Mr. J. Maxwell, Coshocton. Mrs. Jane McCullough, Youngsville. Mr. C. C. Naylor, Manchester. Mr. J. R. Nissley, Ada. Mr. Owens, Concord, Ky. Mr. E. S. Perkins, Weymouth. Mr. J. Stout, Rome. Mr. E. Schlupp, Lovell. Mr. C. C. Stamin, Mifflin. Mr. Sherwood, Malta. Mr. Swarington, Newport. Mr. L. D. Sprague, McConnelsville. Mr. Tomlinson, Newport. Mr. Tom Tipton, Williamsport. Mr. J. W. Tweed, Ripley. Mr. F. E. Williams, Wauseon. Mr. Barton Walters, Circleville. Mr. J. Williams, Youngsville. Mr. George Workman, Walhonding. Mr. Wilhelm, Duncan's Falls. Mr. Frank Yost, Thornville. Mr. Irvin Yost, Thornville. Several gentlemen were especially courteous in obtaining permissions for exploration, in introducing us, in procuring collections and in showing us remains which might have escaped our notice. I acknowledge my obligations to them:—Mr. H. B. Case, Loudonville; Messrs. Pomerine, Coshocton; Mr. R. McCullough, Youngsville; Mr. Arrick, McConnelsville; Dr. W. H. Robe, Youngsville; Mr. Charles Wertz, Portsmouth; Mr. Higby, Higby's Station; Messrs. Harness, Richmondale; Mr. W. H. Davis, Lowell. WARREN KIng Moorehead. Columbus, O., Dec. 1st, 1896. FIELD WORK DURING THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1896. SECTION 1. PERRY COUNTY. Perry County is pretty well divided as to drainage between the Muskingum and the Hocking. The northern portion of the County is drained by Jonathan Creek, a tributary of the former. As our observations were to be confined to the Muskingum and its branches we did no work in the southern part of the County. We found that Hopewell and Thorne Townships alone contained more than forty ancient remains and that at least Jonathan Creek Valley, if not all of Perry County, is but a continuation of the great works known as the Newark Group.* But none of the mounds and enclosures can compare in size with them, and of the entire county but three structures can be placed in what may be termed "the first class," and they are the Reservoir stone mound, the stone fort and the earth enclosure near Glenford. THE STONE MOUND OF THE LICKING COUNTY RESERVOIR is located upon a high hill ten miles from Flint Ridge, two miles from the town of Thornville, Perry County, and seven miles from the stone fortification at Glenford. It is just over the Licking County line, north from Thornville, and overlooks the valley now filled by the Licking County Reservoir and formerly occupied by an ancient lake. * See Squier & Davis' "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi' Valley", plate XXV; also "Notes on Ohio Archæology", by Gerard Fowke, plate V. It is one of the greatest mounds in the State, but has never been generally known because at the time of the construction of the Reservoir, most of the sandstone blocks and fragments of which it is composed, were hauled away by the contractors and utilized in the formation of the Reservoir walls. At the present day it is upon the farm of Mr. Owen Brown. Early in April, 1896, the structure was of the following dimensions: 189 feet northeast and southwest; 207 feet northwest and southeast; average height 8 feet; maximum height 12 feet; minimum height 5 feet. From traditions and publications of early archæologists and from the curve preserved by a large tree on the north side, it must have been about 55 feet in height when completed. This tree, some five or five and a half feet in diameter, has an extensive spread of roots and holds in place a bulk of material 15 by 25 feet. (Figure I). FIGURE I. Section of the Great Stone Mound, Licking County Reservoir. Large stones, 20 to 40 pounds, originally composed the bulk of the mound, but these have been nearly all removed, and only the smaller ones, sand, earth and decayed vegetable matter remain. Work was begun early the morning of the 24th of March and continued for five days with an average force of nine men. Excavations proved that the mound rested upon original surface yellow clay (see museum specimens in tray 6285), that the ground had been cleared and burned over; the sod line or base was one inch thick and interspersed with flint chips, burnt clay and a little charcoal and gravel. Figure II will show the struct FIGURE II. Cross section of a portion of the Great Stone Mound of the Licking Co. Reservoir. ure from natural clay down to shale and from the base line of the mound to the top. At this point the mound was nine feet high. Generally above the base line was three feet of clay in which a few stones occurred. The clay showed the "dumps" plainly. In some places instead of clay, sand was found, and our section exhibits such a part of the mound. As near as could be determined, an undisturbed section of the mound 40 x 20 feet was selected and an excavation sunk to the original base line. In other parts of the mound eight or ten large holes were put down, but it seems that nearly the whole of the original area covered had been disturbed by those vandals who hauled away stone, not by the hundreds but by the thousands of wagon loads for the Reservoir walls. Thus, in the interest of modern progress, was destroyed one of the most important and imposing, if not unique, tumuli in the entire Ohio valley. This may seem at first sight to be an exaggeration, but let us call your attention to the facts. We have, it is true, stone fortifications, enclosures and mounds. But these are never more than 12 or 15 feet high,-while the average is less than 6 feet. Hence a stone monument 30 feet high would be both unusual and unique—a freak, as it were. Imagine the importance in preColumbian times, of a stone mound 50 or 55 feet in altitude. What important personages must have been interred in it! One old man, who visited the mound, said that as a boy he had seen several skeletons, covered with copper rings and plates, surrounded by chestnut logs. He thought these were found near the north side. Our excavations in sites which we took to be undisturbed, yielded no returns. Too thoroughly had the ignorant teamsters done their work of demolition. One can conceive the magnitude of the task undertaken by the builders when it is remembered that the most conservative estimate places the number of wagon loads of stone hauled from this mound at 5,000. The large mound was originally surrounded by a low embankment of earth which has disappeared. South of the mound is a small one 250 feet distant. It was 40 feet east and west, 28 feet north and south, and three feet high. It is composed of yellow clay and on the top were some large stones weighing from 40 to 60 pounds, about one hundred of them. We cannot assign a reason for its construction. We dug 20 x 25 feet, taking out all of the original mound. In the mound were found some burnt stone and one arrow-head. We can find but one satisfactory reference to the exploration of this structure, and that is in Rev. J. P. McLean's “The Mound Builders:"* "Perhaps the largest and finest stone mound in Ohio was that which stood about eight miles south of Newark, and one mile east of the Reservoir on the Licking summit of the Ohio Canal. It was composed of stones found on the adjacent grounds, laid up without cement, to the height of about 50 feet, with a circular base of 182 feet diameter. It was surrounded by a low embankment of oval form, accompanied by a ditch, and having a gateway to the east end. When the Reservoir, which is seven miles long, was made, in order to protect the east bank so that it might be used for navigation the stones from this mound were removed for that purpose. During the years 1831-32 not less than fifty teams were employed in hauling them, carrying away from 10,000 to 15,000 wagon loads. * Cincinnati, 1885, page 42. |