use as beads.

Twenty-six inches down were a skull and some traces of other bones indi
cating a flexed burial. A small, flat fragment of limestone lay on the lower
part of the trunk.

Apart from bones were: a graceful arrowhead of flint, triangular, with the
two basal extremities projecting downward somewhat; two spherical pebbles
and one somewhat resembling a diminutive brick in shape, together.

When the excavation had reached a depth of about 5 feet, heavy and prolonged
rain induced us to abandon work additional to the filling of the excavation.

MOUND NEAR LENOIR CITY, LOUDON COUNTY.

About one-half mile northwest from Lenoir City Landing is a mound about
5 feet high and 40 feet in diameter (estimated), on property of the Lenoir City
Company. Permission not granted.

MOUNDS OPPOSITE LENOIR CITY, LOUDON COUNTY.

About one mile east of the ferry landing opposite Lenoir City, where Little
Tennessee river enters the Tennessee, on the farm of Mr. J. W. Bussell, are five
mounds, the largest about 6 feet high and 50 feet in diameter (estimated).
Permission refused.

The mounds on both sides of Tennessee river, near Lenoir City, arc described
and mapped in the Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology
(page 397 el seq.).

MOUNDS ON THE EDWARD PRATER PLACE, BLOUNT COUNTY.
In a cultivated field, on high land rising from the river-bank, belonging
to Mr. Edward Prater, who lives somewhat farther back in the country, are two
mounds but a few feet apart, one of which, about 18 inches in height, seemed to
have been thoroughly dug.

420 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

The other, though it had been under cultivation, showed no sign of digging.
Its height was about 2 feet; its diameter, about 45 feet. Four large trial-holes
in the central part of the mound showed the base to be about 2 feet 9 inches
down, and in one instance came upon a skeleton flexed to the right, at a depth of
20 inches.

At the left of the skull was a small, complete, quartz crystal. Though
bearing no perforation or groove for suspension, this crystal, perhaps, had been
an ornament, or possibly a part of the paraphernalia of a medicine-man. Small
wonder that quartz crystals, with their striking and mysterious appearance,
should appeal to the savage mind as efficacious in the practice of "medicine"
or magic. Fragments of quartz crystals are found in the bags carried by sorcerers
in Roro, New Guinea. 1 The medicine-men of the Papago Indians 2 of Arizona
use crystals to induce rain, and they form part of the equipment of the priests
of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and Arizona today as of old. We found
many large quartz crystals in the mound at the Haley Place, 3 southwestern
Arkansas, interred evidently with important persons. All recall the bit of
quartz crystal in the Natchez temple, and doubtless many other examples of
the use of crystals by aborigines are familiar to most of us.

In the field near the mound is a small dwelling-site having a few shells and
other debris scattered upon it. Apparently much of it had been washed away.
No burials were encountered.

DWELLING-SITES ON THE S. E. PRATER PLACE, BLOUNT COUNTY.
Adjoining the Edward Prater Place is the property of Mr. S. E. Prater, living
some distance back toward the hills. Two dwelling-sites on this place were
covered with growing grain, and as the region was so unpromising no effort was
made on our part to arrange terms for an investigation.

DWELLING-SITE ON GRANT ISLAND, BLOUNT COUNTY.

On Grant Island is a dwelling-site, to investigate which we were unable to
obtain permission. Owner, Mr. John Queener.

DWELLING-SITE ON Cox ISLAND, KNOX COUNTY.

Cox Island, whose area is restricted, belongs to Mr. W. L. Hinson, living
nearby on the mainland. On part of this island is an aboriginal dwelling-site
covered with pebbles, broken and whole, some of fair size; hammer-stones; some
shells ; a small number of bits of pottery, and here and there fragments of human
bones. The pebbles at this place are silicious, but flint is practically absent.

From the surface were gathered an arrowhead of flint, a rude grooved axe of
sandstone, a spade of like material, and part of a slate gorget.

1 Robert W. Williamson, M. Sc., F.R.A.I., "The Ways of the South Sea Savage," p. 160.

2 Dr. Carl Lumholtz, "New Trails in Mexico," p. 49.

3 C. B. Moore, "Some Aboriginal Sites on Red River," Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XIV,
p. 527 et seq.

ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 421

Considerable digging resulted in the discovery of the skeleton of a child at a
depth of one foot, and showed that most of the midden material formerly on the
site had been washed away.

DWELLING-SITE ON PRATER ISLAND, KNOX COUNTY.

Prater Island, belonging to Mrs. Frank Maxey, of Maryville, Tenn., has a
well-defined dwelling-site near its lower extremity, on which were fragments of
shells, some scattered pebbles, and bits of human bone. From the surface were
collected a handsome barrel-shaped bead of shell, nearly one inch in length;
part of a slate gorget; three flint arrowheads; a small discoidal stone.

Numerous trial-holes came upon a skeleton closely flexed, face down, 10 inches
from the surface, another partly flexed on the left. A grooved axe 1 of fine
grained gneiss, about 8 inches long, was unearthed one foot below the surface,
apart from any burial.

Also in this site was a refuse pit, 4 feet 2 inches by 3 feet 10 inches at the
top, which was 7 inches below the present surface of the field. The pit tapered
inward somewhat in the upper part, and then continued down with the sides
more nearly perpendicular. The depth of the pit from the surface was 5 feet,
its original depth probably having been 7 inches less.

This pit, which had no burial in connection with it, was filled with refuse
material, including some river shells from which the following were sufficiently
preserved to identify: Unio crassidens, Dromus dromus, Quadrula pyramidafu,
(J. cboid. There was also much soil, almost black with admixture of organic
matter, in the lower part, with a few shells, most of the shells with some of the
dark earth being in the upper part.

MOUND AND SITE ON THE JACKSON PLACE, BLOUNT COUNTY.

On the lower part of the property of Mr. A. N. Jackson, who resides on it,
is a small, aboriginal site not far from the river, in which we were unable to find
bones or artifacts. From the surface were gathered one flint arrowhead and a
graceful celt of ferruginous shale, having, however, no cutting edge.

Near the landing on the same place, which is about one mile farther up the
river, is a mound in a cultivated field, which would be visible from the landing
were it of greater height. Careful digging into this small elevation, which was
but one foot above the surface, with a diameter of 35 feet, yielded only scattered
fragments of human bones.

DWELLING-SITE NEAR LITTLE RIVER SHOALS, KNOX COUNTY.

At the upper end of Little River Shoals is the property of Mr. R. A. Sharp,
who resides upon it. In sight from the landing at this place, in a pasture, is an

1 Strange as it may seem, considering the amount of digging we have done, this grooved axe, the
one from Cox Island, just below, and one from the site near Milton Bluff, Lawrenre Co. Ala., are
the first we have found beneath or on the surface in the course of our archaeological investigations.

422 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER.

aboriginal dwelling-site whose dark soil, filled with organic matter, shows it to
have been a place of aboriginal abode for a long time. On the surface were
scattered shells and numerous fragments of human bones. The place has a
history of many skeletons plowed up there.

From the surface were gathered: a small discoidal stone; a flat pebble rounded
by chipping; a number of arrowheads and knives of flint, and one of quartz; a
slate gorget, elliptical in outline, the two "perforations" of which had not been
completed. Owing to a natural desire on the part of the owner that his rich
pasture land should not be extensively dug into, it was arranged that four trial-
holes should be put down to serve as an indication of the contents of the site.

In two of these holes were fragments of human bones, too deep for the plow
to have disturbed and presumably scattered in aboriginal times. In another
hole, about 20 inches deep, lay a skeleton flexed to the left, the arms folded
across the lower part of the trunk. On both forearms were many small, discoidal
shell beads of great uniformity of size, each being about .12 of an inch in diameter.
So minute are these beads that, beyond doubt, a number were lost in the soil;
2,997, however, were recovered, including twelve somewhat broken.

MOUND OPPOSITE LOONEY ISLAND, KNOX COUNTY.

Opposite the lower end of Looney Island is a property belonging to Dr. B. D.
Brabson, of Knoxville, Tenn. In sight from the landing on this property is a
mound somewhat less than 7 feet in height, and 60 feet in diameter of base. This
mound had been dug out centrally and extensively trenched from two sides,
and perhaps otherwise explored. In view of all this digging an investigation of
the mound was deemed inexpedient.

MOUND NEAR KNOXVILLE.

About one mile below the city of Knoxville, on the grounds of the College of
Agriculture and Experiment Station, University of Tennessee, is a mound 10
feet in height and 75 feet in diameter (estimated). As there was a laudable
desire on the part of the management of the college to protect the trees growing
on this mound, permission to dig into it was not granted.

INDEX

Adze form of celt,

Agricultural implements, 190, 204, 206.

245, 253, 255, 256, 259, 273, 281, 299,

318, 337, 397, 420

Amulet of bar variety, made from hematite,
Amulets of bar variety, .... 318,
Anglesitc, lead sulphide, possibly used as

paint,

Anklet of brass,

Antler, worked, 270,

Anvil-stone, . . . 260, 279, 281,

Archaeological investigation, no previous

systematic, of Tennessee river,
Archaeological work previously done along

Tennessee river,

Archseology of northern Alabama previously

unknown.

Armlets of brass, 364,

Armstrong Ferry, mounds near, .

Arrow flakers of antler, . . . . 3 IS,

Arrowhead of unusual shape,

Arrowheads and fragments of (lint bought

by dealer,

Arrowheads, deposit of, with burial, .
Arrowheads of flint showing secondary

work, 230,

Arthur Place, mounds on, .

Axe with double groove,

Axes, ceremonial, of copper, . . . 403,

Axes, ceremonial, of stone, 284, 303, 305,

349, 351, 376, 413, 414
Axes, grooved, . . . 259, 404, 420,

Banner-stone, 252,

Bar-amulets, 318,

Baroque pearls, pierced for stringing, .
Barrel-shaped stones, .... 260,
Barrett Ferry, mound near, ....
Haugh s Landing, dwelling-site at,

Bead, large, of copper,

Bead of stone,

Heads, discoidal, of shell, of large size,
Heads of bone, . 343, 355, 363, 384, 3,s6.

Beads of brass. 363,

Beads of copper, 247, 248, 250, 273, 291,

297, 299, 300, 336, 355, 382
Beads of glass, 283, 295, 305, 307, 363, 365,

367, 373, 384, 396
Heads of shell, 205, 206, 207

262, 263, 267, 268, 273,
3 1 5
359
384

316,
361,

386,

209, 234, 238,
274, 292, 293,
330, 336, 342,
372, 371. 37S,
390. 392, 419,

306, 307, 309

346. 347, 350

381, 382, 3S3

422

Heads of shell, large number in one deposit.
Pieads of shell, long, .... 307,
Heads of shell, ^f l ||&lt;/iln/la, 205, 300, 316,

355, 375, 3SO, 383, 391, 419

384 Bean Rock, dwelling-site near, . . . 279
243, Hear, black, jaw of,. . . . 30S, 351,355
314, Beech creek, dwelling-site near mouth of, . 206

Bell Place, mound on, 387

318 Bennett Place, mounds on, . . . . 338
337 Bicave of earthenware, . . 3S7

Bicave of quartz, with central perforation, . 404
301 Bicave stones, . . . 190,262,318,386, 101

283 Bison, jaw of, 36s

384 Biss Place, mounds on, . . 413

404 Blair, E. E., Place, mound on, . 417

Blair, W. \V., Place, mound on, . . .417
178 Bone beads, . . 343, 355. 363, 384, 386, 387

Bone needle with eye, 279

180 Bone object, copper coated ls7

Bone piercing implements, 201, 210, 227, 270,
180 279, 281, 286, 305, 323, 324, 356, 387, 389,

366 397

396 Bone pins, 32S. 315

323 Bone tube, . . . 3M1

251 Boss of impure silver, . . 30S

Bosses of brass, 365, 408

397 Bosses of copper, 331, 363

383 Bottle, pottery, with handles, . . .241

Bottles, large, with burials, . . . 347, 349

275 Bowl, soapstone, 242

419 Boyd s Landing, mound near . . 230

259 Bracelet of brass, 367

404 Bracelets of copper, . . . 292
318, Bracelets of iron 308, 304

Brain preserved in skull, .... 350

421 Brass, 283, 363, 364, 365, 366. 367, 368, 390, 408
Bridgeport, or Long, Island, mounds and

410 dwelling-site on 331

337 Brown s Ferry, dwelling-site at, . . . 259
267 Brown s Island, mound on, .... 259
279 Burgess, Major II., . 176, 184

189 Burial, certain forms of aboriginal, . . 182
234 Burial having above it bones of lower ani-

247 mals,

317 Burial in sitting position rare,

392 Burials are of adults when not otherwise-

:is7 described, 183, 342

408 Burials closely flexed and almost vertically

296, placed, 328, 362, 303

Burial, deposited above charcoal or bark, . 202

300. Burials in stone mound, . . . 197, 19s
Burials, marginal placement in domiciliary

245, mounds, 217, 233

305, Burials, measurement of depth of. . . 1S3

345, Burials partly enclosed in sand, 204, 249, 292.

380, 290, 300 , 330

421, Burials with layer of pure clay, 202, 245, 210,
217, 248, 249, 273, 274, 275, 270, 277, 300,

422 301

361 Burials with masses of fine clay, 215, 240, 247,
317, 250, 251, 273, 274, 275, 277, 293, 299, 300,

301, 302

423

424

INDEX.

Burial, unusual form of, .... 250

Burned wattle and daub structures, 315, 341,

302

Burns Island, dwelling-site on, . . . 335

Bushnell, Jr. David I., 172

littxi/con, conch-.shcll used by aborigines, . 184

Butler Place, mounds on, .... 410

Cadle, Col. Cornelius, 225

Cagle Place, mounds on, .... 408

Campbell Place, mounds on, . . . 409

Cane creek, dwelling-site near, . . . 250

Carbonate of lime, small masses of, 262, 284,

291, 29(i

Carmichael Place, mound on, . . . 41S

Carter Farm, mounds on 35S

Cataco creek, dwelling-site near, . . . 276
Cave creek, mound near, . . . .417

Cedar creek, mounds opposite mouth of, . 205

Cedar, slabs of, on burial, .... 370

Celt, adz-form of 3S4

Celt grooved on its narrower sides, . . 368

Celt, showing handle attachment , . . 373

Celts of copper, 247, 270, 277, 291, 295, 290, 302

Celts of iron, obtained from the Whites, 373, 374

Celts of iron or of steel, 306, 303, 373, 376,
Celts with handle in place.

3SO
346
421

Celts without cutting edge, . . 389,400,
Cemeteries, aboriginal, none of large size

bordering Tennessee river, . . .177
Ceremonial axes of copper, . . . 403, 404
Ceremonial axes of stone, 284, 303, 305, 318,

349, 351, 370, 413, 414

Ceremonial axes without cutting edge, 413, 414
Ceremonials, reel-shaped, of copper, 245, 240,

247, 277, 278, 291, 292, 295, 296, 299, 300,

301
Ceremonials, reel-shaped, of copper, data as

to, 245, 246, 277

Charcoal with burials, 202, 308, 399, 402, 411

416

Chattanooga Island, dwelling-site on, . . 309
( heck-stamp decoration on pottery, 242, 272,

279, 314, 335
Chisel of flint, with ground cutting edge at

each end 208

Chunn s Landing, mound and dwelling-site

above, 278

Citico mound and site, .... 180, 370

Claw represented in wood, copper coated, . 187

Clay, deposits of, with burials, 245, 240, 247,

"248, 249, 250, 251, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277,

293, 299, 300, 301, 302
Clay, hot, extensive use of, with burials, 338,

340, 341, 342, 382
Clay, layer of, with burials, 202, 245, 246, 247,

248," 249, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 300, 301
Clay reddened by heat, above burials, 314, 315,

"318, 340, 355, 362, 367, 368, 382
Colbert creek, dwelling-sites near, . . 240
Columclhc of conchs, sectioned, . . 274, 391
Columellse of conchs used as ear-ornaments, 315
Columelloc of conchs with burials, 407, 413, 416
Complicated stamp decoration on pottery,

281, 318
Conch shell drinking cup, "killed," . . 243

Conch shells with burial, 197, 245, 249, 250,

208, 291, 301, 388
Cone of sheet-copper, ..... 305

Cook Landing, mounds near, . . . 399
Cope, E. D., ....... 237

Copper beads, 247, 248, 250, 273, 291, 290, 297,

299, 300, 336, 355, 382
Copper bracelets, ...... 292

Copper celts, 247, 276, 277, 291, 295, 290, 302
Copper-coated claw of wood, . . . 187
Copper-coated disc of wood, . . . 270
Copper-coated object of bone, . . . 187
Copper-coated ornaments of wood, 263, 264,

205, 343
Copper-coated ornaments of wood, Mr. C. C.

Willoughby as to, .... 263, 343
Copper-coated pendant of indurated clay, . 187
Copper, discs of, . 318,331,363,367,384
Copper ornaments, reel-shaped, 245, 240, 247,

277, 291, 292, 295
Copper, sheet-, ornament of. on skull, 287, 289,

342
Copper, sheet-, ornament of, representing

an eagle, ....... 342

Copper spool-shaped car-ornaments, 245,

277, 301

Copper, twisted strip of, ....
Counterfeiting of flints, . . . 175,

Cowry shells used in trade by the Hudson s

Bay Company, . . . . 294,
Cowry shells with burial, . . . 293,
C owrv shells with burial, Dr. W. II. Dall

as to, ........

Cox Island, dwelling-site on, . . .
Cox mound and dwelling-site, . . .
Cremation, 203, 280, 320, 330, 340, 341,

383, 412

Cremation by hot clay, 203, 340, 341, 342,
Cremation by hot clay on slabs of stone, .
Cube of galena, artificially shaped, . .
Curtis, K., ....... 171,

297
181

295
294

294
420
314

382,

382
203
387
178

Dall, Dr. \V. II ........ 294

Davis Place, dwelling-site on, . . . 392
De Armond Place, mounds on, . . .411
Decatur, mound at, ..... 270

Decoration, painted, of unusual form, on

vessels, ... . . 345, 348

Deposit of arrowpoints with burial, . . 383
Deposit of celts with burial, . . . .384
Deposit of implements and fragments of

chert with burial, ..... 305
Dickey s Landing, mound near, . . . 220
Disc of sandstone with line decoration, . 355
Disc of wood, copper coated, . . . 270
Discoidal, rude, of galena, . . . 240, 299
Diseoidals, stone, 208, 269, 270, 284, 295, 305,

351, 375, 380, 383, 386, 387, 421, 422
Discs of brass, . . . 363, 366, 367, 368
Discs of copper, . . 318, 331, 363, 367, 384
Discs of pottery, 190, 234, 355, 377, 380, 387,

400, 408

Discs of shell, . . 300, 307, 346, 351, 355
Discs of stone, ..... 383, 400, 408
Dixie Landing, mounds and dwelling-site

near, . 200

INDEX.

425

Dogs, 237, 270, 275

Drills of flint, 27S, 30S, 392

Drum-fish, teeth of, in rattles, . . 374, 377

Dunning, Rev. K. O., 171

Ear-ornament of antler, .... 323
Ear-ornaments of wood, copper-coated, in

form of milkweed pod, . . 203, 264, 265
Ear-ornaments, pin-shaped, remarks as to, 262
Ear-ornaments, spool-shaped, of copper, 245,

255, 277, 301

Ear-plug, spool-shaped, of shell, . . . 383
Ear-plugs of shell, 261, 263, 306, 355, 373, 374,

370, 378, 384
Ear-plugs of shell, "bracket" shape, 372, 382,

384

Mart henware bottle of graceful shape, . 271
Earthenware discs, 190, 234, 355, 377, 380, 387,

400, 408

Earthenware vessel, double "spouted," . 237
Effigy of human head, earthenware, . . 190
Eldridge Place, mound and site on, . . 393
Ellis creek, mound near, .... 187
Elk antler, tool made from, .... 337

Euchee, mounds at, 407

Evans Place, mounds on, .... 411
Ewing Place, mounds on, .... 410

Fewkes, Dr. J. Walter, 348

Fire, ceremonial use of, with burials, 203, 314,

315, 338, 340, 341, 355, 362, 307, 368, 382,

399

Fire-places below extended burials, 190, 201, 343
Fire-places in mounds, 189, 190, 201, 208, 228,

232, 237, 319

Fitzgerald Place, mounds on,
Flint, graceful, weapon of, .
Flint river, dwelling-site at mouth of,
Flints, deposit of rare specimens of, .
Flints, extensive counterfeiting of,
Florence, mound near, ....
Form of burial, unusual,
Forms, certain, of aboriginal burial,
Foster Place, dwelling-site on,
Fowkc, Gerard, 172, 175, 180, 198,
Fitlyur now termed Husycon,

408
399
278
204
175
251
250
183
280
232, 406
184

175,

182,

Galena, lead sulphide, coated with lead
carbonate, the white lead of commerce,

231, 232, 240, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250,

254, 256, 273, 270, 290, 291, 293, 290, 21)7,
298, 299, 301, 302

Galena, cube of, 387

Galena, lead sulphide, in great abundance in

the Itodcn mounds, . . . .291

Galena, rude discoidal of, . . . 299

Galena, sphere of, . . . 297

Garland s Ferry, dwelling-sites near, . . 308

Garrison Place, mounds on, .... 406

Gilchrist Island, dwelling-site on, . . 253

Gilchrist Island, dwelling-site on, . . 258

Gillespie Landing, mounds near, . 390

Goodwin Place, mounds on, .... 412

Gorget of shell, of unusual shape, . . 348
Gorget of shell, with design of woodpecker s

head, etc., 316

Gorgets of shell, 261, 207, 2M , 295, 300,
317, 318, 348, 351, 372, 374, 370, 378,
380, 381, 382, 383, 385, 380, 390

Gorgets of shell, mask-like, 372, 380, 3S1,
385

Gorgets of stone, . . . 243, 420, 421,

Grant Island, dwelling-site on,

Graphite, impure, ornament of,

Graphitic material probably used as paint,
305

Graves filled with shells, 280, 281, 320, 359,

Graves of unusual form, . . . 277,

Gray, A. J., Place, mounds on,

Gray, T. J., Place, cemetery on, .

Grooved axes seldom found in any of our
excavations,

Grooved celt,

Grooved hammer of flint, ....

Group of mounds, principal, on Tennessee
river,

Guntersville, mound near, ....

Halo s Bar, dam and lock, ....

Hammer, grooved, of flint, ....

Hampton Place, Hamilton county, dwelling-
site and mounds on, ....

Hampton Place, lower, mounds on,

Hampton Place, upper, mounds on,

Harrison Ferry, mounds below,

Hematite as pigment, 200, 311, 303, 304,
387, 391

Hematite, bar-amulet made from,

Henry Island, mounds on, ....

Henson Place, mounds on, ....

Hiwassee Island, mounds and sites on,

Hixson Place, mound on, ....

Hobb s Island, mounds and dwelling-site on,

Hodge, F. \V.,

"Hoe-shaped" ceremonial axes of stone,
351, 370

Hoes wrought from musselshells,

Holmes, Prof. William H., 171
351, 372, 374, 379, 3SO

Hones, of sandstone,

Hood Place, mound on, .

Hood s Ferry, mounds near, .

Hope Place, mounds on,

Hopper Place, dwelling-site on, .

Hoyal Ferry, mound near,

Hrdlieka, Dr. Ales,

Hubbard Landing, mound near, .

Huffinc Ferry, mounds near,

Human remains in poor condition
Tennessee river,

Hut-rings,

. 318,
188, 306,

. 208,

along

315,

379,

384,

422
120
331
284,

391

100
190
190

421
368
364

177
281

338

364

301
407
407
388
373,

318
286
189
394
3S9
278
184
318,

351
316,

396
409
412
408
275
397
183
234
414

183

2S2

Igou Ferry, mound below, .... 390

Implement, interesting, of flint, . . . 373

Implements of bone, with rounded points, 377

Inhabitants, early, of Tennessee, . . . 172

Introduction, 171

Investigation along Tennessee river, order of, 1S1

Investigations, archaeological, of Tennessee, 171

Jackson Ferry, mounds near,
Jackson Place, mound and site on.

Ids
421

420

INDEX.

Johnson Place, mounds on, .... 241
Jones, Dr. Joseph, . . 171, 172, 173, 174, 188
Jones Place, mound on, 398

Keeley, F. J., .
Keller, Dr. H. F., .
Keyforver Place, mound on,
"Killing of a drinking-cup,
Kimbrough Place, mounds on,
Knife of iron, .

. 184

. 184, 262, 374

. 403

. 243

. 403

. 364, 365

Knives of flint, large, 342, 343, 345, 347, 380,
383

Knoxville, mound near, 422

Koger s Island, dwelling-sites on, . . 241

Lancehead, of flint, graceful, . . . 270

Leadhetter Landing, dwelling-site at, . . 205

Leaf-shaped implements of flint, 355, 367, 376,

380, 383, 386

Leatherwood creek, mounds near, . . 199

Lenoir City, mound near, .... 419

Lenoir City, mounds opposite, . . . 419

Life-forms in pottery, 190, 207, 222, 223, 260,

266, 269, 283, 347, 349, 351, 381

Limestone creek, mound near, . . . 272

Little River shoals, dwelling-site near, . 421

Lock number 3, dwelling-site at, . . . 253

Long Island, mounds on, .... 414

Loomis, F. B., 237

Looney Island, mound opposite, . . . 422

London, mound opposite, .... 418

Lovelady Landing, mound at, . . . 389

Lovelady Landing, mound near, . . 389

Lucas, Prof. F. A., . . 1S4, 237, 376, 377

Lumholtz, Carl, 420

Luty Place, mound on, 403

Manganese ore, mass of, .... 391
Map of Tennessee river in Alabama, . . 235
Map of Tennessee river in eastern Tennes
see, ^ 333

Map of Tennessee river in Kentucky and

western Tennessee, 186

Map, showing distribution of stone graves

along Tennessee, 179

Map, vicinity, of Tennessee river, . . 170

Mat of reeds, 342, 346, 347

Matting, remains of, 187, 301, 315, 340, 341,

345, 362

Mason Island, dwelling-site on, . . . 260

Measurements, character of, ... 184

Mica with burials, 299, 330

Miller, Dr. G. S., Jr., 184

Miller, Dr. M. G., . . . . 184, 224, 338

Milton Bluff, dwelling-site above, . . 258
Minute arrowpoints from near Chattanooga,

as to the genuineness of, ... 356
Moccasin Bend, minute arrowpoints said to

be found at, 356

Montgomery Place, mounds on, . . . 388

Montgomery, Prof. Henry, .... 294

Moorehead, Prof. Warren K., . 246, 356, 357

Mortars, 311, 321

Mosso, Angelo, 380

Mound on Shiloh Battlefield, investigation

of, 225

Mud creek, mounds near mouth of,

Mullers,

Musselshell hoes,

Mussclshells and stones above burials,
Musselshells, deposit of. under stones,
Musselshell spoons, 207, 261, 267, 268.
Musselshells perforated for suspension,

Mycr, W. E., 172,

McDonald Place, mound on,
McGuire, Joseph D., ....
McKec Island, dwelling-site on, .
McKenzie Place, mounds on,

Nance s Reef, mounds above,
Nash Landing, mound near, .
Needle, bone, with eye, ....
North Carolina Landing, mounds below,
North Carolina Landing, mound near,

396

275,

392

318,

351

321,

330

280

307,

345

375

174,

175

399

375

281

388

257

227

279

227

228

354

188
351
318
220
207
331

Object of claystone,

Object of indurated clay, resembling semi-
lunar knife,

Object of wood, copper-coated,

Ochre, red, as pigment,

Old Callens Landing, mound at,

Old Furnace Landing, mound near,

Ornament of impure graphite,

Ornament of sheet-copper, . . 298, 347, 384

Ornament of sheet-copper representing an

eagle, 342

Ornament of copper, perforated disc, . 367

Ornaments of sheet-copper on skulls, 287, 289,
342

Ornaments of wood overlaid with sheet-
copper, .... 263, 264, 265, 343

Ornaments of wood, overlaid with sheet-
copper, Mr. C. C. Willoughby as to, 263,
343

Paint Rock creek, mounds near, . . .415

Paint Rock Landing, dwelling-site near, . 279

Pathological specimens, 184

Peabody, R, S., 246

Pearl of great size, used as bead, . . . 319

Pearls, baroque, pierced for stringing, . 267

Pearls used as beads, . . 267, 319, 350, 383

Pendant, copper-coated, .... 187

Pendant of brass, 368

Pendant of musselshell, 346

Pendant, wrought from columella of a

conch, 238

Penis bone of raccoon, implement, . 351, 374

Penney Place, dwelling-site on, . . . 280

Periwinkle Hill, 254

Perkins Bluff, mounds near, .... 222

Perkins Spring, mounds near, . . . 243

Pickles Place, mound on, .... 415

Pickwick Landing, dwelling-site near, . 229

Piercing implements of bone, 204, 210, 227, 270,

279, 281, 286, 305, 323, 324, 343, 345, 356,

3S9, 397

Pigment on pottery, unusual, . . . 349

Pilsbry, Dr. H. A., 184, 293

Pine Island, mound and dwelling-site on, . 302

Pin-shaped ornament, 267

Pin-shaped ornaments, remarks on use of, . 262

INDEX

427

Pins of bone 328, 345

Pipe blocked out of claystone, . . . 387
Pipe, efiigy. remarkable, from mound on

Shiloh Battlefield, . . . 226, 227

Pipes, 22li, 227. 23 .!. 2ii(). 281, 2xil, 324, 343, 351,

3(11-, 365, 366, 367, 371, 374, 377, 378, 3M.

383, 384, 386, 3!3

Pipes of unusual form, . . . 3C4, 366, 307
Pipes showing interesting conventional

treatment of the beak of a bird, 374, 375,

384, 3S6

Pined stones, . . . .311,321,323,368

Pittsburg Ferry, mound near, . . . 222

Pittsburg Landing, mounds near, . . 223
Plan of burials in Mound A, Bennett Place, 339

Pond creek, mounds near mouth of, . . 415

Pottery discs, 190, 234, 355, 377, 380, 387, 400,
IOX

Pottery discs with burial, .... 380
Pottery, interesting fragment of, at Citico

site, 371, 387

Pottery, new type of ware, marking local

culture, 345, 348

Pottery of Tennessee, 176

Pottery trowels 188, 242, 386

Prater, Kdward, Place, mounds on, . . 419

Prater Island, dwelling-site on, . . . 421

Prater, S. ]]., Place, dwelling-sites on, . 420

Prcvatt s Landing, dwelling-site at, . 204

Putnam, Prof. Frederic Ward, 171, 173, 174,

175, 17S, 184, 282, 316

Quartz crystals, 36S, -120

Quartz crystal used in medicine, or magic, 420

Hat ties, 374, 377

Rattlesnake, conventional doign of the, 379, 380

Rattlesnake design on shell gorgets, 306, 376,
37S, 379, 381, 382, 396

Kaybon, J. S., ISO

Heed, M. ( ., 370

Red Cloud Ferry, mound near, . . 408
Reel-shaped ceremonial ornaments of copper,

245, 246, 247, 277, 278, 291, 292, 295, 290,
299, 300, 301
Reel-shaped ceremonial ornaments of copper,

data as to, .... 245, 246, 277
Repouss6 decoration on sheet-copper orna
ment, 289

Higgles Ferry, dwelling-site near, . 337

King of stone, . 378

Rivertoti, mounds near, . 239

Hi vet, Dr. P., 376

Korkwood Landing, mounds near, . . 409

Koden mounds, 290

Koden mounds, character of, . 290

Rudder Place, mounds on, .... 318

Savannah, mounds at, .... 170, 221

Sc ibold Place, dwelling-site on, . . . 285

Semilunar object of indurated clay, . . 188
Sequatchie creek, mound and dwelling-site

at mouth of, 335

Seven Mile Island, mound and dwelling-
sites on 251

Shawnee in Tennessee, . . 172
Shell beads: see beads of shell.

Shell cup, Cassia, 263

Shell discs, . . 300,307,346,351,355
Shell ear-plugs, 261, 203, 306, 355, 373, 374,

376, 378, 3S4

Shell ear-plug, "bracket" shaped, 372, 3X2, 3x4
Shell ear-plugs, spool-shaped, . . . 383
Shell form in earthenware, . . . 190, 207
Shell gorgets, 2(11. 267, 281, 295, 306, 315. 317,

318, 348, 351, 372, 374, 376, 37s, 37 .), 3xo,

381, 382, 383, 385, 386, 396
Shellmound, dwelling-sites at,
Shell mounds, ....
Shell pendant, columella of a conch,

242,

337
272
238
Shiloh Battlefield, group of mounds on, 177, 224

Silver boss, 308

Simoons da Silva, Ur. A. C., . 414

Sites investigated, Part I, .... 1x5
Sites investigated, Part II, . . . . 233
Sites investigated, Part III, .... 332

Skinner, Alanson, 413

Skulls, certain, of Algonquin type, . |x:j

Skulls, description of, to be published later, lx:i
Skulls presented to National Museum, . 183
Slaughter Place, mounds on, . . . 276
Smith, Professor Eugene A., .... 246
Snodgrass Place, mounds on, . . . 312
South Flint river, mound and dwelling-she

near, 270

Spade of stone, of unusual size, . . 243

Spearhead of flint, broken ceremonially, . 302
Spearhead of flint, of unusual form, . . 399

Spcncc Place, mounds on 397

Sphere of silicious material, . . . 204

Spool-shaped ear-ornaments of copper, 215, 255.

277, 301
Spoons carved from musselshells, 261, 207, 26X,

307, 345, 3-18
Stamp decoration on pottery, 242, 272, 279,

314, 318, 335, 356, 37]
Star Lime Works, cemetery near, .

Steatite vessels,

Steel Place, mound on,

Stehlin, Karl,

Stone box-grave discovered by us in Ala
bama,

Stone box-graves found in groups at one

place in eastern Tennessee, .
Stone grave in part utilized in making

I XX
242
270
380

another one,
Stone grave, rudely circular,
Stone graves, 187, 188, 189,

203, 206, 207,

214, 215, 216,

247, 2X2, 2X5,

311, 312, 315,

194, 2()x.

393

311
406

191, 192, 193, 191.
208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213,
217, 2 IX, 219, 220, 229, 232,
286, 289, 304, 30X, 309, 310.
316, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323,
324, 325, 327, 328, 329, 336, 343, 316, 353,
361, 385, 390, 391, 393, 394, 40-1, 405, 10(1,
407, 415

Stone graves, box variety, 1X7, 191, 192, 193, 194,
200, 207, 20X. 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214,
215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 280, 328, 343,
393, 391

Stone graves, box variety, detailed descrip
tion of, 191, 192, 193, 194, 20X, 209, 210,
211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219,
220, 286, 313, 393, 394
Stone graves, classification of, . . .178

428

INDEX.

Stone graves, comparatively few on Tennes
see river,

Stone graves discovered by us in Alabama,
Stone graves, distribution of, ...
Stone graves, few artifacts found in them.

178

Stone graves found with unenclosed graves

along Tennessee river, ....

Stone graves, map showing location of, on

Tennessee river,

Stone graves, their form and contents,
Stone graves the most distinctive feature
in the arclueology of Tennessee, .

Stone mounds, 197,

Stone slabs, peculiar arrangement above

baked clay layer,

Stones presumably as supports for vessels,

Street, Oliver Day,

Swallow Bluff Island, mounds on,
Swan Pond Landing, mound near,

Swanton, John R.,

Swastika, decoration on pottery, .
Sycamore Landing, mound near, .
Sykes Place, dwelling-site on,

Tedder Place, mounds on, ....
Teeth of drum-fish used in rattles, . 374,
Tennessee, former inhabitants of, .
Tennessee river, archaeological work on,

177, ITS

Tennessee river, highest mound on,
Tennessee river, its course and character,

177
Tennessee river, not of great archaeological

importance,

Thomas, Cyrus, . . _ . 171, 178, 180,

Thompson Place, dwelling-site on,

Thrust on, Gen. Gates P., 171, 172, 174,

180, 188, 191, 232, 242, 245, 374, 379,

404

Tick Island, mound on,

Tomahawk of iron or of steel,

Tool of elk antler,

Tools, mushroom-shaped, of earthenware,

386

Tools of stone, with blunt edges, 384, 396,
Traders in aboriginal artifacts abundant

on Tennessee river, . 177, 181, 229,
Triskele, design on gorgets, . . . 374,

177

178
172
174,

178

179
173

172
198

203
201
172
208
231
172
348
257
199

411
377
172
176,

177
176,

177
394
199
175,
380,

254
306
337

188,

Trowel, pottery, of unusual shape, . . 242

Tube of bone, 386

Turtle shells with burials, . . . 217, 374

Unenclosed burials apart from stone grave

burials, numerous along Tennessee river, 178
Urn burial, 305

Vanatta, E. G., 184

Verneau, Dr. R., 376

Vessel of pottery covered with carbonate of

lime, 262

Vessels of soapstone, 242

Vessels, pottery, of novel form, 237, 238, 253,

254, 256, 258, 269

Vessels with unusual painted decoration, 345,

348

Vessel with projections to aid suspension, . 266

Viniard Landing, mounds near, . . . 400

Wardle, H. N., 184

Wattle and daub structures, burned, 315, 341,

362

Wattle imprints on burned clay, . . . 203

Weapon of flint, of unusual shape, . . 399

Weaver Place, dwelling-site on, . . . 254

Weir, S. G., 184

West Shipp s Landing, mound near, . . 205

Wheelock Place, mounds on, . . . 406

Whelpley, Dr. H. M., .... 373, 399

White Place, mound and dwelling-site on, 352

White s Ferry, dwelling-site at, . . . 278

Widow s creek, mounds near, . . . 319

Wigwam sites, 282

Williams Island, 354

Williams Island Ferry, mound and dwelling-
site at, 360

Williams Landing, mounds near, . . . 324
Williamson, Robert W., . . .420

Williams Place, mounds on, . . . 221

Willoughby, Charles C., 184, 263, 294, 343, 399

Wintemberg, W. J., 294

Wolf Island, mounds opposite, . . . 221

Wyman, Jeffries, . . . 171, 380

Yellow creek, mounds near mouth of, . 231
Young, Col. Bennett H., . . 356, 357, 358
Young, D. B., 237

DATE

AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS

OVERDUE.

YH 00263

321424 **-

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY