EDITORIALANA.
VOL. XVIII. No. l. JANUARY, 1909.
SERPENT MOUND TOWER. It will be recalled that the Seventy-Seventh General Assembly (1908) in the appropriations for the Society, made provision by a |
|
special appropriation of $500 for the erec- tion of a tower at Serpent Mound. At the meeting of the Executive Committee, held July 16, 1908, the matter of making a contract and supervising the erection of this tower was placed in charge of a special committee consisting of Treasurer Wood and Secretary Randall. After ne- gotiating with various concerns competent to build such a tower, and submitting the matter to competitive bids, Messrs. Wood and Randall in behalf of the Society final- ly made a contract with the Columbus Wire & Iron Works Company for the amount of $500.00. The company imme- diately proceeded to construct the tower. It is made entirely of steel, which com- plete weighs about 6,000 pounds, is twen- ty-five feet high with ascending stairs to the top platform, which is eight feet square. The tower was completed in |
August and erected at the factory by the constructing company in Colum- bus for inspection by the committee and found to be satisfactory and according to contract. The material for the tower was duly transported to Serpent Mound and on September 2, 1908, Secretary Randall there met the force chosen by the manufacturing company for the erection of the tower. A location for this observatory was selected near the tail of the serpent. The erection of the tower was completed in four or five days. The location selected proved to be well chosen and the purpose of the tower satisfactorily fulfilled. From the platform the observer may see and carefully study the entire length of the serpent which heretofore could not be viewed entire from any one point, owing to the irregu- lar convolutions of the serpent and the peculiar contour of the hilltop upon which it is located. We give a reproduction of a photograph of the tower as it now appears. (105) |
106 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
THE OHIO VALLEY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
The second annual meeting of the Ohio
Valley Historical Associa-
tion was held at Marietta, Ohio, on
Friday and Saturday, November
27 and 28 (1908). The first meeting was
called to order by the President
of the Association, Mr. E. O. Randall,
at 10 a. m. in the assembly
room, Library -Building of Marietta
College. The morning was devoted
to a conference on historical manuscript
collections. The leaders of the
conference were Prof. I. J. Cox,
University of Cincinnati, and Mr. Harry
B. Mackoy, Covington, Ky. Those
participating and the topics discussed
by the respective speakers were as
follows:
(a)
Colleges and Public Libraries-Prof. Harlow Lindley, Earl-
ham College.
(b) Local History Societies-Prof.
Charles T. Greve. University
of Cincinnati Law School.
(c) State and County Collections-Virgil
A. Lewis, State Archiv-
ist and Historian, Charleston, W. Va.
(d) Private Collections-Prof. Frank T.
Cole, Columbus, Editor
"Old Northwest Genealogical
Quarterly."
A general discussion of the above papers
was entered into by the
members present, with reports of local
representatives not designated upon
the program.
Mrs. A. J. Gallagher read a paper,
"How to Treat Manuscripts
Found in Old Desks," written by
Mrs. Mary McArthur Tuttle, Hillsboro,
the writer being unable to be present.
Then followed a discussion of plans for
locating the manuscript
collections of the Ohio Valley and
preparing and indexing the same.
Prof. Cox discussed the methods of
locating manuscripts and Mr. Mackoy
the methods of indexing manuscripts.
The morning session was closed by a most
delightful paper on the
Charles G. Slack collection of
manuscripts in the Marietta College Li-
brary, by Miss Hortense Fogelsong,
Assistant Librarian. After the ad-
journment, an inspection was held of the
Slack Collection, which had
been especially arranged in one of the
rooms of the College Library,
for the observation of the visiting
delegates. This collection is probably
the most extensive and valuable
collection of autograph letters of dis-
tinguished Americans in this country,
embracing letters of all the
Presidents, signers of the Declaration
of Independence, colonial govern-
ors, Revolutionary generals, etc.
The afternoon session, which was
especially open to the public, was
held in the auditorium of the First
Congregational church, Muskingum
avenue, at 2 p. m. The meeting was
called to order by President
Randall, followed by an address of
welcome from President A. T. Perry,
Marietta College. Prof. W. J. Holland,
Ph. D., LL. D., Director of
Editorialana. 107
the Carnegie Library, Pittsburg,
delivered a most admirable address
upon the "Historic Beginnings of
the Ohio Valley." This was followed
by an address from Miss Ellen Churchill Semple, Louisville,
Ky., the
author of two books upon the subject of
her discussion, namely, "The
Relation between Geography and
History." It was a very scholarly
and elaborate treatment of the
theme. Miss Semple has traveled the
world over to secure data for the study
of her subject. Colonel John
L. Vance, Columbus, President of the
Ohio Valley Improvement As-
sociation, was to have been present and
deliver an address on "The Ohio
River, Its Improvement and Commercial
Importance." Colonel Vance
was unavoidably absent and President Randall
presented his paper,
reading excerpts from it and briefly
outlining the contents not fully
read. The session was closed by an
address from Prof. Virgil A. Lewis,
State Archivist and Historian of West
Virginia, Charleston, W. Va., on
"Lord Dunmore's War." Prof. Lewis spoke entirely extempore and
thoroughly covered the cause, events and
result of Dunmore's War in
the fall of 1774. The literary
proceedings noted above were then fol-
lowed by a most delightful reception to
the visitors to Marietta, held
in the historic Ohio Company's Land
Office, the oldest building in Ohio,
standing on the original site. This
reception was tendered by the Mari-
etta members of the Ohio Society of
Colonial Dames, the reception com-
mittee consisting of Mrs. S. U. Lovell,
Mrs. Woodbridge, Mrs. Daniel
H. Buell, Miss Rowena Buell and Mrs.
Putnam. In the evening in the
Young Men's Christian Association
Building the Historical Association
held its annual banquet. At the
conclusion of a palatable menu and ap-
propriate music, President Randall of
the Association spoke briefly of
the significance of the meeting and
compared the banquet in question
with the first one held in Marietta,
namely, that of July 4th, 1788, not
far from the spot upon which the present
one was being enjoyed. At
the historic banquet described, the
speaker stated, were present the
officers of Marietta, Fort Harmar,
together with a few friendly In-
dians. The speaker produced portions of
the speech made at that time
by Judge James Varnum and after relating
some amusing incidents
concerning the Marietta pioneers, he
introduced as toastmaster of the
evening, Prof. Charles T. Greve,
Cincinnati, who gracefully and enter-
tainingly conducted the banquet to its
finish. The main address of the
evening was delivered by President F. C.
Mitchell of the University of
South Carolina, his subject being,
"The Vicarious Element in Virginia's
History." It was a masterly and
eloquent discussion of the negro prob-
lem of the South in its historic,
economic and future aspects. Impromptu
toasts were then responded to by Mayor
McKinney of Marietta, Mrs.
Livia Simpson Poffenberger, Editor of
the Point Pleasant (W. Va.)
State Gazette, Prof. Bradford, Miami
University, Ohio, Hon. W. W.
Longmoor, Secretary Kentucky State
Historical Society, Prof. Isaac J.
108 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Cox, University of Cincinnati, W. C.
Culkins, formerly Auditor of
Hamilton county, Prof. A. W. Dunn,
Public Schools of Indianapolis, and
Prof. Archer Butler Hulbert, Marietta
College.
The second day of the meeting, namely,
Saturday, was ushered in
by an early excursion of the visitors
under the charge of Captain Wil-
liam N. Hall, United States Engineer, to
Dam No. 18, which is one of the
extensive and interesting pieces of
engineering being constructed by the
United States Government, and now
rapidly nearing completion: it is
regarded as one of the most modern
wonders of mechanical ingenuity,
as well as one of the great improvements
which redound to the benefit
of the industries of the Ohio Valley. At
10 a. m. in Assembly Hall
of the Marietta College Library, under
the auspices of the Historical
Association, was held a special meeting
of the history teachers, conducted
by Prof. F. P. Goodwin, Cincinnati.
Addresses were made by Mr.
Arthur W. Dunn, Director of Civics,
Indianapolis Public Schools, upon
"Civic Value of Local
History." This was followed by a
discussion
of the paper by Mr. W. C. Culkins,
Cincinnati, and Prof. Henry R.
Spencer, Ohio State University. The formal literary program was
closed by an address by Miss Mary Lowe,
Circleville, on "The Present
Status of History in the Schools."
The annual business session of the
Association was then held, at
which changes were made in the
constitution and reports of officers
heard and the following officers elected
for the ensuing year:
President, Charles T. Greve, Cincinnati.
Vice Presidents, Dr. W. J. Holland,
Pittsburg: Hon. Virgil C.
Lewis, Charleston, W. Va.; Hon. W. W.
Longmoor, Frankfort, Ky., and
Prof. A. W. Dunn, Indianapolis.
Recording Secretary, Prof. A. B.
Hulbert, Marietta.
Corresponding Secretary, Prof. I. J.
Cox, Cincinnati.
There were elected as additional members
of the Executive Com-
mittee, Harry B. Mackoy, Covington, Ky.;
Harlow Lindley, Richmond,
Ind.; Prof. F. P. Goodwin, Cincinnati;
W. H. Elson, Athens, and E. O.
Randall, Columbus, ex-officio.
On Saturday afternoon, at 2 o'clock, in
the same room, a meeting
was held devoted to the historic
highways, which meeting was pre-
sided over by Prof. A. E. Morse,
Marietta College. Papers were pre-
sented as follows:
(a) Braddock's Road, by Prof. Henry W.
Temple, Washington
and Jefferson College.
(b) Zane's Trace, Prof. C. L. Martzolff,
Ohio University.
(c) The Old Maysville Road, Samuel M. Wilson,
Lexington.
Mr. Wilson being unable to be present,
the paper was read by Mr.
Harry B. Mackoy.
The meetings were all well attended both
by the people of Marietta
and delegates from abroad.
The hospitality of the good people of
Editorialana. 109
Marietta could not have been surpassed.
The place and time of the
next annual meeting was left in the
hands of the Executive Committee.
The proceedings in full of the meetings
above, including addresses, etc.,
will be published either in a later
number of The Ohio State Archaeo-
logical and Historical Society Quarterly
or in a separate publication by
the same Society.
PALEOLITHIC MAN IN THE WESTERN RESERVE.
[The following article was written by P.
P. Cherry and published
in the Wadsworth Banner, February
9, 1908. We deem it of sufficient
interest and importance to reproduce in
this Quarterly.-EDITOR.]
Near the highest land in the state of
Ohio, near the great water-
shed, has been found evidences of the
existence of human life during the
ice age in America.
Southern Western Reserve in itself is a
veritable wonderland to
the scientific man, the antiquarian, the
geologist and the student. Here is
to be found the inland lake region of
Ohio with its some 60 odd fresh-
water, inland, glacial lakes whose
bottoms are far below the level of
Lake Erie's deepest depths. These lakes
were ground out by immense
glaciers from one-half to a mile in
depth. The wash of thousands of
years, from neighboring hillsides, have
but served partly to fill up these
ice-plowed grooves.
Commencing at the present site of Akron
and extending to within
14 miles of Lake Erie, was a large
glacial lake containing an area of 55
miles. From the southwest end of this
lake a wide river ran south-
wardly through Summit lake, and entered
the Tuscarawas river on its
way to the gulf. Summit lake today lies
396 feet above Lake Erie and
empties its waters therein.
The rock bottom of the old Cuyahoga
channel lies 200 feet below
its present muddy bottom.
When we consider that Lake Erie's
average depth is not over 200
feet we realize that that body of water
did not, could not exist in those
days. It was probably at that time a
wide and fertile valley with a
stream running through it which emptied
into the Tuscarawas.
With the recent discoveries of Dr. Metz
at Madisonville, W. C.
Mills in the Tuscarawas valley, and
Prof. G Frederick Wright in Wads-
worth, it has been fully established
that man did exist in Ohio during
the ice age; not only in the southern
part of the state, but in the Western
Reserve as well.
For several years, Capt. T. D. Wolbach
had in his collection what
he believed to be a paleolith from the
ice age. Placing himself in com-
munication with Prof. G. Frederick
Wright, who occupies the chair of
Geology in Oberlin College, member of
the U. S. Geological survey, and
author of the "Ice Age in
America," who is probably the greatest living
110 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
authority in the world, he induced that
gentleman who is now over 70
years old to visit Wadsworth. The
venerable president of the Ohio
State Archaeological and Historical
Society came and was convinced that
he held in his hand the finest paleolith
that had ever been discovered.
The professor wanted to see the place
where the stone was found. Here
he and Professor Bronson of Oberlin
College found the finest specimen
of a kame or an eschar terrace that
either had ever examined.
In the spring, Professor Wright who has
but recently returned from
Siberia, in the interest of the
government, will send a force of some
half dozen geologists to Wadsworth to
complete further investigations.
The surrounding country has given up
freely, upon investigation,
the bones of the walrus, musk ox and
mastodon, animals contemporan-
eous with the ice age in America.
In the early 70's of the last century,
the writer found, three miles
south of Wadsworth, on a terrace on the
Chippewa, a paleolith, but in a
bad state of preservation. It was found
at the bottom of an immense
prehistoric stone tumuli, the largest in
the state. The neighboring road-
ways had needed repairing, so, this
magnificent monument of a mighty
race long since passed away, was leveled
for modern purposes. On a
short haul it took two teams 36 days to
level this lordly work of a dead
race. The ground under this work had
been burned hard, and among
the burned roots of a still live tree
was found this paleolith.
Thus has been established the fact that
man lived in northern Ohio
some eight or ten thousand years ago.
Rock shelters abound in Medina, Lorain
and Summit counties, some
of which have been scientifically
examined and under many feet of kitchen
midden, charcoal and bones of various
animals were found human re-
mains, thus agreeing with the finds of
France.
Professor Denton in his book "Our
Planet," relates of pre-Adamic
man that "his long arms are in
front of his hairy body, and hands are
between his knees, while his legs are
dangling down. His complexion
is darker than an Indian's, his beard
short and like the hair of his body;
the unkempt hair of his head bushy
thick; his eyebrows are short and
thick; and with his sloping forehead and
brutal countenance, he seems
like a caricature of a man, rather than
that of an actual man."
One of the oldest Vedic odes, older than
any of the sacred scrip-
tures, asks:
"Nature below, and power and will
above.
Who knows the secret? Who proclaimed it
here?
Whence, whence? this manifold creation
spring?"
Some cheap papers throughout the country
have endeavored to be-
little the Wadsworth "find"
even going so far as to suggest "a plant."
On Thanksgiving day, 1907, I had a talk
with Captain Wolbach about
this stone, and he was anxious to have
it passed upon by the greatest
Editorialana. 111
living authorities. He informed me at
that time that he had been trying
to induce Professor Wright to visit
Wadsworth, for that purpose. Every
one who is acquainted with Capt. T. D.
Wolbach knows that it is utterly
impossible for him to deceive. Habit
makes character, and his word
alone is worth most men's bond.
WERE THE MOUNDS USED FOR DWELLINGS.
[As a sample of the various curious
theories advanced by dif-
ferent writers concerning the purposes
of the mounds, we give the fol-
lowing, written by Dr. I. N. Smith,
Westerville, Ohio, and published
some time ago in The Ohio State
Journal. - EDITOR.]
Were the earthworks which the
Mound-Builders left built for dwell-
ing places? Dr. I. N. Smith of
Westerville is urging this theory. He
says:
The unknown has a certain fascination
for many who will work
away for years, or until the mystery
will be in certain degree solved.
We, as a people, have been planted on
this American continent, where
we found a people scattered over its
entire extent, who knew nothing
of the people who preceded them. They
knew nothing as to who built
these ancient works, nor what became of
them. The people we found
here-The American Indians-or native
Americans-showed different
physical build, according to the tribes
to which they belonged.
Not so the Mound-builders. So far as can
be ascertained, they
presented a certain fixed type of
manhood, that was alike over the whole
extent of the North American continent.
Their works were alike. How
came this similarity over so vast an
extent, where the only communi-
cation was by footpaths and trails?
A theory to be of any value must account
for existing known facts,
or a greater percentage of the known
facts than some other theory.
The theory I wish to advance now is that
these people came from the
south, gradually working farther north
along our system of rivers,
going south each year with birds and
returning to their northern haunts
the next spring. This ebb and flow of a
people who gradually increased
until they became millions were the
means by which we find the simi-
larity of physical constitution and the
sameness of all their works.
NOT JUDGED BY PRESENT CONDITIONS
Now let us look at the enigma--the
mound. There has been too
much judging by our own mode of
living-by our own civilization-
by what might be termed "extreme
poetic license," if I may be allowed
such an expression. Let us again
theorize. Suppose that after these people
had grown in numbers to such an extent
that the locality where they
spent the greater part of the year began
to be of some value. Well, sup-
112 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
pose they selected a certain few to stay
on this ground and hold posses-
sion: What would these people most need?
A house to protect them
from the rigors of the winter till their
friends came back from the South.
These mounds as we find them here in
Ohio were to live in during
the winter. Some have the remains of
human being in them. Some
have not.
In the West, Iowa, for instance, there
are no human remains-
so far as my experience goes. But there
are the bones of deer and other
animals. The general formation of the
mound is the same, except in
the Des Moines river. Each has a sand
well in the center to dispose
of the water from the melting snow that
might come in during the
winter.
In the ancient mounds in Ohio, will be
found human remains in
all manner of shapes and positions, of
which I will speak later on.
Now these were made with split logs,
providing a frame work in a
circular form, after which the dirt was
piled against it, making the
house two or three times the height of
the mound as we see it.
But as the frame rotted away the earth
settled down by its own
weight, which always left a depression
in the center. Here in Frank-
lin county we find the hearthstone in
this center, which was for fire.
In other parts of the world today we
find this plan of a rude house,
with the forked body of a tree to climb
out on. Smoke did not cut any
figure with these people.
TO GO FROM ONE TO ANOTHER.
In Iowa we see the same general plan as
here. But in addition
we find that a well had been dug from 5
to 8 feet in depth and this
filled with sand. On top of this was the
hearthstone, as here, and
strewn about are ashes and charcoal with
bones of game animals. But
in a great majority of cases no human
bones are found. Some of these
mounds still show the imprint of the
split timber in the soil after the
timber has long since decayed.
In Webster county, Iowa, we could see in
the early settlement of the
country that a line of mounds would
extend due east and west, from one
river to another. Another feature which
we do not see here is that on
the large streams these earth houses are
connected by a covered earth-
way, so that one could go from one house
to another.
There have been two great centers of
population known as "mound
builders," viz, in Missouri,
Illinois and Ohio, as one center, and the south,
especially Tennessee, the other and the
mixing of these people did not
come by way across the continent, but by
the mingling of north and
south migration. The little clay stew
pot found in the mounds of Iowa
and Missouri was made with exactly the
same tools as those found in
Ohio and Tennessee.
Editorialana. 113
But the clay in Ohio would not stand the
touch of time. In Chat-
tanooga, Tenn., and in Missouri and Iowa
we fnd wagon loads of these
clay stew pots. These are washed out by
the rivers in Iowa and found
in mounds in Missouri and Tennessee.
Ohio was at one time undoubtedly a
prairie country, or nearly so,
on whose broad stretches of plain roamed
uncounted millions of buffalo
and other wild animals. Then came the
mound builders, who lived on
this vast game preserve, in undisputed
possession. This state of affairs
may have continued for centuries, with
the gradual tendency of acclima-
tion and localization, which may have
changed them to a difference in
type as we find the American Indians.
SWEPT AWAY BY INDIANS.
Or the old mound builders may have been
swept away by the red
men, who may have caught them in Ohio in
their winter houses, like
rats in a trap, the houses falling down
on them and making for them
their only monuments known to us, the
ancient mounds.
I mentioned the fact that in Iowa there
are no human remains
in the mounds. This may have come from
the fact that this people
were driven out in summer, when these
earth houses were not in use,
and in consequence no one in them.
Now I am not interested in any pet
theory, only so far as it may
offer a solution or plan to work out a
solution of an unknown problem.
If some one has a better way of
accounting for what we find left by
these mysterious people I will be
pleased to have him bring it forward.
Some may say: "What reason have you
for thinking they came from
the South?"
We find things here in Ohio that were
made of onyx and stone
from Mexico.
Some may say: "Why, these mounds were
for burial mounds."
If so, all mounds would have human
remains in them. But they have
not. Again, some may say: "What
about Circleville, where there were
hundreds of skeletons carted away when
the mound was leveled?"
That's easy to account for. There had
been a battle. The mound build-
ers had been killed and thrown into
their own houses by the victors.
In a great many instances there seems to
be the evidence that the
houses had been set on fire on the
outside, then the lead bodies thrown
in.
114 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
THE LATEST PREHISTORIC NEWS.
The actual results of archaeological
explorations in Ohio and else-
where in this country are sufficient to
arouse interest and curiosity in
the life and world of the lost and
unrecorded people. But what the
newspapers say concerning these
explorations surpasses the tales of
Arabian Nights or Baron Munchausen. For
instance, concerning the
exhumations by Prof. W. C. Mills at Fort
Ancient the past summer
(1908), a leading Ohio daily exploited
the following:
"A remarkable stone, bearing what
is thought to be the hiero-
glyphics of the mound builders, was
found yesterday on the portion of
old Fort Ancient recently purchased by
the state. Surveyors are busy
laying off plans of the new possessions
preparatory to making excava-
tions and the stone was picked up. It is
about the size of a man's hand
and is very dark, almost black. Upon the
surface are small markings
resembling the Chinese picture writing.
This is the first evidence of
a writing by the mound builders that has
ever been found, it is claimed,
and an effort will be made to cypher out
the meaning of the writing."
And another metropolitan journal went
on-or better, went off-
to say:
"The entrance to what is thought to
be a cave of large dimen-
sions has been discovered at Fort
Ancient, the historic earthworks of
the Mound Builders in eastern Warren
County. Workmen are clearing
away the underbrush from that section of
the old fort recently pur-
chased by the state and slight
excavations have brought to light some
new facts.
"At the base of the fort
immediately within the Great Gateway,
while the workmen were about the base of
a tree, a layer of stone was
struck.
Further excavations showed that it was at some pavement,
which had been covered with about
eighteen inches of earth.
"This pavement leads to the base of
the fort where a small open-
ing was found in the rock. The tearing
away of earth and rock revealed
a larger opening, which seemed to lead
into a cave of gigantic dimen-
sions. A torch was thrust in at the
opening and the walls were seen
to gleam with great brilliance. A stone
was thrown into the opening,
but could not be heard to fall. The
mouth is only a foot in diameter
and the solid rock so surrounds it that
the cave can not be entered with-
out extensive blasting."
These
are samples of the latest news received by the reporters
over wireless connections concerning the
Mound Builders who are unable
to deny or disprove the statements. Of course no such hieroglyphic
stone or cave was ever discovered
because neither ever existed.
EDITORIALANA.
VOL. XVIII. No. l. JANUARY, 1909.
SERPENT MOUND TOWER. It will be recalled that the Seventy-Seventh General Assembly (1908) in the appropriations for the Society, made provision by a |
|
special appropriation of $500 for the erec- tion of a tower at Serpent Mound. At the meeting of the Executive Committee, held July 16, 1908, the matter of making a contract and supervising the erection of this tower was placed in charge of a special committee consisting of Treasurer Wood and Secretary Randall. After ne- gotiating with various concerns competent to build such a tower, and submitting the matter to competitive bids, Messrs. Wood and Randall in behalf of the Society final- ly made a contract with the Columbus Wire & Iron Works Company for the amount of $500.00. The company imme- diately proceeded to construct the tower. It is made entirely of steel, which com- plete weighs about 6,000 pounds, is twen- ty-five feet high with ascending stairs to the top platform, which is eight feet square. The tower was completed in |
August and erected at the factory by the constructing company in Colum- bus for inspection by the committee and found to be satisfactory and according to contract. The material for the tower was duly transported to Serpent Mound and on September 2, 1908, Secretary Randall there met the force chosen by the manufacturing company for the erection of the tower. A location for this observatory was selected near the tail of the serpent. The erection of the tower was completed in four or five days. The location selected proved to be well chosen and the purpose of the tower satisfactorily fulfilled. From the platform the observer may see and carefully study the entire length of the serpent which heretofore could not be viewed entire from any one point, owing to the irregu- lar convolutions of the serpent and the peculiar contour of the hilltop upon which it is located. We give a reproduction of a photograph of the tower as it now appears. (105) |