614 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
STATE PARKS
As Chairman of the Committee on Parks, I
have the follow-
ing report to submit. Acting under the
instruction of our Presi-
dent, Mr. Arthur C. Johnson, I visited
the following properties
during the year:
Logan Elm Park
Mound City Park
Fort Laurens Park
Schoenbrunn Park
Seip Mound Park
Serpent Mound Park
Fort Ancient Park
Campus Martius
Observing the magnitude of the task
assigned to me in try-
ing to visit and direct improvements in
all of the parks under
the control of the Archaeological
Society, I was advised by the
President to devote my efforts during
this year to two or three
of these parks, to get all possible work
done in them and then
at a later period to take up the work at
the others. It was de-
cided, after a conference with officers
of the Society, that Fort
Ancient, Serpent Mound and, if possible,
Fort Laurens, be given
attention this year.
Fort Ancient. This prehistoric fortification, considered by
many archaeologists to be of first
importance in Ohio, is situated
in Warren County about six miles east of
Lebanon. Several
roads lead from the Three C's Highway to
this Park, so that
it is easily reached, being about three
and one-half miles from
this highway. Fort Ancient is situated
on a plateau overlooking
a sharp bend in the Little Miami River,
above which it rises
to a height of two hundred and seventy
feet, affording a mag-
nificent view of the river and valley
below.
The fortifications consist of an
irregularly shaped wall
averaging about ten feet in height. The
fort is virtually divided
into two equal sections by a
constriction in its formation near
the center and a wall extends across it
at this point. There are
several small mounds within the
inclosure. An interesting fea-
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 615
ture of this ancient work is a stone
pavement located outside the
eastern wall. The approximate linear
extent of the wall is about
three and one-half miles.
This park is visited by thousands of
people each year and
for this reason is entitled to more
attention and better care than
has been given it in the past. The first
visit revealed a condi-
tion of neglect. Much work was necessary
to place this park
in a condition fit for tourists and
visitors. Upon our return
to Columbus we consulted our President
and Treasurer. As a
result of this conference it was decided
to employ a new care-
taker. This has been done, and judging
from the work that has
been accomplished, we have made a wise
selection from upward
of two hundred applicants for the place.
There were some funds available from the
previous legisla-
tive appropriations which were used in
painting the house, which
had not been done for over ten years.
Fencing, hardware and
supplies were purchased, so that none of
the remaining fund was
allowed to lapse. The new caretaker, Mr.
J. W. Satchell, has
moved into the house and already has
accomplished a great many
improvements. Accumulations of waste
material and debris have
been removed. Brush and dead trees have
been cleared away.
The fields have been mowed and
altogether the park presents
a far better prospect than it has for
many years. It was neces-
sary to purchase a new mowing machine
and a lawn mower, and
these have been used to good advantage.
The roadway has been improved insofar as
the Society's
finances permit. In this connection, I
wish to state that we have
promise of fine cooperation from the
State Highway Depart-
ment as the following letter will
indicate:
SEPTEMBER 29, 1927.
MR. H. W. WALSH,
Court House,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
DEAR MR. WALSH:
Please advise what progress you have
made with the Warren County
Commissioners with reference to the
improvement of the road in the State
Park at Fort Ancient concerning which I
wrote you under date of July 30,
1927.
516 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Dr. F. C. Furniss of the State
Archaeological and Historical Society
has again been referred to this
Department by Governor Donahey.
Very truly yours,
G. F. SCHLESINGER,
Director of Highways and Public
Works.
GFS :M
CC--DR. FURNISS.
The barnyard has been cleared of refuse
and the barns are
being repaired. The residence has been
replastered and dec-
orated within and is in good condition.
The expenses of the re-
pairs and decoration of the residence is
borne by a special ap-
propriation from the Ohio State
Emergency Board.
The roadway leading from the Three C's
Highway west of
Clarksville is under reconstruction at
this time.
New pumps have been placed in the wells
and there is now
an adequate supply of good drinking
water. The shelter house
is to be painted and repaired and
sanitary toilets will be built.
The Department of Highways has placed in
the park a number
of painted barrels similar to those you
have observed along the
highway and picnickers are cooperating
in keeping the park clean.
The rear inclosure will be plowed and
sown to grass. Signs will
be provided by the Ohio State Highway
Department through
the courtesy of Mr. Kirk and these will
be placed in appropriate
positions within the park.
We have tried to make the best use of
available funds but
find our appropriations inadequate to
carry on many of the
needed improvements. However, we feel well satisfied with
the progress that has been made and
already we can visualize
one of the finest and best kept parks in
Ohio.
Professor B. F. Prince, Chairman of the
local committee
on Fort Ancient, has made a good
suggestion regarding a second
entrance with a roadway circling close
to the residence of the
caretaker. This will be a great
convenience to visitors who seek
information.
The National flag should be flown near
the entrance to this
park. In fact, each of our state parks
should be provided with
the National emblem and this should be
unfurled whenever the
weather permits.
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 617
As your Committeeman, I visited this
park eight times
within the year and will make another
trip of inspection before
the close of this year.
Serpent Mound Park. This park is situated in Adams
County sixteen miles south of Hillsboro
and four miles north
of the village of Peebles. It comprises
an area of about seventy
acres and is famous for the remarkable
Serpent Mound effigy.
The serpent measures about thirteen
hundred feet in length and
rises some four feet in height above the
surrounding ground.
It is well formed and proportioned. It
lies on a gently rolling
field, rising above a ravine some ninety
feet in height. The
origin and purpose of this interesting
earthwork is still a mys-
tery, has excited the curiosity of
thousands and has enlisted the
attention of many famous archaeologists.
Upward of thirty
thousand persons visited the park last
year.
I visited Serpent Mound Park on numerous
occasions
within the year and after making a thorough
survey of it, au-
thorized some changes and improvements.
A steel safety fence
has been erected on the rock ledge near
the head of the serpent
as a safeguard against accidents, as the
cliff at this point is
ninety feet high. A new mowing machine
and lawn mower
have been purchased and provided for
this park and the in-
closure is being mowed regularly. One
new well has been drilled
and another deepened. New pumps have
been put in and there
is now an abundant supply of fine
drinking water. A new toilet
has been erected; also a garage and shed
to house tools and ma-
chinery. The roadway has been improved and the Highway
Department has placed barrels in
convenient places as recep-
tacles for refuse. This park is in
excellent condition and is being
well cared for by Mr. Guy Wallace, the
caretaker.
I conferred with Professor Cole, the
local chairman of the
Committee on Serpent Mound, on one
occasion, and discussed
with him plans for improvements
necessary for this park. Some
trees should be planted in suitable
locations. A highway guard-
rail has been erected for the safety of
visitors. The work of im-
provement will be carried on as rapidly
as possible with the
618 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
available funds, and this will continue
to be one of the real at-
tractions among Ohio's archaeological
parks.
Fort Laurens Park. This park is situated near Bolivar,
Tuscarawas County, Ohio, six miles from
Zoar and about twelve
miles from Massillon. It is the site of
the oldest fort built by
white settlers in Ohio and comprises
about twenty-two acres. The
park has been much neglected for years.
However, activities
have begun, a resident caretaker has
been employed and the
work of clearing, plowing and cleaning
up the inclosure is under
way. The residence of the caretaker has
been remodeled and
repaired and is in first class
condition. There was an appropria-
tion of two thousand dollars for this
park for landscaping and
shrubbery. In this connection I went to
the Agricultural Ex-
periment Station at Wooster and
conferred with Mr. Secrest,
the State Forester. Arrangements have
been made with the
Forestry Department to secure from the
State, varieties of ever-
green and hardwood trees and shrubs
sufficient to do the neces-
sary planting in this park. Also, enough
nursery stock has been
promised to start a small nursery in
this park to be developed
and cared for by the caretaker.
Fort Laurens can be converted into a
very attractive and
interesting place but it will require
another year before much can
be accomplished. This park will receive
our earnest attention
during the coming year.
Schoenbrunn Park. This old Moravian missionary settle-
ment is situated two miles west of New
Philadelphia and is now
under reconstruction. An engineer's
survey has been made and
records studied. A complete restoration
of the old log school
house, church and dwellings is planned
and is already under
construction. A liberal appropriation
from the Legislature makes
this possible. This work is under
supervision of a local com-
mittee of able men who are qualified and
anxious to push the
work to completion. Additional land has
been purchased and
the present program, if carried out,
will make this park a most
interesting attraction. It is our
intention to visit this park at in-
tervals during the coming year and to
render whatever assistance
we can from the Society to the local
committee.
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 619
Logan Elm Park. The work at this park has been nicely
handled by General Florence, Chairman of
the local committee.
Improvements have been made. The park is
kept clean and the
Logan Elm is being properly cared for.
Sanitary toilets have
been constructed and, altogether, this
park provides a very pleas-
ing appearance. General Florence has
spent considerable time
and effort in bringing about this work.
This park is visited by
many tourists and is the scene of many
meetings and celebra-
tions by various historical societies.
Mound City Park. The work at Mound City is well under
way under the supervision of Mr.
Spetnagel and Mr. Shetrone.
Campus Martius. I visited Campus Martius at Marietta
and inspected the work of restoration of
the Rufus Putnam
house which is being performed under the
direction of Miss
Willia D. Cotton and the local
committee. The work on this
site has been ably performed. New
timbers have been placed
within the structure to strengthen the
walls, ceiling and roof.
A new roof has been put on. The interior
has been restored in-
telligently by treatment in plaster and
stain, and the house will
soon be in shape to receive visitors.
This is one of the most im-
portant historical sites within the
State of Ohio and is visited by
thousands of tourists from all over the
country. The lot just
north of the block house should be
purchased and beautified.
This would lend much to the
attractiveness of the surroundings.
The park situation in Ohio is one that
should be carefully
studied. If the State of Ohio is going
to continue to acquire
lands for park purposes it should see
that these parks are prop-
erly maintained. The importance of these
historic spots, com-
memorating as they do, the great events
that made possible a
great commonwealth, cannot be
over-estimated; and Ohio has
many of these. Most of the sites should
be preserved in as nearly
their original condition as possible.
Only such buildings should
be erected and improvements made as are
necessary for the con-
venience, comfort and enlightenment of
the numerous visitors
who frequent these places.
The Chairman of your committee
recommends that a com-
mission of three, two from the
membership of this Society, be
620 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
appointed by the Governor to make a
complete survey of all the
historical and archaeological parks and
sites, to outline a pro-
gram for their improvement and
maintenance and to submit an
estimate of the amount that should be
appropriated by the Legis-
lature for the purpose. Our experience
with the work of caring
for these parks has shown us that in
most instances even the
essential needs of these parks cannot be
adequately met because
of insufficient funds.
Respectfully submitted,
F. C. FURNISS,
Chairman of Parks Committee.
EARLY OHIO SCHOOL BOOKS
The past year has been one of
interesting activity and sub-
stantial progress. Much remains to be
done. The collection of
early school books, many of which are
now rare, requires per-
sistence and patience.
The outstanding feature of the work of
the past year is the
acquisition of practically a complete
set, all copyrights, of the Mc-
Guffey Readers. These were presented to
this Society by the
McGuffey Society of Columbus, Ohio.
There are one hundred
and twenty-eight volumes, some of the
same being duplicates.
The presentation was made at a joint
session of the McGuffey
Society with this Society. A complete
report of this meeting
has been published in the QUARTERLY. The
kindly acceptance
of these books by your president was
greatly appreciated by the
McGuffey Society. Your committee
believes these books to be
of historical value.
Your committee now brings to you,
through the kindness of
the author, a complete set of the works
of Prof. Frank V. Irish,
well known to all of us. These books
were provided upon the
solicitation of your committee, to-wit:
American and British Authors.
Grammar and Analysis by Diagrams.
Orthography and Orthoepy.
Treasured Thoughts.
To the collection already made of the
works of Alfred Hol-
brook and his pupils, the following have
been added:--
Normal Methods, by Alfred Holbrook, copyright 1857, pre-
sented by Dr. John M. Dunham, of the Society,
a pupil of Alfred
Holbrook in the early days of the
school.