Gleason Mound, Brevard County
On the eastern bank of the Banana river, a short distance above its union with the Indian river, in full view from the water, is a great shell-heap mainly composed of the shells of marine bivalves (Dosinia discus), a section of which has been laid bare by the river. In the “scrub,” about one-eighth of one mile in a northerly direction from this heap, is a mound on the property of ex-Governor Gleason, of Eau Gallie, who courteously placed it at our disposal.
The mound, which is not symmetrical and had suffered from much superficial investigation, has a height of about 10 feet and a diameter at base of about 150 feet.
The mound, which was thickly covered with undergrowth, was cleared by us near the center of the summit plateau, giving a space about 32 feet in diameter, which was dug through to a depth of from 5 to 7 feet. In addition to this, considerable work was done on the northern and eastern slopes.
The sand, whitish in color, was unstratified.
Burials—all superficial and all in anatomical order—were numerous, about thirty being met with.
With the majority of the bodies no relics were found. With others were flat bits of coquina; portions of clam shells, showing wear, and occasionally a mass of coquina.
Near human remains were three large glass beads and a round bead of silver, apparently of European make.
Fig. 4.—Ornament of silver. Gleason mound. (½ size.)
Fig. 5.—Ornament of brass. Gleason mound. (½ size.)
With a burial about two feet from the surface was a small gorget of silver, oxidized, having three perforations, two apparently made with a sharp cutting tool, the other bored from one side and countersunk (Fig. [4]), representing the head of a duck.
With another superficial burial, lying near the lower jaw, was a somewhat similar ornament of brass (Fig. [5]).
Ornaments of this type are not uncommon in Florida, though we have met with none on the St. Johns.[6]
Loose in the sand throughout the mound were a few bits of ornamented earthenware; one Fulgur carica, much worn at the beak, but without the usual perforation; and one large marine shell (Fasciolaria). A considerable number of these shells, all more or less broken as to the body whorl, lay near previous excavations.
Five feet from the surface were the remains of an undecorated bowl of considerable size, which had been interred whole or nearly so. No human remains were found in the neighborhood of this bowl, and it lay at a much greater depth than any other discovered by us. It had probably been lost or broken during the construction of the mound.
From the eastern slope, with human remains, were taken two imperforate drinking cups of shell, one within the other; another alone; and two beads of silver seemingly of European workmanship.
As no burials or indications of interment (and discoloration of sand usually shows where bones have been) were met with in the Gleason mound at a depth of over 2 feet, we are of opinion that later Indians utilized for burial a pre-existing mound.