A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF MOUND OPENING.
Done During the Months of July and
August, 1888, by Warren K.
Moorehead and Clinton Cowen.
IT occurred to me a number of times last
year to spend
the summer in opening mounds. I had done
considerable
of this work in several counties of our
State, but had
never spent more than one continuous
week in the field.
When the Cincinnati Centennial
Exposition opened in
July, and I was free from my duties
(having been actively
engaged in mounting a collection for
exhibition), I
engaged the services of Mr. C. Cowen, of
Dennison Univer-
sity, as Superintendent, and set out for
the interior of
Clermont county. I engaged three
Irishmen and on July
9th, five of us began the demolition of
a mound on
Richard Shumard's farm, Stone Lick
township. The
mound is situated on a high point of
land overlooking the
deep and narrow gorge of Rock Run.
The mound was twenty-five feet in
diameter and about
three feet high. It had never been
disturbed by plow or
spade. We commenced at the east side and
dug the
whole of it out. The work occupied four
hours.
About one foot from the surface a layer
of charcoal was
found which extended over the entire
mound. This layer
was quite uniform and about three inches
thick. Imme-
diately below this in the center was a
large flat stone, and
slightly below the large stone, other stones-limestones
brought from the creek below. Under the
stones was a
medium
sized skeleton, much decayed. On
the breast
bone of this skeleton was a small rough
celt of green-
stone. A short bone awl was near the
body on the right
side. Just below the skeleton was a
small quantity of red
ochre. There was nothing else in the
mound.
MOUND NUMBER TWO.
Before Number Two was opened some stone
graves
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A Detailed Account of Mound
Opening. 535
along Stone Lick creek were dug open.
Although the
work was thoroughly carried out nothing
save single skel-
etons were found.
This mound was situated on Harvey
Anderson's farm,
Jackson
township, Clermont county. It
is on high
ground, but not near any stream. The
mound had been
plowed over many times and stands only
eight feet high.
Old residents say it once was nearly
twenty feet in alti-
tude.
We began work on this mound Thursday A.
M., July
12th. We were two days in completing the
excavations.
The dimensions of the structure are 75 x
95 x 8 ft.
We began a wide trench at the eastern
side and con-
tinued this to the center. We widened
the trench at the
center until all the mound was
"rimmed out" save the
outer edges. Nothing was overlooked. Up
to Thursday
noon we found nothing. There were no
layers in the
edge of the mound, everything seemed
placed within ten
feet of the center. About two o'clock we
came upon
large quantities of burnt clay. This was
not placed in a
layer, nor had it the shape of an altar.
It was a rough,
ill-shaped mass. Through it was charcoal
freely inter-
mingled. Beyond this mass of clay was a
decayed skull.
All parts of the skull were present, but
none of the other
bones of the body. The skull showed
action of fire-the
teeth were burnt black. That night we
quit work five feet
from the center on the east side. Our
trench was about
twenty-five feet wide and seven feet
deep.
The next morning we found three feet
from the surface,
in the center, a skeleton well
preserved. No objects were
interred with the body. A rough layer of
bark had been
placed above this individual, and an
experienced woods-
man present claimed the bark was elm and
hickory. The
weight of the earth above had pressed
this bark into a
thin layer scarcely a quarter of an inch
thick. The
width of it was two feet, the length
seven. Just below
this skeleton were three layers of
earth. The first white,
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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
the second sand, the third red burnt
clay. The thickness
of each was six inches. Below this last
layer was a de-
cayed skeleton and a mass of black and
yellow soil slightly
burnt. This skeleton laid with head to
the west as did
the other. The extremities of this one
were badly charred.
At a distance of five feet from the
upper surface were
found three (called for want of a better
name) "post
holes." These holes were 8 x 14 inches
and contained
dust that resembled decayed wood. The
sides of them
were burnt to prevent caving in. In one
of these holes
three small mussel shells and fifteen
snail shells were
found. When six feet from the surface a
few fragments
of pottery, deer bones and snail shells
occurred. The
deer antlers were broken in small
pieces. There were
half a dozen of them. A large slab of
limestone, very
interesting, found at seven feet depth,
contained the per-
fect imprint of seven human ribs. In
some parts of the
disintegrated stone the fragments of
ribs still adhered.
This was preserved, but in three days
had crumbled
into a mass of lime and sand. Varnish
was put in the
crevices, but it would not keep. This
stone had been sub-
jugated to great heat.
Nothing further was found except a rough
small celt.
When the work was completed we stepped
back to look
at the sides. The various colored layers and streaks
showed up beautifully. Indeed the red and white were
as pure as could be painted. There were
seven shades
represented, red, yellow, black, brown,
pink, white, grey.
Mound number three contained nothing.
Mound number four contained nothing of
importance.
MOUND NUMBER FIVE.
This mound was situated on the farm of
John Boyle,
Perry Township, Brown County, Ohio. The
owner is a
wealthy and cultivated gentleman and
gave us permission
to open another mound of his four miles
further north.
A Detailed Account of Mound
Opening. 537
We began work on the west side. We were
nearly three
days completing excavations. The mound
was circular
and about one hundred feet in diameter.
It was five feet
high, had never been opened, was
situated in a woods.
It was surrounded by a low circle 200
feet in diameter.
The altitude of the circle was less than
three feet, its breadth
seven feet.
No skeleton was found in this mound.
Near the exact
center on the bottom we discovered a
small arrow-head of
pink flint, a hammer stone of sandstone,
a rubbing stone of
slate.
When some ten feet beyond the center on
the east side
we suddenly came upon forty-two mica
sheets. These
were from four by eight to seven by nine
inches in
size. Some of them had been neatly
rounded, others
were in the rough state. They were laid
in layers with
edges overlapping, covering three square
feet or more.
Nothing was under or above them.
There was nothing else in the mound. I
consider this
the most positive proof of
"Ceremonial structures." The
enclosed mound, the mica and other
objects, the absence
of skeletons, lead me to believe that
this mound was erected
for some religious purpose, that it was
not a burial mound,
nor a house site. The mound may have
been a "temple
site," for the summit was slightly
flattened. This is to me
the most mysterious structure I ever
excavated. We ex-
amined the earth very carefully to find
traces of charcoal or
pottery or bones but found none. There
were no "post
holes" in this structure.
MOUND NUMBER SIX.
This mound is on the farm of John Boyle,
St. Martin's,
Brown county. It is on very high ground
and overlooks
the East Fork of the Little Miami river.
It is, by far,
the largest one yet opened. We began July 24th,
with four hands. The size of this mound
is: in altitude,
eight feet, in length seventy feet, in
width sixty-five feet.
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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
We are told that it once stood nearly
twenty-five feet
high. There was a circle around it once,
but this has been
plowed down until nothing remains. It is
barely discern-
able in places. We began operations on
the south side by
starting a trench nearly as wide as the
mound. This was
continued to within ten feet of the
northern limit, when,
finding no evidences of burial beyond
that point, we filled up
the holes.
The skulls taken from this mound were
much de-
cayed, but, being treated with a
solution of varnish and
glue and being carefully packed in
cotton, were strong
enough to be transported to Cincinnati.
Both these indi-
viduals fell in battle. The back of the
skulls are crushed
in. None of the other bones of the
skeletons showed
fractures. Over the forehead of one of
the skulls was
a copper plate, five by seven inches,
and perforated in two
places. This plate was placed directly
over the eyes and
forehead, the holes corresponding with
the eyes, and, I
think, a "death mask" would be
a proper name for the
plate. The material is Lake Superior
copper, thin, and
shows that it was beaten out in a cold
state. This skel-
eton was the first one found (with the
plate). Just beyond
it lay a layer of fine burned earth
three inches thick.
The earth was seven by three feet and as
hard as brick.
On the layer, extended east and west,
lay a well preserved
skeleton. Save that this skull was crushed
in the rear, all the
bones were whole and in place.
But to return. When we had been at work
nearly a
day, and were ten feet from the outer
edge, we came upon
five "post holes" similar to
those found in the Anderson
mound, only larger. These were filled
with small stones
and were three feet deep. Were they used
to drain the
mound? They were placed on the
bottom (the original
surface of the ground,) and ran down to
undisturbed clay.
Just beyond these a large mass of burnt
stones, cremated
skeletons, etc., occurred. A
lump of partially worked
Galena was taken from this mass. At the
top of the
A Detailed Account of Mound
Opening. 539
mound, only two feet from the surface,
had been placed a
layer of bark, but this was too badly
decayed to tell the
wood. In some places it had so rotted as
to leave a black
streak only.
We were four and one-half days in
opening this mound.
Mound No. 7, nothing of value.
MOUND NUMBER EIGHT.
This mound is one of a group of seven.
They lie on
the edge of a high hill overlooking the
East Fork of the
Little Miami river, Clermont county,
Ohio. Mr. J. G.
Hutchison owns the land. The mounds are
small, aver-
aging thirty feet in diameter and three
feet in height.
The average distance apart is one
hundred feet. Satur-
day, August 4th, we began work on these.
We were three
days in digging the seven to pieces.
Three of the smallest
ones were opened the first day.
Each mound was composed of both earth
and stone,
but the first one opened contained more
stone than any of the
others.
On the east side of the first mound (we
commenced on
the center mound and worked to the left,
then to the
right) we uncovered a layer of five flat
stones. Under
these were two skeletons, much decayed.
With one of the
skeletons a very choice polished celt
was found. With the
other five, rough chert implements.
There was no colored earth in this
mound; no charcoal.
The next one opened was very small and
yielded nothing
but flat stones. The next on the left
contained a decayed
skeleton and traces of charcoal, that
was all. The skele-
ton had stones thrown upon it, but none
were laid in
order as in the first mound. The last
mound on the left
contained two skeletons pretty well
preserved, and, com-
pared with the others, decently buried.
Not far below
the surface was a layer of limestones.
Below this, and
resting on several large stones, were
the two bodies.
Nothing was found with them, but it was
interesting to
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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
note what care had been displayed in the
manner of burial.
The heads lay to the East, the arms lay
close to the sides,
the legs were straight. It was very
evident the rest of these
individuals had never been disturbed
until our spades un-
covered their bones.
The next mound on the right held nothing
but stones.
The second on the right contained a
badly mashed skeleton.
There were few bones entire. The last
mound on the right
held a couple of bodies well buried, and
a large dish. The
pottery had been interred whole, but,
lying so near the
surface, it had absorbed the rains and
the frosts had cracked
it into many small fragments. We took it
out in fifty pieces
and attempted to restore it.
From this county we went to Ross county,
where our
finds were greater than any previously
made. I will
give an account of the work done there
in some future
number.
W. K. MOOREHEAD.
WASHINGTON, D. C., January 14, 1889.