OHIO ARCHAEOLOGIST VOLUME 39 NO. 1 WINTER 1989
TERM EXPIRES O.A.S. OFFICERS
President Donald A. Casto, 138 Ann Ct„ Lancaster, OH 43130-Tele: 614/653-9477 Vice President Gary Davis, Box 133, Bainbridge, OH 45612 Tele: 614/634-2761 Exec. Sect. Michael W. Schoenfeld, 5683 Blacklick-Eastern Rd. N.W., Pickerington, OH 43147 Treasurer Stephen J. Parker, 1859 Frank Dr., Lancaster, OH 43130-Tele: 614/653-6642 Recording Sect. Barbara Motts, 7050 Refugee Rd., Canal Winchester, OH 43110-Tele: Bus. 614/898-4116 Immediate Past Pres. Martha Potter Otto, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH 43211 -Tele: 614/297-2641 Editor Robert N. Converse, 199 Converse Dr., Plain City, OH 43064-Tele: 614/873-5471
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Zanesville. Ohio 43701
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• •
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Excavation of Mound D at the Philo Mound Group by Jeff Carskadden 4
A Paulding County Modified Tubular Pipe by Edward P. Fisher Jr. 9
An Intrusive Mound Ceremonial Pick by Ned and Mark Shaw 10
The Unique Shell Runtees and Shell Figure Pendants of the
Northwest by Gary L. Fogelman 11
A Late Mississippian/Proto-Historic Stone Pipe by Phillip ft Shriver 14
Stark County Finds by Dale Richards 16
Col. John Johnston by David M. Askins 18
Fort Tyler—Wayne County, Ohio by Roger Rowe 19
The Nussbaum Cache by Robert N. Converse 20
The Copeland Cache by Robert N. Converse 21
Save The Mounds by Thomas C. Grubb 22
A Popeyed Birdstone by Lester Tolliver 23
An Ashtabula Point and an Adena Blade by Carl stori 23
ACoshOCton Flint Blade by Steve Fuller 24
A Tabulation and Analysis of Stolen Antiquities From the
Historic Ottawa Cabin at the Fry Site
by David M. Stotthers and Timothy J. Abel 26
The Hueston Pipe Tomahawk by Phillip R. Shriver 38
The E.C.C. by Mark A. Hersman 42
An Unconventional Trophy-Shaped Three-Quarter Grooved Axe
From Little Indian Creek by Phillip ft Shriver 43
Statewide Historic Preservation Conference April 28-29 44
A.S.O. Chapter Representatives: 1988-89 45
Officers of the Archaeological Society of Ohio, January, 1989 45
ASO Award Winners, May 1986-November 1988 46
Policy Statement Relative to Gifts, Memorials, and Requests 47
Business Manager Joe Redick to Retire 47
President's Column The Archaeological Society of Ohio
and West Virginia Archaeological Society will be holding our very first joint meeting on June 18th 1989 at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio. Doors will be open to set up at 7:30 A.M. The meeting will feature, for the first time, all fifteen of our state chapters displaying archaeological material from their respectful areas. Ron Moxley, President of West Virginia Archaeological Society, will ask their eight chapters to participate. Two tables will be reserved per chapter one table per family or individual will be on a first come basis. Be warned, if you bring fake artifacts to this meeting you will be kicked out. Every table other than chapter tables will be checked and rechecked by the Fraud u-lant Artifact Committee. Displays will be in one large room. In a separate room, four programs will be presented at various times during the day. Two programs will be presented by West Virginia Society and two by the Ohio Society.
Some of us will be at the Lafayette Hotel Saturday the 17th. We will have an informal get together starting at 7 P.M. At 8 P.M. Robert Converse (Editor Ohio Archaeologist) will give a slide presentation on The Glacial Kame Indians. You might want to bring some of your Glacial Kame artifacts to share with us. This will be a good time to greet old friends and meet some new ones.
All Ohio and West Virginia Archaeological Society members will receive special room rates at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio. A $72 double is $47. A $59 single is $37. Toll free number from Ohio 1-800-331-9337, from out of state 1-800-331-9336. Rooms are limited so don't wait. If you call and they are booked, they will get you a room in a nearby motel. Marietta which was the first settlement established in Ohio, was chosen to host our first annual joint Ohio and West Virginia archaeological meeting. This is a good time to bring your spouse to an archaeological meeting. Marietta is an Ohio heritage town at its best and has two fine museums, a paddle wheel river boat and much more. This should be a fun time but it will only be as good as you make it.
Donald Casto President
Front Cover This notched ovate is made of gray banded slate and was found in Jersey County, Illinois, between Otterville and Grafton. As with most highly developed notched ovates, the areas surrounding the notches is ridged or panelled. It was reportedly found with a cache which included another complete notched ovate, a broken ovate, two slate pick banner-stones, and flint blades, type or types unknown. This is at least the second reported occurrence of a bannerstone cache from Illinois. Knoblock (1939-33-34) stated that a cache of twelve knobbed lunate bannerstones, along with copper axes and skeletal remains, were found in a mound on the Standard Oil Company property at Woodriver, Madison County, Illinois. It is interesting to note that Woodriver is located only about twenty miles from the Grafton-Otterville area.
BACK COVER This large % grooved axe was collected in Highland County Ohio by the late Max Shipley of Columbus, Ohio. It is 8 inches long and is made of speckled granite.
Excavation of Mound D at the Philo Mound Group Muskingum County, Ohio
Introduction—The Philo Mound Group Late Hopewell in the Muskingum Val
ley of eastern Ohio is characterized by groups low mounds occurring on ridge-tops or high terraces overlooking open habitation sites (Morton and Carskadden 1987). One such group, located along the Muskingum River south of Zanes-ville in southern Muskingum County, is the Philo Mound Group (33-MU-77).
The Philo Mound Group is situated on a flat hilltop immediately overlooking the river. The mound group consists of a cluster of five low Hopewell mounds (designated mounds A through E) towards the front of the hill facing the river, and a six mound (Mound F), the largest and probably Adena, farther back from the river (Figure 1). From the summer of 1974 through the fall of 1976 the five low mounds in the front were excavated, each yielding Hopewellian artifacts* Based on a radiocarbon date from Mound B (Morton 1977), it is believed that the Hopewell mounds in the Philo Mound Group were constructed around A.D. 300.
Evidence of a substantial Early Woodland occupation (Adena and pre-Adena) on the front of the hilltop is indicated by a number of Early Woodland features encountered under three of the Hopewell mounds, Mound E, in fact, had been constructed over part of an earlier Late Adena house pattern. The entire front portion of the hilltop was bulldozed in the summer of 1977 to provide access roads and a level area for a gas well, which was drilled on the site of one of the mounds.
Reports on mounds A and B have been published in this magazine (For-aker 1975; Morton 1977), and photographs of some of the Hopewell artifacts from mound C have also been illustrated (Converse 1981). Detailed reports on the excavations of mound C, the largest of the Hopewell structures, await publication. A steatite gorget, recovered from one of a number of Late Adena features under Mound E, has also been discussed (Carskadden 1982). A detailed report on the Hopewell artifacts found in Mound E, as well as the Adena occupation under the mound, is in press (Carskadden n.d.). The excavation of mound D will be the focus of this present article.
Mound D was the second largest Hopewell mound on the hilltop, measuring 40 feet in diameter and 2 feet and 8 inches high. Excavation of this mound was carried out in the fall of 1975, revealing a two stage structure with an underlying Early Woodland (pre-Adena)
By Jeff Carskadden Zanesville, Ohio
component. In order to save a large tree (which was later bulldozed down anyway by the well drillers) only about 980 square feet of the mound area was excavated, out of a possible 1300+ square feet (Figure 2). The artifacts recovered during the excavations and the field notes have been in storage for the last fourteen years.
Pre-Hopewell Activity at the Mound Site At least one and possibly two Early
Woodland features were encountered on the floor of Mound D. A number of other sub-floor features had no diagnostic artifacts and could not be associated with any particular component with certainty. There is some difficulty, therefore, in interpreting what was going on at floor level during the initial Hopewell activity at the site. Fifty-three post holes, five circular pits measuring two and a half to three feet in diameter and one to two feet deep, three smaller pits, and two large stone-filled basins, probably cooking features, were found on the floor of the mound (Figure 2).
The largest of these stone-f i l led basins (feature 22), measuring seven feet by six feet in diameter and three inches deep, was centrally located under the mound and was at first thought to be the main Hopewell feature associated with the mound building activity. However, a radiocarbon date of 1040 B.C. + / - 80 (TX-2347) was obtained from charcoal samples taken from this pit. The MASCA tree ring conversion for this date is 1290 B.C.
Two feet from the edge of this basin on the mound floor was a concentration of thick plain grit tempered pottery sherds, inc luding seventeen body sherds and one rim, representing probably a single vessel. The rim was straight with a flat to slightly rounded lip. Protruding 1.5 cm from one of the body sherds was a circular truncated lug handle, 2.8 cm in diameter (Figure 3). The body sherds ranged in thickness from 1.3 to 1.0 cm (mean = 1.1 cm). Temper particles (crushed granitic material) were as large as 5 mm.
The thickness of the body, the coars-ness of the temper, the plain surface, and the lug handle are traits which make this vessel fall into the range of the Early Adena pottery type "Fayette Thick Plain" (Dragoo 1963:185). It appears, however, that similar pottery has been associated with a number of early radiocarbon dates (1300-1000 B.C.) in the Ohio Valley, which are summarized in Seeman (1986). These dates are hundreds of years prior to the advent of
Adena mound building in the Ohio Valley, which was thought to have begun around 600 to 500 B.C (c.f. Griffin 1974; Hemmings 1978). In the Tuscarawas Valley of eastern Ohio, for example, this thick pottery has been found associated with Transitional Archaic-Early Woodland Ashtabula points, and equally early radiocarbon dates (Brown 1986 and pers. comm.).
Thus because of the number of occurrences of this pottery with early radiocarbon dates on other sites, we believe that the large stone-filled basin yielding the 1290 B.C. date and the concentration of pottery sherds are associated with each other, and predate both the Adena and Hopewell activity on the hilltop. Some would argue, and probably rightly so, that the use of the type name Fayette Thick is inappropriate for this early pottery type, and that Fayette Thick should be restricted to Early Adena ceramics. There is, in fact, some confusion regarding what pottery should be included as Fayette Thick even on Early Adena sites (Clay 1985; Tune 1985). So for the moment at least the use of the type name Fayette Thick for the ceramics under Mound D is provisional.
Feature 21 was another large stone-filled basin right beside feature 22, and may represent another Early Woodland cooking feature. A pit on the edge of the mound excavations (feature 29) produced a large sandstone cupstone, an artifact more common on Adena sites in the area than on Hopewell sites. No other definite Early Woodland or Adena artifacts occurred in any of the other subfloor features under Mound D.
Earliest Hopewell Activity at the Mound Site
The initial Hopewell activity at the site of Mound D appears to be represented by an incomplete ring of sandstone slabs, all lying flat on the mound floor. These stones, as well as some post-holes, dilineated an oval area roughly 25 feet by 35 feet in diameter (see Figure 2). The southwestern portion of this area remained unexcavated because of the large tree. A gap in the stones on the south side is marked by a distinct arch of post holes. A rectangular 2-hole slate gorget was found in one of these post holes (Figure 5).
We do not know what took place in this "sacred" area, but eventually a low mound was constructed over it. This "primary mound" began just outside the ring of stones and reached a height of one foot six inches in the center. About
4
five inches above the floor within this primary mound, and near the center of the sacred area, we encountered a concentration of burnt skull fragments (from a single individual). Also in the fill of the primary mound, within the area delineated by the stone slabs, we found two matching pieces of a large (4% inches) Hopewellian projectile point of Flint Ridge flint (Figure 4). These two pieces were about three feet apart. A cache of 26 flint chips was encountered on the floor of the mound, but outside the area covered by the primary mound. This chippage was all of Flint Ridge material and appeared to be wastage from the initial stages of the manufacture of some biface.
The top of the primary mound was covered by a thin layer of red earth and occasional lenses of charcoal, indicating that a fire had burned on top of the structure. This burnt layer was then caped with a layer of sandstone slabs, most measuring roughly two feet in diameter and two inches thick. Several artifacts had been placed within the burnt layer under the stones, including a cache of two Lowe or Chesser points and one basal fragment of a possible Late Archaic point, all of black Upper Mercer flint (Figure 6). At another location in the burnt layer a rectangular 2-hole cannel coal or black shale gorget was found (Figure 5). None of these items showed any evidence of being burnt, and were apparently deposited on the primary mound long after the fire had been extinguished. Later Hopewell Activity at Mound D
At some point in time after the construction of the primary mound, a shallow hole five and a half feet long, by four and a half feet wide, and nine inches deep, was dug into the top of the mound and lined with sandstone slabs. In this stone-lined hole we found the poorly preserved remains of a flexed burial, lying on its right side. Underneath the remains of the skull was a copper "rat tail" dagger or hair ornament and a large irregular sheet of mica, measuring roughly 6 inches by 4% inches. Lying on a sandstone slab right beside the skull was a projectile point (Archaic ?), a small sandstone tablet with yellow ochre stains on it, and a worked piece of siltstone which may have been a pendant or gorget fragment (Figure 7).
After the individual was placed in this stone-lined pit, more sandstone slabs were placed over the top of the body, and a secondary mantel of earth was placed over the entire primary mound, widening the mound substantially and raising the height of Mound D another one foot two inches (for a total height of 2 feet 8 inches). Since the hilltop was used as a pasture and orchard, and was never plowed prior to our excavations,
these dimensions are probably close to the original size of the mound when it was finally completed.
Other than the burial offerings, the only other artifacts associated with this second stage of construction was a cache in the mound fill consisting of 13 flint chips, a crude biface, and a Hopewellian parallel-sided bladelet (Figure 6), allot Flint Ridge flint.
Summary The excavation of Mound D proved
interesting in several regards. The early radiocarbon date from the rock filled cooking feature on the mound floor and the associated thick plain grit-tempered pottery complements a number of similarly dated Early Woodland (pre-Adena) sites in the Ohio Valley, yielding this same pottery type.
Burials in stone-lined pits were not encountered in the other Hopewell mounds on the hilltop. However, this seems to be a common mode of interment farther down the river, where it appears to be a Late Hopewell trait. (See the accounts of Willard Davis' mound excavations along the lower Muskingum in Murphy 1986). Partial rings of stone, however, delineating some sort of a sacred area or special activity area also occurred in mounds A, B, and C on the hilltop.
Regarding the artifacts recovered in the mound, copper items are relatively common in Early Hopewell mounds in the Muskingum Valley (for example the Martin Mound in Coshocton County; Mortine and Randies 1978). However, copper is extremely scarce on Late Hopewell sites in eastern Ohio, and the rat tail dagger found in Mound D is the only copper item recovered from the Philo Mound Group. Willard Davis found a few copper beads in his excavations along the lower Muskingum. Mica, on the other hand, was still apparently a readily available Interaction Sphere item well into Late Hopewell in the Muskingum Valley. Sheets of mica were found in mounds A and C on the hilltop, and mica has also been found in Hopewell pits at the open habitation site on the river bottoms below the mounds.
We are currently studying the artifacts found during the excavation of the largest of the Hopewell mounds on the hilltop—Mound C—and a report will soon be submitted for publication. At that time we hope to be able to tie together the Hopewell activity taking place at the various mound sites on the hilltop, as well as on the open sites in the valley below.
Acknowledgements Special thanks go to the property
owner for allowing us to excavate the mound, and to Linda Foraker, John Kackley, James Morton, and John Morton for their help at the site.
References
Brown, Jeffrey D. 1986 Johnson Site II: A Transitional Ar
chaic Component in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Paper presented at the semi-annual meeting of the Ohio Archaeological Council, Columbus.
Carskadden, Jeff 1982 An Adena Steatite Gorget. Ohio
Archaeologist 32(1 ):4-5. n.d. Excavation of Mound E at the Philo
Mound Group, Muskingum County, Ohio. Manuscript in press.
Clay, R. Berle 1985 Peter Village 164 Years Later: 1983
Excavations. In Woodland Period Research in Kentucky, edited by David Pollack, Thomas Sanders, and Charles Hockensmith. The Kentucky Heritage Council, Frankfort.
Converse, Robert N. 1981 Caches of Hopewell Artifacts. Ohio
Archaeologist 31(1):16-17. Dragoo, Don W.
1963 Mounds for the Dead: An Analysis of the Adena Culture. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 37, Pittsburgh.
Foraker, Linda 1975 Excavation of a Hopewell Mound
in the Muskingum Valley. Ohio Archaeologist 25(1):10-14.
Griffin, James B. 1974 Forward to the new edition. In The
Adena People by William S. Webb and Charles E. Snow. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.
Hemmings, E. Thomas 1978 Exploration of an Early Adena
Mound at Willow Island, West Virginia. Report of Archaeological Investigations No. 7. West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Morgantown.
Mortine, Wayne A. and Doug Randies 1978 The Martin Mound: an Extension
of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere into the Walhonding Valley of Eastern Ohio. Occasional Papers in Muskingum Valley Archaeology 10. The Muskingum Valley Archaeological Survey, Zanesville.
Morton, James and Jeff Carskadden 1987 Test Excavations at an Early Hope
wellian Site Near Dresden, Ohio. Ohio Archaeologist 37(1 ):8-12.
Morton, John 1977 Excavation of Mound B, a Hope
wellian Site in the Muskingum Valley. Ohio Archaeologist 27(1 ):22-24.
Murphy, James 1986 Willard H. Davis: Nineteenth Cen
tury Archaeologist of the Lower Muskingum Valley. Muskingum Annals 2:59-76. The Muskingum Valley Archaeological Survey, Zanesville.
Seeman, Mark F. 1986 Adena Houses' and Their Implica
tions for Early Woodland Settlement Models in the Ohio Valley. In Early Woodland Archaeology, edited by Kenneth B. Farnsworth and Thomas E. Emerson. Center for American Archaeology Press, Kampsville, Illinois.
Tune, Teresa W. 1985 Fayette Thick: A New Vessel Form
for an Old Ceramic Type. In Woodland Period Research in Kentucky, edited by David Pollack, Thomas Sanders, and Charles Hockensmith. The Kentucky Heritage Council, Frankfort.
v V UV}J j i l l i l i l l l i i iL i i i iU |
,"/////iininiiun\wNN
• 1 100 ft .
Fig. 1 (Carskadden) Map of the Philo Mound Group, Muskingum County, showing the location of Mound D in relation to the other mounds (after Morton 1977).
Fig. 2 (Carskadden) Floor plan of Mound D. The inner dotted line represents the extent of the primary mound.
I 2 Fig. 3 (Carskadden) Thick plain grit tempered pottery sherd with lug handle from the Early Woodland component under Mound D.
Fig. 4 (Carskadden) Hopewellian projectile point found in two pieces several feet apart in the fill of the primary mound.
Fig. 5 (Carskadden) Top, slate gorget from a post hole on the mound floor; bottom, cannel coal gorget found in the burnt layer on top of the primary mound.
Fig. 6 (Carskadden) Top row, cache of projectile points from the burnt layer on top of the primary mound; and bottom, a Hopewellian parallel-sided bladelet from the fill of the secondary mound.
Fig. 7 (Carskadden) Artifacts placed under and near the skull of the burial in the stone-lined pit dug into the top of the primary mound, including the copper "rat-tail" dagger.
0 1 2 3 4
A Paulding County Modified Tubular Pipe By
Edward P. Fisher, Jr. 27236 Lake Rd., Bay Village, Ohio 44140
According to D. W. Dragoo, modified tubular pipes make their appearance in the archaeological record in the Adena period.1 W. C. Mills used this term for the first time in his study of the Tremper Mound to describe a pipe form with a short stem set at a 90° angle to a long cylindrical bowl.2 Although many writers ascribe the Tremper Mound to the late Hopewell period, the modified tubular pipe appears to generally be a Middle Woodland form. This is substantiated by the fact that two of these pipe types were found at the Wright Mound in Kentucky, one from the Natrium Mound in West Virginia and two pipes of the type were discovered in 1947 at the Fisher
Mound in Fayette County, Kentucky. In his book on the Meuser Collection,
Mr. Converse pictures three pipes of this type, one each from Wood, Hamilton and Ross Counties.3 A l though limited in terms of the number found to date, the modified tubular pipe apparently had a broad geographic distribution in Middle Woodland times.
The pipe pictured was stated to have been found in the 1920's in Paulding County, Ohio. After passing through different family members, the pipe was purchased by the writer from M. George Minor in 1988. It is 4%" long. The bowl has a diameter of %". The stem projects Ve" from the tube. There is a slight in
dentation circling %" below the bowl. In profile, the tube of the pipe resembles late Archaic/Glacial Kame pipe forms. The pipe is made from a soft reddish brown stone exhibiting some similarity to Ohio pipestone.
The writer would be interested in learning of more examples from the collection of other Society Members.
'Don W. Dragoo, Mounds for the Dead, 1963, Annals of Carnegie Museum Vol. 37. 2W. C. Mills, Explorations of the Tremper Mound, Ohio Historical Publications, Vol. 25. 3Robert N. tion, 1977.
Converse, The Meuser Collec-
Fig. 1 (Fisher) Two views of a modified tubular pipe from Paulding County, Ohio.
9
An Intrusive Mound Ceremonial Pick By
Ned and Mark Shaw 64 McClain Ave., New Holland, Ohio 43145
This Intrusive Mound pick was origin- collections. Although picks of any sort ally collected by the late Dr. Gordon are scarce, the classic type made ot Meuser from Marietta, Washington hardstone with a square cross-section County Ohio. It is 8J4 inches long and design have been found in only a hand-is square in cross-section. Such artifacts ful of instances with Intrusive Mound are extremely rare there being only a burials, dozen or so in museums and private
10
The Unique Shell Runtees and Shell Figure Pendants of the Northeast
As often happens, the acquisition of a new artifact form has led to research about it. In this case the artifact form is shell runtees and the shell figure pendants which are associated with them.
Being a surface collector, items of shell and other perishable goods I've never found. However, with lots of reading and collector and museum visitations, even those forms which I've never found are recognized. Such was the case here. Prior to this past year (1988) I had never seen any of these items up close, with the exception of casts of the Sarf Cache material in the archives of the State Museum in Harrisburg, PA. More on the Sarf Cache in a moment. Then, a collection which I acquired in late 1988 contained some of these rare forms, al though these were much eroded specimens. Shortly thereafter, friend and fellow collector, Richard Johnston, obtained some material from New York state which contained more of these unique items, most in a very good state of preservation. As always, through research, information was garnered.
Runtees Runtees are shell discs usually the
size of a quarter, some larger and some smaller, and approximately one quarter inch thick. The usually short two drilled holes, although some will have one and some three. The holes are very small and run parallel through the disc, often oriented top to bottom.
These shell discs are often decorated with designs consisting of circles, crosses, star shapes and floral patterns. These patterns are scribed or etched on the piece, and are usually accompanied by small dot decorations. Black pigment was often rubbed into these designs to accentuate them and they are usually well executed and uniform.
Runtees, and the shell pendants to be discussed, were probably center pieces on wampum necklaces and were made from the conch shell, Busycom Perversom, although apparently some were made of bone and other shells. The, two ends of a necklace were fed down through the two holes, and perhaps additional shell beads, or glass trade beads, were added to finish it off. A third hole would allow still more drops or trailers to be used.
Runtees and shell pendants have their greatest occurrence in Iroquois contexts during the late 1600s and early to mid 1700's. In Pennsylvania, they begin to appear in numbers at the Strickler Site in Lancaster County, c.1645-1665. The Strickler Site, and the
By Gary L. Fogelman
Rd. 1, Box 240, Turbotville, PA 17772
succeeding Leibhart Site (c. 1665-1675), and Conestoga Site (c. 1690-1763), all have produced runtees and shell figure pendants, and are all Susquehannock sites. The Susquehannocks were a branch of the Iroquois which migrated south from New York c.1550, and obviously are closely related to the Seneca of western New York, as both areas produce identical artifact forms. Sites in New York, such as the Dann Site, Pompey and other related sites, have produced these in great quantity.
During the middle to late 17th century the Dutch had become a dominant force in the manufacture of wampum. The designs on the runtees, being non-Indian in nature for the most part, indicate that they were probably made by the European wampum makers since many of the designs appear over and over again. Further, the circles and floral patterns were made using scribing tools, and the holes were drilled with steel bits. One reference states that some Indians obtained the fine tools necessary for this kind of work, thus some of these have to be considered as Indian made. The word runtee is derived from the French word arrondi, meaning round. Shell Figure Pendants and Spacers
Even more intriguing than the runtees are the shell figure pendants. These appear to be more "Indian" in nature, yet still exhibit decorations and fine work apparently done with scribing tools. Many forms are known, including: human head, human figure, beaver, owl, fish, porpoise or killer whale, serpents, swallows or other birds, turtles and the duck form. Shell claws, talons, beaks and teeth are also known. Other related shell forms are crescents, triangles, and other odd forms, probably used as spacers, as well as long, thin "hair pipes" made from the conch columnella. As previously stated, some of these may also have been rendered in bone and other shell varieties.
These figures are often decorated with lines and dots, and blackened in for accentuation. Most of them probably served as center pieces for wampum necklaces, while the triangles, crescents and less ornamental bead forms were used as spacers as just noted. The Sarf Cache
In 1964, during bulldozing operations in the Wyoming Valley of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, a unique and unusual discovery was made. Found were two brass kettles of slightly different sizes which had been forced together at the open ends, then hammered together, thus forming a nice,
solid container. Inside this container was: 16,927 shell and glass beads, 6 tubular brass beads, 1 large columnella tube bead or hair pipe, and 24 carved shell objects or pendants.
The cache was dated 1720-1750 based on the type of glass beads which were present which fits into the previous dates mentioned, although at the later end. The 24 carved shell objects were in the form of runtees, turtles, birds (swallow?), beaver, fish, ducks and crescents. All of these forms were known from previous finds in New York and Pennsylvania, but seldom are the shell pieces in such good condition as these. Generally, time and soil conditions have taken their toll and the shell has begun to disintegrate, the designs often obliterated or very indistinct.
Although the cache had been cleaned and washed before authorit ies examined it, it is surmised that it consisted of: unstrung wampum, several wampum belts, and several wampum necklaces with the shell pendants as center pieces. Obviously the owner wished to preserve this material and no doubt intended to recover it. Remains of the leather pouch which contained the cache were also recovered.
Shell discs, up to 3-4 inches in diameter, are known not only for the northeast, but for a wide area of the country, shell being a readily available material to many cultures, if not f irst-hand, through trade. While early examples are plain, later specimens will often exhibit engraving and designs. Just how far back into antiquity the use of shell goes is not known, but early man in Europe is known to have made use of shells for beads. We do know that the use of the conch was widespread, and perhaps culminated with the engraved shell cups and conchs of the Southern Cult at such places as the Etowah and Spiro Mounds.
Wampum Wampum is first noted in Pennsyl
vania at the Keller Site, dated c.1600-1625, but is scarce at this time. Succeeding sites show correspondingly more wampum present and on some sites (i.e. Leiphart, c. 1665-1680) wampum is more numerous than glass beads. Wampum is found in both white and purple with purple being the more valuable.
Later, in the 18th century, the use of wampum as a monetary unit declined, but it was still used in belts in a mnemonic fashion (i.e. the wampum belts were used to record happenings, events, treaties, etc.), and great significance and ceremony was placed on them. In
11
the mid-1600s, European wampum makers began producing the more tubular shaped wampum for commerce with the Indians. While wampum declined, larger shell barrel beads and round shell beads experience their heaviest occurrence during the 18th century.
Shown are examples of runtees and shell pendants, and illustrations of other known forms.
References Beauchamp, William M.
1901 Wampum and Shell Artifacts Used by the Indians. Bulletin of the New York State Museum. No. 41. Vol. 8.
Cadzow. Donald C 1936 Susquehannock Indians of Pennsyl
vania. Safe Harbor Report No. 2. Kent, Barry C
1970 American Antiquity, Vol. 35, No. 1. An Unusual Cache From The Wyoming Valley. PA.
1981 Susquehanna's Indians. Orchard. William C
1975 Beads and Beadwork of the American Indians, Reprint, Heye Foundation.
Parker, Arthur C 1920 Archaeological History of New
York l-ll. Powell, J. W.
1880- Annual Report, Bureau of Ethnol-81 ogy.
Fig. 1 (Fogelman) Necklace with European wampum, 2 crescents, 2 runtees, 3 ducks and two additional duck forms. Necklace shows one method of utilizing crescents, runtees and figure pendants. Also 4 additional runtees showing range of size and decorations. Necklace, authors collection, others R.P Johnston coll. The five nicest runtees and three nicest ducks are from the Dann Site, New York State, others, Lancaster County, Penna.
Fig. 2 (Fogelman) Runtees on edge to show drill holes. Dann Site, New York. R.P. Johnston collection.
Fig. 3 (Fogelman) Clockwise from left, and encircling 2 shell crescent forms: 3 claw or talon forms, decorated tooth form, 4 spacer forms, 2 turtles. Turtle at left made of purple shell. Dann Site, New York, R.P. Johnston collection.
Fig. 4 (Fogelman) Four 'hair pipes' or tubes from the columnella of conch shells. Four triangular and/or barrel shaped beads of good size. Dann Site, New York, R.P. Johnston collection.
12
Fig. 5 (Fogelman) Upper left—strand exhibiting European wampum, shell disc beads, shell tubular bead. Five marginella shell beads in center. Upper center—Indian shell wampum, conch columnella bead, shell pendant. One engraved bone button, probably European. Upper right—Necklace shown elsewhere. Lower left- Three elk teeth beads. Center specimen is an elk tooth 'effigy' rendered in bone and was centerpiece on elk tooth necklace. Lower right— Two bear canines, wolf canine, beaver or groundhog incisor. All the above from Lancaster County, Penna., except center shell duck and larger runtee. Author's collection.
Fig. 6 (Fogelman) Additional forms of shell items. Top-two spacers, pendant, lizard, owl, turtle w/designs, and a beaver. Bottom-fish, spirit face, swallow tail. All but the swallow tail are from Beauchamp, the swallow tail from the Sarf Cache.
13
A Late Mississippian/Proto-Historic Stone Pipe
James B. Griffin has observed that the most prevalent pipe in the Ohio Valley during the late prehistoric Mis-sissippian era (circa A.D. 1000-1650) followed a stemless form, was made of stone, and might be ovoid, conoidal, rectanguloid, vase, or keel-shaped. The next most common form, he noted, was the short-stemmed elbow pipe, also of stone. Replaceable stems of wood or reed in each instance made it possible for them to be smoked. (See Griffin, 1943: 201; Shriver, 1983: 18.)
More recently, C. Wesley Cowan, in his First Farmers of the Middle Ohio Valley: Fort Ancient Societies, A.D. 1000-1670 (1987: 29), has called our attention to the fact that "Tobacco was considered a sacred plant by many Native Americans. Recreational smoking of tobacco was uncommon. The Shawnee considered the smoke from that plant one of the best ways to send a message directly to the world of powers. So strong was their belief in the sanctity of the tobacco plant that stone and clay pipes were thought to be animate objects. The care and attention Fort Ancient artisans lavished upon their pipes tends to reinforce this information. . . . The pipes fall into two categories: those that are small and may have been primarily meant for personal use, and those that are large and may have served a wider audience during vil lage-wide ceremonies...."
Richard G. Morgan has written (1952: 98) that the Fort Ancient people "lived in circular houses in permanent villages [such as the Anderson Village site near Fort Ancient, the Madisonville site near Cincinnati, the Baum and Gartner sites in Ross County, and the Feurt site in Scioto Councy] that were surrounded by stockades, . . . buried their dead in cemeteries or mounds," and used the bow and arrow in place of the spear and atlatl. Contrary to Cowan, he believed that Tobacco was in everyday use, and was smoked in conoidal or elbow pipes of stone . . . White trade goods at one site [Madisonville] show that some of these people were probably still in existence as late as the last quarter of the seventeenth century."
The object of Iroquois raids, the Fort Ancient people were driven from the Ohio Valley in the 1650's, 1660s, and 1670s, not to return until about 1720 when some of them reappeared in the upper Ohio Valley with the historic Indian name of Shawnee.
"Late Mississippian'' and "Fort Ancient" are thus names denoting prehistoric tradition and culture, while "Shawnee" is the historic tribal name that
By Phillip R. Shriver Miami University
survives to this day out of that tradition and culture. As Roseboom and Weisen-burger have pointed out, by 1750 the Shawnees were firmly established in the Scioto Valley, with their sphere of influence extending into the central part of Ohio. "A fierce, aggressive, proud people, they offered the most desperate and prolonged resistance of all the Ohio tribes to the white man's advance. Among their outstanding chiefs were Cornstalk, who led the Indians in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774; Blue Jacket, the war captain of the Indian forces at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794; and Tecumseh, the great leader of the tr ibes against the American armies in the War of 1812." (1976: 14-15.)
Attempting to identify an artifact by cultural affiliation and time frame using diagnostic form or style as well as material poses a challenge to all interested in pre-history as well as proto- (or early-) history. Fortunately, the available literature is extensive, and it is growing. One of the more useful aids, as far as this author is concerned, is D. R. Gehl-bach's "Ohio Pipe Chronology Chart," which was published in this journal in 1982. In it Gehlbach has noted the convergence of Fort Ancient/Mississip-pian pipe forms into those of proto-historic peoples of the Ohio area.
With the recent dispersal of the Joseph E. Meyer Collection, a short-stemmed right-angled elbow pipe of greenish-brown, highly polished Ohio pipestone came to my attention. (See Figure 1.) Its flaring bowl is nearly circular, measuring VA inches in diameter and 111/i6 inches in height, with a bowl opening of % inch. The outer rim of the bowl is decorated with 17 incised notches at nearly equal quarter-inch intervals. (See Figure 2.) The stem is 1 inch long and tapers from 1Vie inches to % inch in width, but curibusly flares back from the bowl from % to 13/ie inches in height. The drilled perforation for accommodation of a stem of wood or reed is % inch in diameter. (Interestingly, that perforation is dramatically off-center in its intersection with the bowl.) The overall length of the pipe is 2% inches. The base of the pipe is flat.
Of particular interest is the inscription of what appears to be a vertical, inverted arrow intersecting a pair of "X's" on the right-hand side of the bowl. (See Figure 1.) On the opposite side of the bowl appears what may be a stylized version of a flying bird, with a small indentation or dot on either side of its wings. (See Figure 3.)
I believe this pipe to be Fort Ancient/
Mississippian in cultural context. It may be early historic Shawnee. Regrettably, though the collection of which it was a part was assembled in Warren County in southern Ohio, data respecting the pipe, including its specific provenience, are unavailable. Notwithstanding, it is an appealing testament to man's creativity.
Acknowledgements Appreciation must be expressed to
the Audio Visual Service of Miami University for quality photographic representation of the pipe featured in this article, as well as to Joseph E. Meyer from whose collection this artifact was obtained.
References
Baby, Raymond S„ Martha A. Potter, and Asa Mays, Jr.
1966 "Exploration of the O. C. Voss Mound, Big Derby Reservoir Area, Franklin County, Ohio." Papers in Archaeology, Ohio Historical Society, Number 3. Cited here because two right angle elbow pipes of limestone were found in this Late Woodland site, both significantly different in form and proportion from most elbow pipes of subsequent Mississippian tradition. Useful for comparative purposes.
Bender, Harold D. 1971 "The Goldcamp Site: A Multi-Com
ponent Site in Lawrence County, Ohio." Ohio Archaeologist, 21(3): 20. Features an elbow pipe of reddish gray Ohio pipestone.
Converse, Robert N. 1975 "The Collectors Corner." Ohio Ar
chaeologist, 25(1): 27. Shows a decorated steatite elbow pipe.
1977 "Some Interesting Pipes." Ohio Archaeologist, 27(1): 15. Pictures an elbow pipe of black steatite.
Cowan, C. Wesley 1987 First Farmers of the Middle Ohio
Valley: Fort Ancient Societies, A.D. 1000-1650. The Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, 1987.
Gehlbach, D. R. 1978 "Two Remarkably Similar Effigy
Pipes From Ohio." Ohio Archaeologist, 28(1): 23.
1978 "Prehistoric Pipes, A New Fascination." Ohio Archaeologist, 28(1): 28.
1982 "Ohio Pipe Chronology Chart." Ohio Archaeologist, 32(4): 8-9.
Griffin, James B. 1943 The Fort Ancient Aspect in Cultural
and Chronological Position in Mississippi Valley Archaeology. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
Kelley, Stephen 1987 "Relics From Adams County, Ohio."
Ohio Archaeologist, 37(2): 26-27. Kuhn, David W.
1971 "Artifacts From the Portsmouth, Ohio, Area." Ohio Archaeologist,
14
21 (3): 25. Shows a sandstone elbow pipe found on the Feurt site.
Miller, James W. 1961 "Five Ft. Ancient Pipes." Ohio Ar
chaeologist, 11(2): 57. One of the elbow pipes was from the Feurt site and was made from Ohio pipestone.
Morgan, Richard G. 1952 "Outline of Cultures in the Ohio
Region." Archaeology of Eastern United States edited by James B. Griffin. University of Chicago Press.
Ochsner, Eugene E. 1978 "Artifacts from the Ochsner Collec
tion." Ohio Archaeologist, 28(3): 35, 40. Item #6 is an elbow pipe of finegrained sandstone, a surface find from Blennerhassett Island. Possibly historic Delaware in culture, it shows a turtle inscribed on one side of the bowl with crossed lines at its outer end.
Roseboom, Eugene H. and Francis R Weisenburger
1976 A History of Ohio. The Ohio Historical Society, Columbus.
Shriver, Phillip R. 1983 "Fort Ancient/Mississippian Pipes."
Ohio Archaeologist, 33(2): 18-19. 1983 "Proto-Historic or Mississippian?"
Ohio Archaeologist, 33(2): 45. Features a black steatite elbow pipe with a human face inscribed at the outer end of the bowl.
West, George A. 1934 Tobacco, Pipes and Smoking Cus
toms of the American Indian. Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee. See particularly pipe #2, Plate 201.
Fig. 1 (Shriver) Short-stemmed, right-angled elbow pipe of greenish-brown, highly polished Ohio pipestone. On the right-hand side of the bowl there has been engraved what appears to be an inverted arrow and a pair of "X's" which it intersects. Formerly part of the Joseph E. Meyer Collection, Warren County.
Fig. 2 (Shriver) View from above of the same pipe, showing 17 incised notches or tally marks cut into the outer rim of the bowl.
Fig. 3 (Shriver) View of the left-hand side of the same pipe, showing what may be a stylized version of a flying bird inscribed on the side of the bowl.
15
Stark County Finds By
Dale Richards 628 Bellflower Ave. S.W., Canton, Ohio 44710
There are fifteen pieces being presented. Of these fifteen, thirteen pieces are from Marlboro Township and the remaining two pieces are from Mas-sillon City. Both Marlboro Township and Massillon are located in Stark County, Ohio.
The first t ime I took my f iancee, Jeanne, out to hunt artifacts in April of 1980, I found a trapezoidal pendant (Fig. 1). Being the only pendant I have ever found, I was very excited. It is well-made of grey hardstone, drilled from both sides, and has minor damage to the bottom. Similar pendants are described as being rare in hardstone (Converse, 82).
On the morning of June 17, 1987 these four artifacts were found (Fig. 2). They were part of a dozen pieces that were all found close together within about 15 minutes of each other.
The drill is the finest I have found. It was taken to the Sugar Creek meeting where it was speculated to be Paleo. The tip appears darkened from possible fire hardening.
The broken crescent is a heartbreaking find. The piece is rounded into the shape of a perfect horn.
The remaining two pieces (Fig. 3) are interesting. The larger piece is of a red and gray banded slate and like the other appears to be broken on one end. The smaller one is of a light brown, fine grained, softer stone, but is harder than slate. On both pieces the end appears to be broken looking quite worn, how
ever, not like a recent break. They are rounded on the front with a cross cut groove and flat on the back with a wide notch. These were also taken to the Sugar Creek meeting but were unidentifiable. It was suggested that I simply call them problematicals.
Pictured next (Fig. 4) are one triangular point and four pentagonal points. The triangular point was found by my father, C. Ralph Richards. I was told by Sugar Creek members, however, that it was too large and too heavy to be considered a triangular.
The four pentagonal points are all of high quality flint and all very thin. They were found in the same site. The two pictured on the right are flakes that are only worked on the edges. The two on the left are finely worked on the surfaces as well as the edges. These four points do not share any common characteristics except for being five sided, thin, and the same general size. They do not appear in any book I have read. Could these be reworked pieces?
I found the artifact on the right several years after the finished point. Both are from the same site in Massillon, Ohio. This piece (Fig. 5) is an early archaic side notched point. It is well made of a high grade dark gray flint and shows heavy basal grinding. I have always imagined that this piece as an unfinished early archaic point. Placing the finished piece on top of the unfinished piece, you find that the unfinished piece is identical down to the start of
the notching where the work on the piece stops. Because the tip of both is so far off center, I assume that they were made by the same hand. The unfinished piece is a low grade chert and I have always wondered if it may have been found unsuitable and therefore discarded.
Another find in 1987 is shown in Figure 6. This find also shown to the Sugar Creek Chapter, was considered Paleo. I identified it to be a Paleo uniface blade (Converse, 14). Although small, it is made from a high quality, translucent, honey colored flint. It is beautifully worked with a percussion bulb on the top end of the reverse side. The obverse is fluted the entire length and shows secondary chipping of the entire edge.
The next artifact is another unknown (Fig. 7). It is made of granite and appears to have been used as an abrading stone. It shows some polished surfaces as well as the deep angled groove.
A granite hammer stone found in 1987 is pictured in Figure 8. Both sides shows use as platforms for working and the edge is worn flat around the circumference.
References Converse, Robert N.
1973 Ohio Flint Types, Archaeological Society of Ohio, Columbus.
Converse, Robert N. 1973 Ohio Stone Tools, A Special Pub
lication of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. Ohio Stone Tools was originally published as volume 16, number 4, in 1966 of the Ohio Archaeologist.
Converse, Robert N. 1978 Ohio Slate Types, A Special Pub
lication of the Archaeological Society of Ohio.
S-f lO
s=-«D
= - m
' it* v. 2 c
CO
= T N
Fig. 1 (Richards) Hardstone rapezoidal pendant from Stark County.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H ^
?,,, ?CMS4 J. 5 L^J 1 ft 11 , 12ci1
4 l i K i r u c c ST i O T A I I i fM Fig. 2 (Richards) Drill and broken crescent from Stark County.
16
Iiiii|iiii|iiiifiiii|iiii)iiii|itii|iiiiliiii|iiii|iiii|iiniiiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|ini|i 2 3 r u c 4 5 8 7 8 0 10
Fig. 3 (Richards) Obverse and reverse views of broken tubular banners or geniculates with salvage grooves from Stark County.
Fig. 4 (Richards) Five Stark County points identified by Robert N. Converse as an Intrusive Mound.
Fig. 5 (Richards) Early Archaic points from Stark County.
ii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|ini|i\ii|impiim|n 2 , 3r.»s4 5 § L
Fig. 6 (Richards) Obverse and reverse of Paleo uniface blade from Stark County.
I iiiiliiilliiiilhiNiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiinnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiuii--:-.!'
?CMSJ X 8 ? 10 11 •* I turuin S"1 " i O ! A \
Fig. 7 (Richards) Granite abrading stone from Stark County. H
h1ll|l|M
1 r- -yr - i [ S - * ^ - « T ^ Fig. 8 (Richards) Granite hammer stone from Stark County.
17
Col. John Johnston
Col. John Johnston's story is one of the most interesting narratives in early Ohio history. Col. Johnston's home has been restored and remains much as it did when it was an Indian Agency house. Col. Johnston knew George Washington and Daniel Boone and was a close friend of William Henry Harrison. Johnston was appointed Indian Agent in 1802. During the war of 1812-15, fear that the Indians might join the British and go on the war path gripped the people of Ohio. Many councils were held at the Johnston Farm Indian Agency at upper Piqua. General William Henry Harrison, Gov. R. J. Meigs, Jeremiah Morrow, and Col. Johnston represented the government, Chief Blackhoof represented the Shawnees, and Chief Little Turtle represented the Miamis. By order of President Madison all of the Ohio tribes and some of the northern Indiana tribes were assembled on the Johnston farm at upper Piqua. They were placed under the control of Col. Johnston and it has been estimated there were six to ten thousand Indians on the reservation between 1812-15. Col. Johnston's assignment was to provide food for the Indians which in itself must have been a colossal assignment. Johnston also was to act as mediator and doctor, and to try and keep the Indians amused with sports, dances and contests. During this time there was much unrest and con-
By David M. Askins
1510 South St., Piqua, Ohio 45356
siderable danger for Johnston and his family, although General William Henry Harrison did have his army and headquarters there for about a month in 1812.
The barn on the farm has much historical interest. It was built in 1808. During the war of 1812 it was used, at least part of the time, to store large quantities of public goods and supplies.
About three hundred feet southwest of the barn is a small prehistoric mound or circular enclosure about one hundred feet across. The height of the walls in some places is six feet above the bottom of the ditch on the inside. In the fields to the northeast along the Great Miami River the Indian villages date from three different time periods. Also on what is now the Johnston Farm General Anthony Wayne built Fort Piqua in 1794.
The Johnston Farm has long been considered one of the most historical locations in Ohio. Many Indians were buried on the farm when Col. Johnston served as Indian Agent. As long as Col. Johnston was alive he would not allow the burials to be disturbed. The burials are probably numerous since Col. Johnston was Indian Agent for some time. He also mentioned the Indian burial grounds quite often in his memoirs. After Col. Johnston died in 1861 the location of the graves was lost, but
in 1907 while workmen were opening a gravel pit at the south end of the farm and behind the Johnston cemetery, many Indian graves were discovered. By 1912 twenty eight Indian skeletons had been found along with several refuse pits. The largest skeleton, that of a Shawnee Indian, measured six feet six inches. Most of the other Indian skeletons measured from five feet seven inches to five feet ten inches. All of the burials were found in a sitting position not more than 40 inches deep. Only a few graves contained stone implements. Some of the graves did contain perforated shells, broken pottery, deer bones and bone implements. According to newspaper accounts many "Schanoe" chiefs were buried there including Old Blue Jacket and Corn Stalk.
Col. Johnston also played a very important part in bringing about the signing of the last treaty in Ohio, the Treaty of Succession, which brought about the removal of the last Indians still remaining in Ohio and was signed in 1842. Johnston was also instrumental in the building of the Miami Erie Canal which ran through the back of the Johnston farm. Col. Johnston was also the grandfather of John H. Patterson, founder of the National Cash Register Company.
Col. Johnston died suddenly in Washington D.C. in 1861 at the age of eighty six, thus ending a long and useful career.
Today the Johnston Farm has been reconstructed by the State as the Piqua Historical Site. The photos of the Johnston Farm were taken long before its reconstruction when it was still in use as a private residence.
Fig. 1 (Askins) Air view of Johnston Farm
Fig. 2 (Askins) Rear view of Johnston House Fig. 3 (Askins) Front view of Johnston House
18
Fig. 4 (Askins) Johnston Lot in Johnston Cemetery
Fort Tyler—Wayne County, Ohio
Many people traveling on State Route 95 in Wayne County pass right by the site of an ancient earthwork without knowing it. Fort Tyler, or as it was sometimes called Tyler's Fort, has been mentioned numerous times in the literature, Hil l (1877:261), Case (1881:595), Thomas (1888:278) and Duff (1931:43) for example. The report by Case (1881) is reproduced by Moorehead (1897: 182).
Yet, perhaps Douglass (1878:152-154) best describes the site: This tumulus is 1,200 feet in circumference in the trench, 300 feet across east and west, and 500 feet north and south. The trench, at this time, is two feet deep, and sufficiently wide to drive two horses abreast in it. What its depth and width was at the period of its construction is left to hypothesis. The embankment retains very marked proportions. Within this enclosure is a mound, with a base circumference of over one hundred feet, and a summit, or top diameter, of twenty feet, and is situated west and north of the center of the circle. The timber growth covering this elevation is of the character of that which we find growing in what we recognized as the "Plains" of the country, the largest being a wild cherry, fourteen inches in diameter, though the different oaks, of approximate size, fourish abundantly."
In describing a skeleton which was exhumed Douglass goes on to state: "Thomas Bushnell, Esq., of Hayesville, Ashland county, Ohio, an archaeologist of local repute, having for half a century had knowledge of this tumulus, and believing that the interests of archaeological science might be promoted by exploring it, resolved to penetrate it, and see if within its depths there was not an answer to its own dark mystery. On the 17th of June, 1877, calling to his aid George C. Blanford and John Andrews, he introduced the work of excavation. They commenced digging about the center of the mound, and, after descending to the depth of about six feet, discovered a human skeleton, some of the bones of which were entirely gone, others much wasted, and others, again in a fair state of preservation.
So far as inference is valuable, the
By Roger Rowe
755 Western Dr., Wooster, Ohio 44691
judgment of the excavator was, that from the time of interment the body had been undisturbed. Its position was face upward, indicating a civilized burial, head lying to the south, and represented a human being six feet in length. Drs. Kindig and Armstrong, of Hayesville, examined it, and pronounced it the skeleton of a male, the "structural intention" and contour being rather massive and heavy. The thigh bones femur heads and sockets were large. The skull was in pieces, with the exception of the upper part and frontal section, and directly underneath where it lay, was a deposit resembling fine sifted dirt. The forehead was low, but the general cranial development was full. Ten sections of the vertebrae were found in a fair state of preservation. The nasal bone was readily identified, though the teeth and jaw-bones were missing. The shoulder blades and ribs were present. The arm, hand and finger bones were in an exceptionally well conditioned state, and seemed to be near the center of the chest region of the skeleton—a proof that the arms were folded in death. The bones lower than the ankle joints were entirely gone.
Mr. Bushnell says, that, notwithstanding he exercised the most watchful scrutiny, he was wholly unable to detect the slightest vestiges of a coffin, either in the discoloration of the earth or other manifestations. In the clay he observed two flint scales, and near the body, about a half-bushel of ashes in a sunken hole and some charcoal. A boulder, weighing two hundred pounds or more, was encountered, lying in the abdominal or pelvic region of the skeleton."
Hill (1877:261) describes the site as such: "The work is situated on an elevated spur of the ridge, on the lands of Benjamin Tyler; is circular in form, and contains about three acres. When Mr. Tyler took possession in 1814, he found the work destitute of grown timber. The ridge, in and about the intrenchment, had the appearance of having been often burned over. He found the embankment about 4 feet high and about 10 feet in diameter at the base, and completely covered with hazel-bush, about as high as his head."
Case's description (1881:595), four
years later states: "These remains are upon a high, gradual elevation overlooking a vast range of prairie, northeast and southeast, as well as the valleys westward. The circle is a little less than one-third of a mile in circumference. At present the embankments are from 1 to 2 feet in height. The area and embankment are covered by forest growth, which is not older than 60 or 70 years, the Indians having burned this region annually until 1812, for the purpose of hunting. Years ago the mound was opened by unknown persons. In 1876 the author visited it, and found that an animal had burrowed into it and brought out a fragment of skull, which is now in his possession. Sometime after, Mr. Thomas Bushnell, of Hayesville, made excavations in the mound and found only bones, among which was a well preserved skull. The mound is 25 or 30 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height."
The final destruction of Fort Tyler came in the 1930's, a result of gravel operations, although local residents report the site had been badly potted before its final destruction.
References
Case, H. B. 1881 [Case Report] in Miscellaneous
Papers Relating To Anthropology. Smithsonian Report. Smithsonian Institution.
Douglass, Ben 1878 History of Wayne County, Ohio. R.
Douglass, Publisher Indianapolis, Ind.
Duff, William A. 1931 History Of North Central Ohio. Vol.
1. Historical Publishing Company. Topeka-lndianapolis.
Hill, George W. 1877 Ancient Earthworks Of Ashland
County, Ohio. In Ancient Earthworks In Ohio. Smithsonian Report. Smithsonian Institution.
Moorehead, Warren K. 1897 Report of Field Work. Ohio Archae
ological And Historical Publications. Vol.V. Columbus, Ohio.
Thomas, Mrs. Cyrus 1888 Bibliography Of The Earthworks Of
Ohio. Ohio Archaeological And Historical Publications. Vol. 1, Columbus, Ohio.
19
The Nussbaum Cache By
Robert N. Converse 199 Converse Drive, Plain City, Ohio 43064
Some time ago I obtained a large late archaic stemmed spear made of Indiana hornstone on which was a notation that it had come from the Nussbaum cache. I thought I had remembered seeing pictures of this cache in an old publication and after spending a few hours searching, I found it illustrated in an old Illinois Archaeologist given to me by Dr. Meuser many years ago. It is shown in the April 1949 issue of the Journal of the Illinois Archaeological Society on page 13. Ben Nussbaum was a well-known collector from Fairbury, Illinois, and was one-time Secretary of the Illinois Society.
This group of blades, which originally numbered at least thirty three, is one of the largest, if not the largest, deposits of late Archaic stemmed spears ever discovered. The only information on provenience is "southern Indiana." All of them are made from Indiana horn-stone, a nodular flint from Harrison County, Indiana. In fact, this fl int is widely distributed over the midwest and a great deal of it has been found in Ohio, most notably the caches of tur-keytail blades from Ross and Brown counties.
It is apparent that the craftsman who fashioned these blades made an effort to produce some remarkably contrasting specimens since nearly all of them show streaks of the outer rind of the nodule. Several specimens, in fact, are almost totally made of this tan-gray part of the nodule and are the largest such examples I have seen. Thirteen of the Nussbaum blades are shown—where the other twenty or more pieces are unknown.
Fig. 1 (Converse) Thirteen of the original thirty three or more late Archaic spears from the Nussbaum cache. All are around six inches long or more.
Fig. 2 (Converse) The Nussbaum cache as shown in the Journal of the Illinois Archaeological Society April, 1948.
20
The Copeland Cache By
Robert N. Converse 199 Converse Drive, Plain City, Ohio 43064
Fig. 1 (Converse) Eight of a cache of nine piano blades found near Alexandria, Licking County, Ohio. The longest blade is slightly over 5 inches long.
This cache of paleo blades was originally collected by the late Dr. Stanley Copeland of Worthington, Ohio. After being in a private out-of-state collection since 1964, the owner of this unique group of piano-type blades consented to their publication.
Found near Alexandria in Licking
County, the cache initially contained nine blades. They are made of two kinds of flint—Nellie chert, a favorite piano stone—and Flint Ridge chalcedony. In size and chipping technique they are nearly identical. All are exceedingly thin and the six Flint Ridge examples (five are shown), are translucent.
Unfortunately, nothing of the circumstances under which the cache was discovered are known. The only provenience is Copeland's notation "Licking County, Ohio—near Alexandria". Publication of this cache brings to light an additional example of caches made by piano flint craftsmen.
21
In a recent broadcast from WOSU's "News 820 Open Line" several leaders of the Columbus Native American Citizens challenged the Ohio Historical Society Curator of Archaeology, Martha P. Otto, to defend the destruction of prehistoric Indian burial sites, especially the excavation of burial mounds by "hobbyists" to find artifacts. They employed the usual outcry of "How would you like to have your ancestors' graves dug up for the hobby of collecting artifacts? They further stated that no purpose was served in digging up the bones of more than one individual at a site since all of the desired information could be gained by studying one skeleton and that the usual practice of professional archaeologists was to store the excavated bones in a box in some museum for an indefinite time. Mrs. Otto's reply to these challenges was that the wanton destruction of mounds by amateur relic hunters was indefensible but unfortunately there are no state or federal laws in Ohio prohibiting the destruction of mounds by or with the permission of the owner of the property unless the mound has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Native American Citizens complaints represent the well known phenomenon of mob psychology where emotion usually overpowers reason. Personally I can emphathize and understand the Indian's feelings about the desecration of their ancestors' graves, especially in mounds, but I do object to their contention that excavating more than one grave at a site is unnecessary. I will cite a few examples for my objection.
There have been many studies by professional archaeologists from museums and universities designed to determine the cause of death or disease among the prehistoric Indians in this country. For many years it was believed that syphilis was brought to the New
Save The Mounds! By
Thomas C. Grubb 1017 Newark Rd., Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050
World by the sailors on Columbus' ships, while others contended that the native Indians had transmitted the disease to Columbus' men. Only by studying the bones of many prehistoric Indians buried in Florida was the answer, albeit equivocal, resolved. Several years ago the writer published an article in The Ohio Archaeologist (1) entitled The Curse of Corn" in which he described how professional archaeologists had studied the bones of Indians living before and after corn was introduced from Mexico. They concluded that eating corn without beans (or other protein supplements) caused widespread malnutrition, especially in babies and children. Thus only by collecting bones from many subjects (stored in museum boxes!) and studying them with X-rays could a statistically significant conclusion be reached. Those who insist that the study of the bones of one Indian will provide all of the information necessary are probably ignorant of the statistical treatment of the data necessary to reach a valid conclusion. One of the differences between the Adena and Hopewell Indians is that one group had long and narrow skulls while the other had more oval skulls. By using an appropriate statistical formula (chi square) was it possible to prove that the average difference in the dimensions of many skulls of the two groups was real and not spurious.
Several years ago the writer witnessed the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in England by Oxford University archaeologists. No outcry from the surrounding residents took place even though many of them must have been distant relatives of those interred there. On the other hand, the excavation of ancient ruins around the city of Jerusalem by professional archaeologists raised a national outcry from several Hebrew groups because their ancestor's graves were being desecrated, but the archaeologists de
feated these emotional objections. I have had the good fortune to work with Mrs. Otto in the excavation of two prehistoric sites (one was a mound that had already been "potholed ") where one of the excavators was a fu l l -b looded Shawnee Indian who showed no compunction or distress while digging up the bones of his ancestors! And what about the 23 mounds that were razed by the U.S. Army in 1917 to make room for Camp Sherman during World War I. Was this justifiable even though the mounds were later rebuilt to make Mound City? The Native American Citizens should know that not all of us are "hobbyists" who indiscriminately desecrate the graves of their ancestors. Here are two examples: A group of amateur archaeologists excavated 12 graves out of over 160 in a prehistoric Indian cemetery and turned all the bones over to the Ohio Historical Society while the remainder were left to the mercy of the land owners backhoe digging a gravel pit! Noteworthy also is the collection of money by the Coshocton High School class of 1982 to buy and erect a large granite marker placed at the base of a large mound and engraved with the words that this was a burial mound and should not be disturbed. (Grubb-2).
In conclusion I feel strongly that the Indian mounds in Ohio should never be dest royed because as one dr ives through the countryside seeing these mounds produces a powerful emotional feeling of knowing that there was once indeed a race of people who lived and died here many thousands of years ago.
References Grubb, Thomas C.
1987 "The Curse of Corn." Ohio Archaeologist. 36 (4): 8.
Grubb, Thomas C. 1980 The Porteus Mound: Burial or Cer
emonial." Ohio Archaeologist. 30 (1):12-13.
22
A Popeyed Birdstone By
Lester Tol liver 825 Tolliver Rd., Logan, Ohio 43138
This popeyed birdstone, made of yellow and black granite, was found in DeKalb County, Indiana, in the late 1800's. It was originally collected by Dr. Dwyer of New Plymouth, Vinton County, Ohio, and later it passed to Polly Weaver, a neighbor. I obtained it from Mrs. Weaver in 1938.
Fig. 1 (Tolliver) Popeyed birdstone from DeKalb County, Indiana.
An Ashtabula Point and an Adena Blade
By Carl Storti
1519HerrickSt., Newcastle, Pa. 16101
Both of these nice flint pieces were found in Ohio. The Ashtabula point was found by Bruce Wells in the school yard at Warsaw, Ohio, in 1987. It is made from mottled black and red Coshocton flint.
The Adena blade was found by Harry Cline on the Norris Farm in 1968, and is made of blue and yellow Flint Ridge flint.
Fig. 1 (Storti) Ashtabula point from Warsaw, Ohio. Fig. 2 (Storti) Adena blade.
23
By Steve Fuller
P.O. Box 891, Wooster, Ohio 44691
This 10% inch flint blade is possibly the largest known example of chipped Coshocton flint in existence. It was originally collected by A. E. Wehrle of Newark, Ohio, but there was no provenience given for the piece. The
Webrle catalogue was destroyed, probably around 1960, thus there is little chance to determine exactly where the blade came from. Wehrle, who had one of the largest collections of Ohio material ever amassed, employed a full-time crew who excavated in and around Licking County. It may be that this blade is derived from one of their excavations.
24
A Tabulation and Analysis of Stolen Antiquities from the Historic Ottawa Cabin at the Fry Site
By David M. Stothers, Director of The Western Lake Erie Archaeological Research Program, and Timothy J. Abel, Research Assistant in Archaeology, The University of Toledo.
Scientific material of great historical value has recently been stolen from the Archaeological Research and Teaching Laboratory at The University of Toledo. The stolen material consists of priceless and irreplaceable antiquities from three archaeological sites which The University of Toledo's Archaeological Research Program has been actively researching. Only the specimens from the historic Fry Site will be dealt with in this article. Two prehistoric items, each from a different site will be dealt with in a future article (Stothers, Abel and Edwards, n.d.).
All of the stolen specimens described in this report are from the historic Fry Site (33-LU-165), an Ottawa Indian cabin site, located on a floodplain in the lower Maumee River Valley of northwestern Ohio. The cabin site was located along the north shore of the Maumee River within the Twelve Miles Square Reserve, one of several Indian land grant reserves established in the Maumee Valley through various treaty negotiations with the U.S. government after the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.
With the discovery of an extended burial of an eleven year old boy in 1977, further investigation disclosed an associated rectangular cabin floor measuring eight feet in length and six and one-half feet in width (see accompanying floor plan). This cabin has a sunken sub-surface floor which was flat and set 8-10 inches into the hard, sterile, clay sub-soil. The walls of this sub-surface cabin floor were straight-sided and met the floor at a ninety degree angle. No mortar or chinking of any variety was found, suggest ing the use of bark thatching between the logs that formed the cabin superstructure.
Two hearths were located within the cabin structure. Wood preservation was excellent and many pieces were found still adhering to metal items. Examples of such preservation are an iron axe head with part of the wooden handle still preserved and small tanged cut brass projectile points with portions of their wooden shafts intact. The emplacement of hearths on the clay floor, and a lack of floor nails or wooden floor board fragments suggests that wooden floor boards were non-existant.
The cabin contained numerous historic items which were located in various places on its floor, apparently just as they were left when the cabin was abandoned (see accompanying floor
plan). The historic china (see accompanying inventory) was analyzed with the help of Dr. Arnold Pilling of Wayne State University and suggests that the cabin dates to the period 1826-1832, a few years prior to the 1837 removal of the Maumee Valley Ottawa, under the mandate of The Indian Removal Act.
The faunal material recovered from within the sunken cabin floor was analyzed by Heather Nicole in 1978. Included were eleven fish species of which yellow walleye, freshwater drum and largemouth bass were most common. Of the eleven mammal species present, muskrat, racoon, gray squirrel and white-tail deer were the most prevalent wild species. Domestic species included the domestic cow, sheep and pig. The domestic pig was most prevalent of these three species. Bird bones indicated that eleven species were present, Black Duck, Wood Duck and Ruffed Grouse being the most common wild species. The now extinct passenger pigeon was represented in the faunal assemblage from the cabin floor. Faunal elements representing the domestic chicken indicate that it was the most widely utilized species. The faunal assemblage clearly indicates the utilization of natural wild resources, as well as domestic Euro-American derived resources.
The artifacts from the cabin feature (most of which are depicted in the plates that accompany this article) were all stolen with the exception of the iron axe head, the iron spoon, the iron hammer head, the iron scissors fragment, the iron tongs and a few iron nails.
A partial inventory of historic items recovered from the cabin floor, which were stolen (see accompanying photographs) include: 4 English blade style pistol flints; 18 brass and pewter buttons (with attached eye element); 2 circular hair brooches (one with tongue; one without); 1 unidentified silver fragment; 2 iron fish hooks; 3 triangular stone arrow points; 6 brass arrow points: 3 triangular and 3 tanged (one with tang broken off; 2 with wood shaft remnants still adhering); 2 brass Jew's harps; 1 1814 US Liberty Head silver 10 cent piece pendant with perforation behind Liberty Head; 1 piece of white china with drilled hole; 1 iron lock key; 1 vasiform limestone pipe bowl; 1 brass hinge with 3 attachment holes; 1 brass lock plate; 8 cut brass kettle fragments; 6 kaolin pipe fragments (stems and
bowls); 2 iron knife blades (1 clasp and one rat tail); 1 iron bayonet segment; 1 piece of brass wire; 1 brass spoon handle and 1 iron spoon handle; 1 iron 2 tined fork with hatched bone handle; 1 fork/kn i fe bone handle with cross-hatching; 2 antler handles (one with metal awl stub in place); 1 brass ornament; 1 whittling knife fashioned from pewter spoon handle; 1 perforated shell bead (Goniobasis livescens); 1 brass clip; 1 stone drill tip; 1 brass pin with wire wound head; 1 lead musket shot; several dozen hand wrought iron nails and tacks.
The burial of the eleven year old boy which was earlier mentioned included: 2 silver armbands on the forearms; a silver crescent gorget on the chest; 5 silver brooches near the skull (which had apparently been hair decorations); 165 short tubular indigo glass beads (3.0 m.m. long; 1.75 m.m. diameter) on the chest (which had apparently been embroidered on a shirt or jacket); and an iron knife by his left side.
Both silver armbands had been cut down in size, apparently to accommodate the diminutive size of the boy's arms. Both armbands have 2 perforations on each end, one near the top and one near the bottom. One armband bears an engraved geometric design (see accompanying photo), while the other bears the engraved British coat-of-arms. The silver crescent chest gorget bears an engraved British Crown above the embossed initials RC. The RC is the touche mark of Robert Cruick-shank, a Montreal based silver smith, who manufactured silver objects for the Indian trade market between 1796 and 1809. The silver hair brooches, of which there were 5, are all identical. They are all plain and undecorated with a single attached swivel tongue for attachment to hair or clothing. The tongue of one specimen is missing. The iron knife is a tanged rat-tail variety, over the wooden handle of which an iron pistol barrel had been secured as a handle.
During the summer of 1988 continued excavation at this site investigated 133 square meters of ground through contiguous block units measuring 5 meters square, and the use of exploratory trenches measuring 1 meter wide. Immediately west and inland from the cabin discovered in 1977, contiguous 5 meter square block units disclosed an incomplete post mold pattern of large square, flat bottomed timber posts set
26
vertically into the ground. These uprights had clustered rock wedged around the base in the footing hole into which they had been set. These upright posts may represent the corner posts of a rectangular storage shed or animal compound. The latter interpretation is more probable, as the interior floor of this structure disclosed very little in terms of any sort of cultural material. The exploratory trenches and one 5 meter x 3 meter unit, located north and northwest of the 1977 cabin excavation disclosed a few pieces of cut brass, an iron clasp knife blade and a few scattered pieces of china, all within 10 meters of the cabin structure. The identifiable china fragments are all of the same types and temporal placement as
those recovered from the cabin and listed in the accompanying ceramic inventory.
The theft of this scientific material will do a considerable amount of damage to ongoing research. All of these items are unique and bear witness to, and scientific understanding of, aspects of early history pertaining to northern Ohio's native American resident populations. The loss of this material and its associated information will deprive humanity of the knowledge and understanding of northern Ohio's past. The theft is comparable to stealing parts of a jig-saw puzzle. The parts can't be duplicated. It is as though someone randomly ripped pages from a history book. Whoever stole these items is not just stealing
from The University of Toledo's Archaeological Research Program, but they are stealing from and depriv ing future generations who would benefit from the research results.
Anyone with information regarding the theft is urged to contact Dr. David M. Stothers, Director of The University of Toledo's Archaeological Research Program at (419) 537-4650 or 537-2791. Should the person or persons having the artifacts wish to return them, they will be gratefully accepted and no questions will be asked.
Reference Stothers, David M., Timothy J. Abel and Gene R. Edwards n.d.
Northern Ohio Prehistoric Antiquities Stolen. Manuscript in preparation.
historic archaeology of the ute*tern lane
eric region
19O0
1850
teoo
Ifaoo
aboriginal
patyi-dowling, (IUM -ISII)
indian titand no. I (i&so-ieio) f r y (1826-1832)
furton (mo-iMb) cnderle (1750- IBSO) habcrstock (n<»4 - IBZI )
Indian kills (itia* IOO:M2VJ,B)
European
crab farm Oets-wo) pipline (.I6SO-IB&0) fuller I - arta z (IB+O IBBO)
varchave I X I (IBSO'S)
piStol (IMO-IB50) gard island no.2(ca IMO-ISSO)
dutch road (IBSB- IBM) fuller i - a r e a 1 o«t« H « ) StrzesynsKi (\»is -1146/47) riviere au va*e (IHO-IKO) v c r c h a c e i i 0*20-IBSO) qypsy pomtno.a(i&3i-iB») " " '(DUHLAP CABIN)
fort meig* (IBIS)
•fort miamis (rm-iMs)
27
CERAMIC WARE GROUPS
FrySite(33-Lu-165) (1826-1832)
PLAIN OR UNDECORATED CREAMWARE-(99) 1.Rims-19 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—8 3. Vessel Form—Plates, saucers, bowls, cups
HAND-PAINTED PEARLWARE-0 17) A. Blue Monochrome—(65)
1.Rims-17 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—4 3. Vessel Form—Cup, bowl, saucers 4. Gaudy Dutch Decoration: Narrow dark blue band on interior
just below rim edge, dark blue petals or leaves in sprays, fruit (Apple?), dark blue stem lines that criss-cross, blue dot between intersection of stem lines.
B. Brown Monochrome—(3) 1.Rims-2 2. Estimated No. of Vessels-2 3. Vessel Form—Matching cup 2 saucers 4. Gaudy Dutch Decoration: Narrow dark brown band on interior
just below rim edge, brown vine-leaf motif encircling vessel below band on interior of saucer. Brown leaf motif on interior (bottom) of cup.
C. Blue-Brown-Yellow Polychrome—(4) 1.Rims-2 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—3 3. Vessel Form—Cup, saucer, bowl 4. Gaudy Dutch Decoration: Narrow dark brown band on interior
just below rim edge of cup and saucer. Brown stem line, blue leaves or petals and mustard-yellow flower. Decoration is on exterior of bowl only.
D. Blue-Brown-Apple Green-Reddish Brown Polychrome—(30) 1. R ims-10 2. Estimated No. of Vessels-6 3. Vessel Form—Saucers, cups, plates, bowl 4. Gaudy Dutch Decoration: Narrow dark brown band on interior
of some pieces. On others it is on the exterior; while it also occurs on some pieces on both interior and exterior. Brown, undulating stem line with apple green petals and a large blue dot that occurs at the junction of stemlines.
E. Unidentified-(21) Unidentified pieces due to small, fragmentary nature of sherds and some destroyed due to burning.
TRANSFER PRINTED PEARLWARE-(139) A. OldBlue-(132)
1.Rims-19 2. Estimated No. of Vessels-13 3. Vessel Form—Plates, saucers, cups, tureen 4. Decoration: Scenic and floral views of country-village life,
cottages, horses, farm plows, buildings, etc. Acorn and Oak leaves border pattern identified.
B. Brown-(7) 1.Rims-2 2. Estimated No. of Vessels-1 3. Vessel Form—Bowl 4. Decoration: Light blue band on rim edge. Brown diamond-
shaped motif with dark brown circular dot within motif. Brown flowers with brown petals.
SHELL-EDGED PEARLWARE-(12) A. Green-(6)
1 .Rims-6 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—4 3. Vessel Form—Platters 4. Decoration: Five rims have scalloped or lobed rims with
machined grooves and a dark green band around rim edge and interior just below rim edge. One rim is straight (non-scalloped) with no machine grooving around rim. This rim has a green band along its edge and just below it on the interior.
B. Blue-(6) 1. Rims—6 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—4 3. Vessel Form—Platters 4. Decoration: All rims have scalloped or lobed edges with dark
blue band and machined grooves.
BANDED WARE (8) A. Mocha or Brown—(7)
1. R ims-3 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—3 3. Vessel Form —Bowls 4. Decoration: Large brown band on exterior just below rim edge,
followed by an "earthworm" motif. Below motif are two narrow black bands, followed by a larger brown band. One sherd shows the fronded or dendritic fern-like motif.
B.Green-(1) 1 .R im-1 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—1 3. Vessel Form—Bowl 4. Decoration: Rim edge and area just below left plain white. Six
narrow dark-green "grooved" bands that are of the same width encircle the vessel.
LUSTRE WARE-(8) 1. R ims -0 [all body and bases (standing ring)] 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—2 3. Vessel Form—Pitchers 4. Decoration: Red earthenware body with seven sherds having
a black slip or pigment added giving the appearance of a "shiny" or metallic lustre. One sherd has a dark red slip added to a red earthenware body.
NORTH AMERICAN RED WARE-(9) 1. R ims-1 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—3 3. Vessel Form—Flower pots and pitcher 4. Decoration: Pitcher handle of red earthenware body coated
with a reddish-brown slip. Exterior has six linear grooves. Three sherds have a red earthenware body with a red slip on interior and exterior. The interior is channeled. Five sherds have a red earthware body with a yellow-green slip added with interior channeling.
TORTOIS SHELL WARE-(1) 1. Rims—0 2. Estimated No. of Vessels—1 3. Vessel Form—Unknown 4. Decoration: Red earthenware body with a yellow-brown slip
added. Slip is mottled with dark brown patches on the interior.
28
j j ^ ^ ^ ' IUy t o excavation plan—' ^ "
""" i bra*6 fragment
' g.koolin pipe fragment a hammer head 4jron Knife 5 brass button
A*ilver fragment iStone pipe .ftjron fragment 9. Shell w. Stone point Jj-bone refuse ttjron nail Ji china fragment
i jtglass fragment IS, lead musket shot 16 incised bone handle
3 nave A lAcoprolitc 1 Jipw 1 20. metal fork handle
,,y - » * a, lock key 22. corn cob
23.1814 dime 2ije»/S harp 25 metal plate 46. iron spoon £7. brass points e& iron tongs & aboriginal day ceramics 50. Silver brooch 31. antier handle 3j2.fork with bone handle js.stone drill 54 gun fhnr 36. china with drilled hole 3b. iron spoon handle 37. brass hinge uxththree holes' 3otbra*S dip Sfjron bayonet
m$ mm 35'LU't66
| r97r excavation ~|
Cabin |)irairMs
©1988DMS/TJA
J dark grey
HH yellov sand
H vhite ash /charcoal
gg orange-grey charcoal
niTI humus layer
)p^ excavated yellov-buff subsoil
H unexcavated
29
PLATE 1 (Stothers) Historic artifacts from child burial a-b silver armbands; cut to fit forearm c silver crescent gorget d tubular indigo glass beads (165) e silver brooches f iron knife with pistol barrel as handle
30
::il
PLATE 2 (Stothers) a close-up of crescent gorget engraving — British Crown and initials "R. C.". b close-up of silver arm band (Plate 1, specimen b) —British Coat of Arms c close-up of silver arm band (Plate 1, specimen a) —geometric design.
31
^gP^ffrBl^ii^
cm
*#*®«» r >w
PL^TE 3 (Stothers) a, b, c Shell-Edged Pearlware (a — blue, b, c green) d, e, I, i, r, u Handpainted Pearlware f, h, k, t, w, p, s Transfer Printed Pearlware
v Lustre Ware base segment g, m North American Red Ware n, q, x Plain Creamware bases j hand blown bottle fragment
32
PLATE 4 (Stothers) a-b spoon handles; (b) worked down into a knife c English blade-style gunflint d-f, l-m, w-y, u, z brass and pewter buttons
g brass ornament j hand wrought iron nail h, k, n, p triangular brass arrowpoints; (n) tang broken off r, o iron fish hook
q iron key s perforated 1814 dime t-u brass jews harps
33
PLATE 5 (Stothers) a-d, f, g — brass and pewter buttons (with eye element attached) e brass hinge h perforated china fragment i, j silver brooches
k perforated shell bead (Goniobasis livescens) I English blade-type gunflint m stemmed brass projectile point (shaft preserved) n-p chipped stone projectile points q brass lock plate
34
PLATE 6 (Stothers) a iron hammer head b unidentified iron fragment
c iron spoon d-h hand wrought iron spikes and nails i, m iron handles (from bullet mold?)
j iron tongs k iron beamer (?) I iron wrench
35
PLATE 7 (Stothers) a 2 fined iron fork (hatched bone handle) b-c antler handles; c — has iron awl tip in place d bone fork/knife handle (cross hatched) e iron axe head handle preserved
36
PLATE 8 (Stothers) a-b brass kettle fragments c iron scissors d iron spike (hand wrought)
e iron nail (hand wrought) f brass wire g iron rat tail knife blade (tail broken off) h iron bayonet segment (ridged)
37
The Hueston Pipe Tomahawk: An Historic Treasure of the Miami Valley By
Phillip R. Shriver Miami University
Hueston Woods, five miles north of Oxford and Miami University, is the last significant stand of virgin beech-maple forest in Ohio. Its stream-eroded hillsides and ravines are rich in fossil beds of Upper Ordovician times, attracting geological interest from around the nation and the world. Home of the Raisch-Smith site of Archaic man, it has long been focus of archaeological investigation. Since the damming of the waters of the Talawanda in the 1950s, to form Acton Lake, it has become a mecca for tourists. Indeed, with nearly two million visitors a year, it is now one of the most popular state parks in America. (See Lafferty, 1980: 22, 208, 306; ODNR, 1988: 2-15; Long, 1962: 58-68; Moffett, 1949: 428-441; Shriver, 1984: 13.)
Who were the Huestons, whose lands these once were and for whom this state park has been named? At the time of the American Revolution, they were residents of southeastern Pennsylvania, living in Franklin County near Mercers-burg as neighbors of the Buchanan family, whose son James would eventually become the 15th President of the United States. It was William Hueston who was the first Hueston to head west, taking up lands near the Ohio River north of Wheeling. It was there in the troubled times following the winning of independence that he was shot by Indians, leaving a widow and six children.
Two of Wi l l iam Hueston's sons, Matthew and Thomas, subsequently crossed the river to settle in Ohio, Matthew going to Fort Washington at Cincinnati in 1791. He was later engaged in 1793 and 1794 to drive pack-horses for the army of General Anthony Wayne in the campaign against Little Turtle and the Miamis and Blue Jacket and the Shawnees. Thomas arrived in southwestern Ohio in 1792, with other members of the family, and made camp on the Talawanda (or Four Mile Creek), a tributary of the Great Miami.
According to family records, as the Huestons kindled a fire for their first night's supper on the lands they intended to settle, they were visited by a party of Indians, probably Miami, who despite the frictions of that time professed friendship for the new arrivals. It was after they had eaten together that they smoked the pipe tomahawk that the leader of the Indians had carried with him. As the evening concluded, the leader, possibly a chief, presented it to Thomas Hueston as a gift, asking that it be "handed down from father to son and that it remain forever in the Hueston
name." (See Benzing, 1957. See also Figure 1.)
That pipe tomahawk remained in the Hueston family for the next 165 years, from that night in 1792 until 1957, having been passed from Thomas Hueston to his son John, and from John Hueston to his son, Jesse. It was Jesse Hueston who, at the age of 82 and having no male heirs, turned it over to the Butler County Historical Society in October, 1957. (See Benzing, 1957.)
Today that pipe tomahawk is one of the Society's most prized possessions and is displayed in its museum in Hamilton, Ohio, At the time of its acquisition, the museum's curator, Mrs. Howard Shaeffer, and other officials of the Society conjectured that the Indian who had presented it to Thomas Hueston "must have been a great chief (because of the size and condition of the pipe tomahawk) and that it could have belonged to Chief and Counselor Little Turtle of the Miamis." They reached this conclusion, they said, after "inquiring up and down the Anthony Wayne Trail by way of museums and historians." (See Benzing, 1957.)
As so often happens, the conjectures of some often become fact in the eyes of others. Thus, not surprisingly, a current leaflet distributed by the Society notes that "Miami Indian Tribe Chief Little Turtle protected the land in this area of Ohio for his Indian nation. His peace pipe with a tomahawk on one side is an interesting part of the Indian folklore featured in the Emma Ritchie Memorial Auditorium a part of the Butler County's Historical Museum."
Since first examining the pipe tomahawk several years ago and then resea rch ing the h i s to r i ca l data of comparable pieces in other museums and collections, I have concluded that it is an authentic late eighteenth century historic artifact, that it may well be of Miami Indian origin, and that its remarkable state of preservation is a consequence of its long possession by the Hueston family. But was it ever the personal property of the celebrated Miami Chief Little Turtle? I regard the answer to that question as "an interesting part of Indian folklore," and no more.
Whether or not it was ever the personal pipe tomahawk of Little Turtle, it is an historic treasure of the Miami Valley. Forged from iron, its head measures 8 inches in height from the top of the pipe bowl to the steel cutting edge of its 2J4 inch wide blade. The outside diameter of both the bowl and the eye is 1 3 / e inches. The internal diameter of
the bowl is 3A of an inch. Chevrons are featured on both shoulders below the bowl, while the neck of the bowl displays, in relief, four carefully turned circular edge moldings of varying diameters. Fluting is evident just below the eye of either side. (See Figures 2 and 3.)
As for the haft, it appears to be made of ash, probably the most frequently used wood for pipe tomahawk handles. (See Kuck, 1977: 6.) Over-all, it is 18% inches long and VA inches wide at its widest part. Of particular interest are four finger grips cut into the haft near its mouthpiece, or butt end. (See Figure 4.)Given the condition and appearance of the wood, it is my belief that the haft is probably the original and not a replacement. Yet, because the forward end of the haft was often closed with a piece of rawhide or a wood or a metal plug which is missing in this particular piece, I cannot be absolutely certain of the originality of this haft. Missing too is the gasket of paper-thin leather usually found wrapped around that part of the haft which was lodged inside the eye of the pipe tomahawk head. (See Peterson, 1971: 38.) Instead, the haft and the head have been secured tightly through shims of wood driven between them. (See Figure 5.)
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this pipe tomahawk are the eight notches filed or grooved into the heel, or trailing edge, of the head. (See Figure 6.) Probably tally marks, they were explained by the Indian who gave the tomahawk to Thomas Hueston as representing his record of white men's scalps. (See Benzing, 1957.)
Close examination of one of the blade faces reveals another interesting detail. Stamped into it are the numbers "9" and " 2 " , possibly representing the year "1792" in which the piece was presented to Thomas Hueston. Yet there is no evidence of either a " 1 " or a "7", though oxidization of both faces has proceeded to such extent as to make even the numbers "9" and "2" scarcely legible.
In searching through Harold Peterson's American Indian Tomahawks (still the definitive work on the subject) for a pipe tomahawk of similar size, age, and description I came across one pictured as photograph number 115 which bears striking resemblance to the Hueston piece in the Butler County Museum. Collected in Indiana, it too has been attributed to the Miami. Now part of the collection of the Museum of the American Indian (Heye Foundation) in New
38
York, it has been assigned identification number 10/2881 in that collection. With a head height of 8% inches, a blade width of 2% inches, and a haft length of 17% inches, it is very similarly proportioned to the Hueston pipe tomahawk. Consider the following description of this Miami tomahawk from Indiana and the parallel it suggests to the Hueston piece: "Pipe tomahawk with head of the classic form for the mid-18th century. All of the normal features for which one looks in dating a piece of this period
are present in their most typical shapes and proportions: the large teardrop eyes, the ample bulbous bowl sloping inward toward the top with an edge molding, the concave molding at the base of the blade, the small projection from the rear of the blade just below the base, and the heavy functional blade itself with its steel edge." (See Peterson, 1971: 103.)
In Robert Kuck's useful Tomahawks Illustrated, which gives primary emphasis to specimens found in Ohio,
several pipe tomahawks are shown which also have considerable resemblance to the Hueston piece. One, identified as #157, is described as a forged piece with relief turned bow, chevrons, and fluting below the eye. (Kuck, 1977: 44.) Another, #98, from Clark County, is shown with indented lines on its blade and chevron shoulders. Yet another, #3, somewhat heavier in style and form, a pipe tomahawk found near the site of Fort Greenville in Darke County, also shows a relief turned bowl, chevrons,
Fig. 1 (Shriver) One of the prized possessions of the Butler County Historical Society is this forged iron pipe tomahawk attributed to the Miami Indians and long in the custody of the Hueston family, original settlers of the area now known as Hueston Woods State Park. Measuring 8 inches in height, with a steel cutting edge 2 inches in width, and with a haft of ash 18 inches in length, it has a total weight of 1 pound 11 ounces. Permission to photograph it has been kindly given by the Butler County Historical Society.
Fig. 2 (Shriver) Detail of the Hueston pipe tomahawk, showing circular edge moldings and chevrons at base of the bowl.
39
and fluting below the eye. (Kuck, 1977: 32.)
Looking through thirty years of issues of the Ohio Archaeologist, I found several other illustrations of pipe tomahawks similar in design and shape to the Hueston tomahawk. (See Pohrt, 1957: 70-71: Diller, Brickman, and Dunn, 1964: 89-90; and Grimm, 1977: 8.) Frankly, I had expected to find more, for the Hueston piece truly represents the classic pipe tomahawk of the eighteenth century. As Harold Peterson has noted, "Of all the types of tomahawks, by far the most popular was the pipe tomahawk. No other form was made in so many different designs, nor of as many different materials. Excepting for the simple hatchet or belt axe, none was made for so long a period nor in such large numbers. Here the symbols of war and peace were combined in a single instrument, which quickly became a prized possession." (Peterson, 1971: 33.)
Certainly the pipe tomahawk featured in this article was a prized possession of the Indian who gave it to Thomas Hueston in 1792 as a symbol of friendship. And certainly it remained a prized possession of the Hueston family until 1957 when it was turned over to the Butler County Historical Society, a Society which properly regards it as one of its most prized possessions to this day.
Acknowledgements The many courtesies of Mrs. Helen
Miller, curator of the Butler County Historical Society's museum in Hamilton, in permitting me to examine and to photograph the Hueston pipe tomahawk are gratefully acknowledged. So, too, is the continued, welcome assistance of the Miami University Audio Visual Service in providing the finished photos used in this article.
References
Benzing, Esther 1957 "Seven Mile Resident Can Trace
Property Back To Indians; Tomahawk Used In Sealing Deal." Hamilton Journal News, October.
Britt, Claude, Jr. 1959 "Chief Blackhoof of the Ohio Shaw-
nees." Ohio Archaeologist, 9(2): 68-69.
Diller, Peter, Gerald Brickman, and Norman Dunn
1964 "Metal Trade Axes." Ohio Archaeologist, 14(3): 89-90.
Grimm, Elmer 1977 "Part of the Grimm Collection. "Ohio
Archaeologist, 27(1 ):8. Hothem, Lar
1982 "An Interesting Pipe-Tomahawk." Ohio Archaeologist, 32(2): 17.
Kuck, Robert 1977 Tomahawks Illustrated. Privately
published, New Knoxville, Ohio.
Lafferty, Michael B., editor 1980 Ohio's Natural Heritage. The Ohio
Academy of Science, Columbus. Long, Russell J.
1962 "The Raisch-Smith Site Near Oxford, Ohio." Ohio Archaeologist, 12(3-4): 58-68.
Moffett, Ross 1949 "The Raisch-Smith Site: An Early
Ind ian Occupa t i on in Preb le County, Ohio." Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, 58(4): 428-441.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources 1988 The Fossils of Hueston Woods.
Published by the Division of Parks and Recreation. Portions adapted
from Ohio Fossils, Bulletin 54, Division of Geological Survey, ODNR.
Peterson, Harold L. 1971 American Indian Tomahawks. Mu
seum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York.
Pohrt, Richard A. 1957 "Two Tomahawks and an Iron Pipe."
Ohio Archaeologist, 7(2): 70-71. Shriver, Phillip R.
1984 "An Archaic Bell-Shaped Pestle From the Raisch-Smith Area." Ohio Archaeologist, 34(4): 13.
1988 "The Pipe Tomahawk of Meshingo-mesia, Band Chief of the Mississi-newa Miamis." Ohio Archaeologist, 38(3): 17.
Fig. 3 (Shriver) Fore-edge and head of the Hueston pipe tomahawk, showing fluting at the base of the eye and wood shims used to tighten the haft in the eye. Loosening of the haft through shrinkage, wear, and age is clearly evident.
40
Fig. 4 (Shriver) The carved finger grips and mouthpiece of the Hueston pipe tomahawk are shown at the butt end of the haft.
Fig. 5 (Shriver) Another view of the fore-end of the Hueston pipe tomahawk.
Fig. 6 (Shriver) Heel-end of the Hueston pipe tomahawk, showing 8 tally of scalping notches below the spur, the weld at the base of the eye, and the extent of deterioration of the haft through shrinkage, wear, and age, partially exposing the smoke channel.
41
The E.C.C. By
Mark A. Hersman 608 Logan Road, Mansfield, Ohio
Over the years we've all enjoyed reading about, as well as observed, the collections of many fine respectable col lectors. Now, with lots of these pieces drifting through various auctions, it's even possible to personally view and handle many of the age-old treasures. And, depending upon the opportunity, one may even have the rare opportunity to add some of these fine pieces of his own collection. What a dream come true!
Permit me to introduce you to another fine old collection. Unlike many of the others, you've probably not heard much about this one. And yet, like many of the prizes purchased in various auctions throughout the state, these, too, are held in many hands and rubbed with hundreds of fingers until the gloss adds a new shine of its own. It's name: "The Egg Carton Collection ". It's profile: one egg carton plus twelve items for study. Out of necessity it was created four years ago to accompany a deep-seated love of teaching throughout the halls and classrooms of many Crawford, Richland, Huron and Ashland county schools, both primary and secondary levels. It's even found its way into the hands of many eager adults at Mansfield Madison's Adult Education Programs. Perhaps its most unusual characteristic is that it permanently stays in every classroom throughout these counties where various archaeological programs entice the minds of tomorrow's collectors. A long time ago this author discovered that people (young and old alike) eagerly learn much faster when they can actually handle genuine artifacts and have a "Base" collection nearby with which to compare their newly found pieces. It's far more effective than using chips alone and/or observing someone else's collection under glass, in a frame, or on the wall. Actually, I use several different egg carton collections while teaching a general course and at its conclusion, I leave a broad base general E.C.C. with the group. This tends to generate a longer lasting enthusiasm for a new hobby. Upon return over time to many of those classrooms, I was pleased to discover that young people generally don't permanently borrow broken things. Hence, my dogmatic stance on using broken artifacts foralltheE.C.C.'s.
I use three di f ferent col lect ions t h roughou t the du ra t ion of most courses. One is composed of twelve of the most commonly found bases in north central Ohio, organized into time periods. Another has twelve various flint
types found throughout Ohio with major emphasis on the north central Ohio. The final collection is a general overview to prepare the student for what he might discover on a typical surface collecting expedit ion (more will follow on this collection).
Because of the volume of classes I teach, it's not possible to leave all three collections with each classroom. However, exceptions are made depending on the availability of broken artifacts, the learning enthusiasm level of the students, and the student's availability to nearby surface-collecting fields. When follow-up is requested, the first two collections are usually presented to the class.
The third collection, the general overview E.C.C., changes from time to time but usually consists of some of the following: —Shell tempered pot sherd —Grit tempered pot sherd —Thumb scraper —Flake knife -D r i l l - " F i r e d " artifact (displaying various
characteristics of having been in a "camp" fire)
—Tips or sections of projectile points illustrating various flint types: Flint Ridge, Coshocton, Nellie Chert, etc.
-S la te — Fossil, buttons, dish fragments, gun
flints, beads, etc. This collection focuses on what to
look for, how to recognize it, and how to take the proper actions toward a "discovery". Exposure of possible finds to the students' eyes opens many mysteries and definitely gives rise to lots of exciting stories. By first-hand experience with the E.C.C. they are also exposed to proper label l ing. Various broken stone, slate and bone tools accompany each course.
So why am I sharing all of this with
Fig. 1 (Hersman) Egg carton
42
you? Like many other teachers, I enjoy discussing and exchanging ideas and skills with others so that they can be used to benefit all of us (both inside and outside of the classroom). And all of us are well acquainted with those who teach vs. those who are "gifted" teachers. Don't we all wish they were one and the same with the emphasis on the "gifted". Sadly enough, this is not the case and many kids are still becoming disillusioned in classrooms throughout Ohio. My heart's desire is to challenge students' imaginations and bring back to the classroom a sense of excitement and joy and an appreciation for new knowledge. For "old things" (artifacts and some teachers with like labels) can bring forth new life. Everyone can and should enjoy themselves while teaching and learning. Perhaps I come from a strange school of thought which believes that the most dynamic teachers are those who have an inside track on laughter. They can entertain and inadvertently take the student to a higher level of learning.
I'm also hoping to keep on inspiring all of us to climb out of "old ruts" and to try new things. Let's keep on discovering the dynamics, the drama and all the mysteries that surround today's archaeology with tomorrow's collectors. Perhaps some of you have discovered a bit of the same joy and would like to share some of your enthusiasm with another teacher. Let's talk! I'd also like to thank all of you who for years have supplied me with broken artifacts. I might add that the need for more broken materials continues to climb. And for those of you who maintain these "stashes" around the house, piled in f lower beds or pushed into heaps in obscure corners of the garage, please call me. Let's invest our resources together into the minds and lives of our future pre-historians.
6V M. HftimfM C*xfe»< Gxju=<rr<OA/
kits given to all students.
An Unconventional Trophy-Shaped Three-Quarter Grooved Axe From Little Indian Creek
By Phillip R. Shriver Miami University
"What is it?" is undoubtedly the most frequently asked question concerning prehistoric artifacts addressed by the curious to those hopefully knowledgeable. The answer is not always easy, even for the most expert, simply because no two prehistoric artifacts are ever exactly alike and because typological labels and descriptions seem at times to be honored about as much in the breach as in the observance.
"What was it used for?" is probably the next most frequent question, and again a variety of responses can be anticipated.
A case in point arose recently with the question of how easily a primitive man could cut down a tree with a stone axe. To answer that question I made a quick reference to Stoutenburgh's Dictionary of the American Indian (1960: 22) and read that Indian stone axes were "not very well suited for the cutting of trees." I got a much different answer, however, in Martin, Quimby and Collier's Indians Before Columbus (1947: 36-37). They affirmed that some practical tests had actually been made by G.V. Smith of Copenhagen, Denmark, and H.L. Skavlem, of Kale Koshkonong, Wisconsin. "With a stone blade fastened to a wooden handle in primitive fashion, Smith was able (1) to cut in two in 45 seconds a stick of fresh pine wood . . . measuring 2% inches in diameter; (2) to cut in two in 10 minutes . . . a stick of pine measuring 4% inches in diameter; (3) to cut in two in 8 minutes a pine log measuring 5 inches indiameter; and (4) to mortise and tenon two bark-covered logs. Smith concluded that it would be much easier to fell standing trees than to chop them as he did at a workbench, that not too complicated carpentry can likewise be easily accomplished, and that a stone blade may be used for several cuttings without damaging the cutting edge to any noticeable extent."
"Skavlem pecked, grooved, and polished an axe in four and one-half hours, made a crude handle in a short time, and cut down in ten minutes a water elm tree whose trunk measured three inches in diameter. The axe manufactured for this purpose was a more elaborate specimen than really was necessary and probably cut no better than one that might have been made in two hours or less."
Concluded Martin, Quimby, and Collier, "it should be clear that a [stone] axe can be produced in a few hours and that, as a cutting instrument, it is ser
viceable and fairly efficient." (1947: 37) But were/are all prehistoric axes
really axes? Were they all intended to be cutting instruments? This brings me to the archaeological phenomenon referred to here in Ohio as the "trophy axe," a very rare type (perhaps no more than 300 authentic specimens in existence-see Hothem, 1962: 66) which may never have been used as a cutting instrument and thus may not even have been an axe. Indeed, Converse does not include the trophy axe in his book on Ohio Stone Tools but rather takes it up in his work on Ohio Slate Types (1979: 92-93.) (See also Converse, The Meuser Collection, 1977: 116.) For, though the trophy axe is hardly a "slate type," as a possible ceremonial object and symbol of rank in the Archaic period it may well have had more in common with pendants and gorgets than it had with celts and other tools.
Converse (1978: 92) has noted that the trophy axe "seldom shows signs of wear or use," and has "exaggerated attributes of common axes. It is deeply grooved with large ridges. Some may be full grooved but many are slightly flattened on the back with a somewhat three-quarter grooved style. The poll is formed into a cone-like point and the blade is narrow and flares at the bit. Its strangest characteristic is the blunted or unsharpened bit which on some examples is actually ground at right angles to the blade." He has also observed that most examples are somewhat small, being around 5 inches in length, and that they are frequently made of a high quality honey colored quartzite or of colorful granite, gneiss, porphyry, or a light limestone material. (See 1986:36.)
More recently (1988: 49), Converse has observed that "Trophy axes have been found as scattered and isolated occurrences over most of the state of Ohio. In fact, they seem almost to be an Ohio phenomenon since few of them occur outside the Ohio area." [Note: Of the hundreds of stone axes portrayed in Gale Highsmith's 1985 study of The Fluted Axe, nearly all of which were found in Wisconsin and most of which were of the Archaic period, not one appears to have trophy characteristics, though a few have polls which tend toward the pointed or conical shape. See examples on pages 21, 75, 76,143, 146, 161,339, and 436.]
Modifying an earlier conclusion, Converse has also recently noted (1988:49) that while the blades of most three-
quarter grooved trophy axes expand toward the bit, some of them, in fact, taper toward the bit.
Given all of the above, what can one deduce concerning an object that looks like a three-quarter grooved trophy axe but has been subjected to hard use, apparently through a good deal of cutting and chopping? Such an axe was found recently in the valley of the Little Indian Creek by David Havens while excavating steps for a new basement at a level approximately 2 feet below grade. It was found on the west side of Section 2 1 , Reily Township, Butler County, Ohio, just south of the Peoria-Reily Road. Measuring 57/e inches in length, 2% inches in width, 1% inches in thickness, and weighing % of a pound, it has been shaped from a drab grey compact granite hardstone, probably gneiss. (See Figures 1 and 2.) It was shown to me by Russell Barlion with the permission of Havens. In the same quarter-section in which it was found is a burial mound cited in William C. Mills' Archaeological Atlas of Ohio (1914: 9-10). Indeed, though the axe appears to be Archaic, as are most of those found along the Great Miami and its tributaries, the Indian Creek and the Talawanda, the area is also rich in Woodland remains, as evidenced by the presence of some 17 burial mounds in Reily Township.
Though the object of gneiss found by David Havens has some of the features of a trophy axe, with conical poll, exaggerated three-quarter groove, and appropriate length, and though gneiss was one of the materials from which trophy axes were commonly made, is it in fact a trophy axe? My conclusion is that it is not, for conventional trophy axes were ceremonial rather than utilitarian artifacts, with intentionally blunt rather than sharp bits, made from colorful materials rather than drab. Consequently, in response to the inevitable question, "What is it?", the best answer I can come up with is that it is an unconventional trophy-shaped three-quarter grooved axe. And, as such, it is the only one I have ever seen.
Acknowledgements To David Havens and Russell Barlion
go thanks for the opportunity they have given me to see this interesting axe. And, to the Audio Visual Service of Miami University goes appreciation once again for helpfulness in photographing it.
43
References
Casto, Don 1984 "A Fairfield County Trophy Axe.
Ohio Archaeologist, 34(4): 27. Converse, Robert N.
1973 Ohio Stone Tools. The Archaeological Society of Ohio, Columbus, (pp. 28-29)
1977 The Meuser Collection. Privately published, Plain City, Ohio. (pp. 92-93)
1978 Ohio Slate Types. The Archaeological Society of Ohio. (p. 116)
1986 "Trophy Axes." Ohio Archaeologist, 36(2): 36.
1988 "Trophy Axes."' Ohio Archaeologist, 38(3): 49.
Farrow, Dave 1986 "A Fine Trophy Axe." Ohio Archae
ologist, 36(1): 37. Goard, George, Jr.
1982 Trophy Axe From Ashland County." Ohio Archaeologist, 32(2): 9.
Highsmith, Gale V. 1985 The Fluted Axe. Privately pub
lished, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hothem, Lar
1982 North American Indian Artifacts. Books Americana, Inc., Florence, Alabama.
Martin, Paul S., George I. Quimby, and Donald Collier
1947 Indians Before Columbus. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
Mills, William C. 1914 Archaeological Atlas of Ohio. The
Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Columbus.
Shriver, Phillip R. 1985 "Archaic Three-Quarter Grooved
Axes from the Indian Creek and Whitewater Valleys." Ohio Archaeologist, 35(2): 7.
Staab, Okla M.R. 1981 "Trophy Axe From Wayne County,
Ohio." Ohio Archaeologist, 31(1): 24.
Stoutenburgh, John, Jr. 1960 Dictionary of the American Indians.
Philosophical Library, New York.
Fig 1 (Shriver) Three-quarter grooved axe of drab gray gneiss found by David Havens in the valley of the Little Indian Creek west of Reily in Butler County, Ohio. Its conical poll resembles that of a trophy
Fig. 2 (Shriver) Same axe, reverse side.
Statewide Historic Preservation Conference April 28-29 "Politics of Preservation" is the theme
of a statewide conference on historic preservation to be held in Columbus on April 28-29,1989. The two-day meeting will include sessions on characteristics of an effective local historic preservation ordinance, mechanics of running a design review commission, contending with design and legal issues that face commissions, the importance of including archaeological resources in local preservation laws, and working with politicians and the public. A special session will introduce the proposed
Ohio Historic Preservation Act, state legislation to foster preservation of historic, architectural, and archaeological resources in communities and rural areas throughout Ohio. Tours of downtown Columbus and surrounding neighborhoods including the newly-rehabilitated Brewery District near German Village will offer opportunities to meet and talk with preservationists from around the state. Participants also are eligible for special group rate tickets to "Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China," which will be on exhibit in Col
umbus. The conference is being organized by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society and is cosponsored by the Coalition for Ohio's Heritage, the Ohio Archaeological Council, the Ohio Association of Historic Preservation Commissions, and the Ohio Preservation Alliance. Registration is $40. To register or obtain more information write or call the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Ohio Historical Center, 1985 Velma Ave., Columbus, OH 43211, (614) 297-2470.
44
A.S.O. Chapter Representatives: 1988-89
Front row L-R: Carmel "Bud" Tackett- Mound City Chapter; Don Weller-Seneca Arrow Hunters; Garry L. Summers - Sugarcreek Valley Chapter; William M. King-Lake County Chapter; Steve Parker-Standing Stone Chapter, Back row L-R: Frank W. Otto-Six Rivers Chapter; Charles H. Fulk-Johnny Appleseed Chapter; Franklin Smith-Blue Jacket Society; Gene R. Edwards-Sandusky Bay Chapter; Clinton McClain-Fort Salem Chapter; Francis Fusco Jr. - Painted Post Chapter (V.P.); Carl R. Storti-King Beaver Chapter.
Photo courtesy Bill Pickard
Officers of the Archaeological Society of Ohio, January, 1989
Front row —Barbara Motts, Recording Secretary—Martha Otto, Past President—Jim Hoven, Director—Don Casto —President, Bob Converse —Editor, Back row: John Winsch — Director, Walt Sperry —Director, Larry Morris —Director, Steve Kelley—Director, Steve Parker—Treasurer, Gary Davis — Vice President, Mike Schoenfeld —Executive Secretary.
Photo courtesy Bill Pickard
45
ASO Award Winners, May 1986-November 1988 Best of Show 7986: May June
Fred Fisher, "lizard" effigies Col. and Ruth Vietzen, general
collection July Steve Puttera, general
collection August Lester Tolliver, general
collection Sept. Mel Wilkins, general collection Nov. Ron Gardner, general collection 7987: Jan. Ronald G. Helman, slate and
chlorite March Marvin Seeley, general
collection May Billy Hillen, slate June Col. and Ruth Vietzen, general
collection July Eugene and Virginia Cline,
pipes August Don Gehlbach, Flint Ridge
dovetail points Sept. Jim Hovan, axes Nov. William Piatt, slate 7988: Jan. Len Weidner, birdstones,
bannerstones, and pipes March Glen Spray, dovetails May Charles McCorkle, general
collection and birdstones June Col. Raymond and Ruth
Vietzen, general collection July Edward Richard, general
collection August Perry and Peggy Israel,
general collection Sept. Gerald E. Ball, general
collection Nov. Mel Wilkins, general collection
Best Type 7986: May Eugene Cline, abraiders June William Tiell, gorgets July Len Weidner, bannerstones August Jim Hovan, sandstone artifacts Sept. Paul Rankin, slate Nov. Steve and Mary Schenck,
Adena blades 7987: Jan. Glen Spray, dovetails March Paul Fritch, shell artifacts May Lester Tolliver, bannerstones June Edward Miller, slate artifacts July John Kohr, colored flint
artifacts August Kendall Saunders, colored flint
artifacts Sept. Daniel Kill, hardstone
pendants and gorgets Nov. S.A. Glass, shell ornaments
and gorgets
7988: Jan. Sam Speck, groundstone tools March George and Cheryl DeMuth,
pottery May Richard Shively, Upper
Mercer points June Gerald Wynn, trade axes and
tomahawks July Steve Puttera, pottery August Don L. Ward, flint collection Sept. Don Gehlbach, colorful flint Nov. Bob Converse, pendants and
gorgets
Best Site 7986; May Earl Carnes, Turpin, Farm site June Gene Edwards, Baker #2 site July Steve Puttera, Sr., St. George
Island site August Jerry Bailey, Bailey site Nov. Herb Searson, Searson Farm
site 7987: Jan. Carol and Danny Carter, Rolf
Lee site March Michael Decker, Sally Ray site May ASO Chapt. #8, Ohio River site June Kevin Boos, pottery from
various sites July Garry Summers, Nobles Pond
site, Stark County August David Untied, Longacre site,
Muskingum County Sept. Donald Weller, Seneca County
site Nov. Standing Stone Chapter,
Standing Stone site, Fairfield Co.
7988; Jan. Mason Brown, site 21-A,
Wood County March Ron Moxley, Orchard site,
Mason Co., West Virginia May Ed Richard, Kline site,
Tuscarawas County June Tim Novak, Rus-Vak site,
Mahoning County July William Carl Fry, Turner
earthworks, Hamilton County August Donald and Shirley Baker,
Mud Run site, Trumbull County
Sept. Carl T Mooney, Lawrence County Rockshelter
Nov. George DeMuth, Erie County site
Special Awards 7986: May Carol and Danny Carter,
Presidential award June Ken Hicks, Presidential award July Bruce Gandee, Presidential
award
August Willard Fought, Presidential award
Sept. Don and Doug Meier, Presidential award
Nov. Walt and Jared Sperry, Presidential award
7987: Jan. Michael Decker, Presidential
award March Michael Gramley, Most
Educational award May Lower Ohio River Basin
Chapter, Presidential award June Brian Mickey, Presidential
award July Tom Pigoti, Presidential award
Willard Center, Most Educational award
William Carl Fry, Most Educational award
August Don Potter, Presidential award Charles and Beverly
Henderson, Most Educational award
Sept. Mason Brown, Presidential award
Ken and Karen Hicks, Most Educational award
Richard Terry, Field-Found Collection award
Nov. Mike Kiel, President award
7988; Jan. Robison family, Presidential
award West Virginia Archaeological
Society, Most Educational award
March Robert and Ella Sterling, Presidential award
Jack Rosenfield, Most Educational award
May Larry and Nancy Morris, Presidential award
Gary Summers, Most Educational award
June Brian and Debra Mickey, Presidential award
July Sugarcreek Valley Chapter, Presidential award
August David and Judy Nehus, Presidential award
Harold Dellinger, Most Educational award
Sept. Lyle Meeker, Presidential award
Nov. Stephen and Sue House, Presidential award
Jimmie and Marilyn Lightner, Presidential award
Bill and Gwen King, Presidential award
46
Policy Statement Relative to Gifts, Memorials, and Bequests
Gifts, memorials, and bequests are a time-honored way of extending one's inf luence for good. Hopefully, the Archaeological Society of Ohio will be remembered often through such bequests, and that a well-planned Memorial Funds program will merit the confidence of an ever-increasing number of members who will place their Society in their plans for gifts and bequests. The fol lowing opportunit ies exist for members and friends to remember The Archaeological Society of Ohio. Designated Gifts, Memorials, or Bequests may be given in any of the following categories: I.The Memorial Fund
This Fund shall be used to provide the Society with something of specially needed, useful, artistic or informative value. It is the expressed intention that such monies or objects will not be expended to meet current expenses and benevolences. Both principal and interest shall be expended only upon the authorization of the Society Trustees. Suggestions for use may be made by the donor, Trustees, or Officers of the Society.
2. The Memorial Foundation Fund Monies constituting the principal of this Fund shall perpetuate and be expended only upon the authorization of the Board of Trustees. Monies earned as income from the investment of the principal may be expended for any purpose upon recommendation of the Memorial Funds Committee and subsequent approval of the Board of Trustees. The use of this Fund shall reflect as closely as possible the wishes of the various donors.
The Archaeological Society of Ohio Columbus, Ohio January 1, 1984
3. The General Fund Monies so designated will be used for current operating expenses of the Officers. This Fund is administered by the Officers and Board of Trustees, and includes special projects and publications.
4. Special Property Funds (Real, Personal) Gifts or Bequests of Real property shall be funded at the request of the donor. The Trustees declare they will hold all property, of every type and description, which they are acquiring together with the proceeds there of in the named Fund. They will manage and dispose of the same for the benefit of The Archaeological Society and in keeping with the intention of the bequest of donor.
5. Donors may designate bequests in one or more of the above categories. However, special categories will be considered. If no designation is made, the Board of Trustees shall determine the disbursement.
6. The Trustees of the Archaeological Society of Ohio have sole responsibility for acquiring, holding, managing, improving, dealing with and disposing of property, real and personal wherever s i tuated that is received. The Trustees of the Archaeological Society of Ohio shall be governed by the Constitution of the Archaeological Society of Ohio in the performance of the above duties.
7. A complete financial report of these Funds shall be presented each year at the Annual Meeting of the Society.
8. Names of persons contributing will be placed in The Book of Record.
A.S.O. Trust Committee The committee shall consist of 5
members, one of which shall be a current member of the board of trustees.
The committee shall assist the A.S.O. board with the building and control of the assets of the A.S.O. trust. This responsibility will include selecting appraisers for gifts and management of trust property under control of the A.S.O. board.
The committee will make an annual report to the officers and trustees of the A.S.O.
Life Membership (Other than Honorary) A life member whall be any individual
who contributes $300 in a lump sum to the A.S.O. This individual shall have full membership status and shall not be required to pay membership for life. This membership is nor transferable.
Endowment Membership An endowment member shall be any
individual who has contributed $1000 to the A.S.O. The endowment member will have the membership status of the life member. Contr ibut ions toward endowment status may be made at any t ime after l i fe membership is established.
Life and endowment members will be recognized at the appropriate annual meeting of the A.S.O. Publication of either life or endowment status will be at the discretion of the donor.
The business manager of the A.S.O. will keep records of contributions of life and endowment members. Contributions received will be placed in the permanent trust fund. It is intended that this fund will perpetuate, only interest earnings should be used.
Retire Joe Redick, long time Business Man
ager for the Archaeological Society of Ohio, announced his plan to retire from the job in the near future. This photograph of Joe, taken in 1960 and supplied by member John Ford of Cen-terville, shows him at one of our picnic meetings.
Every member of our Society owes Joe a debt of gratitude for the efficient and business-like job he has done for these many years. Joe is an outstanding person and a gentleman in every respect and his shoes will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. Even though he will no longer be Business Manager, we look forward to his continuing interest, help and advice.
Business Manager Joe Redick to
47
OBJECT OF THE SOCIETY The Archaeological Society of Ohio is organized to discover and conserve archaeological sites and
material within the State ol Ohio, to seek and promote a better understanding among students and collectors of archaeological material, professional and non-professional, including individuals, museums, and institutions of learning, and to disseminate knowledge on the subject of archaeology. Membership in this society shall be open to any person of good character interested in archaeology or the collecting of American Indian artifacts, upon acceptance of written application and payment of dues.