CHAPTER V.
MOUNDS AND EARTHWORKS IN OHIO. Ancient Fortified Inclosures at Circleville.—Discoveries in a Burial Mound.—Alligator Totem near Newark.—Fort Ancient.—Age of Trees growing upon the Ramparts at Fort Hill.—Traditions.—Geometrical Ground Plans of Indian Inclosures.—Conclusions.

Before quitting the subject of those ancient earthworks, which were planned upon geometrical figures, it is necessary to take into consideration certain inclosures that were situated in the higher parts of the Scioto Valley, in a position which is at the present time, occupied by the town of Circleville.

The embankments or ramparts have been razed to the ground, and no traces remain of what appears to have been one of the most perfect examples of the mathematical accuracy of that type of construction. It is fortunate that during the demolition of the works, there happened to be present an antiquarian of such an acknowledged reputation as Mr. Atwater, for he has written a full account of their form and dimensions,[20] together with a report upon the strange discoveries made when excavating a burial mound, inside the circular inclosure near its centre. Mr. Atwater, who evidently took careful measurements,[21] wrote a statement which includes the following extracts:-

“There are two forts, one being an exact circle, the other an exact square. The former is surrounded by two walls, with a deep ditch between them. The latter is encompassed by one wall, without any ditch. The former was sixty-nine rods in diameter, measuring from outside to outside of the circular outer wall; the latter is exactly fifty-five rods square measuring the same way. The walls of the circular fort were at least twenty feet in height, measuring from the bottom of the ditch, before the town of Circleville was built. The inner wall was of clay, taken up probably in the northern part of the fort, where was a low place, and is still considerably lower than any other part of the work. The outside wall was taken from the ditch which is between these walls, and is alluvial, consisting of pebbles worn smooth in water, and sand, to a very considerable depth, more than fifty feet at least. The outside of the walls is about five or six feet in height now; on the inside, the ditch is, at present, generally not more than fifteen feet. They are disappearing before us daily, and will soon be gone. The walls of the square fort are at this time, where left standing, about ten feet in height. There were eight gateways or openings leading into the square fort, and only one into the circular fort. Before each of these openings was a mound of earth, perhaps four feet high, forty feet perhaps in diameter at the base, and twenty or upwards at the summit. These mounds, for two rods or more, are exactly in front of the gateways, and were intended for the defence of these openings.” ...

Inclosures at Circleville.
Reduced from the survey of Mr. Atwater.

“The extreme care of the authors of these works to protect and defend every part of the circle, is nowhere visible about this square fort. The former is defended by two high walls, the latter by one. The former has a deep ditch encircling it, this has none. The former could be entered at one place only; this at eight, and those about twenty feet broad.” ... “The round fort was picketed in, if we are to judge from the appearance of the ground on and about the walls. Half-way up the outside of the inner wall, is a place distinctly to be seen, where a row of pickets once stood, and where it was placed when this work of defence was originally erected.” ...

“What surprised me on measuring these forts, was the exact manner in which they had laid down their circle and square; so that after every effort, by the most careful survey, to detect some error in their measurement, we found that it was impossible, and that the measurement was much more correct than it would have been, in all probability, had the present inhabitants undertaken to construct such a work.”

The mound that had been raised within the circle was ten feet high. Its summit had been levelled in order to obtain a platform which had a diameter of nearly thirty feet, and had probably been used as a site for the dwelling of the chief of the tribe. Mr. Atwater watched the proceedings when this mound was destroyed. He states that it contained:—

  1. “Two human skeletons lying on what had been the original surface of the earth.
  2. “A great quantity of arrow heads, some of which were so large as to induce a belief that they were used for spear heads.
  3. “The handle either of a small sword or a large knife, made of an elk’s horn; around the end where the blade had been inserted, was a ferule of silver which, though black, was not much injured by time. Though the handle showed the hole where the blade had been inserted, yet no iron was found, but an oxyde remained of similar shape and size.
  4. “Charcoal and wood ashes on which these articles lay, which were surrounded by several bricks very well burnt. The skeleton appeared to have been burned in a large and very hot fire, which had almost consumed the bones of the deceased. This skeleton was deposited a little to the south of the centre of the tumulus, and, about twenty feet to the north of it was another, with which were—
  5. “A large mirror, about three feet in length, and one foot and a half in breadth, and one inch and a half in thickness. This mirror was of isinglass (mica membranacea) and on it—
  6. “A plate of iron which had become an oxyde; but before it was disturbed by the spade, resembled a plate of cast iron. The mirror answered the purpose very well for which it was intended. This skeleton had also been burned like the former, and lay on charcoal and a considerable quantity of wood ashes. A part of the mirror is in my possession as well as a piece of brick, taken from the spot at the time.”

About two hundred yards from this tumulus, and outside the circular inclosure was a large mound, supposed to have been the common Indian cemetery. It contained an immense number of human skeletons of all sizes and ages. The skeletons are laid horizontally, with their heads generally towards the centre, and the feet towards the outside of the tumulus. A considerable part of this work still stands uninjured, except by time. In it have been found, besides these skeletons, stone axes and knives, and several ornaments with holes through them, by means of which, with a cord passing through these perforations, they could be worn by their owners.

The vestiges of occupation that have been left by those ancient tribes who raised the earthworks in this region are not of a character that render it possible to form any absolute conclusions about them.

There are, however, in Ohio two large and important mounds built in the shape of animals which may, possibly, have been made for the purpose of indicating the emblems which were adopted by the Indians as their totems. One of these is placed on the summit of a hill overlooking the valley of one of the tributaries of the Licking river, and about three miles from the octagonal inclosure near Newark.

In consequence of its shape, it is called the Alligator. There have been various theories with regard to this strange earthwork, and it has been supposed that sacrificial ceremonies were performed there. I had expected to find this figure to a certain extent excavated upon the surface of the earth, but I observed, upon examining it, that it was a regularly built up mound of considerable size.