Fig. 19.—Circle and Mound, Greenup County, Kentucky.
The above view, taken on the spot, will illustrate the appearance of this class of works. Nothing can exceed their regularity and beauty, when clothed with turf or covered with forest trees.
These works are situated on the east bank of the Great Miami river, six miles below Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio. They are built upon the second bottom or terrace, which is here nearly a mile broad, and elevated about twenty feet above the river. The plan of the group coincides very nearly with that of some of the p083 more regular works of the Scioto valley. (See Plates XX and XXI.) It seems never to have been completed; at any rate, the various parts were never connected. A portion of the great circle A has been washed away by the river, which here encroaches upon the second terrace. The diameter of this circle is one hundred feet greater than that of the corresponding large circle of the Scioto works; and the same proportionate increase in size is to be observed in the square and lower circle. The embankments are now between five and six feet high, and have a base fifty feet wide. They are composed of a tough, yellow clay, which is found to be superimposed on the loam of the original level. It must have been brought from a distance, as there are no excavations perceptible in the vicinity. The embankments, as in the case of several other works which have been noticed, appear to have been some time or other subjected to the action of fire. They are unaccompanied by a ditch.
XXIX.
No. 1. Ancient Works six miles below Dayton, Montgomery Co. Ohio.
No. 2. Ancient Work and Animal Effigy, Scioto Co. Ohio.
No. 3. Ancient Works near Worthington, Franklin Co., Ohio.
The Miami canal extends through these works, and the little town of Alexandersville is laid out over a portion of the smaller circle. The clay composing the embankments is now much used in the manufacture of bricks, and but a little time will elapse before the work will be entirely obliterated.
We can only regard this structure as kindred in its purposes to those above alluded to in the Scioto valley, and associate it with the superstitions of the builders. It tends to confirm the impression produced by the other works, that some significance attaches to the combination of the two circles and the square.
This singular work is situated five miles north of Portsmouth, Scioto county, Ohio, on the west bank of the Scioto river. It is not a true ellipse, but approaches very near it. Its longest axis is four hundred and eighty feet, its conjugate diameter four hundred and seven feet. It is built upon a high and beautiful level, elevated some sixty or seventy feet above the Scioto river, which flows about half a mile to the eastward. The embankment is unaccompanied by a ditch, and is about three feet in height, by thirty feet base. It has, as shown in the plan, a single gateway, ninety feet wide, opening to the south-east, which is covered by a long exterior mound, of about the same height with the embankment of the enclosure.
Within this enclosure is a large irregular mound, which, from its resemblance to the animal-shaped mounds of Wisconsin, of which notice will be taken in p084 another place, constitutes by far the most interesting feature of the work. It is of the form and relative size indicated in the plan, and is composed of loose broken sandstone and earth, based upon dislocated and broken sand-rock. It is from one to eight feet high, being lowest at the eastern end or head, and at the projecting points. It is probably of the same design with those of Wisconsin, already alluded to, which occur in great numbers and in long and apparently dependent ranges. None of those, however, so far as known, are found enclosed after the manner of the one here presented. (See “Remains of the North-West.”) No explanation of the probable design of this work will be attempted here: it is impossible, however, to disconnect it from the superstitions of the ancient people. An interesting fact is communicated by F. Cleveland, Esq., of Portsmouth, who assisted Mr. Whittlesey in making the survey of this work, and who was engineer on the Ohio canal when it was in progress; viz. that the workmen engaged in excavating found large quantities of mica, in sheets, in the immediate vicinity of this enclosure. This mineral is found in great abundance in the mounds, and in the neighborhood of these ancient works.
This work occurs on the banks of Olentangy creek, a tributary of the Scioto river, about one mile west of the town of Worthington, Franklin county, Ohio. The plateau upon the edge of which it is situated is elevated about fifty feet above the bottoms of the Olentangy, and consists of a clayey soil resting on the black shale formation of Ohio. The work is rectangular in form; its sides correspond very nearly with the cardinal points, (varying but five degrees,) and measure six hundred and thirty, and five hundred and fifty feet respectively. The walls are unaccompanied by a ditch, and are very slight, though distinctly traceable. In the line of the southern wall is a large truncated mound, C, twenty feet in height, and measuring one hundred and ninety-two feet in diameter at the base, and seventy-six feet in diameter at the summit. It is covered with large trees. The wall that leads from this mound to the left, is placed a little further outwards than that leading to the right. The mound D, in the centre of the enclosure, is small and low. Near the south-western corner of the work is a small circle, with an interior ditch and single entrance; it is one hundred and twenty feet in diameter. Some distance to the north-west of the enclosure, and on the opposite side of a deep ravine, is another small circle, one hundred and forty feet in diameter, with three entrances. p085
XXX. Ancient Works:
No. 1. Butler Co. Ohio
No. 2. Butler Co. Ohio
No. 3. Near Bourneville, Ross Co. Ohio
No. 4. On Black Run, Ross Co. Ohio
This work is situated four miles south-west of the town of Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, on S. 10, T. 1, R. 2, between the Great and Little Miami rivers. It is indicated by the letter C, in the Map of a section of the Miami valley (Plate III, No. 2).
The ground upon which this unique work is built is the level bottom of the Miami river, at a distance from any high lands. The principal or square portion of the work is constructed of an embankment of earth, about four feet high by fifty feet base, unaccompanied by a ditch. The walls of the circular or irregular portion of the work, towards Pleasant run, are considerably heavier, and have an interior ditch. The work is not an exact square, nor are its gateways disposed with the usual degree of regularity. The walls, at the western angle, terminate in a large oblong mound, and a small mound occupies the centre of one of the attached circular works.
At a short distance from the enclosure, towards the south, are two large mounds, placed one hundred and thirty-five feet apart. They are each about two hundred and fifty feet in circumference, and fifteen feet in perpendicular height, and are in part composed of large stones. These mounds, as also the larger portion of the enclosure, are situated in timbered land, the forests presenting the usual primitive aspect. The trees growing upon the walls are of the largest size, and are surrounded by the fallen and decayed trunks of their predecessors. From this work to the Miami river, the distance is now about half a mile; the intervening bottom is low and of comparatively recent formation. It is probable that the river once washed the work, at the point now bounded by Pleasant run.
For reasons which it is here unnecessary to recapitulate, this work is deemed of religious origin.
This work is indicated by the letter F, in the map of a section of the Miami valley, and is situated on the right bank of the Miami river, seven miles below the town of Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, on S. 27 and 34, T. 3, R. 2, E. M.
Little can be said respecting it, except that it is a circle of considerable size, p086 bounded by an embankment, at present about two feet high, composed of earth taken up evenly from the surface, or brought from a distance. It has an entrance to the left, two hundred and seventy-five feet wide; the embankment upon either hand terminating in a small mound, between four and five feet high. The area of the enclosure is level, and covered with forest: the trees are, however, small, owing probably to the nature of the soil, which is thin and gravelly. The plain is here fifty feet above the adjacent bottoms.
About a mile north-east of this work, on the opposite bank of Indian creek, are three large mounds, on a line with each other. On the lower bottom or terrace, opposite to each mound, is a corresponding hole or excavation, from which the earth composing them was doubtless obtained.
The small work here figured is one of the most beautiful in the State of Ohio. It is situated upon the highest terrace, directly facing, and about one mile distant from, the great stone hill-work of the Paint creek valley (Plate IV). It consists of a wall of earth, eight or ten feet in height, with a broad and shallow exterior ditch. In figure it is elliptical, with a transverse diameter of seven hundred and fifty, and a conjugate diameter of six hundred and seventy-five feet. It has a gateway one hundred and twenty feet wide, leading into it from the south-west. It opens upon a small spur of the terrace, which has been artificially rounded and graded, so as to make a regular and easy descent to the lower level. Upon either side of this grade, the banks of the terrace are steep and irregular. A very copious spring of water starts from the bank near the wall, a little to the right of the entrance. A small circle and a couple of mounds are situated on the next lower terrace, at the points indicated in the plan.
This work is admirably preserved, and is remarkable as being the only circular work at present known, which has its ditch exterior to the walls. The proprietor esteems the soil much richer within the enclosure, than upon the adjacent plain. We are unprepared to ascribe any other than a religious origin to this structure. p087
This unique work is situated in the little valley of “Black run,” a small tributary of Paint creek, and is distant about fifteen miles from Chillicothe. It is indicated by the letter E, in the “Map exhibiting a section of six miles of the Paint creek valley.” The walls are composed of stones; but if ever regularly laid up, they are now thrown down, though not greatly scattered. The outlines are clearly defined, and can be exactly traced. The body of the work is elliptical in shape, its conjugate diameter being one hundred and seventy feet, its transverse two hundred and fifty feet. There is a single opening or gateway, fifty feet wide, on the south, where the walls curve outwards and lap back upon themselves for the space of sixty feet. The most remarkable feature of this singular work consists of five walls, starting within ten feet of the unbroken line of the elliptical enclosure, and extending thence northward, slightly converging, for the distance of one hundred feet. The lines of the outer walls, if prolonged, would intersect each other at the distance of two hundred and fifty feet. These walls are twenty feet broad at the ends nearest the enclosure, and ten feet apart. They diminish gradually, as they recede, to ten feet at their outer extremities. The western wall is nearly obliterated; the stones for the construction of all the “cabin” hearths and chimneys in the neighborhood having been taken from this spot. The western portion of the wall of the ellipse has also suffered from the same cause. The amount of stone embraced in the outer walls is considerable, probably sufficient to construct walls of equal length, six feet broad and eight feet high. They now exhibit but slight evidence of ever having been regularly laid up, and more resemble mounds of stones rudely thrown together. The stones have been removed from a section of the central wall, to the base; but we have been unable to ascertain that the operation disclosed relics of any kind. The wall of the body of the work appears considerably lighter than those last mentioned, and it is now quite impossible to determine whether it was ever regularly constructed. The stones cover a space fifteen or twenty feet broad, and are irregularly heaped together to the height of perhaps three feet. The work is overgrown with briers, bushes, and trees; which, when in leaf, completely hide its features from view, and render a satisfactory examination impossible. In the autumn or spring, the entire outline of the work is distinctly visible.
The purposes of this strange work are entirely inexplicable: its small size precludes the idea of a defensive origin. It is the only structure of the kind which has yet been discovered in the valleys, and it is totally unlike those found on the hills. The great “Stone Fort” on Paint creek (Plate IV) is but two miles distant, and overlooks this work; both may be regarded as belonging to the same era, and as probably in some way connected with each other. p088
There is a singular class of earthworks, occurring at various points at the West, which seem better to come up to the utilitarian standard of our day than any other, and the purposes of which to the popular mind, if not to that of the antiquarian, seem very clear. These are the graded ways, ascending sometimes from one terrace to another, and occasionally descending towards the banks of rivers or water-courses. The one already described, in connection with the works at Marietta, is of the latter description; as is also that at Piqua, Ohio, described by Maj. LONG.67 One of the former character occurs near Richmondale, Ross county, Ohio; and another, and the most remarkable one, about one mile below Piketon, Pike county, in the same State. A plan and view of the latter is herewith presented.
Fig. 20.—View of graded way near Piketon Ohio.
It consists of a graded ascent from the second to the third terrace, the level of which is here seventeen feet above that of the former. The way is ten hundred and eighty feet long, by two hundred and fifteen feet wide at one extremity, and two hundred and three feet wide at the other, measured between the bases of the banks. p089 The earth is thrown outward on either hand, forming embankments varying upon the outer sides from five to eleven feet in height; yet it appears that much more earth has been excavated than enters into these walls. At the lower extremity of the grade, the walls upon the interior sides measure no less than twenty-two feet in perpendicular height. The easy ascent here afforded has been rendered available in the construction of the Chillicothe and Portsmouth turnpike, which passes through it. The walls are covered with trees and bushes, and resemble parallel natural hills, and probably would be regarded as such by the superficial observer. Indeed, hundreds pass along without suspecting that they are in the midst of one of the most interesting monuments which the country affords, and one which bears a marked resemblance to some of those works which are described to us in connection with the causeways and aqueducts of Mexico.
XXXI.
No. 1. Graded-way Near Piketon, Pike Co. Ohio.
No. 2. Ancient Work Near Sommerville, Butler Co. Ohio.
No. 3. Ancient Work on Nine Mile Creek, Butler Co. Ohio.
No. 4. Ancient Work on Great Miami River, Butler Co. Ohio.
From the end of the right-hand wall, upon the third terrace, extends a low line of embankment, (now much obliterated by the construction of the turnpike,) two thousand five hundred and eighty feet long, leading towards a group of mounds, as shown in the plan. At the distance of fifteen hundred feet from the grade, a wall starts off at right angles, for the distance of two hundred and twelve feet, when it assumes a course parallel to the principal line for four hundred and twenty feet, and then curves inwardly, terminating near a group consisting of one large and three small mounds. A ground plan of the latter is elsewhere given. This group of mounds is now enclosed, and constitutes the cemetery of the neighborhood. Forty rods to the right of this group, is a large mound thirty feet in height. Several small mounds occur upon the adjacent plain, though no enclosures of magnitude are found nearer than five miles lower down, on the river.
The left-hand wall of the grade as we descend seems continued down upon the second terrace for some distance, terminating near a low spot of ground, usually containing water. Similar depressions are observed in the ancient beds of streams. It has been suggested that the Scioto river once flowed along the base of the terrace at this point, and that the way led down to it. Without expressing an opinion upon the probability of this conjecture, it is sufficient to observe that the river now flows more than half a mile to the left, and that two terraces, each twenty feet in height, intervene between the present and the supposed ancient level of the stream. To assent to the suggestion, would be to admit an almost immeasurable antiquity to the structure under consideration.
It is, of course, useless to speculate upon the probable purpose of this work. At first glance, it seems obvious; namely, that it was constructed simply to facilitate the ascent from one terrace to another. But the long line of embankment extending from it, and the manifest connection which exists between it and the mounds upon the plain, unsettle this conclusion. After all, we are obliged to leave this interesting work with the single remark, already several times made in respect to others equally interesting and inexplicable, that future investigations, carefully conducted, may solve alike the problem of their purposes and of their origin.68 p090
A singular work of art occurs on the top of a high hill, standing in the rear of the town of Piketon, and overlooking it, which it may not be out of place to mention here. It consists of a perfectly circular excavation, thirty feet in diameter, and twelve feet deep, terminating in a point at the bottom. It contains water for the greater part of the year. A slight and regular wall is thrown up around its edge. A full and very distinct view of the graded way just described is commanded from this point.
The works here presented possess few characteristics of works of defence, and yet have little of the regularity, and but few of the features, which distinguish the sacred enclosures.
NUMBER 2 is situated near Sommerville, Butler county, Ohio, on S. 3 and 10, T. 5, R. 2, E. M. It occupies the second terrace between Pleasant run and Seven Mile creek, and seems to have been encroached upon by both these streams. This terrace is about twenty-five feet higher than the first terrace, and is bounded by steep banks. The wall of the work is about four feet high, the ditch of proportionate depth. Near the centre is an exceedingly regular mound, one hundred feet in diameter at the base, and thirteen feet in altitude. It is now covered with a fine growth of maple-trees. At the north-east corner of the work, in the embankment, there is a quantity of stones placed with some degree of regularity,—probably originally constituting a sort of wall. At the opposite extremity of the work is a dug hole or “well.”
NUMBER 3 is situated nine miles north of the town of Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, on a rich alluvial bottom, between Seven Mile and Nine Mile creeks, the latter of which seems to have encroached upon the work. The large oblong mound in the centre was partially excavated in constructing the Hamilton and Eaton turnpike. A quantity of bones were discovered; but nothing is known of the position in which they were found.
NUMBER 4 is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami river, four miles below the town of Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, and is indicated by the letter D, in the map of a section of the Miami valley. Probably not more than half the original work now exists, the remainder having been destroyed by the encroachments of the river. The wall and ditch are slight; the former not exceeding three feet in height, and the latter two feet in depth. At the bank of the river, however, the original depth of the ditch, as also the amount of the vegetable and other matter with which it is filled up, are distinctly visible. The ditch, which had been sunk into the p091 gravel, was originally five feet eight inches in depth; the accumulation since its abandonment has been, therefore, three feet eight inches. Allowing the wall to have subsided to an equal extent, its original height from the bottom of the trench must have been upwards of twelve feet.
The rapidity with which the river encroaches upon its banks at this point may be inferred from the fact, that twenty years previous to the time of the survey of this work by Mr. McBride, in 1836, the river flowed not far from three hundred feet to the left of the central mound, which since that time has entirely disappeared. About thirty feet below this mound was found, some years ago, a number of flat stories set on edge, forming a kind of coffin, in which was a human skeleton, accompanied by a large marine shell and some rude implements. About a fourth of a mile below this work, appears to have been a general cemetery. The graves are indicated by small regular elevations.69 The three works last described are laid down from the surveys of Mr. MCBRIDE, from whose notes the above facts are principally derived.
Upon this plate are placed a number of small works, and groups of works, arranged however with no view to any relationship, but as best served the purposes of the engraver.
XXXII. Ancient Works:
No. 1. On Mill Creek, Butler Co. Ohio.
No. 2. Near Lowell, Washington Co. Ohio.
No. 3. Near Chillicothe, Ross Co. Ohio.
No. 4. In Chillicothe, Ross Co. Ohio.
No. 5. Near Bainbridge, Ross Co. Ohio.
No. 6. Near Mt. Sterling, Montgomery Co. Kentucky.
NUMBER 1 is a group of small works situated on a branch of Mill creek, near the south-east corner of Butler county, Ohio, on S. 14, T. 3, R. 2, M. R. The rectangular work is two hundred and twenty feet long, by one hundred and twenty feet broad. The walls are now about five feet high, and are unaccompanied by a ditch. There were standing upon the embankment, in 1842, a red-oak tree three and a half feet in diameter, and a white-oak tree three feet in diameter. Twenty rods north of this work is a truncated mound ten feet high; and a short distance p092 beyond it, rises a steep bank, fifty feet high, ascending which we come to elevated ground. Here are the remains of another small elliptical work, and some mounds. Upon the brow of the bank, at a, is a pile of stones much burned, which is known in the vicinity as “the furnace.” Immediately below, at the foot of the bank, is a copious spring. The survey of this group was made by Mr. MCBRIDE.
NUMBER 2 is situated near the town of Lowell, Washington county, Ohio, and consists of a slight embankment of earth, of exceedingly regular outline. Little can be said of it, except that it is accompanied by eleven mounds; all of which are, however, exterior to the walls.
NUMBER 3 is a group of small works, occupying the high lands on the east side of the Scioto river, opposite Chillicothe. They are indicated by the letter L, in the map of a section of the Scioto Valley (Plate II). They are introduced on a very small scale, so as to exhibit the dependence which seems to exist between them. Of course the relative size of the circles and mounds is considerably exaggerated. The mound numbered 1 occupies the most conspicuous point in the valley; and from it is afforded the most extended view that can be obtained in that entire region. Whether this fact can be taken to establish its design as a beacon or observatory, it is not presumed to say. The mound numbered 2 is one of the finest known. It is elliptical, one hundred and sixty feet long, sixty broad, and fifteen high. It has never been investigated. The remaining mounds, 3, 4, 5, and 6, are all of large size. A fine view of the extensive ancient works in the vicinity of Chillicothe must have been afforded from these elevated plains.
NUMBER 4.—These works are included within the corporation limits of Chillicothe. They are already much obliterated, and will soon be no longer traceable. They consist of a series of small circles, of uniform size, each two hundred and fifty feet in diameter. More extensive works formerly existed in connection with them, but have now entirely disappeared. The mound represented in the plan is seventeen feet in height, and has what seems to be a graded ascent from the south. It has been excavated, and will be noticed at length elsewhere in this volume. The circles, it will be observed, appear to be disposed with some degree of regularity in respect to each other. The gateways of three of them open towards the east, that of the remaining one towards the south.
NUMBER 5.—This unique little work is situated in the valley of Paint creek, about one mile west of the village of Bainbridge, Ross county, Ohio, on the turnpike leading from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. Its character can only be understood from the plan. It affords but one of the thousand various combinations which the circular structures of the West assume. It can, of course, be regarded only as connected with the superstitions of the builders, for the reason that it could answer no good purpose for protection, nor subserve any of the p093 useful purposes for which enclosures are required, such as the limits of fields and possessions, or the boundaries of villages.
NUMBER 6.—This work is situated near Mount Sterling, Montgomery county, Kentucky; and consists of a large truncated mound, twenty-five feet in height, flanked on the north and west by narrow grades or slopes. It is connected with a circular work, three hundred and fifty feet in diameter, by an elevated way or terrace, one hundred feet long. The circle has a small mound in its centre, and a gateway opening to the east. Three small mounds occur in close connection with it. The plan is from the RAFINESQUE MSS.
Lest these comparatively little works should appear insignificant, from the small scale on which they are presented, it may be well enough to remark, that the circle formed by the stones composing the great temple of Stonehenge is but a little more than one hundred feet in diameter, and that most of the circular earth and stone structures of the British islands are considerably less in size than those here presented.
This group of ancient works is situated on the west side of Brush creek, six miles south-east of Mount Sterling, Montgomery county, Kentucky. The work indicated by the letter A is one hundred feet square, and is composed of a slight embankment, with an interior ditch. There is an entrance from the east. The elliptical mound C is about two hundred yards distant from A, towards the east. It is nine feet high, two hundred and seventy feet in circumference, truncated, and surmounted by a smaller conical mound. Another small mound is connected with it, as shown in the plan. B is a circular work, five hundred and ten feet in circumference, with a ditch interior to the wall, and a gateway opening towards the east. The unexcavated ground in the interior is square in form, exhibiting an entire identity in this feature with various works in Ohio. (See Plates XXII, XXIV.) D is a hexagonal enclosure; whole circumference three hundred feet, each side fifty feet, with a gateway at the eastern corner. On the opposite side of Brush creek is a large elliptical mound, E. This group occupies a broad, elevated plain. Numerous other works occur in the same county. p094
XXXIII.
No. 1. Ancient Works on Brush Creek, near Mount Sterling, Kentucky.
No. 2. Ancient Work near Winchester, Indiana.
No. 3. Map of a part of T. 20, R. 14, Randolph Co. Indiana.
The character of this work, which is situated in Randolph county, Indiana, is sufficiently well exhibited by the plan. In the same vicinity are other works of an interesting character, the relative positions of which are shown in the sectional map. The work of which the enlarged plan is here given is indicated by the letter A on the map. A precisely analogous work, of smaller size, is situated on Sugar creek at C. At B is a copious spring, surrounded by an embankment.
The work here presented is situated near the western border of Clermont county, Ohio, about one mile east from the town of Milford, which is built near the junction of the East fork with the Little Miami river. It occupies the third terrace, which is here broad and fertile, and consists of those constantly recurring figures, the square and the circle. The plan will give a correct idea of its outline. In its form and combination, it closely resembles some of the more remarkable structures of the Scioto valley, and was doubtless erected for a common purpose with them. It has, however, one novel and interesting feature. The parallels which lead off from the large irregular circle extend upon an isolated hill to the left, which is elevated perhaps fifty feet above the plain, where they end in a small circle, not more than three hundred feet in diameter. From this circle diverging lines extend to the south-west, terminating in a maze of walls unlike any others which have yet fallen under notice. A portion of the parallels and the diverging lines just mentioned are much reduced, and when the crops are on the ground, are hardly traceable.
From the hill an extensive prospect is afforded, bringing in view the sites of several large groups of works in the vicinity. It has been suggested that the structures upon the hill were devoted to rites analogous to those attending the primitive hill or grove worship of the East.
An inspection of this work shows clearly that the irregularity of the great circle is due to the nature of the ground, and that the terrace bank bordering the old bed of the East fork existed at the period of the construction of the work. The river now flows a considerable distance to the southward. p095
XXXIV. Ancient Works:
No. 1. Near Milford, Clermont Co. Ohio.
No. 2. On E. Fork Little Miami River, Clermont Co. Ohio.
No. 3. On Massies Creek, Greene Co. Ohio.
No. 3. Seven Miles N. from Xenia, Greene Co. Ohio.
About four miles above the Milford work, on the East fork of the Little Miami, is a small rectangular work. It is entirely isolated. Its sides measure each seven hundred feet; and it has gateways at each corner and midway on each side.
A very good survey of this work was made many years ago by Gen. LYTLE of Cincinnati, and published in Worden’s Appendix to Du Paix’s work on the antiquities of Mexico.
The work indicated by the letter A is situated upon the opposite side of the Little Miami, from that last described. The plan, which is also from a survey by Gen. LYTLE, sufficiently explains its character. Several mounds occur in the vicinity of this work, and a few miles below, at Newtown, there is a considerable group of large mounds.
About twenty miles above these remains, upon the East fork of the Little Miami, is a singular work, a plan of which, B, is here given. It was also surveyed by Gen. LYTLE, and a plan of it appears both in Du Paix’s work, and in the appendix to Hugh Williamson’s work on the climate of America. Whether both plans are from the same survey is unknown; they however coincide in all important particulars. Without vouching for the entire accuracy of the plan, we may be permitted to say that there can be no doubt of the existence of a work of this general and extraordinary outline, at the point indicated. Its thorough investigation is an object greatly to be desired.
NUMBER 3.—This group is situated on Massie’s creek, about half a mile below the fortified promontory already described, Plate XII, No. 3. It has no features worthy of special notice. The walls of the semi-circles are about five feet in height.
NUMBER 4.—The polygon here presented is situated on the right bank of the Little Miami river, seven miles above Xenia, Greene county, Ohio. It lies chiefly in S. 24, T. 4, and R. 8, and closely resembles several of the Kentucky works, plans of which are given on Plate XIV. It was probably designed for defence. A p096 number of other works occur in this vicinity. One of considerable size is found at Oldtown, near the former site of the “Old Miami towns,” so famous in the history of our Indian wars.
Among the earthworks of the Ohio valley, there is a small but very interesting class, which has hitherto most unaccountably escaped observation. They are not enclosures, nor can we with propriety designate them as mounds, according to the technical application of the term in this work. They bear some resemblance to the “animal-shaped mounds” of Wisconsin, to which public attention has recently been several times directed; but from their position, dependencies, and other circumstances, they seem clearly of a different origin and dedicated to a different purpose. For reasons which cannot fail to be obvious to every mind, after an examination of the illustrations which follow, they have been classed as works of sacred origin. Their character, so far as known, will appear from the examples here presented. What may have been their mythological signification, it is perhaps hopeless for us to inquire. They possess some truly remarkable analogies to remains of other portions of the globe, which will furnish the studious inquirer with matter for deeply interesting speculation.
Probably the most extraordinary earthwork thus far discovered at the West, is the Great Serpent, of which a faithful delineation is given in the accompanying plan. It is situated on Brush creek, at a point known as the “Three Forks,” on Entry 1014, near the north line of Adams county, Ohio. No plan or description has hitherto been published; nor does the fact of its existence appear to have been known beyond the secluded vicinity in which it occurs. The notice first received by the authors of these researches was exceedingly vague and indefinite, and led to the conclusion that it was a work of defence, with bastions at regular intervals,—a feature so extraordinary as to induce a visit, which resulted in the discovery here presented. The true character of the work was apparent on the first inspection.
♠ XXXV. Great Serpent, Adams Co. Ohio.
It is situated upon a high, crescent-form hill or spur of land, rising one hundred and fifty feet above the level of Brush creek, which washes its base. The side of the hill next the stream presents a perpendicular wall of rock, while the other p097 slopes rapidly, though it is not so steep as to preclude cultivation. The top of the hill is not level but slightly convex, and presents a very even surface, one hundred and fifty feet wide by one thousand long, measuring from its extremity to the point where it connects with the table land. Conforming to the curve of the hill, and occupying its very summit, is the serpent, its head resting near the point, and its body winding back for seven hundred feet, in graceful undulations, terminating in a triple coil at the tail. The entire length, if extended, would be not less than one thousand feet. The accompanying plan, laid down from accurate survey, can alone give an adequate conception of the outline of the work, which is clearly and boldly defined, the embankment being upwards of five feet in height by thirty feet base, at the centre of the body, but diminishing somewhat towards the head and tail. The neck of the serpent is stretched out and slightly curved, and its mouth is opened wide as if in the act of swallowing or ejecting an oval figure, which rests partially within the distended jaws. This oval is formed by an embankment of earth, without any perceptible opening, four feet in height, and is perfectly regular in outline, its transverse and conjugate diameters being one hundred and sixty and eighty feet respectively. The ground within the oval is slightly elevated: a small circular elevation of large stones much burned once existed in its centre; but they have been thrown down and scattered by some ignorant visitor, under the prevailing impression probably that gold was hidden beneath them. The point of the hill, within which this egg-shaped figure rests, seems to have been artificially cut to conform to its outline, leaving a smooth platform, ten feet wide, and somewhat inclining inwards, all around it. The section a b will illustrate this feature.
Upon either side of the serpent’s head extend two small triangular elevations, ten or twelve feet over. They are not high, and although too distinct to be overlooked, are yet too much obliterated to be satisfactorily traced. Besides a platform, or level oval terrace, at B, and a large mound in the centre of the isthmus connecting the hill with the table land beyond, there are no other remains, excepting a few mounds, within six or eight miles,—none, perhaps, nearer than the entrenched hill in Highland county, (see Plate V,) thirteen miles distant. There are a number of works lower down on Brush creek, towards its mouth; but their character is not known. The point on which this effigy occurs commands an extensive prospect, overlooking the “bottoms” found at the junction of the three principal tributaries of the creek. The alluvial terraces are here quite extensive, and it is a matter of surprise that no works occur upon them.
The serpent, separate or in combination with the circle, egg, or globe, has been a predominant symbol among many primitive nations. It prevailed in Egypt, Greece, and Assyria, and entered widely into the superstitions of the Celts, the Hindoos, and the Chinese. It even penetrated into America; and was conspicuous in the mythology of the ancient Mexicans, among whom its significance does not seem to have differed materially from that which it possessed in the old world. The fact that the ancient Celts, and perhaps other nations of the old continent, erected sacred structures in the form of the serpent, is one of high interest. Of this description was the great temple of Abury, in England,—in many respects the most imposing ancient monument of the British islands. p098
It is impossible, in this connection, to trace the analogies which the Ohio structure exhibits to the serpent temples of England, or to point out the extent to which the symbol was applied in America,—an investigation fraught with the greatest interest both in respect to the light which it reflects upon the primitive superstitions of remotely separated people, and especially upon the origin of the American race.
The work here figured is found near the little town of Tarlton, Pickaway county, Ohio, in the narrow valley of “Salt creek,” a tributary of the Scioto river, eighteen miles north-east from Chillicothe, on the great road to Zanesville. In position it corresponds generally with the remarkable work last described, though wholly unlike it in form. It occupies a narrow spur of land, at a prominent point of the valley; its form is that of a Greek cross, ninety feet between the ends, and elevated three feet above the adjacent surface. It is surrounded by a slight ditch, corresponding to the outline of the elevation; in the centre is a circular depression, twenty feet across and twenty inches deep. The sides of the cross correspond very nearly with the cardinal points. Immediately back of it, is a small circular elevation of stone and earth, resembling that in connection with the Granville effigy, (No. 2 of the Plate,) and denominated an altar in the description of that work. Several small mounds occur near by; and upon the high hill, a spur of which is occupied by the cross, are several large mounds. Mounds are quite numerous in this little valley, and on the hills bordering it; but it is not known to contain any enclosures.
This strange work occupies a position somewhat analogous to that of the great serpent already described. It occurs about one mile below the town of Granville, Licking county, Ohio, upon a high and beautifully rounded spur of land, which projects boldly into the delightful valley of “Raccoon creek,” a stream which, in conjunction with the “South fork,” forms Licking creek or river, the principal p099 tributary of the Muskingum. The hill or headland is one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet in height; and the effigy rests upon its very brow, conforming to its longitudinal as well as lateral curve. Its form is accurately indicated in the plan. It is known in the vicinity as “the Alligator;” which designation has been adopted, for want of a better, although the figure bears as close a resemblance to the lizard as any other reptile. It is placed transversely to the point of land on which it occurs, the head pointing to the south-west; its precise bearing is S. 67° W. The total length from the point of the nose following the curve of the tail to the tip, is about two hundred and fifty feet; the breadth of the body forty feet; and the length of the legs or paws, each thirty-six feet. The ends of the paws are a little broader than the remaining portions of the same, as if the spread of the toes had been originally indicated. The head, shoulders, and rump, are more elevated than the other parts of the body, an attempt having evidently been made to preserve the proportions of the object copied. The outline of the figure is clearly defined; its average height is not less than four feet; at the shoulders it is six feet in altitude. Upon the inner side of the effigy is an elevated circular space, covered with stones which have been much burned. This has been denominated an altar. Leading from it to the top of the effigy is a graded way, ten feet broad. The earth has been excavated at various points of the figure; but nothing was disclosed except the fact that the framework is composed of stones of considerable size. The superstructure is of fine clay, which seems to have been brought from a distance, as no signs of excavation are apparent in the vicinity.