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PREHISTORIC
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FILSON CLUB PUBLICATIONS
NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE
THE PREHISTORIC MEN
OF KENTUCKY
A History of what is known of their Lives and Habits,
together with a description of their Implements
and other Relics and of the Tumuli which
have earned for them the designa-
tion of Mound Builders
PREPARED TO COMMEMORATE THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY
OF THE FILSON CLUB
BY
COLONEL BENNETT H. YOUNG
MEMBER OF THE FILSON CLUB
25

COLONEL BENNETT H. YOUNG
Member of The Filson Club
FILSON CLUB PUBLICATIONS No. 25
་
THE PREHISTORIC MEN
OF KENTUCKY
A History of what is known of their Lives and Habits, together with a
description of their Implements and other Relics and of the Tumuli
which have earned for them the designation of Mound Builders
A Paper
Prepared to commemorate the Silver Anniversary of The Filson Club
BY
COLONEL BENNETT H. YOUNG
Member of The Filson Club
Illustrated
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
JOHN P. MORTON & COMPANY
(Incorporated)
PRINTERS TO THE FILSON CLUB
1910
E
74
.K3
468
Buhr
COPYRIGHT, 1910,
BY
THE FILSON CLUB
All Rights Reserved
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mounds and Mound Burials
Kentucky's Largest Fort
Imaginary Battle Scene
Stone Structure in Nelson County
Prehistoric Dress
Needles, Awls, and Thread
Weapons and Manner of Use
Confidential Foreword
Theories and Traditions as to who were the Prehistoric
Men of Kentucky
Beginnings of Archeological Research in Kentucky
Period in which These People Lived in Kentucky
Stone Grave Burials
Earthwork and Stone Fortifications and Enclosures
PAGE
V-XIII
I
12
19
22
31
50
75
85
96
100
109
114
Axes, Celts, Pestles, and Mortars
Pottery Ware and Implements
Chipped Stone Implements
122
143
147
Ceremonials of Polished Stone
194
Pierced Tablets
Tubes
205
207
Boat Stones
219
Copper Implements and Ornaments
224
Ornaments and Other Objects of Hematite
233
Engraved Gorgets and Other Objects of Shell
235
Stone Beads and Rings
247
Fishing and Fishing Implements
250
Drills, Drilling, and Fire Making
259
Images and Idols
262
Pipes and Smoking
270
Discoveries in Kentucky Caves
294
[iii]
A CONFIDENTIAL FOREWORD
IN
N 1890 the author was induced to begin the collection
of prehistoric implements. Thomas G. Went, a learned
and intelligent antiquarian, who was for many years.
Chief Assistant in the office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction of Kentucky, at Frankfort, first in-
duced me, by the gift of a small and well-selected cabinet,
to enter upon what was to become a delightful and per-
manent study and pursuit.
When a member of the Constitutional Convention
of Kentucky, in September, 1890, a delegate incidentally
mentioned to me that Mr. Went had some beautiful arrow-
heads, and that they would well repay a visit and inves-
tigation. This was done on the following day, and these
specimens were found to be marvels of beauty. Few
comparatively in number, but which had been selected
by a careful, discriminating, and enthusiastic student,
they were worthy of all the admiration that could be felt
or expressed in their examination.
During the conversation he inquired if his visitor
were a member of the Constitutional Convention. Having
received an affirmative reply, he remarked that there
was one member of the Convention from Louisville he
was extremely anxious to meet-Bennett H. Young. The
response came that the visitor knew the gentleman well
and had a great affection as well as regard for him, and
would be glad to bring him over on the day following,
[v]
A Confidential Foreword
and twelve o'clock was fixed as the time for the call of
this Louisville visitor. Promptly at the hour the author
appeared at Mr. Went's desk. The venerable student
raised his eyes when saluted, but a shadow of disap-
pointment passed over his face as he saw the author
alone. In response to his inquiry why Young did not
come, I waved my hand and smote upon my breast, and
with some degree of pleasure and also pride, said, "Mr.
Went, I am he!" This naïve and somewhat uncere-
monious introduction pleased the reserved and laborious
educator and collector, and, in recognition of some slight
favors done, he shortly afterward presented me his entire
cabinet.
When a mere lad, on my father's farm in Jessamine
County, Kentucky, while plowing, hoeing, planting, and
harvesting with my brother, I had picked up some beauti-
ful arrow-points and a few stone axes, and placed them
in a small box as my most valued treasures. College
life, war, exile, and the experiences of an eventful and
busy professional career, coupled with that strenuousness
which faced all Confederates after the end of the struggle,
had buried the memory of the flints and axes. The gift
of Mr. Went awoke a slumbering admiration which for
forty years had remained dormant, and with a well fixed,
increasing yearning I at once set about gathering a store
of these stone implements and remains. Like a tiger,
the taste of blood only enlarged the desire, and soon my
researches, as well as my demands for specimens, became
a torment to my friends and acquaintances.
Opening a school of correspondence, by incessant
inquiry the best fields in the State were soon located.
Kentucky had been largely neglected among archeologists.
[vi]
A Confidential Foreword
Something had been written, but it had not permeated
the public mind. It was something new in Kentucky,
at that period, to have a really earnest, aggressive col-
lector. In a little while my home became an exaggerated
junk shop. It does not take one long to recognize the
fact that a great collector must confine his work to a
single line, and to attain preeminence, unless extraordi-
nary outlays be made, to a limited territory. Kentucky
to Kentuckians has generally appeared to be large enough
for reasonable ambition, and so my collection was made
a distinctly Kentucky aggregation. Here and there some
stranger specimen of rare beauty from the outside crept
into the cases, but the main purpose was to confine the
museum to Kentucky archeological art. Persistent work,
untiring patience, unflagging enthusiasm, and moderate out-
lay resulted in gathering together what some antiquarians
are pleased to consider one of the world's best collections.
The leading scientists of this country have not hesitated
to say that in some respects this Kentucky cabinet
has no superior among the best public and private
collections of its kind, a fact which appeals very strongly
to one's honest pride.
Long since the desire for mere numbers of specimens
has passed away, and for the last decade only those things
which are of highest excellence have been considered
or sought. The pleasure and joy of massing such a multi-
tude of prehistoric remains aroused a yearning and resolve
to know all that could be learned of the people who created
and used these implements, and induced a study of that
which would give some account of those who, in the ages
past, called Kentucky home, and who, hundreds and
maybe thousands of years ago, lived and loved, toiled,
[vii]
A Confidential Foreword
battled, and builded along its water courses, in its val-
leys, on its hillsides, and over its mountain heights.
None who considered all that pertained to this van-
ished race could doubt that, in centuries gone by, a vast
population had lived in the bounds of Kentucky; that
they who constructed the fortifications, erected the
monuments, and tilled the soil within the limits of the
Commonwealth had been industrious, ingenious, brave,
and thrifty, and that among the nations of their day
and generation they had been leaders, ranking high in
nationhood, and had stood for much that was bold, wise,
and progressive.
The publication of my investigations, explorations,
and discoveries from time to time in Kentucky prints and
elsewhere, and lectures before intelligent audiences along
such lines, have always called forth surprise and created
a deep and abiding interest. Cultured people never fail
to be fascinated and interested with the remarkable facts
that the prehistoric remains of Kentucky furnish, and
all who hear the story connected with the finds of
archeological pursuits long to hear more of what these
indestructible and inanimate witnesses have to tell of
those who in the long
in the long "long ago" made Kentucky
their abode.
This appreciation of the work done in opening the
graves and revealing their secrets, in measuring the mounds
and locating and investigating the forts and describing
the implements of peace and of war, aroused the desire to
put into some permanent form, with adequate illustra-
tions, that which had been learned of these wonderful
people; and so, when Colonel R. T. Durrett, the
President of the Filson Club, asked me to write for
[viii]
A Confidential Foreword
that organization the twenty-fifth volume of its publi-
cations, and thus commemorate its silver anniversary, I
consented to prepare this book. Its conclusions may not
always meet those of many of its readers. Its reasonings
may not always be logical, but it represents truly the
things seen by him who writes, and may at least prove
helpful to him who in after years, on a larger scale, with
better facilities and more learning, undertakes to make
a record of those who inhabited Kentucky centuries before
Columbus turned the prows of his ships toward the setting
sun, or found in the New World the verification of his
deductions, which his fellows classed as the dreams of a
sentimental theorist.
This work is written without any technical or scien-
tific plan or purpose. Its object is not to be learned.
The sole purpose is to place in permanent form illustra-
tions of some of the most beautiful and best typical remains
of this ancient people, and to publish in a way to attract
the general reader, and for the information and instruc-
tion of the people at large, an account of those who, so
many hundreds of years ago, loved Kentucky, and occu-
pied it as their home.
The study of these first simon-pure Kentuckians ought
to be as attractive and interesting as the study of men
who lived in Egypt, Hindustan, China, Europe, or Africa
in the centuries past. There are both sentimental and
historic reasons which should induce Kentuckians as much
to search for knowledge of the prehistoric people of the
State as for that of the prehistoric men of other lands.
It may be truly said that no practical good can come
from learning aught of these people, of whom no printed
and few pictorial remains exist, but if this be true where
[ix]
A Confidential Foreword
prehistoric Kentuckians are concerned, it is certainly
equally true of those nations who inhabited other parts
of the world, and of whom dim tradition, graves, and
metal or stone implements alone speak to the people of
the present age. There is much of human knowledge that
is neither practical nor exact, yet which pleases the mind
and widens the range of research and thought. It might
give one more reputation among the professors and
scientists to deal with these matters on different lines,
and it would give more scholastic satisfaction. This book,
however, is simply written for the people at large, and
endeavors to tell in a way that can be fully understood
and readily appreciated, in so far as can now be ascer-
tained, the customs, habits, pursuits, achievements, and
manufactures of Kentucky's first settlers.
There are many persons to whom I must confess a very
high degree of obligation; they are so many that it is
difficult to determine where to begin naming them.
First comes Mr. Samuel G. Tate, a brilliant young
lawyer at the Louisville bar, whose selected cabinet, acute
observations, wide reading, and enthusiastic pursuit of
all that touch prehistoric Kentucky, has made him in
this work to me absolutely essential. His journeys and
investigations have added much to the store of prehis-
toric lore, and if his life is long spared he is destined to
gain a leading place in this department.
Second, Professor H. Stahl, of Parkersburg, West Vir-
ginia, who came and spent several months in my home,
and who, by his artistic genius in arranging the plates
and designing photographic positions and investigating
the facts, did for me that which I could not do for myself.
He, aided by his own splendid cabinet and a patient study
[ x ]
A Confidential Foreword
of forty years, has gained for himself a well-merited promi-
nence among the archeologists of the Middle West.
Third, Mr. Harry L. Johnson, of Clarksville, Tennessee,
a Louisville-born boy, who with his father, Captain James
Johnson, has gathered more of that which is beautiful
and exquisite in prehistoric art, explored more mounds,
opened more graves, and handled more specimens in the
archeological line than any private individual known to
me of the present generation. Living on the banks of the
Cumberland River, a few miles above Clarksville, in the last
few years he has expanded and enlarged his explorations,
and in his home on the river bluff are treasures which make
archeologists turn green with envy, and of such vast
extent that he himself only partly knows either their
full beauty or their commercial value. His intense love for
these treasures of the past, and his unlimited energy in
their discovery and acquisition, have brought to him one
of the most remarkable of existing cabinets. It ought
to be the ambition of some possessor of great wealth to
persuade Mr. Johnson to part with his treasures, and
place them where wondering thousands might see their
marvelous beauty. He has generously lent me for illus-
tration in this book a number of Kentucky specimens,
and I am indebted to him for help in many ways in getting
material for this volume.
I beg to acknowledge my obligations to Professor
F. W. Putnam, of Harvard University, whose scientific
attainments and great scholarship lend a charm to his
delightful writings; also Professor Warren K. Moorehead,
whose industry and zeal, and wide knowledge of all
that concerns prehistoric man, give him worthy pre-
eminence among the archeologists of this country; Gen-
[xi]
A Confidential Foreword
eral Gates P. Thruston, whose "Antiquities of Tennessee"
is certainly the most wonderful book from a local archeo-
logical standpoint that has been published in America.
This work on the antiquities of Tennessee has been an
inspiration and a help to all who deal with this delightful
and interesting subject. No one can deal with primitive
man in Kentucky without a deep sense of obligation to
Professor Lucien Carr, of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
formerly connected with the Kentucky Geological Survey.
His acute power of analysis, his tireless pursuit of
knowledge, and his wonderful breadth of reading excite
surprise and admiration.
Among others who have lent me kindly and generous
assistance I name Colonel R. T. Durrett, Louisville, Ken-
tucky; Honorable James H. Mulligan, Lexington, Kentucky;
Miss Belle Bennett, Richmond, Kentucky; Colonel J.
Stoddard Johnston, Louisville, Kentucky; Honorable T.
E. Pickett, Maysville, Kentucky; Honorable C. L. Searcy,
Waco, Kentucky; J. Wesley Griffin, Esq., Warsaw, Ken-
tucky; Honorable J. S. Brown, Warsaw, Kentucky; Miss
Ora Hazelip, Brownsville, Kentucky; Honorable Thomas
G. Stuart, Winchester, Kentucky; Honorable M. J. Holt,
Louisville, Kentucky; L. B. Handley, Esq., Hodgenville,
Kentucky; Stanley Frost, Esq., and C. J. Ogg, Esq.,
Berea, Kentucky; Reverend Cary F. Moore, Cynthiana,
Kentucky; Doctor W. P. Taylor, Fulton, Kentucky; J. E.
Pilant, Esq., Fredonia, Kentucky; Charles O'Neill, Esq.,
Frankfort, Kentucky; Major W. A. Elliott, Mammoth
Cave, Kentucky; Miss Sallie L. Hazen, Glasgow Junction,
Kentucky; Mrs. Ellen Rogers, Cadiz, Kentucky; Captain
John W. Tuttle, Monticello, Kentucky; Doctor W. E.
Baxter, Frankfort, Kentucky, Honorable B. F. Proctor,
[ xii]
A Confidential Foreword
Bowling Green, Kentucky; Miss Annie L. Gullion, Carroll-
ton, Kentucky; Honorable J. M. Richardson, Glasgow,
Kentucky. There are many others whose kindly co-
operation has placed me under lasting obligations.
These pages have been written while the author was
either trying or preparing a lawsuit, every working
day of the week. Many errors must have crept into
the text, and the author in advance confesses the reason-
ableness of all fair criticism, and pledges himself, when
the duties of life are less exacting, to prepare a new and
enlarged edition, which shall exhibit his appreciation of
the suggestions of all those who think he has made
mistakes.
BENNETT H. YOUNG.
Louisville, June 1, 1910.
[ xiii]
!
THE PREHISTORIC MEN
OF KENTUCKY
THE PREHISTORIC MEN
OF KENTUCKY
THEORIES AND TRADITIONS AS TO WHO
WERE THE PREHISTORIC MEN OF
KENTUCKY.
N all ages of the world there has been a universal
interest in the study of mankind. No sooner do
I
we hear of a race than there arises a desire to know
something of their condition, their manner of living, and
the source of their origin.
One of the first questions that comes up in connection
with the prehistoric race in Kentucky is, Who were they?
Were they the Indians rendered more ingenious, mechani-
cal, and skillful by concentration in large communities,
or were these prehistoric men of a different race, descend-
ants of a different people, with differing characteristics
and methods of living? It was several hundreds of years.
after the white people came to America and settled this
continent before any thorough investigation was made
of the antiquities which existed in this land. Those who
came in personal contact with the Indians inquired of
them what they knew of the antiquities of which this
book treats. The answer almost without exception
was that they knew nothing of the people who were
[1]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
engaged in the building of these mounds, how they were
erected, whence the people came who made them, or
whither they had gone.
No human memory has revealed and no hand has
detailed that which occurred to these primitive people
into whose past we attempt to throw the light of
research. Before all who undertake to investigate this
question there is a mysterious past, and the silent and
mute vestiges erected in stone and earth are all that reach
the eye of him who would penetrate into the secrets of
this vanished people. Along the tributaries of the Missis-
sippi may be found the imprint of many things of this
mysterious race, whose mounds and whose temples, and
whose forts built of indestructible material, testify that
in the valleys and the prairies and on the rich hillsides
of this vast and fertile territory there was once a people
who had a history, and who in war and peace must have
been brave, patriotic, and industrious. The scant mate-
rial at the command of the inquirer renders his task
difficult and sometimes burdensome. Traditions here,
mounds there, forts elsewhere, temples of worship scat-
tered all through this territory, are the sources from
which information must be secured and on which deduc-
tions must be based.
The Delawares have a tradition that, many centuries
ago, a warlike race emerged from the West and started
upon a course of conquest. But this mighty host, when
it approached the territory contiguous to the Mississippi
River, found as a bar to its progress a valiant, aggressive,
and resourceful people. These traditions have been so
beautifully told by Doctor Thomas E. Pickett, one of
the most charming writers that Kentucky has ever pro-
[2]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
duced, that we can not forbear quoting from his pamphlet
entitled "The Testimony of the Mounds." He says:
"The two nations thus confronting each other upon
the banks of the Mississippi measured the situation with
a civilized eye-the Lenni-Lenape diplomatically par-
leying for the right of passage, and the subtle Allegewi
hypocritically affecting to hear. As a result of these
diplomatic negotiations, the Lenni-Lenape were treacher-
ously assailed in an attempted passage, and driven back,
though not utterly destroyed, by their perfidious foe.
But the tradition further relates that there was a coincident
migration of the warlike Iroquois from the far West on
a higher line of latitude, and that this people were seeking
to effect a passage of the same stream at another point.
The Lenni-Lenape, speedily rallying from their repulse,
strike a military league with the Iroquois, proclaim a war
of extermination against the Allegewi, reduce their strong-
holds, desolate their lands, and drive them southward
in disastrous retreat their chosen seats being abandoned
to the conqueror in tumultuous haste, and themselves
becoming a nation of wanderers upon the shores of the
stream which they had perfidiously attempted to defend.
But this tradition of the Delawares does not stand alone.
That the prehistoric inhabitants of Kentucky were at
some indeterminate period overwhelmed by a tide of
savage invasion from the North, is a point upon which
Indian tradition, as far as it goes, is positive and explicit.
It is related, in a posthumous fragment on 'Western An-
tiquities,' by Reverend John P. Campbell, M. D., which
was published in the early part of the present century,
that Colonel James Moore, of Kentucky, was told by an
old Indian that the primitive inhabitants of this State
[ 3 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
і
had perished in a war of extermination waged against
them by the Indians; that the last great battle was fought
at the Falls of the Ohio; and that the Indians succeeded
in driving the aborigines into a small island below the
Rapids, 'where the whole of them were cut to pieces.'
The Colonel was assured that the evidence of this event
rested upon facts handed down by tradition, and that
he would have decisive proofs of it under his eyes as soon
as the waters of the Ohio became low. When the waters
of the river had fallen, an examination of Sandy Island
was made, and 'a multitude of human bones was dis-
covered.' There is a similar confirmation of
of this
tradition in the statement of General George Rogers
Clark, that there was a great burying-ground on the
northern side of the river, but a short distance below
the Falls. According to a tradition imparted to the
same gentleman by the Indian chief Tobacco, the battle
of Sandy Island decided finally the fall of Kentucky,
with its ancient inhabitants. When Colonel McKee com-
manded on the Kanawha (says Doctor Campbell), he
was told by the Indian chief Cornstalk, with whom he
had frequent conversations, that Ohio and Kentucky
(and Tennessee also is associated with Kentucky in the
prehistoric ethnography of Rafinesque) had once been
settled by a white people who were familiar with arts
of which the Indians knew nothing; that these whites,
after a series of bloody contests with the Indians, had been
exterminated; that the old burial places were the graves
of an unknown people; and that the old forts had not
been built by Indians, but had come down from 'a very
long ago' people, who were of a white complexion and
skilled in the arts.
[4]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
"In addition to this traditional testimony, various
and striking traces of a deadly conflict have been found
all along the Ohio border. To say nothing of the vast
system of fortifications covering exposed and important
points, and evidently designed as a general barrier against
hostile incursions, there are significant traces of former
conflicts in the old 'battlefields' of Bourbon, Pendleton,
and Bracken counties, which, clearly indicating occur-
rences beyond the pale of the historic period, confirm
in some measure the traditional theory or belief of a pro-
tracted and desolating struggle for the possession of this
borderland. And doubtless the familiar appellation of 'the
Dark and Bloody Ground' originated in the gloom and hor-
ror with which the Indian imagination naturally invested
the traditional scenes and events of that strange and
troubled period. General Clark declares that Ken-tuck-e in
the language of the Indians signifies 'the river of blood.'
"It is not improbable, judging from the frequency
with which fortifications occur upon the banks of water
courses, that the bloodiest battles were fought upon the
banks of navigable streams. Ken-tuck-e, to the Indian,
was a land of ill repute, and, wherever a lodge fire blazed,
strange and unholy rumors' were busy with her name.
The old Indian who described to Colonel Moore the san-
guinary and decisive battle of Sandy Island expressed
great astonishment that white people could live in a
country which had been the scene of such conflicts; and
an ancient Sac, whom Colonel Joe Hamilton Daveiss
met at St. Louis in 1800, gave utterance to similar expres-
sions of surprise. Kentucky, he said, was filled with the
ghosts of its slaughtered inhabitants; how could the white
man make it his home?”
[ 5 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
While the early authorities questioned the connection
of the American monuments with the arts and science
and culture of the European, yet they all admit that these
things, found in America when the white man came, have
intrinsic evidence which demonstrates conclusively that
they were constructed hundreds of years before. How
little the early wise men of America knew of these antiq-
uities has in the last fifty years been fully and thoroughly
demonstrated. Doctor Benjamin Franklin, in reply to a
learned man who made inquiries concerning these remains,
sagely suggested that the works in Ohio had been con-
structed by De Soto, and so wise and learned a man as
Noah Webster, after hearing Franklin's theory, undertook
to defend and prove it. Subsequently, however, he
abandoned the views which he had then set forth, and
concluded that they were the work of the Indians. Other
authorities insisted that while these remains were not
constructed by De Soto and his followers, yet they be-
longed to an age that antedated the discovery of the
country, and they vigorously assert that these wonderful
antiquities were not the product of Indian industry or
skill, but of another people who were not savage, but
who had some knowledge of arts and sciences and also
some well-defined ideas of political organization. Early
in 1800 there appeared in these discussions two very im-
portant characters, Reverend Thaddeus M. Harris, of
Massachusetts, and Bishop Madison, of Virginia. It is
said of these two archeologists that they were among
the first who united opportunities of personal observation
with the advantages of scientific culture, to impart to the
public their impressions of Western antiquities. They
represented the two classes of observers whose opposite
1
[ 6 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
views divided the sentiment of the country. The first
class saw no evidence of art beyond what might be expected
of existing tribes with the simple difference of more numer-
ous population and consequently better defined and more
permanent habitations; the others found proofs of skill
and refinement to be explained, as they believed, only
upon the supposition that a superior native race, or more
probably people of foreign and higher civilization, once
occupied the soil.
Bishop Madison was an advocate of the first theory
and Doctor Harris undertook to make good the claims
of the second, and urged with great vigor that the Mound
Builders were Toltecs who, after residing for a time
in the regions of the Mississippi Valley, moved south
into Mexico. These two views were pressed with great
force and earnestness by many learned and careful observ-
ers in later years. As has been said, on this subject two
opinions are held and strongly advocated; the first, that the
people who constructed these remains were of a different
and superior race to the Indian. Those so holding contend
that the remains found in the shape of mounds, teocallis
(or places of worship), fortifications, implements of various
kinds, indicate that these people were a race of superior
culture to the Indians; that these remains point conclu-
sively to the fact that those who constructed them were
an agricultural people of sedentary habits, and lived in
organized communities; that the works themselves bear
evidences of mathematical and engineering knowledge
which the Indian never possessed or exhibited; and that
the fortifications show that these people were at war with
other nations, and that in such warfare it became neces-
sary for these Mound Builders to erect stone, wooden,
[ 7 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and earthen defenses, and that the evidences show that
these were displaced by more aggressive and warlike
foes. They also insist that the Indians themselves declared
that they knew nothing of the people who builded these
structures, and that they were concluded ages before
even the red men found them, and that they could tell
nothing concerning the origin or use of these monuments.
There are some who insist that these
insist that these monuments
must have been erected by a people different from the
American Indian, yet they do not attempt to tell who
the Mound Builders were. They hold no opinion upon
the racial and ethnical relations of those who constructed
these monuments, but declare that the Indian was not
capable of doing the work which was required in their
construction.
The second class insist that there is nothing in these
monuments to indicate greater genius, greater skill, or
greater patience than the American Indian has exhibited
along many other lines; that it is established beyond all
question that in historical times the Indian constructed
mounds and fortifications, and further, that their burials
are similar in most respects to those of the Mound
Builders. They say that the mere fact of structures being
erected for military purposes demonstrates nothing, because
the different Indian nations were themselves constantly
at war with each other, and were known to make long
marches in order to punish or destroy other Indian nations
who had inflicted upon them some real or imaginary wrong.
They say further, that there was scarcely a tribe from
the Atlantic to the Western plains that did not have some
capital or fixed location in which large numbers of their
people resided, and that these subsisted upon the prod-
[ 8 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ucts of agriculture. They insist that De Soto found
all the tribes he visited were successful in cultivating
maize and various vegetables, and that the early voyagers
along the Atlantic shores found the same thing true from
Florida to Massachusetts, and that John Smith and his
colony depended largely for subsistence upon the products
raised by the Indians. Champlain, La Salle, and Mar-
quette all observed that the Indians were engaged in suc-
cessful agriculture, and, instead of being dependent upon
the chase, really lived almost altogether upon the prod-
ucts of the soil. They insist that the specimens of art
from the mounds "do not excel in any respect those of
the Indian tribes known to history.' The advocates
of this theory insist that there is conclusive evidence
to show that in New York and in the Southern States
the Indians did build mounds and embankments that
are essentially of the same character as those found
in Ohio; that during the examination of one of the
greatest of the Ohio systems of works, which are
among the most elaborate of their kind-namely, the
remains at Circleville, Ohio-were found articles of iron
and silver, showing conclusively that these were built
after contact with the whites, and therefore by the
recent Indians. They further argue that as the Indians
are the only people except the whites who, so far as
we of this age know, have ever held the region over
which these remains were scattered, that therefore it
requires proof of the most positive character to show
that they were not the work of the red Indians. They
contend that this proof is lacking, and that the reasonable
conclusion is that they were built by the red man, or the
American Indian.
[9]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
4
Some of the most acute and careful of all American
writers have engaged in discussions on this subject, and
probably no fact of American history has brought to its elab-
oration more brilliant, scholarly, or enthusiastic authors.
To the average mind, after hearing all that can be advanced
by either side, it may be safely said that the better of the
argument remains with those who insist that these monu-
ments were erected by the red Indians or their ancestors, but
even those who maintain this view with the greatest perti-
nacity and defend it with the greatest ability are compelled
to admit that their own conclusions are not always satis-
factory, and that there are many things said by those who
oppose their theory which carry with them much weight,
and which necessarily inject some doubt into the con-
clusions which they have reached and which they so
ardently maintain. A book of a thousand pages could
not fully and thoroughly set forth all that has been vigor-
ously said on both sides of this question. As these people
seem to have had no written language, and no system
of transcribing even in stone the story of their life and
of their origin, after all there must be much of conjecture
and there must ever remain, at least in some minds, a
doubt of the certainty that these wonderful antiquities
were constructed by the American Indian. It is not
the purpose of this book to argue out this question, but
we can only state succinctly and fairly the various theories
upon either side of this subject, and then deal with the
things about which we can be reasonably certain in con-
nection with those who undertook the erection of these
attractive and interesting structures, and who, in their
completion-considering the implements they had at hand—
demonstrate certainly not only great genius and great
[ 10 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
taste, but an energy and persistence which are both strik-
ing and surprising, and it may be said almost incredible.
Without wagons or carts, or beasts of burden, they under-
took the erection of earthworks which fill us with ad-
miration at the courage and the patience which would
seek to accomplish such marvelous tasks. The greatest
of all the mounds is that at Cahokia, Illinois, and even
to the men of the present day the construction of such
a work would entail an outlay of money and time which
would stagger the enterprising and well-equipped con-
structor of modern days. The monument erected on the
battlefield of Waterloo is one of the most notable instances
of modern earthworks. Compared to the great mound
at Cahokia, its building would be but child's play. This
monument at Waterloo is justly esteemed one of the most
effective of all monuments ever builded to commemorate
the deeds of men.
The base of the Cahokia mound, north and south,
measures 998 feet, east and west 721 feet, height 99 feet,
width of lower terrace 30 feet, outward extent of terrace
200 feet, and the area of the base of the mound is estimated
to cover sixteen acres of ground. Omitting much that
might be counted within the mound and represented in
the labor of its erection, the contents covered 21,690,000
cubic feet. It has been estimated that it would require,
according to the calculations, one thousand men nearly
five years to erect such a mound with the means that the
prehistoric inhabitants had at their command. We are
bound to conclude from the structures of earth and stone
which were fashioned by these people-whether they be
historic or prehistoric, whether they be Indians or be-
longed to another race-that they were a people who pos-
[ 11 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
sessed considerable mechanical genius and engineering
skill, and that there was nothing too great for them to
undertake in the commemoration of their distinguished
dead, or for the purposes of worship, or for places of
safety when imperiled by flood. If these earthworks
were used ceremonially or for purposes of worship, they
exhibited an intensity of zeal and consecration to the
objects of their adoration which have few parallels in
human observation. If they were used for the purpose
of burial, then they demonstrate a love and veneration
for the dead which have no equal in the annals of man-
kind. If they were used for purposes of residence or refuge,
they likewise exhibit a zealous activity and untiring indus-
try that excite, as well as deserve, the admiration of all
races and people.
BEGINNINGS OF ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
IN KENTUCKY.
The first permanent white settlement in Kentucky was
in 1775. Those who had come into the State floated
down the Ohio and traveled along the difficult and
dangerous Wilderness Road, built their stockade at
Boonesboro and their cabins at Harrodsburg, and began
the conquest of the wilderness which on every side, in
its density and in its difficulties, faced the new-coming
Anglo-Saxon. The men who thus came into the State had
no opportunity for archeological investigation; they were
busy in the defense of their lives, in cutting down the
mighty forest trees, in preparing their corn patches and
taking care of them. The first cabin at Lexington was
[ 12 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
built in 1779. On the first of April the pioneers began
to fell the trees, clear the space, and a blockhouse, sur-
rounded by a stockade commanding Maxwell Spring, was
the beginning of that beautiful and progressive city.
John Filson, Kentucky's first historian, noted the fact
that Lexington had been inhabited long years before
the coming of the white man. As early as 1776, some
hunters from Boonesboro had their curiosity excited by
the strange appearance of a pile of stones of curious work-
manship which they saw in the woods covering the place
where Lexington now stands. The removal of these
stones is said to have revealed the entrance to an ancient
catacomb. A gradual descent from the opening covered
by these rocks revealed a passage four feet wide and
seven feet high, leading into a large stone room in which
were numerous niches containing human bodies in a state
of preservation. As late as 1782 this catacomb was visited
by numbers of Indians and whites, but it was early de-
spoiled of its ancient treasures, and the bodies, mummified
by some process, destroyed.
Early traditions tell that, when peace had come and
the white men had driven the red men out of the territory,
this underground burial place was visited and inspected.
Thomas Ashe, a traveler of
traveler of questionable veracity in
this country in 1806, claimed in his book, published at
London in 1808, that he had visited and explored this
marvelous catacomb, and added not a little to the early
traditions which existed concerning it. The truth of much
that he claimed to have seen rests entirely on his state-
ments. It was three hundred feet long, one hundred feet
wide, and eighteen feet high. The dust and rubbish which
covered the floor was that which had come from the bodies
[ 13 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
entombed within its depths. It is a strange fact that
the entrance to this burial place is now totally unknown.
Within its vacant chambers no voice is heard and no
footstep disturbs the silence of its dead; above, the tide
of commerce and trade sweeps over the surface which
hides from human eye the story of this ancient tomb.
Be this as it may, it is a fact that can not be denied that
Lexington was once the center of a great prehistoric popu-
lation. About the city are found the remains of earth-
works; whether they be fortifications or whether they
be sacrificial altars, they were certainly constructed by
people who, for savages, were well advanced, and the vast
number of implements and arms of stone tell the story
that they were used by a people both intelligent and brave.
When Kentucky pioneers undertook, in 1775, to make
a permanent settlement within the limits of the State,
they had neither the time nor the ability to investigate
any of these remains, but as soon as the forest was leveled
and the fields began to be cultivated, they observed a
large number of artificial earthen mounds. They inquired
of the red man what was his knowledge of these tumuli.
He answered, "Our people did not build them; they
belong to a people whom our forefathers fought and drove
from the territory, but whence these people came and
whither they have gone we do not know." As cultivation
extended and the area of the fields increased, these mounds
became more distinct and better recognized, and then,
led by curiosity, their contents were examined; the forti-
fications or places for worship which had been builded
with earthen embankments were noted, but it was not
until 1819 that the subject received any scientific or intel-
ligent investigation.
[ 14 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
In 1788 Transylvania Seminary was removed to Lex-
ington; in 1794 it had reached a high degree of efficiency,
and in 1798 the pretentious name of Transylvania Uni-
versity was given the infant institution. To this insti-
tution, in 1817, had come Constantine Samuel Rafinesque,
a young professor full of enthusiasm and zeal. These an-
cient monuments of a vanished race aroused not only the
curiosity, but quickened the enthusiasm in the mind of this
distinguished and brilliant young student. He was profes-
sor of natural sciences, and issued a thin octavo volume, in
1824, entitled "Ancient Annals of Kentucky." For four
years he had been diligently engaged in discovering and sur-
veying these earthen and stone monuments, and had been
able to locate one hundred and forty-eight sites, and five
hundred and five ancient remains or monuments. This
remarkable man, at that period among the most learned
in America, was born in Constantinople in 1784. He
had gone with his father to France and Italy, and, after
residing in various cities in both of these countries, had
come to America in 1802. Filled with the spirit of travel,
as well as the desire to make a great collection of botanical
and other specimens, on the invitation of John D. Clif-
ford, of Lexington, he was induced to visit the Western
States. From Pittsburgh he floated down the Ohio, visited
Louisville, where he remained long enough to catalogue
the fishes and shells of the Ohio, and later visited John
J. Audubon, the distinguished ornithologist, who then had
his home in Henderson. From Henderson he went by a
roundabout way to Lexington, to visit his friend Mr.
Clifford. He was persuaded by Clifford to settle in Lexing-
ton upon the promise of a professorship in Transylvania
University. Having determined to accept a place in that
[ 15 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
institution, he returned to Philadelphia preparatory to mak-
ing his arrangements for his residence in the West. Upon
his return trip, at Chillicothe, Ohio, he first saw the great
earthen monuments, or mounds or altars, of the ancient
people of America. He had passed these same mounds in
his travels down the Ohio, but either lack of time or
the density of the forest on both sides of the river had
prevented an examination by this acute observer. These
remains filled him with astonishment as well as admira-
tion, and he undertook at once a study of them. In 1819
he returned to Lexington, to remain seven years as pro-
fessor of natural sciences in Transylvania University.
This gifted man taught French, Italian, and Spanish to
all who cared to know these languages. With others who
had been enthused by his learning and genius, he undertook
to establish in Lexington a botanical garden. During
those seven years he essayed to secure specimens and
materials of all kinds for a book which he proposed to
call "A History of the Earth and Mankind, Principally
in America." The first outgrowth of this arduous and
laborious study and research was made public in a book
entitled "Ancient Annals of Kentucky," published as an
introduction to Marshall's "History of Kentucky," edition
of 1824, and also in separate book form.
In June, 1825, he left Kentucky, and died fifteen years
later in Philadelphia, September 18, 1840. For his period
he was possessed of wide learning. In 1836, about four
years before his death, in commenting upon his own life,
he says "in knowledge he had been a botanist, naturalist,
conchologist, geologist, geographer, ethnographer, philolo-
gist, historian, antiquary, poet, philosopher, economist,
and philanthropist, and by profession a traveler, mer-
[ 16 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
chant, manufacturer, collector, improver, professor, teacher,
surveyor, draftsman, architect, engineer, palmist, author,
editor, bookseller, librarian, secretary, chancellor, and he
hardly knew what he might not become, since he never
falied to succeed in whatever he applied himself to if it de-
pended on himself alone, unless impeded and prevented by
lack of means or by the hostility of the foes of mankind.”
His investigations and discoveries and the putting
forth of his theory created a strong spirit of archeological
study, and to this wonderful and marvelous intellect we
are indebted for a large proportion of what we know now
of the prehistoric remains of the State. There was no
limit to his energy; there were no bounds to his research;
for a man of his period, there was no parallel to his vast
and extraordinary knowledge of Nature. He located pre-
historic remains as early as 1824 in forty-one counties
in the State. When we consider the difficulties of travel
in Kentucky from 1819 to 1825, it is almost impossible
to believe that this wonderful man could have been able
to have produced the maps and drawings of prehistoric
sites and monuments scattered over such a vast territory.
Beginning at Greenup on the east, his explorations extended
as far west on the Ohio River as McCracken County; begin-
ning on the Ohio River at Louisville, extended in a straight
line of investigations southward and westward through
Knox and Whitley, and covered almost the entire area
of the Bluegrass. Remote counties like Adair and Clay
and Harlan were not exempt from his trail, and Perry,
Pulaski, and Rockcastle gave up to his genius the story
of their remains. He was enabled to find in Bourbon
County alone five sites and forty-six monuments, a
circus of fourteen hundred and fifty feet, and a town built
[ 17 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
upon the lines of a polygon which had four thousand six
hundred and seventy-five feet of walls. Near Augusta
he found and described a great battleground, from the
site of which he unearthed rings and copper medals upon
which unknown letters had been stamped. In Fayette
he found, on South Elkhorn and on North Elkhorn, sites
of circuses and towns, and a large number of graves
from which were taken East Indian shells. In Hickman he
discovered and described teocallis four hundred and fifty
feet long, ten feet high, and thirty feet wide; in Livingston
an octagon remains with walls two thousand eight hun-
dred and fifty-two feet in length; in McCracken, two
hundred and fifty miles away from Lexington, he found
a square teocalli twelve hundred feet long and fourteen
feet high; in Montgomery, elliptical or ditched mounds
and circuses or circular temples; in Rockcastle a stone
grave two hundred feet long and five feet wide and three
feet high; in Scott a ditched town; in Trigg a walled town
with a circumference of seven thousand five hundred
feet, and mounds and teocallis almost unnumbered; in
Warren a ditched town of octagonal shape one thousand
three hundred and eighty-five feet around; in Whitley a
town with houses and a teocalli three hundred and sixty
feet long and one hundred and fifty feet wide and twelve
feet high, and the remains of towns with houses; in Wood-
ford an octagon teocalli twelve hundred feet long and eight
feet high, and on South Elkhorn a town which required
twenty-seven hundred feet of embankment to enclose its
area. Altogether in Kentucky he claimed to have dis-
covered one hundred and forty-eight ancient sites and five
hundred and five monuments. He surveyed and described
many of these.
[18]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
It is greatly to be regretted that a man of Rafinesque's
boundless energy, enthusiasm, and wide learning had not
been more accurate in his observations and had not held
in check his marvelous imagination. His work is chiefly
valuable in locating the sites of these aboriginal works.
Many of the monuments pointed out by him were natural
and not of artificial origin. His writings, however, aroused
widespread interest in the subjects he discussed and led
others to examine the works and make record of what
were the real conditions which existed.
PERIOD IN WHICH THESE PEOPLE LIVED IN
KENTUCKY.
When our pioneer forefathers came over the mountains
and settled in the State, the monuments of earth and
stone were hoary with age. A large number of them
had produced on their crests and sides timber which would
require hundreds of years to grow, and existing under
such conditions as to give the timber itself an age that
antedated 1492. There are no annals to tell aught of
these structures, but the timber, stone implements, and
bodies long before interred, all taken together, in some
respects at least are conclusive of the fact that these
monuments of various kinds have been in existence in
Kentucky more than six hundred years. One instance is
known in which a gentleman entered in his diary a record of
the felling of a tree on a certain mound in Madison County,
Kentucky, in 1787. The writer examined the mound in
1894, one hundred and seven years after the tree had been
cut down. A careful study of the number of rings, which
[ 19 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
were clearly traceable on the stump, showed them to be
two hundred and thirty-seven, so that the mound must
have been constructed two hundred and thirty-seven
years before 1787, thus satisfactorily determining that
the mound was built before 1550. Recently the reliability
of the rings of trees as an indication of their age has been
questioned, but after observations of half a century in
Kentucky and diligent inquiry among those who have
observed the growth of timber, the writer feels confident
that in the predominant timbers in Kentucky, such as
hickory, poplar, oak, hackberry, beech, walnut, and ash,
the rings show substantially the age of growing trees. This
is especially true of timber grown on the highlands. The
sycamore and cottonwood, down in the river bottoms,
might not give the same symmetry as the species above
indicated. Severe droughts occurring in Kentucky might
stop the growing of the tree, and afterward, in the fall,
abundance of rain and the genial sun might make a double
growth, and thus two rings show for the same year; but
this would not be likely to occur more than once in
thirty or forty years.
In another instance, near Lebanon, Kentucky, a mound
was opened in which were found three very remarkable
relics of the primitive age, namely, copper spools. These
spools had been hammered out of copper which had been
brought from the copper mines in Michigan. They were
discovered in the center of the mound. This mound
had contained two growths of timber, and the combined
ages of the two would give an age to the structure of not
less than five hundred years. On the mound were grow-
ing trees which it was absolutely certain had begun their
lives three hundred years before, and there were, on the
[20]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ground beneath these, remains of a growth which had ante-
dated that which was then standing, so that the mound
must have had an age exceeding five hundred years.
Another instance is recalled of a pipe that was taken
from the root of a beech tree which had grown upon
a mound near Green River. When this tree, which
was calculated to be four hundred years old by a most
expert antiquarian, was overturned, within the grip of
its tap root was a stone pipe. This pipe had been broken
into nine pieces, but with a patience and industry almost
surpassing credibility, Colonel Robert Munford, who found
it and afterward gave it to the writer, proceeded with
his search for the broken fragments of this handsome
pipe for a period of eight months, when his persistence
was at last rewarded by finding the ninth piece.
These mounds were grim with age when Marquette,
in 1693, in his bark canoes, glided down the Mississippi,
and when La Salle, in 1669, starting from the Lakes,
pushed his boats to the head of its tributaries, across a
narrow portage to the Allegheny, and floated with its
current to where that stream joins its waters with those
of the Monongahela, and then on the bosom of the
"Beautiful River" to the present site of Louisville.
It is not difficult to demonstrate that these remains
are pre-Columbian. How many hundreds or thousands
of years they antedated the period of the discovery of
America can only be conjectured. The clay soils of Ken-
tucky were especially adapted for the building of the
earthworks and for the retention of their forms when
erected. They washed but little, and the rank vegetation
which at once sprung out of the fertile soils insured a
grassy covering which rendered erosion slow and ineffec-
[ 21 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
tual to wear away the embankments. To these concurring
causes the world is indebted for the substantially com-
plete preservation of these witnesses to the past of the
ancient men of the State. These are the calendars from
which we make the calculations which figure out the cen-
turies that have elapsed since these patient and industrious
people tilled the soil and builded homes within the bor-
ders of the Commonwealth.
STONE GRAVE BURIALS.
Stone grave burials are found over the greater part
of Kentucky. More frequently remains of this kind occur
in the south-central and the western parts of the State,
though they have been found as far east as Greenup
County. They occur in connection with almost every
large mound group, and in and about every fortified vil-
lage site. We find them grouped in large cemeteries
and small family burial grounds, and single isolated graves
are not uncommon. Nearly every large farm along the
fertile valleys of the Cumberland, Tennessee, Green, and
Barren rivers has its quota of stone graves.
The prevailing type consists of a rude stone box or
cist of rectangular form. The graves are usually shallow,
not exceeding three feet in depth. After the earth had
been removed, stone slabs of more or less regular form
were placed in the bottom of the excavation, and similar
slabs arranged on edge about the sides and ends, and
these, after the body had been laid within, were covered
with slabs of like shape. Frequently the bottom stones
were omitted and the body probably laid on a mat or
[ 22 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
skin, or upon the earth. The slabs used were of irregular
shape, and show no attempt at dressing other than having
been roughly blocked into form with stone hammers.
Usually they were rudely fitted together, about as care-
fully as the stone pavements which were laid along the
streets of towns in Kentucky one hundred years ago.
Through the crevices between the stones, the earth, during
the centuries of interment, has filtered, entirely filling
the grave.
In rare instances the slabs were nicely joined,
the cracks and crevices being closed with smaller stones
so as to effectually guard against the silting. When the ex-
ploring rod of the relic hunter strikes one of these cists,
the hollow sound emitted gives certain promise of the
reward of seeing a prehistoric man of Kentucky just as
he was laid away centuries ago, minus only the flesh and
the more perishable materials which were enclosed within
his sepulchre.
These depositories of the dead have been found to be
rich in remains of all kinds, such as vessels of pottery,
pipes, gorgets, beads, pendants, paints, tools of the artisan,
and implements of war and the chase. All these bespeak
the high degree of skill attained by these people in the
arts and industries of aboriginal life. These objects,
placed with loving care beside the dead, indicate a belief
in another state of existence. If the dead were really
dead, with no future life before him, why place within
easy reach the well-filled vessel of food, or string about
his neck glittering beads of copper and shell, and upon
his breast wonderfully wrought gorgets? Why deposit by
his side implements of war, the chase, or the tools of the
workman? The custom of thus storing the graves with
things which were beautiful and helpful to the living,
[ 23 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
bespeak plainer than can words the deep-seated convic-
tion that death is not the end, that in other spheres
from that which he had departed the dead would live
again the scenes of this life, accompanied and served
by the spirits of the inanimate objects interred with his
remains.
Small stone cists measuring not more than two feet
in length by fifteen inches and even less in breadth, are
frequently unearthed. In these the bones of the dead,
after having been disarticulated, were placed in a mass.
The small size of these graves in former days gave rise
to the belief that the valleys of the Cumberland and Green
rivers were once the home of a race of pygmies. We
are of the opinion that many of these small cists contain
bones which were brought from a distance, probably
from some battlefield. The intense reverence of the red
man for his dead lends plausibility to the idea that these
skeletons may have been borne from some distant section
to be given sepulture among their own people. In Chris-
tian County, near a village site on Little River, these small
burial cists occur in large numbers in immediate prox-
imity to larger stone graves; and the indications from
the bones and crania are that they were the same people,
who buried their dead under different conditions. Very
seldom do implements of any kind accompany this form
of burial. These graves are found chiefly in Allen, Barren,
Edmonson, Trigg, and Christian counties. Occasionally,
in the stone grave cemeteries, are cists of large size con-
taining the remains of two or more persons. In some
the position of the skeletons indicate that the dead were
buried side by side in the flesh; in others the bones of
many dead are intermingled.
[ 24 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
In Clark County, on what is known as the Devil's Back-
bone, a few miles north of Winchester and in contiguous
territory, are stone graves measuring about three and a
half feet in length by two feet in breadth, in which bodies
were buried in a sitting or squatting posture, the knees
drawn up against the breast and arms down by the side.
In many of these graves were found deposits of pottery
and implements of various kinds.
In the northern portion of the State were formerly
seen stone graves of a most peculiar and interesting type.
Northern Kentucky, together with the extreme southern
portion of Ohio, present certain features in common,
which indicate that they were once occupied by the same
people. Doctor Cyrus Thomas, in speaking of this region
(Twelfth Annual Report of Bureau of Ethnology, page
576), says: "There is strong evidence of an intrusive
element, or as appears more likely, a preceding and inde-
pendent element." In Brown County, Ohio, Mr. Fowke,
connected with the Bureau of Ethnology, explored and
described several burials enclosed by a circle of flat stones
set on edge, the body or bodies being placed on a pave-
ment of stones near the center, and covered with a mass
of rock or earth. Not far from Ripley, in the same county,
he examined another grave which had been previously
opened, but enough remained to show that it had been
constructed by placing around the body, which lay upon
the earth or floor of rock, several rows of stone slabs on
end slightly inclined inward, the rows forming an ellipse.
These slabs were supported on the under side by a mass
of small rocks tightly wedged in. Upon these stones
were placed others which were forced in between the
edges of those of the lower tier. Upon this second tier
·
[ 25 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
a third tier was similarly placed, the edges likewise being
forced in between those of the second tier, and this was
evidently continued, each tier having a greater inclina-
tion than the one below, until an arch was formed entire-
ly enclosing the space about the body. Just across the
Ohio River, on the Kentucky side, near the town of Dover,
in Mason County, there was formerly a large group of
these graves, also others to the westward in Bracken
County. However, Mr. Fowke, who conducted extensive
explorations in that neighborhood, was unable to find
any which had not been torn up by white men to get the
stone, which was used in the construction of roads, in
building outhouses, residences, and chimneys, and even
in furnishing lime.
Several stone graves of unusual form were discovered
many years ago by Professor N. S. Shaler upon the summit
of one of the river bluffs on the bank of the Ohio River
four miles above Newport, in Campbell County. In a
letter to Professor Jeffries Wyman, under date of Decem-
ber 18, 1868, he describes them as follows: "These were
formed by placing a curbing of regular fragments of con-
siderable size, so as to form a circle ten feet in diameter,
from which flat stones were inclined outward, shingled
one over the other so as to form a band about six feet
wide. Beneath the stones of this band, or in the crevices
between them, were placed a great number of detached
human bones which had evidently been deposited there
in the fragmentary state in which they were found."
fessor Shaler thought these graves quite recent, but the
probability is that they antedated the stone grave cists
of Central and Southern Kentucky.
Pro-
We are indebted to Professor F. W. Putnam, of the
[ 26 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, for
first exploring and publishing an account of an unusual
type of grave found in Barren and Monroe counties.
Professor Putnam says: "These graves were nearly cir-
cular, between four and five feet in diameter, and about
three feet deep. One was carefully opened and the con-
tents taken out. These consisted of portions of fifteen
human skeletons, and fragments of pottery. The bones
showed that the bodies buried were those of persons of
various ages, from three children who had not lost their
first set of teeth to one person of old age.
The grave
had been formed by digging a hole nearly circular and
about three feet in depth. Slabs of limestone, about
three feet long and from one foot to two feet wide, brought
from some distance, had then been placed on end around
the hole, and the bottom had been carefully covered with
thin shale brought from the creek a quarter of a mile
away. The bodies of the adults had evidently been ar-
ranged in a sitting posture against the upright slabs, and
all at one time. Only fragments of the skeletons of the
three children were found, and the position in which they
had been buried could not be determined. The earth
had been thrown over all, and a few small, flat stones
placed above. The fragments of pottery found were
near the surface, and may indicate that vessels and per-
haps other articles had been placed on the surface over
the grave, and not buried with the bodies, as is more
commonly the case.'
At the time of the examination of these graves by
Professor Putnam many had been plowed over, and human
bones from them whitened the field for half an acre in
extent. He observed about thirty of these graves, and
[ 27 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
thought that a large number must have been destroyed
by cultivation of the land about them. In an account
of these researches given at a meeting of the Boston
Society of Natural History, in 1875, he says of these
sepulchres: "The fact that all the bodies must have
been placed in the grave at the same time, and that
they were those of persons of various ages, from three
children who had still the first set of teeth, as shown by
fragments of jaws found, to a person quite advanced in
age, while the majority were evidently of middle age,
-and also the peculiar hole in one of the arm bones, per-
haps indicating a blow with some pointed instrument—
give opportunity for speculations which can not be proved
or disproved by these silent relics of a once populous
race inhabiting the beautiful country where their bones
were laid so long ago that tradition of the more recent
Indian tribes gives no clew to them-whence they came
or whither they went, all is lost in the great mystery of
the past, and only their empty skulls and wonderful
monuments of industry, with their implements of skill,
are left to tell us of their former power. We know not
if these burials indicate famine, pestilence, war, or the
unholy sacrifice. We can only conjecture that they
were not the graves of persons who had died a natural
death."
In various parts of Kentucky burials were made under
piles of stone or cairns. These have been found quite
frequently in Nelson and adjoining counties. At least
one has been observed in Union, and many in Greenup.
It was evident that in this class of burials there was a
slight excavation, half a foot to a foot deep, and over the
body, after it was deposited on the ground, were laid piles
[ 28 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
of stone varying from two to four feet in height and
running from six to twelve feet in diameter. These stones
were laid with some appearance of care, and while they
were not put in courses, it was apparent that the struc-
ture had been carried upward by regular deposits of stone,
and when completed a sort of arch was formed over the
top of the ground. As these stones were penetrable by
rains and melted snows, there was little to indicate the
nature and character of the skeletons placed beneath.
A fragmentary bone here and there, and the always dis-
tinguishable dust which is created by the dissolution
of the body, were the only evidences that remained of
those who were thus laid away in the long past.
In Clark, Montgomery, Madison, Union, and some
parts of Fayette County, and along the banks of the
Cumberland, Tennessee, Green, and Barren rivers, thou-
sands of burials were made without the use of either stone
or wood as a protection to the bodies. They may have
been wrapped in skins or bark, and thus protected by
some temporary covering. About six miles from Louis-
ville, on the Bardstown Turnpike, on a place owned some
years ago by Mr. Armstrong, was a very large cemetery.
The ground which contained the bodies had been long
cultivated; a few strokes of the spade or the grubbing
hoe at any point would bring up human bones, accom-
panied by arrowheads and fragments of pottery. About
four miles southwest of Richmond, on a farm formerly
owned by John D. Harris, from the indications it appeared
that a cemetery covering one hundred acres had been
practically filled by graves of this description. At almost
any point in a large field which had been cultivated for
many years, and at the time of the author's investigation
[ 29 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
was in tobacco, a few strokes of the spade would exhume
numbers of bones, accompanied by flints and here and
there fragments of mica. The same is true in parts of
Wolfe County, and some parts of Clark and Montgomery.
It is undoubtedly true, as we have said, along the Cum-
berland and Tennessee, in the bottoms, without reference
to mounds or stone excavations or any protecting element,
immense numbers of these people were buried.
Whether these different forms of burial marked dif-
ferent periods in the history of the prehistoric men of
Kentucky it would be difficult now to say, but the con-
dition of the bones would indicate that these burials in
which neither stone nor mounds were used were of the
more recent origin.
Here and there bodies have been found laid on the
surface of projecting shelves in shallow caves, or “rock
houses.' Six miles northeast of Nicholasville, near the
town of Keene, when a lad the writer observed skele-
tons of the prehistoric people deposited in this way.
Professor R. S. Robinson calls attention to burials in rock
shelters near Hardinsburg, which he visited in 1874. In
Central Kentucky, frequently in these cave shelters num-
bers of burial places have been found. These "rock
houses," as the shallow depressions are called, are found
principally in the region of the Waverly and sub-carbonif-
erous sandstones, and are caused by the more rapid
recession of the base than the summit of the cliff, under
the wear of the elements. In some cases the excavations
extend back fifty and even sixty feet, leaving overhanging
roofs of solid rock. These overhanging cliffs afford
protection from rain and snow, and became favorite
resorts for stock and even people, and there are several
[ 30 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
instances in which the prehistoric people builded struc-
tures with stone walls for purposes of habitation under
these shelters, and in the large deposits of débris on the
cave floors are found their places of burial. Similar
ledges or projecting cliffs are found in the limestone region,
and were much used by the prehistoric people.
In Southeast Kentucky there are frequent evidences
of burials in these shelters. This is true of Wolfe, Estill,
Breathitt, Clark, Madison, and Morgan counties. At
one time in these particular sections there must have
been quite a large population, as these counties contain
numerous stone graves and cave burials-a population
which was induced probably not so much by the gener-
ousness of the soil as by deposits of flint, which were found,
particularly in Wolfe County, with some degree of persis-
tence. On one hillside in Wolfe County the writer exam-
ined flint quarries where vast quantities of spalls had been
piled, and from the largest pieces of material of which
had been made great numbers of arrowheads, which con-
tained a combination of red and white in the flint.
MOUNDS AND MOUND BURIALS.
Kentucky has a border on the Ohio River of seven
hundred miles. Beginning with the Big Sandy, and with
smaller intervening streams, it is entered by the Licking,
Kentucky, Green, Barren, Cumberland, and Tennessee
rivers. In this State the rivers almost entirely run from
the south to the north, thus piercing the State with a
vast mileage of waterway, and enabling the people either
of the remote or the present time to travel into all por-
[ 31 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
tions along these water lines. The prehistoric man availed
himself of these conditions by the very necessity of his
surroundings. If he transported anything of considerable
bulk he was forced to use these streams as a means of
journeying from one point to another. This doubtless
had much to do with fixing their habitations along the
river margins. Fertility of soil had much to do with
where they lived, but second to this, water transporta-
tion controlled and determined the places of abode. Grow-
ing out of this fact, the prehistoric people, or those who
erected the mounds, inhabited almost every portion of
Kentucky, always being measurably controlled by the
courses of the streams. And wherever these people came
or lived we find, scattered in almost every county in
Kentucky, earthen mounds. For a long time they were
known as Mound Builders, and this nomenclature grew
out of the fact that they were the architects of these
structures. It is estimated that up to this day, notwith-
standing the erosive effects of time on these mounds,
constructed almost entirely of earth, there remain
several thousands, the location, size, and contour of
which may easily be determined.
As in many other things connected with these people,
there was a difference in the way and the purpose for
which these mounds were erected, and they have been
divided by the authorities into classes. Perhaps the
simplest and most satisfactory division is that suggested
and used by Mr. Holmes, who classified them according
to form, as conical, pyramidal, elongate, and effigy mounds.
The great majority of mounds are of the conical form,
small, and with an altitude of five to ten feet, though
occasionally they reach a height of thirty or forty feet.
[ 32 ]

TWO MOUNDS NEAR OHIO RIVER, JUST EAST OF WARSAW,
GALLATIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
[ 33 ]


MOUND
Mason County
OCTAGONAL MOUND
Woodford County

EARTHWORK ENCLOSURE
Greenup County. Reproduced from Collins' History
[ 34 ]
MU
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The conical mounds are mere artificial heaps of earth,
having the general form of a broad low cone, the outline
of the base being circular or oval. Occasionally those of
pear-shaped base are seen. These tumuli occur singly or
in groups, sometimes isolated, but more frequently in
connection with other works. Perhaps ninety per cent are
mortuary, erected as monuments to commemorate the
life and service of some distinguished person of the stone-
age people.
The typical pyramidal mound is a large quadrangular
structure with flattened top; yet some are circular or
oval, some polygonal, but all are truncated or flat on
top. The altitude of these occasionally reaches forty
feet. They generally occur in connection with other
remains, as enclosures, fortifications, village sites, or
mound groups. The most striking examples of this kind
are to be seen in Adair, Gallatin, Montgomery, Hickman,
Fulton, Greenup, Woodford, Mason, Trigg, and Ballard
counties.
Occasionally elongate or wall-like mounds are seen,
but the instances are few, and it is probable that these
are not the typical elongate mound, but detached or out-
lying portions of a system of earthworks near which the
few known occur. One of these wall-like structures is
to be observed near the "Old Fort" in Greenup County,
in connection with what is known as the Portsmouth
Group. Near this wall is a small effigy mound, repre-
senting a bear. It is a curious fact-a fact maintained
by the authorities—that this is the only mound of its kind
south of the Ohio River short of Georgia.
As soon as people began to have time to consider these
tumular remains there was much conjecture and argu-
[ 35 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ment as to the purposes for which these several classes
were used. Some said they were monuments pure and
simple; others said they were places of burial, some places
of refuge, others temples of worship. Shortly after these
inquiries began to pass through the minds of the people
who saw the mounds, investigation and research were
set on foot.
Pioneers paid little attention to these mounds for
many years. They were denuded of the forests which
had grown up on their sides, and the plowshare was set
to work as a destructive agent in eliminating their con-
tour as well as changing their form. The demands of agri-
culture did not stop to inquire why these structures were
builded. The great question was abundant yields of
corn, tobacco, and wheat, not what lay beneath these
earthen heaps with the hidden story of the past of a
mysterious nation. It made no difference to the agri-
culturist whether in the bosom of the mounds lay buried
the ancient dead, or whether upon its sides he had stood
in defense of his home, or whether upon its crown, with
never-dying fires, he had sacrificed to his gods. When
the time of the antiquarian came, he stood in the presence
of these mute witnesses of the past and asked, Where had
the builders gone, whence did they come, why these struc-
tures? There were variant answers from those who under-
took from the meager records to tell the story of the
people who, so many hundreds of years ago, had builded
them with a purpose definite enough to the builders,
but which, through the lapse of ages, had become dim
and uncertain to the interpreter of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. It was no answer that, wherever
the Mississippi and its tributaries had watered the earth
[ 36 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
with their currents these mounds are found, that they
stand with sphinx-like form on the prairies of the West,
upon the savannas of the Gulf, and along the productive
valleys of the Ohio and the Licking, the Cumberland
and Kentucky. Time has dealt gently with many of the
larger mounds, but the people who builded them are
nameless and their past is shrouded in almost impene-
trable mystery. The watch-fires that once burned upon
their summits are quenched and the ashes scattered
to the four winds. Only these monumental heaps,
without inscription, stand as silent sentinels to declare
that the "Mound Builders" once lived, moved, and
fought about these faithful guardians of the past;
but they give no indication as to whither those have
gone whose hands wrought and fashioned them.
The most distinguished form of burial among the
primitive Kentuckians was that of the mound. The
usual method was to place the bodies of the dead upon
the surface of the earth with a covering of skins, cloth,
bark, or stone, and then to erect over them earthen heaps
varying in size according to the numbers and strength
of the tribe or family of the dead, and the reverence and
love they bore them. Some of these burial mounds meas-
ure thirty or forty feet in height, with proportionate base.
It was commonly believed that all mounds were burial
places. Explorations show that this is not so. The
true pyramidal mounds are not so likely to contain burials,
though intrusive interments are not infrequent. To erect
many of these monuments to the dead would require
great expenditure of labor and almost endless patience,
as there were no means of moving the earth except in
baskets and skins. A large mound that existed at Mt.
[ 37 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Sterling, in Montgomery County, and which was cut
down many years ago, had a height of over twenty feet
and a diameter of more than one hundred at its base.
It contained but a single skeleton, buried near the center.
The rich deposits of relics of primitive art accompanying
this burial proclaim the dead one of no mean rank among
his people, while the immense amount of labor necessary
to build his sepulchre speaks the love and veneration
in which he was held, and that no outlay of time or labor
was begrudged in erecting a monument which would
proclaim to all generations his fame, to be a memorial
forever of his greatness among the early men of Kentucky.
In August, 1897, the author was permitted to examine
what is known as the Moberly Mound, in Madison Coun-
ty, six miles east of Richmond. As this was one of his
earliest excavations, he was not able to remove the mound
with as much care, skill, and patience as has marked
subsequent explorations. This was a burial mound. It
contained approximately three thousand cubic yards of
earth, and it was calculated that it would have required
one hundred men forty days to have erected this monu-
ment. It contained six burials, evidently made at the
same time. Five of these were men, probably past the
meridian of life. The sixth was a younger person, not
more than twenty years of age. These six bodies had
been laid upon the natural surface of the ground and
over them had been placed cloth or skins of some kind,
and on the top of this, earth, which had been brought a
distance of two hundred and fifty feet. About three
feet from the center line was a skeleton lying east and
west, with head to the west. The skull was in a good
state of preservation. The body was lying upon its back,
[ 38 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
face upward, hands lying close to the sides, feet straight
out. The teeth indicated a man advanced in years, being
much worn, two of the lower molars being gone. On
the breast there was a beautiful grooved syenite ax, and
beside it a scraper with a perfect edge which had been
produced by a whetstone, and this whetstone lay close to
the scraper. On the inside of the leg was a remarkable
wound, which fixed the cause of death of this man whose
remains we were so ruthlessly removing after his sleep of
ages.
In the shaft of the left femur was a large flint spear-
head driven entirely through the bone. It required no
wide sweep of the imagination to carry one back across the
hundreds of years intervening between the construction of
this mound and the present day, and to clothe in living
forms the warrior and his companions, and to understand
how, on the fateful day when he received the death-wound,
he was engaged in combating with his country's enemies.
He had not died by accident, but had come to his end by
violence when in conflict with some foe quicker and more
powerful than himself. The position of the flint spearhead
in the bone showed that the struggle had been a very
close encounter; that he and his antagonist, face to face,
eye to eye, and hand to hand, had fought out to the death
the contest which ended his life. It was apparent from
the angle of the weapon in the bone that the combatants
had been very close together, and that the Mound Builder
who was wounded and died had fought a right-handed
man. The size of the spearhead demonstrated beyond
question that it could not have been driven from a bow,
and that only a spear handle could carry it with sufficient
force to cut through the flesh and bone; and the direc-
tion of the blow made it certain that at the time of the
[ 39 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
infliction of the wound the antagonists could not have
been separated more than two or three feet. Probably
the thrust had been directed at the heart, but in the
encounter the aim of the antagonist had been diverted,
and instead of striking the heart had glanced downward
and passed through the bone of his leg, a short distance
below and in close proximity to the femoral artery, in-
flicting an injury which caused death from loss of blood.
This unfortunate victim had been carried away by
his comrades to this place of sepulture. From above
his body were alternately removed layers of clay and black
loam. These, in the form of a cube, continued for four
feet above the body, being four feet in width and eight
in length. Around him were found arrowheads and
spearheads, and a bone from some fish similar to the gar.
A piece of graphite was close to his right hand, and near
by was found his pipe, made of clay. In order to ren-
der it more brilliant and beautiful, it had been most
artistically and skillfully ornamented. It was a type
of pipe which in clay is very rare and unusual, tubular
in form, and the surface had been plated with a thin coat-
ing of mica, put on with great care and skill so as to
form a complete covering. The brilliant effect of it in
the eyes of the ancient Kentuckian, who knew the use
of neither gold nor silver, would make it a thing of beauty.
No electroplate of the present time could have given
a more distinctive or artistic effect than this covering
of glistening mica. White, red, and pink ochre in abun-
dance had been arranged about this body, as well as the
other five. Near by was an earthen vessel filled with red
ochre of very fine quality, and so well was it preserved that
if the man with whom it had been buried five hundred
[ 40 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
years ago had been resurrected, he would have found
it ready for use for decoration in war or peace.
It was evident that all six bodies had been buried
at the same time, as they were all on the same level, and
that this monument which was so ruthlessly demolished
by the writer had been builded over these nameless peo-
ple in recognition of the valiant service which they had
rendered for their country's defense. It may be that
they had been borne from some distant battlefield to be
given sepulture with those whom they loved or whom
they had honored by their courage, or that on the fertile
plain had been a great struggle in which these gallant
soldiers had perished. Possibly victory had crowned
their efforts, and so, close to the scenes of their heroism,
they had been laid, and over their remains had been
erected this mound to tell those in ages to come how they
died and where reposed the ashes of the brave.
Mounds containing stone-cist burials similar to those
of the stone-grave cemeteries occur largely in the southern
portion of the State. These often contain numerous
burials, the graves being arranged in layers or tiers, one
above the other, and mounds containing as many as three
tiers of graves are known.
In Christian County, ten miles east of Hopkinsville,
a small mound was explored several years ago which
contained two stone-grave burials. It measured six feet
in height by thirty feet in diameter. When cut down,
the burials were encountered near the center, and were
those of an adult of advanced years and a child. The
elder person had been laid at length upon the surface
of the earth, and about him a cist of rough stone erected.
The earth was then heaped above the grave until the
[ 41 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
mound rose a foot above the top of the burial. Here
the body of the infant, similarly enclosed in rough slabs
of stone, was placed directly above the body of the adult,
and the process of raising the mound continued until
this grave too was covered with a foot of earth. Here
a layer of charcoal and ashes, intermingled with bones
of fish and game animals common to that section, together
with fragments of pottery, indicated that when the mound
reached this point fires were kindled upon its surface
and funeral rites, perhaps a feast, held before the last
stage of the mound was builded, which arose a foot and
a half above the ashes.
The mounds of Union County were first systematically
explored by the late Sidney S. Lyon, under the patron-
age of the Smithsonian Institution, the report of which
for the year 1870 gives the result of his researches. Mr.
Lyon, in a private letter, said of this region that he has
seen the work of the Mound Builder in many States, but
nowhere had he observed anything to compare in extent
and importance with those at this point. "If the ash
beds, bone heaps, et cetera, are evidence of a formerly
populous and settled country, it is to be found here. In
my examinations I found nearly one hundred mounds
in an area of a hundred acres." A single group on Lost
Creek, examined by Mr. Lyon, contained forty-eight
tumuli.
What is known as the Lindsay Mound, on Buffalo
Creek, four miles from Raleigh, explored by Mr. Lyon,
revealed many interesting features in regard to burial
customs. The bodies were placed in a circle upon their
backs, with head directed toward the center and faces
turned upon the left side, the arrangement being similar
[ 42 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
to the spokes of a wheel. There were no burials at the
exact center of the mound. This circle of burials was
extended toward the circumference by one or more addi-
tional circles. Above the lower burials were other tiers
of graves, the mound on the west side containing as many
as five layers. Three distinct kinds of burial were ob-
served; first, those of the lower tier, which had been placed
upon the natural surface of the earth, it having been
first scraped clean of all vegetable matter. With these
skeletons, the bones of which were so tender that they
could not be removed, were found no vessels or imple-
ments of any kind, nor was there any indication that
bark or any other substance had been used to cover and
protect the bodies. These lower burials were covered
with yellow sandy loam from a pit near by. Three or
four superimposed layers of burials of a later date were
covered with clay and accompanied by burial urns and
other implements of prehistoric make. The third class
of burials had been made by digging irregular holes or
pits into the mound down to the original surface and
depositing the bodies therein, and filling the excavation
with earth. The mixed or discolored material in these
pit burials revealed that they were intrusive, that is,
made after the mound had been completed, but even
they are of ancient date. In 1860 a large poplar tree
standing on the margin of the mound was felled. The
rings, which were counted at the time, indicated an age
of two hundred and forty-nine years. A root of this
tree over a foot in diameter ran across the mound, pass-
ing through the excavation of one of these intrusive inter-
ments, conclusively showing that this burial was of greater
age than the tree. Mr. Lyon termed this mound "a
[ 43 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
common burial place, or burial place of the common
people."
Interesting questions arise as we study the contents
and structure of this mound. How are we to account
for the three divergent methods of burials? Were the
more ancient of the lower tier a different people from
these of the upper? Had they no implements or vessels
of clay, no conception of a future life where the spirit
of the dead would require those things he most used in
this life? Who were those of the intrusive burials, the
friends of whom were willing to desecrate the graves of
others to give them sepulture?
A mound near Uniontown contained the body of a man
buried in a sitting posture, accompanied by numerous
relics, among which were a beautiful notched flint imple-
ment twelve inches in length, three bi-concave discs of
stone one and a half inches in diameter and one half inch
thick, the margin being grooved, and each having a
central perforation about which were arranged five smaller
holes, a copper awl, a copper disc covered with woven
fabric, and a pottery vessel.
Another mound contained three skulls without the
bodies, and some parcels of bones which had evidently
been dismembered before burial. A mound near Lost
Creek, like the Lindsay Mound, showed a remarkable
blending of different modes of sepulture. Many of the
early burials were not enclosed in stone coffins nor accom-
panied by relics. Others were covered with stone slabs
set on edge and inclined inward, meeting over the body,
and enclosing it in a triangular or roof-shaped cist. Many
vessels of pottery accompanied these remains. Six feet
beneath the surface of the mound was a stone pavement
[ 44 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
made of rough limestone slabs weighing from twenty
to one hundred and fifty pounds. This mound also con-
tained intrusive burials. One occupied a pit five feet
deep, in making which the skeletons or parts of skeletons
of three bodies had been removed, and the intrusive inter-
ments made as deep as the third or fourth layer of origi-
nal burial. The bones removed in making this grave
were carelessly thrown into the grave above the newly
buried body, but not in contact with it. Two copper
bells, evidently of European origin, were found in this
grave, and indicated that those who so ruthlessly cast
aside the bones of the builders of the mound to make
way for their own dead were Indians of the historic period
who had come in contact with the Spanish or French
traders, probably Shawnees, who were in the western
part of the State as late as 1662.
Another mound explored by Mr. Lyon appeared to
contain a vault or wooden chamber, from the presence
of charred logs, some in an upright and some in a hori-
zontal position. Remains of a similar wooden structure
have been observed in a mound in Fulton County, and
another in Bell County, in the southeastern portion of the
State.
Mr. R. B. Evans, of Glasgow, opened a very remark-
able mound in Allen County many years ago. It contained
a well-like vault ten feet deep and eight feet in diameter,
walled up with stone. The bottom was made of flat
stones placed on edge close together, and keyed in with
smaller stones. At every two feet in this vault was
a layer of large flat stones, and between these were
numerous human remains.
Pyramidal or truncated mounds are common over
[ 45 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
the greater part of the State. They are usually to be seen
in connection with other remains, often occupying a cen-
tral position within earthwork enclosures, or standing
out conspicuously as the leading feature of a mound group.
Though the typical pyramidal mound is rectangular in
form, yet many have bases circular, oval, or polygonal.
Some are broad and low, being rather raised platforms of
earth than true mounds. Collins, in his "History of Ken-
tucky," mentions a very remarkable example of this sort
of structure in Ballard County, on the Ohio River bot-
toms opposite Mound City, Illinois. It has a base area
of fifteen acres, and measures five or six feet in height.
Upon one end is a conical mound forty feet in height,
containing half an acre, and in the center of this big
mound field rises another mound twelve feet in height.
One in Montgomery County has an inclined way leading
to the top, and a mound in Gallatin County (see page 33)
has traces of a similar approach, apparently designed
to afford means of easy ascent to the summit. Excel-
lent examples of the rectangular pyramidal mound occur
in Fulton County on the Bayou de Chien, five miles east
of Hickman. One of these measures eighty-five by fifty
feet, and is twenty feet high, the sides being very abrupt.
Others appear within an old fortification in Ballard County,
on the Punckney Bend Road south of the mouth of May-
field Creek, still others in Marshall County on Jonathan
Creek. On page 34 are illustrations of two very unusual
forms of the truncated mound. These cuts are redrawn
from "Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," Smithsonian
Contribution Number One, and are from surveys made
by Rafinesque in 1818. The upper mound, or rather
terrace, is described by Rafinesque as being located
[ 46 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
"It is octagonal
near Lovedale, in Woodford County.
in form, measuring one hundred and fifty feet on each
side. It has three graded ascents, one at each of the
northern angles, and one at the middle of the western
side. It is but little more than five feet in height. Upon
it are two conical mounds, as shown in the plan, also the
dwelling house of the proprietor." This, one of the most
remarkable remains ever discovered in Kentucky, has
unfortunately been practically destroyed by cultivation,
and the most diligent inquiry fails to locate Lovedale,
but investigation throughout Woodford County shows
that long since practically all visible traces of this won-
derful structure have been eliminated. On the same
page is shown another extraordinary mound, and Squier
and Davis say of it: "The plan of this mound or terrace
sufficiently explains its character. It is situated three
miles from Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. Its
height is ten feet." This was also from Rafinesque's
Manuscript, 1818.
In Greenup County, near the Old Fort earthworks,
in connection with the Portsmouth Group is a small effigy
mound representing a bear, and the only well-defined
one of its kind in the State. With the exception of two
in Ohio, including the noted serpent mound, and two
bird mounds in Georgia, it is said there are no others out-
side the Wisconsin district. The proximity of this mound
to those in Ohio would show that there was some tribal
or social intercourse between the people on the south side
of the Ohio River with the people on the north side, and
scientists have been puzzled by the appearance of this
unusual structure at the point where it is built. Mr.
T. H. Lewis, who was the first to observe this structure,
[ 47 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and so far as the writer knows the only one who had
published an account of it, describes it as follows:
"This
effigy probably represents a bear which seems to be lean-
ing forward in an attitude of observation. It is not very
large, being but fifty-three feet from the top of the back
to the end of the foreleg, and its utmost length is one
hundred and five and one-half feet from the tip of the
nose to the rear of the hind foot. The greatest vertical
height is at the fore-shoulder, where it is three and one-
half feet.
The bear effigy described here has
never been mentioned in print before and seems to have
escaped the notice of inquiring scientists-indeed it was
unknown even to the residents of the neighborhood. Its
value is mainly in that it was the first imitative mound
constructed of earth discovered south of the Ohio River,
and that it is an important addition to the scanty list
of such works already brought to light in Ohio, the nearest
of which is but a few miles away from this one, being
the peculiar three-legged animal (in profile) on the Scioto
River just above Portsmouth, surveyed by Colonel Whit-
elsy in 1846 and mapped in 'Ancient Monuments.'"
One of the most unusual mounds in Kentucky is on
the farm of Mr. Wilson Tate, near Moberly Station, on
the railroad between Richmond in Madison County and
Irvine in Estill County, and close to the turnpike con-
necting these two towns. It is one hundred and ninety-
two feet in diameter and fifteen feet high. It is surrounded
by a moat thirty-five feet in width and ten feet in depth,
and the indications are that this moat was once filled
with water. Although a part of this moat has been plowed
over for fifty years, it still retains its form. The writer
ran a trench eight feet wide into the mound, beginning
[ 48 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
on the western side, to its center, and found nothing but
a spearhead about three inches long. Occasional beds
of charcoal were widely distributed, but nothing could
be argued from their presence. The earth had been taken
from the trench or moat surrounding the mound, and
on the outside of the moat had been thrown up an em-
bankment some two or three feet in heigth. The soil
did not indicate, except in one spot, that it had been con-
structed for burial purposes. From a cursory examina-
tion of the excavation one would be unable to determine
the purpose for which this mound had been erected, whether
for the protection of the surrounding people from sudden
invasion, or as a residence of some great chieftain.
A similar mound was formerly to be seen in Greenup
County in connection with the Portsmouth Group of
earthworks. It consisted of an embankment of earth
five feet high by thirty feet base, with an interior ditch
twenty-five feet across by six feet deep, enclosing an area
ninety feet in diameter, in the center of which rises a
mound eight feet high by forty feet base. A narrow
gateway through the parapet and causeway over the ditch
leads to the enclosed mound. A sketch of this mound
will be found on page 34.
Kentucky was abundantly supplied with mounds, as
before stated, along the streams, and these reach almost
every county in the Commonwealth. The ordinary coni-
cal mound excites no surprise. Oftentimes it was not
sufficiently elevated to attract unusual attention. As
these mounds occurred in the valleys, where the best land
was found, they readily became the prey of the plow-
share, and long before their value scientifically and his-
torically was fixed at all, the vast majority of them had
[ 49 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
been substantially destroyed, or at least so far changed
as to affect their value from a scientific viewpoint.
Among the Central Kentucky counties there are more
well-preserved mounds in Madison County than any other.
Around Berea, Kirksville, along Silver Creek, and along
the line of the railroad leading from Lancaster to Rich-
mond are found numerous and well-preserved specimens,
among the very best in the State. The earth in these
localities is largely yellow or red clay, and this, together
with the vegetation which readily grows upon this char-
acter of soil, has preserved these mounds in a very remark-
able way.
It would be impossible to describe in detail every
mound structure in the State, or to accurately locate all of
them. It would require much more space than the limits
of this publication will justify, and we shall therefore be
content with giving the forms or divisions into which
these mounds have been placed. Those interested in this
subject can readily, in their own locality, examine and
investigate all these structures, and with the general dis-
cussion of the plans and uses of these mounds determine
the purposes for which they were used.
EARTHWORK AND STONE FORTIFICATIONS
AND ENCLOSURES.
In the use of earthworks for the purpose of fortifi-
cation the prehistoric people of Kentucky exhibited a
fair degree of engineering skill and great military acumen.
The points selected were usually of strategic value and
evinced, when we consider their advancement along other
[ 50 ]

E.
Outside hight of parabet wall corresponds with natural slan
from E.ToW. from 4_5. ft. to 75 facing stream.
Oak Tre
Earth
line lo
eline circumference 555 ft. Insie
Centre
ibetween plateau
"Moat. Ce
Width
。 of parapet 75 ft.
North
fork
of
Elkhorn-Width
about
100
ft.
-
From
water
line
to
Top
'
后
​parapet
Central Plateau.
Diameter. 150 ft.
Circumference about 450
ft.
Gate Way
33 ft.
13ft:3 inches Cir.
oft.
e
hight
to
top
of
parapet/27015
12-10-14 Ft.
ST
W.
Location Newtown Turnpike on land of Mrs. Brant.68½ miles
N.N.E. from Lexington - formerly part of the Moore farm -
Ditch.
zmnl1!
EARTHWORK-FAYETTE COUNTY
Mississippi Bottoms.

High
Ditch-
Timbered Bottoms.
Road.
Byam's Creek.
W.
N.
O
O O
оо
O'BYAM'S FORT-HICKMAN COUNTY
After Thomas
O
O
O
[ 51 ]
Bottom Land

曰
​Rock Wall
N.
Rolling Fork River.
Bottom Land.
W.
S.
E.
Old Fort
Area of Fort 3 4 Acres-
Height of Fort surface
from bottom land over 300 feet.
.... Nearest access to water.
Located in La Rue county, Kentucky.
STONE FORTIFICATION-LARUE COUNTY

40ft.
OldWall 200ftlong.
Green River

Line of high bluff 750 ft. long-overlooking Green River.
Pass into Fort
20ft wide.
W
N
Чодолго ларите мои я? риор 5?41
- buoy 7 f 084 ffm q uboy to our
7.204 0242
ssed
FORTIFICATION-WARREN COUNTY
Old Wall 200ft.long.
[ 52 ]
Flow
ng
Spring

Traces of
cut into rock tospring
Contents of Area
About 10 acres.
Line of perpendicular Bluff boft.high_*
E
Gate into Fort
8 ft.wide.
Line of Bluff 60 ft. high.
Stone wall about
boo ft. long.
Ancient Fort
Near West Fork of Dondelson Creek
S.W.part of Caldwell Co. Ky.
FORTIFICATION-CALDWELL COUNTY
Askimmänftánkilullisintetga va
Drainage Ditch
N.
Bottom
"High Point
Drainage Ditch
Ravine So ft wide
15 ft. deep.
Indian Fortification
Two miles east of Hickman
Fulton Co Ky.
FORTIFICATION-HICKMAN COUNTY
Bayou De Chien Bottom

[53]
Un
www.
Spring
N.

W.-
E.
Contour Lines
Line of Cliff
Lines of Fort
→ Spring
Indian Fort Hill, near Berea, Ky.
Scior
Ohio Canal.
River.
Hills.
Line
Portsmouth.
JULIL
Ancient Lines.
онто
பேப்பட
S.

PORTSMOUTH WORKS.-
AT THE MOUTH OF THE SCIOTO RIVER.
OHIO.
Quliy
Lines Embankment
Lines.
High Hills.
RIVER
Hills.
Kentucky
Tiger Creek.
[54]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
""
lines, an astonishing knowledge of the art of war. The
late J. R. Proctor, of the Shaler Geological Corps, in writ-
ing of the fortifications along Green River, quotes the
opinion of an acknowledged master of the military
art in regard to one of these remains. "General Buell,"
he says,
who has been a resident of the Green River
country for several years past, expresses the opinion that
the Mound Builders exhibited a fine knowledge of defen-
sive warfare, both in the selection and in the manner
of fortifying the hill [Indian Hill] at the mouth of Bear
Creek." A fortification on a spur of bluffs near the Punck-
ney Bend Road south of the mouth of Mayfield Creek,
in Ballard County, shows that these people understood
the principle of constructing bastion-like extensions in
the parapets of their fortifications so as to be able to deliver
a cross-fire on the attacking force.
A peninsula formed by a horseshoe bend in a river,
surrounded by precipitous bluffs, or a sharp spur with
abrupt sides running out from high bluffs, were favorite
places for the erection of fortifications. This was usually
done by throwing up a line of earth or stone embankments
from cliff to cliff across the narrow neck of the river bend,
or where a projecting spur or promontory was the site
to be strengthened, by constructing an embankment and
ditch at its junction with the mainland. As a rule earth
was used in forming these walls, but there are a number
in the State made of stone. Sometimes moats were dug
in front of the parapets, and occasionally these occur
both within and without the walls. The present condi-
tion of some of these moats shows that they were dug to
considerable depth, probably as much as fifteen feet, hav-
ing a width ranging from fifteen to thirty feet. In Central
[ 55 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Kentucky a clay, which forms so large a part of the soil,
would render it easy to make them watertight. Here
and there are evidences that a drawbridge or movable
span was used in crossing the moat to the inner part of
the fortification, but these are merely indications, and
there is no absolute certainty as to the actual modes of in-
gress and egress. Examples of this method of fort-building
are to be seen in Hickman, Fulton, Barren, Allen, Boone,
Bourbon, Edmonson, Green, Hopkins, Caldwell, Larue,
Madison, and Warren counties. Unfortunately many of
the remains in these and other counties, by the constant
wear of the plow, are being rapidly effaced, while some
have entirely disappeared. But here and there are exam-
ples, remarkably well preserved, and if untouched by the
inroads of agricultural cultivation will stand for centuries
to come as memorials of a general and protracted struggle
for the possession of Kentucky, long before the white man
crossed the Alleghany Mountains or even saw the shores
of the Western World.
Some forts were made by a complete surrounding
wall of earth or stone, where the topography of the land
did not eliminate the necessity of fortifying one or more
of the sides. Many earthen enclosures, by their loca-
tion, size, and structural characteristics, indicate that
they were not designed as places of defense, and we can
only conjecture as to the purpose of the ancient Kentuckian
in erecting them. Some have been termed ceremonial or
religious enclosures, because of the part they are supposed
to have played in the tribal life of these people. It is not
the writer's purpose to attempt to describe or even locate
all of the ancient fortifications and enclosures known in
Kentucky, but rather to point out and describe a few
-་
[56]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
that will serve as types of methods of defensive warfare
practiced by these people.
On page 51 is a sketch of what is known as O'Byam's
Fort, in Hickman County. The drawing is made from
one in the work of Doctor Cyrus Thomas on "Mound
Explorations," published in the Twelfth Annual Report of
the Bureau of Ethnology. The following description is
also taken from that work: "The fort is, as is usual in
this region, upon the best position for defense in that
immediate section, being located on the extreme point
of a bluff some fifty feet high, and almost vertical at its
southern end. It consists of an enclosing wall and ditch,
mounds, excavations, and hut range. The length of the
wall and ditch from end around to end, following the
irregular curve, is about eighteen hundred feet, and there
is no wall along the steep bluff facing east and south.
Of these outlines the southern end is so steep as to render
ascent impractical. The eastern slope is almost equally
The northern line was well defended by embankment
and ditch, and for the remainder of the circuit the embank-
ment follows the edge of the high bottom.”
So.
A remarkable specimen of stone fortification is found
in Warren County, twelve miles north of Bowling Green,
on the south bank of Green River. It covers a bluff
practically in the shape of a parallelogram, seven hundred
and fifty feet on either side. These precipitous bluffs
afford complete protection on the north and on the south.
Across the ridge were built two stone walls, making a
complete defense at either end. These walls are about
two hundred feet in length, with an opening or gateway
of twenty feet near the middle. The top of this ridge
is an open field, and has been under cultivation for many
[ 57 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
years. The walls have been torn down, but a small part
of them is left, and the location is distinctly marked.
The lines can be traced without difficulty, although it is
probable that more than five hundred years have passed
since this fort was used for the protection of those who
inhabited Kentucky at that time. Facing the entrance
of the fort there was a line of mounds continuing for
nearly a mile in distance, the mounds being largest near
the fort and decreasing in size as they receded. Through
the kindness of Honorable B. F. Proctor, a prominent
attorney of the Bowling Green bar, who visited the fort
in the past few weeks, the writer is able to present on page
52 a sketch of this work.
The sketch on page 53 is an approximately accurate
representation of a fortification in Caldwell County near
the west fork of Dondelson Creek. This fort enclosed an
area of about ten acres of ground. It had a frontage
upon the neck of land where the stone wall is constructed
of about six hundred feet. The bluffs on either side are
at least sixty feet high, and were practically impregnable.
It had a single gate facing east, eight feet wide. Large
stones were used in the construction of the wall, and they
must have been brought from a considerable distance.
A portion of the walls still exists, in a reasonable state of
preservation. Originally the stone parapet was between
six and seven feet high, and garrisoned by sufficient men
it would have been impossible for any troops, armed as
the men of that period were, to have forced an entrance.
The narrowness of the gateway is an assurance that it was
built with an eye to fierce defense. It is also unusual by
reason of its supply of water. On the west side is a never-
failing flowing spring, and traces of steps cut into the
[58]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
rock to the spring below are still discernible. The area
of ten acres would have given sufficient space for the ac-
commodation of quite an army of people, and with the ex-
ception of the fortification on Indian Fort Mountain this
particular place is among the best constructed and most
carefully built within the limits of the State.
Another remarkable stone fort in a reasonably good
state of preservation is found in Larue County, about
six miles from Hodgenville, on
on the banks of Rolling
the
Fork River. (See drawing, page 52.) This fort included
an area of three and three fourths acres. It is now
covered with heavy forest. In its shattered and broken
condition it yet gives evidence of advancement among
these prehistoric people in the art of fort building. It
was situated on a bluff three hundred feet high, either
perpendicular or partially overhanging the river below.
Its elevation gave it a position from which a splendid
lookout could be maintained for miles around. Some
distance away, immediately west of the fort, was a spring,
which, however, could not be reached except by leaving
the fort and going a short distance into the open. An
examination shows that the rock wall, which was the
real protection of this fort, had no gateway or entrance.
Behind the wall was a ditch. The remains of the wall
at this time show a structure four and one half feet
high, with a base of fifteen feet. At the south end of
the stone wall are two curious wing-like projections. The
length of the main wall across the neck of the fortifi-
cation is three hundred and sixty-three feet. The two
wings at the end, which are shown in the illustration,
are each forty-nine and one half feet. At two points
the natural defenses were strengthened by stone work,
[ 59 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and all in all there is no stone fort in Kentucky that
presents more painstaking preparation or more careful
construction for efficiency in defense.
In Green County, two and one half miles from Greens-
burg, is another remarkable fort, on Pittman's Creek.
The point here selected is what is called The Narrows,
close to a pioneer station called Pittman's Fort. A bend
of Pittman's Creek here includes an area of two hundred
acres of land. At what is known as The Narrows, or
neck of the bend, there was only a few feet of level land,
and this was hemmed in on either side by great precipices.
Across this neck of land walls have been constructed.
The fall in the creek at this point is quite abrupt. In 1826
Doctor N. H. Arnold cut a channel across the neck and
erected a mill; this channel was the race through which
the water passed, and the mill has not yet been abandoned.
In Allen County, thirteen miles west from Scottsville,
between that place and Bowling Green, is another remark-
able remains of a fortification. It is described in Collins'
"History of Kentucky" as follows:
The
"At this place the Middle Fork of Drake's Creek
makes a horseshoe bend, running one mile, then with
gradual bend returning to within thirty feet of the channel,
where the bend may be said to have commenced.
partition which divides the channel of the creek at this
point is of solid limestone, thirty feet thick at the base,
two hundred yards in length, twenty feet high, and six
feet wide at the top. The top is almost perfectly level
and covered with small cedar trees. The area included
within the bend of this creek is to the east of this narrow
pass, and contains about two hundred acres of land ris-
ing from the creek in a gradual ascent of one hundred
[ 60 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
feet, where it forms a bold promontory. The top of this
is level, and forms a square area containing about three
acres enclosed with walls, and a ditch. The outer ditch
is still perceptible and the walls are now about three feet
high around the whole circuit of the fort. In the rear
of this are to be seen many small mounds."
There is said to be another stone fortification in the
southern part of Hardin County. The care, skill, and
labor expended in these stone fortifications show that in
those prehistoric days the wars were real, that the con-
flict between the parties who built the fort and those on
the outside must have been long and fierce. How these
struggles ended we can not tell. These fortifications all
bear a striking resemblance to each other and show that
they were probably erected by the same tribe or nation,
and that they were not used so much on the border of
Kentucky but farther back in the interior, and suggest that
there had been an incursion or approach from the north
toward the south, and that this line of forts was most likely
part of a system built along a borderland in which brave
defenders made gallant resistance to the encroachments
of the foe who were driving them away from the Ohio.
The description of these forts will give some definite
idea not only of the frequency of such works, but also
of the necessities which called forth, from the people who
used them, such heroic and skillful preparation for resist-
ance to their foes.
On page 53 is a drawing of an ancient fortification
near Hickman, in Fulton County. This is taken from the
report of the Kentucky Geological Survey on the Jackson
Purchase Region, by Doctor R. H. Loughridge, whose
description the writer adopts:
[61]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
"
This is located or situated about a mile northeast
of Hickman, a short distance from the railroad, on the
north side of the bluffs of the Mississippi and Bayou de
Chien bottoms. These bluffs are here about seventy-five
feet high, and quite abrupt, and gradually slope eastward
for a short distance to a flat area, which is indicated by
a branch or deep ravine running northward to the Bayou
de Chien. The sketch represents a large enclosure of
about two acres, extending southeastwardly nearly to
the branch, where it is abruptly narrowed for six hundred
feet further. The low elevation that borders it on the
south for about five hundred feet is now partly plowed
down in the cultivated field that lies along the bluff, and
is somewhat broken in the flat, until it turns northeast-
ward, where it is very prominent. While it would in itself
be scarcely recognized as a line of earthworks by any
person passing over it, yet when the other and prominent
lines are followed and outlined, its own connection is clearly
Its course is N. 50 W. or parallel with the other
sides, and has a width of ten to fifteen feet, much worn
away by drainage of the slope. When near the branch
it turns due east for about thirty-five feet, and then N.
40 E. for about one hundred and eighty-five feet to a
mound somewhat higher. On the north side of the en-
closure another line of earthworks appear, parallel with
the one on the south, but beginning about half way between
the bluff and branch. It is very regular and unbroken for
about one hundred and ninety feet, when it turns S. 60
E. for nearly fifty feet, and thence S. 40 W. for about
one hundred and ninety feet to another mound within
about ninety-five feet of the former one. This ridge is
also prominent and broad. The mounds are about twenty-
seen.
[ 62 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
five feet in diameter and from them two parallel lines
of earthworks turn S. 40 E. six hundred feet. They are
high and wide, and lying as they do in a flat cultivated
field are very prominent. Their width is about twenty
feet. On the southeast they turn toward each other and
terminate, leaving an opening of about twenty-five feet.
This is protected on the interior by a large mound forty
by thirty-five feet, and higher than the earthworks, leav-
ing but a very narrow opening.
For drainage
purposes apparently a deep and narrow ditch was dug
from either corner of the large enclosure to the branch.
This fortification was admirably planned for defense.
The large enclosure was presumably occupied by the tribe
as a habitation, for fragments of pottery are very abun-
dant, especially near the top of the bluff. It was well pro-
tected by the steep bluffs and by the earthworks against
small forces, but in an emergency or against overwhelming
numbers the tribe could retreat into the narrow enclosure,
and with a deep ditch at one end and a protected gateway
at the other, could better defend themselves."
The same writer describes another ancient fortification
upon a spur on the south bluff of Sandy Creek two miles
south of Laketon in Ballard County, and another upon
a spur of bluffs near the Punckney Bend Road south of
the mouth of Mayfield Creek in Ballard County. The
latter is particularly interesting in that one line of its
embankment presents an irregular front, the irregularity
being caused by three bastions, or extensions, each about
ten feet wide and reaching out respectively nine, eighteen,
and nine feet, their front and sides and also the front
of the embankments between them being quite steep.
This structure clearly shows that these people possessed
[63]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
considerable skill in the art of defensive warfare, and
that they knew the great advantage and demoralizing
effect of a cross-fire upon an attacking force.
In Greenup County, at a point about a mile and a half
below Portsmouth, Ohio, and nearly opposite the old
mouth of the Scioto River, are to be seen the remains of
the most interesting of the ancient earthworks of Ken-
tucky. These were first brought to public notice in 1791
by Major Jonathan Hurt, then stationed at Fort Harmar,
who in a letter to Doctor B. S. Bardon, of Philadelphia,
bearing date of January 6, 1791, speaks of ancient remains
being found" along the Scioto at its junction with the
Ohio, opposite which on the Virginia side are extensive
works, which have been accurately traced by Colonel
George Morgan. These remains were described and
mapped by Caleb Atwater, whose account appeared in
the first volume of the Transactions of the American
Antiquarian Society, published in 1820. E. G. Squier
and D. Morton resurveyed them in 1846 and discovered
features which had been overlooked by Mr. Atwater.
These works also received the attention of Rafinesque
as early as 1820. In 1887 Mr. T. H. Lewis resurveyed
these imposing remains, and discovered that there were
earthworks belonging to the series not noted by Mr. Squier,
the most interesting of which was an effigy mound repre-
senting a bear. On page 54 is a sketch of these earth-
works made from the survey of Mr. Squier and pub-
lished in the Smithsonian Contributions, Volume I. The
principal work upon the Kentucky side is a square enclo-
sure with two lines of outworks consisting of parallel walls,
opposite the mouth of the Scioto River. The following
account is taken from "Ancient Monuments": "The sin-
[64]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
gular work occurs on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River
opposite the old mouth of the Scioto, about two miles
beyond Portsmouth. The territory on which it is situated
is lifted some fifty feet above the first bottom, and extends
back to the hills, which at this point are some distance
from the river. It is much cut up by ravines and is quite
uneven. The main body of the work is situated on a
very beautiful level ascent to the east; the wings are on
equally beautiful levels except that they are broken at
two or three points by ravines. The principal work is
an exact rectangle eight hundred feet square. The walls
are about twelve feet by thirty-five or forty feet base,
except on the east, where advantage is taken of the rise
of the ground so as to lift them about fifty feet above
the center of the area.
"The most singular features of this structure are its
outworks, which consist of parallel walls leading to the
northeast and southwest. They are exactly parallel to
the sides of the main work, and are each twenty-one hun-
dred feet long. Some measurements make them of unequal
length, but after a careful calculation of the space occu-
pied by the interrupting ravines they are found to be
nearly, not exactly, the same length.
"The parallel to the southwest has its outer wall in
line with the northwest wall of the main work, and starts
at thirty feet distance from the same. It is broken by
a deep ravine near its extremities, which is probably four
hundred or five hundred feet wide. Crossing the ravine
the walls, traces of which are seen on the declivity, con-
tinue some distance, and then curve on a radius of one
hundred feet, leaving a narrow gateway eight feet wide
in the center. Converging walls start from the point
[ 65 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
of curve, but lose themselves after running three hundred
and forty feet without meeting. Just beyond and a little
to the right on the plain are two mounds, also a small
circle one hundred feet in diameter, the walls of which
are two feet high. The parallel, to the northeast, starts
from the center of the main work, and is similar to the
one already described, save it is not terminated by con-
verging walls and there are no mounds beyond. It is
interrupted by two ravines, the walls running to the very
edges. The left wall of the parallel points to a right
angle as it approaches the main work. To the left of
this parallel, four hundred and fifty feet from a point
eight hundred feet distant from the main work, on a high
peninsula or headland, is a singular redoubt.
The
embankment of the work is heavy and the ditch deep and
wide and interior to the wall. The bottom of the ditch
to the top of the wall is twelve to fifteen feet. The enclosed
area is only sixty feet wide by one hundred feet long. It
has a gateway from the northeast ten feet wide, outside
of which, in the deep forest, is the grave of one of the first
settlers. The object of this enclosure it is difficult to
divine. If a place of burial, as has been suggested, prop-
erly conducted excavations would disclose the fact.
'A like wall of some one hundred paces in extent
runs from the left-hand entrance of the main work along
the verge of a declivity, terminating at the western angle.
On this side are also three mounds, each about six feet
high, formerly much higher, having been greatly reduced
by the plow.
"
From the western angle a deep gully runs off to the
river. It has been mistaken by some for a causeway,
entering the main work. The greater part of the lower
!
[ 66 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
parallel and portion of the upper one are open cultivated
grounds. The walls of the main work are so steep as
to preclude cultivation, and now form the fence lines
of the area, which is fifteen acres. The area of the paral-
lel is ten acres each; total thirty-five acres. Between
this work and the river are traces of modern Indian
encampments, of shells, burned stone, fragments of rude
pottery, also some graves. This was a favorite spot with
the Indians for various reasons, one of which is its prox-
imity to the noted saline spring or deer lick known as
McArthur's Lick. From the size of the walls, their posi-
tion, and the circumstances, it has been suggested that
this was a fortified place. For palisades it would certainly
be impregnable to any savage. If designed as a sacred
place, its sloping area would be most fit for the observa-
tions of sacrifices or ceremonies. What might have been
the purpose of the mysterious parallels is more than we
can at this period venture to say."
The other group upon the Kentucky side lies farther
up the river.
"It consists of four concentric circles placed
at irregular intervals in respect to each other, and cut
at right angles by four broad avenues, which conform
in bearing very nearly to the cardinal points. A large
mound is placed in the center. It is truncated and ter-
raced, and has a graded way leading to its summit."
Rafinesque, who visited these ancient works prior to 1820,
observed about eight miles of parallels, giving to the paral-
lels sixteen miles of embankment, and including the walls
of the entire series a grand total of upward of twenty
miles. For fuller accounts of these remarkable remains
reference may be had to Collins' "History of Kentucky,"
"Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley," by Squier
[ 67 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and Davis, and the "Old Fort Earthworks," by T. H. Lewis,
published in the Third Volume of the American Journal
of Archeology.
It is impossible to tell why these complex and elaborate
earthworks were constructed. The quadrangular structure
might possibly have been designed for defensive purposes.
By placing palisades on the wall near the south angle
where it intersects the spur enclosing the opening, it could
be successfully defended against any force, armed only
with the weapons in use at the time these embank-
ments were raised. The fact that trenches or moats
are entirely lacking in connection with this fort and its
parallel ways suggests that it was
it was not
not designed for
defensive purposes.
It would not be possible to print a full description
of the earthen mounds and enclosures which were originally
found in Kentucky. It will rather be more desirable to
give some description of the present existing ones which
best retain their original forms and contours. The best
preserved enclosure in Kentucky at the present time is
one located on the Newtown Turnpike, in Fayette County,
on the land of Mrs. Brand, north and northeast from
Lexington six and one half miles, on a part of what was
formerly known as the Moore farm. The writer visited these
remains in December, 1909, accompanied by Honorable
James H. Mulligan, of Lexington, and Professor H. Stahl.
It is on the banks of Elkhorn Creek. This stream flows
at its base, and it is seventy-five feet from the water
line to the top of the embankment. The outside of the
embankment has a circumference of seven hundred and
fifty feet, with an average width of twelve to fourteen feet.
Immediately inside of the embankment is a moat. The
[ 68 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
moat at this time is from twelve to fifteen feet deep, and
the circumference along the center line of the moat is
five hundred and fifty-five feet. The distance between
the raised elevation inside and the embankment is
forty feet. The central elevation has a diameter of one
hundred and fifty feet, with a circumference of four
hundred and fifty feet. There is a gateway thirty-three
feet wide, which had been raised at the time of the
construction of the moat. On the embankment, and
growing out of it, are two oak trees, one thirteen feet
and the other thirteen feet three inches in circumfer-
ence, thus indicating an age on the embankment of at
least four hundred years.
Time has dealt most gently with these remains. The
embankment is practically intact. The moat is not filled
up more than three or four feet, and the central enclosure
has not eroded at all. It is now covered with a second
growth of timber. On the embankment there are indi-
cations of a growth of timber preceding the present one,
and judging from appearances the timber which had fallen
had an age of several hundred years, and this growth
had been prior to that which is now found either upon
the central enclosure, in the moat, or upon the embank-
ment. In all questions of the ages of structures it is
difficult to determine with exactness the period of con-
struction, but all the conditions which surround this one
demonstrates with certainty an age of five hundred years.
The drawing on page 51 will give an exact and definite
idea of the proportions and lines along which this earthwork
was constructed.
Honorable James H. Mulligan, when a member of the
Kentucky Legislature, proposed that the State should
[69]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
purchase this remain and make it a public park, together
with a reasonable amount of ground in proximity to it.
As Fayette County and Lexington have always exhibited
a very high degree of public spirit and enlightened prog-
ress, it is hoped that in a few years this tract of ground,
or the field which contains it, will be purchased by the
county of Fayette and the city of Lexington and used
for public purposes, so that at least one of the great earth-
works of Kentucky, constructed with such beautiful and
symmetrical proportions, may be preserved for all time
to come. Thickly set with bluegrass, with clay embank-
ments and gate, it is an earthwork that may be preserved
in its present state, with a slight degree of care, for
thousands of years to come.
Near this and between it and Lexington there are
still distinct remains which must have been a fort of very
considerable extent. This is well described in Collins'
History, from which we quote: The shape of the area
is not unlike that of the moon when two thirds full.
The dirt from the ditch enclosing this area is thrown
sometimes out, sometimes in, sometimes both ways.
There is no water within one hundred yards of this
work, but there are several very fine springs two hun-
dred yards off, and the North Elkhorn is within that
distance northeastwardly. An ash tree was cut down
in 1845, which stood on the bank of this ditch, which
upon being examined proved to be four hundred years
old. The ditch is still perfectly distinct throughout
its whole extent, and in some places it is so deep
and steep as to be dangerous to pass with a car-
riage." Fortunately a portion of
of this work has
been included in a bluegrass pasture which has never
[ 70 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
been cultivated, and at this date,
at this date, December, 1909,
the lines of this embankment can be traced for quite
a distance.
The best types of these circular enclosures are found
in Fayette, Montgomery, and Madison counties. Silver
Creek, in Madison County, seems to have been a favorite
place not only for the construction of mounds for habi-
tation, but also for the erection of enclosures and cere-
monial structures. Three of these can be found within
a distance of three miles on Silver Creek-two of them
on the land of Mrs. Fred Ferris, eight miles from Rich-
mond, near a post-office called Ruthton. They are both
remarkable products of the prehistoric age, and one of
them is practically untouched and uninjured. These two
structures lie on the north side of Silver Creek, and with
the exception of the circular enclosure on the North Elk-
horn in Fayette, there is no earthwork better preserved
in Kentucky than the smaller one of these. It was built
on the spur of a hill coming down toward Silver Creek
and nine hundred feet from the water line, with an eleva-
tion of probably fifty feet above the stream. On the west
side was a steep slope, on the east side another slope,
while on the north side it was only lifted about four or
five feet above the original surface, and on the south side
there was a descent to Silver Creek.
Squire Boone, a brother of Daniel, in passing down
Silver Creek noted the fine location of this particular
point for a mill site, and told his companions it would
be one of the best of such sites in Kentucky. In the early
pioneer days a mill was erected by James Bogy at this
place. He patented the land and died some time early
in the Nineteenth Century, and chose the middle of the
[ 71 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
smaller of these structures for a family burying-ground.
The larger structure consists of an embankment six hun-
dred and sixty-three feet in circumference. Inside of
this is a moat or ditch. The height of the embankment
has an average of four feet, the ditch a depth of from
four to six feet. The width of the wall at the base is
thirty-six feet, the width of the ditch forty feet. This
ditch had evidently been filled up several feet by decay-
ing vegetation and by erosion. The diameter of the
inside plateau, or space surrounded by the ditch, is one
hundred and thirty-five feet. These structures are only
about four hundred feet apart. The second is smaller
but retains its form more perfectly, and is a splendid
demonstration of the symmetry with which these enclo-
sures were laid out. It consists of an earthen embankment
thirty-six feet in width. Inside of it is a ditch twenty-
one feet wide, with a present depth of ten feet. The
circumference of the embankment is four hundred and
fifty feet. Inside of the ditch is a raised space with a
diameter of seventy-five feet. This is covered now with
a perfect sod of bluegrass, and trees are growing upon
it which show an age of one hundred and twenty-five
years. The Bogy family, who patented this land, recog-
nizing the splendid situation of this prehistoric structure
and the symmetrical form of the plateau inside the ditch,
with its seventy-five feet of diameter, appropriated it for
a family burying-ground. These burials began in the
Eighteenth Century and continued down to 1850. Every
available space in the circle has been occupied by these
intrusive burials. White and colored pioneers were here
laid side by side. The original settler, Mr. James Bogy,
man of large proportions. The length
must have been a
[ 72 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
of his grave, compared with other graves, shows that he
was fully seven feet in height. It is a tradition among
the people of Madison County that he was one of the
very largest pioneers who came as settlers to Madison
County in the early period of the State's history. It is
fortunate from an archeological standpoint that Bogy
selected this inside space or ceremonial enclosure for the
purposes of burial. The presence of the historic dead
has protected it from the invading plowshare and pre-
served it from cultivation, since the coming of the
white man down to this period. From an examination
of the present condition of these remarkable structures,
so close to each other, it would appear that the greater
degree of care and skill was used in the smaller. Why
two of these should have been built so closely together,
differing only in size and width of the embankment or
ditch, can not now be determined. The larger of these
structures has received less consideration at the hands
of historic men. Mr. Ferris, in 1909, concluded that he
would plow up the ground, which up to that time had
been in grass and covered by forest trees, and produce a
crop of Burley tobacco. His neighbors, with some shadow
of superstition in their minds, suggested that bad
luck might come as a result of disturbing this ancient
enclosure. But a desire for a profitable tobacco crop
and the extreme fertility of the soil, enriched by one
hundred years of bluegrass and other decaying vegeta-
tion, quieted what might have been the fears of the owner's
husband, and so it was plowed up and planted in tobacco,
and from it was obtained a magnificent return. Probably
what was one of the largest yields known in Madison
County for a long while came from the embankment,
[ 73 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
•
the ditch, and the plateau inside, all parts of it having
been planted.
North of Mrs. Ferris's place, about three miles farther
down Silver Creek, is another of these enclosures, almost
a counterpart of the two previously described.
A
Clark County, adjoining Madison on the north, seems
also to have been a favorite place for the building of these
enclosures. On Amos Turner's farm, about one mile east
of Camargo, there is one called in that neighborhood
a fort ring, one hundred and fifty feet in diameter.
few hundred yards away is another of about the same
size, only it seems to have been laid off as a square and
then the corners rounded, without making it a perfect
circle, as is the usual shape. Near Morgan's old station
on the hill above Slate Creek there is another of these
circles, of uniform size and character with those at
Camargo, and in close proximity is yet another. Near
Hugh Hurt's, on Grassy Lick, there is still another circle,
and on the farm of John T. Megowan is an enclosure
nearly oval in form, containing about two acres and having
three small mounds within this space.
In Clark County, west of Montgomery, on a rise which
overlooks the valley of Upper Howard's Creek, is another
of these circles, one hundred and eighty feet in diameter.
Similar circles are found in Bourbon, Carroll, Mason, and
Pendleton counties, and these seem to have run upon a
line beginning on the Ohio River at or near Maysville
and continuing in a southwesterly direction through
Mason, Bourbon, Fayette, Clark, Montgomery, and
Madison counties, and they have been found in such
large numbers in no other part of the State.
[74]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
KENTUCKY'S LARGEST FORT.
It was the writer's good fortune some years ago to
bring to public notice certainly the most remarkable
prehistoric stone fortification in the State of Kentucky.
It is situated in Madison County about three miles east
of Berea on the Big Hill Turnpike, and overhangs the head
waters of Silver Creek, which, making its way through
the rugged lands of the southeastern part of the county,
finally empties into the Kentucky River near Idalia, oppo-
site the Jessamine County line.
The writer's attention was called to this structure in
1894 by Honorable French Tipton, who was one of the
most patient and laborious antiquarians Kentucky has
produced, and whose early death was a great loss to the
State; also by Honorable Charles L. Searcey, several
times representative in the Lower House of the Kentucky
Legislature from Madison County. This fort occupies
what is known as Indian Fort Mountain, or Robe's
Mountain, which lies close to the corners of Madison,
Jackson, Garrard, and Rockcastle counties. (See page 54.)
For the military skill displayed in the selection of this
mountain as a stronghold, and for the patience and labor
expended in building the necessary walls to render it
impregnable, too much can not be said in praise of both
the genius and the skill of the people who constructed the
fortifications. Robe's Mountain is cut off from the sur-
rounding mountains by deep valleys, and at all points but
six its sides for a considerable height are so steep and
rugged as to be practically unscalable. On the east the
top of this mountain is reached by a neck or ridge nearly
a mile in length. This approach, which is a gradual
ascent, at many points is less than one hundred feet wide,
[75]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and at no place after it leaves the valley for any distance
is it more than three hundred feet wide. At the point
where this ridge or neck finally reaches the top of the
mountain, these ancient people constructed a stone fort
by the erection of a wall across the neck of the ridge.
This stone wall is three hundred and eighty-seven feet
in length. It is built at a point where the slope of the
hillside is very steep. Beginning down on the slope, where
a foothold could be obtained for the rocks, they were
piled one upon the other in irregular shape and form.
This stonework, stacked up on the mountain side, at
some places measures sixty feet from the lower base
of the wall to the top of the embankment, and rises four
or five feet above the natural surface within the space to
be fortified, making an embankment or parapet of consider-
able proportions behind which the defenders could stand.
Some of the stones which entered into this structure were
brought from the valley below, where limestone of a char-
acter found in the walls could have been quarried. Some
of these weigh as much as five hundred pounds, and they
must have been carried on sticks by two or more men
up the mountain side, and then deposited in their place
in the walls. It is an object of wonder how these people
could afford to expend such prodigious labor and such
great time in erecting this structure. While many limestone
blocks were used in constructing this parapet, sandstone,
which abounds in the mountain top, is the prevailing mate-
rial. The fortification included the whole of the mountain
top and contains four or five hundred acres of land. It was
naturally defended by precipitous bluffs except at six points.
First the neck on which the wall was erected; then about
half a mile due east, in a sort of cove, where there is a
[76]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
gradual ascent from the valley below, these ancient engineers
discovered a pregnable point, and for about seven hundred
and twenty-five feet they erected a second stonework built
in the same manner as the other, by finding a place on
the mountain side sufficiently depressed to admit of a
resting place or base for the stone. This second wall
extends from the end of one bluff around a curve in the
cove to the end of another bluff, and at one end of it there
is now in perfect form what the writer has seen nowhere
else in Kentucky, with one exception-that is, regularly
laid courses of stone. Part of this regular course has been
thrown down by the accretion of vegetable mold and
earth behind the wall and by the erosion of the earth
where the wall rested. About thirty or forty feet of it
still remains intact. There is another instance of regularly
laid stonework in Nelson County, about five and one half
miles from Bardstown on the New Haven Turnpike,
which is described more fully elsewhere. Following this
bluff which overlooked this stone wall laid in regular
courses, and traveling around the side of the mountain
for a mile and a quarter, there was no point at which with-
out a scaling ladder it would have been possible for an
invading force to reach the top. Here another short
stone wall had been erected guarding a narrow defile
between two projecting bluffs, up which an enemy in single
file might have reached this portion of the top of the
mountain. This wall was not more than fifteen or twenty
feet in length. Upon one of the cliffs, between which it ex-
tended, were some curious as well as pathetic remains. The
path or defile along which the invaders must necessarily
approach to reach the top of the mountain passed directly
under the foot of this overhanging cliff. On this par-
[77]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ticular point there were piled a large number of stones,
evidently placed there at the time this fortification was
manned, for defense. They were of irregular shapes and
sizes, weighing from five to twenty-five pounds, and had
evidently been placed by the warriors just as the author
saw them, to be thrown down upon the invaders who
might seek by this defile to enter the stronghold. There
are three other points on the mountain top where stones
had been piled as a defense against an invading foe. The
area upon top of this mountain, and protected by these
artificial stone walls, would measure four or five hundred
acres. It would therefore have been necessary, in order to
thoroughly make defense, to have had a large number
of soldiers within the enclosure. With some knowledge
of military matters, the writer thinks nothing short of
one thousand men would have adequately manned this
fortification so as to make it secure against the approach
of an enemy. There are no present evidences that this
particular mountain was ever used extensively as a place
of residence. A few flints picked up here and there, and
an ax or two, are all the remains that would indicate that
the men of the Stone Age inhabited this spot. It is prob-
able that this enclosure was never used as a place of habi-
tation, though it might well have been, as there is a large
never-failing spring of water within it. It is more likely
that in times of danger and invasion a large number of
people fled to it as a seat of refuge in which they
might find safety from some invading force which did not
live in close proximity to the spot. If the foe against
which these structures had been erected had inhabited
the immediate territory, there would have been evidences
of permanent residence within the enclosure; but such
evidences are absent.
[ 78 ]

Gateway in Stone Wall of Fort on Indian Fort Mountain, Madison County,
Kentucky. A wagon road now passes through this entrance
Uni
[ 79 ]

Stone Wall composing part of Stone Fort on Indian Fort Mountain,
near Berea, Madison County, Kentucky
MU
[ 80 ]

Stone Wall on West Side of Stone Fort on Indian Fort Mountain,
Madison County, Kentucky. The stones at this point were laid in regular courses
[ 81 ]


North End of Stone Fort on Indian Fort Mountain,
Madison County, Kentucky
[82]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Some ten miles from this spot, in the general direction
of Richmond, we found a high point covering the end of
a bluff on which there were what appeared at first glance
to be stone graves, but upon excavation it seemed that
they were more likely stone boxes or ovens in which fires
either for cooking or signal purposes were builded. Some
six miles farther was found a large mound in direct line
with these ovens and the mountain fort, and which from
its general appearance the author takes to have been a
signal station. It is three hundred and eighty feet in cir-
cumference, and has the form of a truncated cone. The
top is perfectly level, and has a diameter of forty-two
feet. It is known as the Samuels Mound and lies near
White's Station, on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad,
seven miles from Richmond. It is in an excellent state
of preservation, and upon it the unceasing storms and
rains of hundreds of years have failed to produce any
visible effect. About it have been found a large number
of stone axes, arrowheads, pieces of pottery, and other
evidences of the presence of men of the Stone Age. On
this mound there was nothing to indicate that it had been
used as a place of residence. Growing upon the center
was a locust tree, which upon being cut down showed an
age of one hundred and seventy-five years. The own-
ers of this mound have watched it with such care and
pride that they have never allowed it to be disturbed
in any way whatever, a course which the writer begged
them to continue, as a mound so beautiful and so unique
in its characteristics should remain forever as a monument
to these vanished people. The proprietors have planted
this mound in grapes, and have produced thereon a beau-
tiful vineyard which covers its sides and crowns its crest.
[83]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Running back toward Richmond, about two miles from
that city, another mound is seen, with nothing unusual
in its appearance. But farther back, east of Richmond
on the Waco Road, the writer noted a series of other
mounds, and farther on northeast still another series of
mounds, these all lying in lines which would indicate
there had been through this portion of Kentucky a series
of forts and signal mounds, all having some military con-
nection with the structure on Indian Fort Mountain.
At some period this extensive fortification must have
been a central rallying point for many villages and for
a large population. The labor expended in its building,
the care shown in its plan, and its proximity to the moun-
tain ranges south and east of it, would fix its strategic
value to the people living north of it for at least fifty miles.
A few hundreds of people could not have undertaken the
gigantic tasks involved in its erection, and every detail
connected with it demonstrates that those who built it
considered it a most valuable place of refuge as well as
of defense. About it doubtless some great battles were
fought and many heroic conflicts waged, and its history
embraced some of the most striking events connected with
the occupancy of the surrounding country by the Mound
Builders during the greatest struggles for their homes and
their lives.
One can not resist the temptation to call the dead
from their sleep of ages, clothe them with flesh and blood
and have them revisit the scenes of their contests for this
land, now so beautiful to those who possess it, and which
to them, if such thing were possible, would be even
dearer and more to be desired.
[ 84 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
IMAGINARY BATTLE SCENE.
Standing on Indian Fort Mountain, lifted five hundred
feet above the surrounding plain, facing the beautiful and
fertile lands of the bluegrass, which was then the home
of these prehistoric people; in sight of their temples of
worship, scattered along Silver Creek for five and twenty
miles, and drinking in the beauty of a landscape made
glorious by Nature's lavish gifts, and seeing on every side
their splendid earthen mounds, doubtless sometimes used
for sacrifice or signal stations, but more frequently as memo-
rials of their beloved and illustrious dead; surrounded by
the implements of war they placed and fashioned a thou-
sand years ago and which have remained unchanged and
in many instances unmoved through the centuries which
have intervened since living hands and brave hearts used
them in defense of their lives and those they loved, it
is no difficult task to transport one's self back through
the ages and to discover and renew the scenes which
once made this very spot radiant with courage and glori-
ous with achievement.
There must have been an hour when a people, harassed
and pursued by war's misfortunes, had found on the
summit lands of this mountain a place of refuge in times
of conflict. The fortifications, built almost entirely of
stone, meant great labor and heroic toil. Only the fear
of fierce and avenging foes could have caused the con-
struction of this mighty fort of refuge, into which, when
war's savage cruelties were imminent, a peaceful and
happy tribe could find safety and repose.
One could almost see the invading army, in the dark-
[85]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
est hour of the night, stealthily advancing through the
thick forest, and catch glimpses of the alert pickets of the
fort's defenders as they nimbly and quickly retire before
the approach of the moccasined warriors who, in the silence
and gloom of the forest, are attempting to steal their
way unobserved through the narrow gorges with which
Nature has torn the mountain sides above and beyond,
and to reinforce which those inside the fort had con-
structed stone parapets, over which no foe could leap
without a death struggle with those who guarded the
most sacred possession of life.
On the rock's projections, which overhang narrow
passages that lead through the stone walls which Nature
had created, and along which two men at most could
pass abreast, these prehistoric men had piled rock missiles
weighing from five to twenty-five pounds, and on either
side had built stone parapets, from which arrows and
spears could be hurled upon those below who might at-
tempt to capture the fort.
The whole scene becomes a moving panorama. The
invaders, with their feet clad in moccasins, move with
the noiselessness of a tiger hunting its prey. Valiant and
successful leaders, men great in war and in council, guide
the line of march, and in tones almost inaudible speak
comforting words to their dusky legions. These cap-
tains, with their gorgets and banner stone emblems of
authority and leadership, carefully instruct the vanguard,
strong and gallant file leaders point the way, and with
a keenness of vision and a stealthiness of step that rivals
the beasts of the forest in the darkest hour of the night,
they press on toward the stone-crowned heights of this
mighty fort. They had marched miles with steady tramp
[86]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
since the setting of the sun, and they hoped and believed
that the enemy within the enclosure knew naught of their
presence or their purpose.
Generals within had designed and constructed the
marvelous fort. They must have been soldiers of no mean
achievement to have located and builded so splendid a
place of defense, and they knew the skill and the genius
of the foes who had overrun their homes and driven them,
their wives and their children, to this spot, on which they
were now to make their last brave stand for land and life.
Through the long, long hours of the night messenger
after messenger had come from the front to tell of the
steady tramp of a great pursuing host, bent on destruction,
and with its march pointed toward the northern approach
to the mountain. They had scouted the woods on every
side and they knew that only one line of invasion was
designed, and with the true military instinct would assail
the fort at its weakest point.
There was no rest nor sleep on the mountain top.
Conflict, battle, death, destruction, nerved the arms of
those here making their last stand. The fires were smoth-
ered, mothers gave the refuge of their bosoms and laps
to their offspring, and gathered in groups about the war-
riors; sleeping children, led and helped by their mothers,
lent terror to the scene. From the central camp detach-
ment after detachment was marched to the stone de-
fenses, but the great mass of the defenders, under the
inspiration of their greatest leader, was dispatched to the
north approach.
We can almost hear the words of encouragement
spoken by wives, mothers, sweethearts, and children to
the warriors as, girding on their arms, they set out to
[ 87 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
face the foe in a desperate grapple. Fighting was to be
at short range. Flint arrows could not reach very far;
stone-tipped spears even a less distance, and battle-axes
retarded by eight to thirty pounds of weight on six-foot
handles meant that foes would, when the real issue came,
be very nigh to each other.
The paths along the mountain side were known even
in intensest darkness, and the starlight was enough to
point where the foe would be found, or where the invaders
might press through Nature's rock-rent passages to the
plateau above.
Crouched on the huge stone projections, lying on the
rock walls with heads just lifted above their line, the
beleaguered wait for the coming of the hated foe. In single
file, with valiant leaders heading each rank, the pursuers
enter the passes. One, two, three, four, five, six pass
into the darkness of the chasm, while behind them, with
stillest tread, the rear ranks press with vigor and zeal.
The three gorges are full; a few steps more and the walls
will be scaled. In an instant the curtain falls.
A sav-
age, heart-piercing shout rends the air, and down upon
the heads of those who had pressed into the narrow passes
comes a hail of stone missiles, driven with a fury that tells
of hate, bitterness, and despairing courage. The men on
the parapets spring up and drive a great storm of arrows
into the forms of those who have not yet entered the gorge.
War cries fill the air, shouts of battle are met with defiant
responses. The crushed forms of the leaders cover the
depths of the passes, but over these other invaders rush,
to meet a like fate at the hands of the maddened and infu-
riated stone-throwers who, with unerring accuracy, drive
these projectiles down between the walls of the narrow
[ 88 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
passways, carrying death or wounds to those who are
forcing their way upward. Up the stone-clad sides of the
mountain other lines press,
other lines press, to meet great masses of
stone hurled along the rough sides and bounding from
point to point, striking down every human form which
resists their downward path, while the bowmen send
along with these mightier agencies of death a stream of
arrows, and the spearmen, planting themselves a little
below the parapet heights, hurl long, stone-tipped
spears into the masses which are climbing upward to
reach the summit of the walls.
Every available reserve of the defenders had been
rushed to the point of assailment; as they run, with the
speed of the wind, they can hear the shouts of battle, and
quickened by war's zeal and fury, they join in the fray.
Mothers and children, listening with frenzied fear, had
crowded down close to the place of conflict, and they
too join in the outcry and the defiant shouts which break
the stillness of the night scene far up the sides of the
mountain. These warring armies do not speak the same
language, but instinct as well as reason interprets the
words which both armies shout one to the other, and
they need no interpreter on either side to say that each
side means death to the other by every means at com-
mand.
Nature now begins to lend light upon the places of
carnage and death, and, looking along the east over the
hills of the bluegrass, they see the coming rays of day,
which the Sun God sends to speak to his children and again
assure them of his love and protecting care, and as glori-
ous beams of light drive the darkness away, these children
of his see before them the havoc and ruin of the night.
[89]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Wounded and dead all but fill the narrow passways, the
parapets are strewn with foes who, a few moments before
in death grapple, now lie stark and still in the gloom of
death. The wounded crawl away from the battle line
over the parapet or down the sloping sides of the moun-
tain; yet brave men still rush up the blood-crowned
sides, and others, equally as brave, wave defiantly their
weapons and bid the invaders come on to the death-dealing
onslaught. Honors are yet even. Neither side has been
victorious. The invaders, checked, still assault the fort,
and the defenders, with a great death list behind them,
yet hold the projecting crags. Surer aim comes with the
light. The men who had through the hours of the night
hurled the stones upon the heads of the invading army
now are the targets for the skilled bowmen of the assail-
ing forces, and one by one they fall before the unerring
aim of the sharpshooters who, half protected by the
trees, send their sharp-pointed missiles as death's messen-
gers into their midst. Wounded, many topple and fall,
and yet others, dead, roll over the stone projections upon
the bodies of the invaders which have half filled their
spaces, and friend and foe, mingled in living and dying
mass, grapple with each other in one last struggle for
supremacy, and together die in defiant and embittered
embrace.
The costly sacrifice is not yet to end. Another effort
is to be made, and the brave leaders who have escaped
the touch of death direct one more charge. There is no
call for rest. The axmen are to lead a forlorn hope. The
bowmen send a great cloud of arrows over and against
the parapet. The spearmen in solid line lead another
charge, and behind these the axmen, burdened with
[90]

AX OF GRANITE
Length, ten and one half inches
MAUL OF GRANITE

LARGE GROOVED AXES OF GRANITE
Weighing ten and twelve pounds respectively. From Mound in Louisville
Colonel R. T. Durrett's collection
[ 91 ]
Um

GROOVED AXES
CELTS
Length, eight inches. From Green County

[ 92 ]

STONE AXES
Weight of Ax in left corner, thirty pounds. Weight of Ax in right corner, thirty-two pounds
From Warren County
From Christian County
[93]

Slate Tomahawk
Trigg County
Grooved Ax
Wayne County
Slate Tomahawk
Trigg County

Ax of Slate, with Skeleton in Relief
Pulaski County
Ax of Quartzite
Eastern Kentucky
MU
[ 94 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
their heavy weapons, clamber up the sides of the
rocky wall, here and there crushing the skull of a wounded
enemy who had rolled down the declivity and lay pros-
trate amongst his wounded foes. No voice of mercy
touches a single impulse of these savage warriors, and with
their cumbrous weapons they calmly and fearlessly make
the assault that is to determine the day, and if possible
wrest victory from an unwilling fate.
The defenders recognize that the crucial hour has come,
and advancing a few feet down the parapet the spearmen
prepare to meet the approaching axmen, while the bowmen,
with vigorous arm, from the summit speed their arrows
with vicious drive into the scrambling column, and the
axmen of the beleaguered garrison, crouching behind the
parapet or peering over its top, nerve themselves to face
the valiant and grim host that, with similar weapons,
are pushing up the rocky wall. So far, courage has not
been able to stay the advancing tide. When the front line
falls a second takes its place. The bowmen still drive
their arrows into the bodies of the brawny axmen; the
spearmen who are left nimbly avoid the axmen, against
whom nothing seems to avail. The summit of the para-
pet is only a dozen feet away, and the column of axmen,
ever supplied from reserve lines, presses up the hillside,
apparently invincible. In a moment Greek joins Greek.
The axmen inside the fort lift their heads above the para-
pet; the bowmen and spearmen pass through their lines,
and when the space is cleared they leap upon the parapet,
swing their great axes about their heads, and rush down
upon the ascending line, raise a mighty shout, and mingle
with it in wildest uproar. Placed at a disadvantage
by fighting upward, the ascending column is stayed, then
[ 95 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
broken, and then flies. No courage, no strength, could
defend and prevail against the force and valiance of the
descending column, and leaving many a noble warrior with
crushed head or body upon the ragged rocks, the invad-
ing foe withdraws into the silence and stillness of the forest
and leaves its beloved dead in possession of the hated foe.
The battle is over, but those within the fort have paid
dreadful tribute to war, and scores of their gallant slain
tell of the heroism and gallantry of those who, for wives,
children, country, home and fireside, have made such
splendid defense of the heights of Indian Fort Mountain
on this fatal day.
STONE STRUCTURE IN NELSON COUNTY.
Probably the most remarkable of all the stone remains
in Kentucky is found in Nelson County four miles from
Bardstown, on the land lately owned by Mr. Jerry Hagan.
In 1894 Mr. Hagan was seventy-four years of age, on
July 4th. On that day the writer investigated these
remains. Mr. Hagan's father came to Kentucky in
1777. On his farm, which had been originally settled
by the Richards family, on the banks of Richey's Run
six hundred feet west of the Louisville and Nashville turn-
pike, there had been constructed two parallel stone walls.
These walls were six feet high and in the shape of an L
sixteen feet broad, and running east and west and north
and south. Beginning at the point which overlooks
Richey's Run, these walls were constructed north and
south two hundred and twenty-five feet, and then at right
angles west two hundred and twenty-five feet. When
[ 96 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Mr. Hagan's father came to Kentucky the stone remains
were in a good state of preservation. Sixty-eight years be-
fore 1894 he had sold to a lumber contractor a large poplar
tree four feet in diameter, which had grown from out
the foundation of the outer wall, which ran north and
south. The remains of this tree were present in 1894.
These walls were discovered on investigation to have
foundations which carried them down to solid rock, at
one point three and a half feet below the surface. The
masonry of the foundation was of irregular shaped stones,
and after it reached the surface, for some three feet above
the ground was constructed of long flat stones about three
and a half feet in width and some of them as much as nine
feet in length. On the top of these flat slabs, stones of
uneven shapes were built to a heighth of three feet more.
The stones used for this purpose were of irregular shape
and were fitted together by these ancient stone masons
so as to make a strong, compact wall. This fortification
or house, whichever it actually was, stood half way
between two fine never-failing springs, each five hun-
dred feet distant. At the foot of the hill was one spring,
and a little east of south was another spring, and un-
doubtedly this splendid supply of water had something
to do with the location of this work.
When the Louisville and Nashville turnpike was con-
structed, which was in the forties, it was difficult to obtain
rock of the proper sort, and the directors of the company
made strenuous efforts to purchase from Mr. Hagan's
father the stone with which these walls had been con-
structed. Other people from time to time endeavored to
buy this stone for the purpose of building chimneys and
foundations, but the elder Hagan took the ground that
[ 97 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
these were curious and unusual remains-as nobody knew
what they were used for—and until some one wise enough
should come along to tell the purpose for which they were
erected they ought not to be dismantled. The younger
Mr. Hagan, being importuned by the directors, consented
to sell the stone for three hundred and fifty dollars and
a pass for himself and family during life over the turnpike.
Hundreds of wagon-loads of stone were hauled away and
put into the pike, and the flat stones which constructed
the wall for the first two or three feet were used in mak-
ing caps for foundations, and were also in a large measure
supplied to the Louisville and Nashville turnpike for making
culverts for many miles north and south of this property.
In Mr. Hagan's barn, the houses of his neighbors, and
in the chimney are still be to found flat stones taken from
this place.
For a considerable space between the two stone walls
was laid a stone floor. On this floor in two places were
found evidences of fire. It is certain that fires had a
number of times been built on this floor. There was no
chimney or fireplace. If used for a dwelling, the smoke,
as was customary in the houses of these people, could
find an outlet only through the roof. Mr. Hagan remem-
bered the size and shape of the walls perfectly, and their
length can now be determined by the remains which are
still found. The only part which the explorer could inves-
tigate was the foundation. The remainder had been taken
away.
The walls of the foundation are four feet thick, and
the earth had been removed down to the original rock
and the masonry constructed on a smooth surface. The
stones bear no indications of any metal instruments.
[ 98 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
They were laid with great care and skill, in regular
layers. Some of the stones entering into the foundation
weigh as much as a thousand pounds. They are a foot
thick, and are of the width of the whole wall. Where
the large stones are of irregular shape, they were built
up so as to make a smooth finished surface, the out-
side presenting a straight line. These foundations varied
in depth from two and one half to three and one half
feet. Some of the stones which entered into this founda-
tion could not have been taken from any quarry immedi-
ately contiguous to the property, but within the last few
years a quarry has been opened a mile and a half distant,
which contains stone of the same kind as is found
in these walls. Many of these large stones had been
brought a considerable distance. The writer saw removed
three or four which weighed from eight hundred to one
thousand pounds. They had been carried on hand-spikes
held by men, or possibly moved on skids when the ground
was frozen, which would have made traction easy. Why
two parallel walls should have been built in the shape of
an L for four hundred and fifty feet, sixteen feet apart,
could not be very easily determined, and it was another
remarkable fact that quite a portion of the space between
the walls had been covered with a stone floor. As said
before, these showed numerous traces of fire. On the
whole the writer is disposed to think that it was a stone
mansion or residence for a large number of people; that
across these walls had been placed timbers. The roof
had been covered with cane or reeds, probably plastered
over with clay, and the spaces between had been used
as a dwelling by these early inhabitants of Kentucky.
The location, strategically viewed from a military
[ 99 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
standpoint, could have had no particular value. The
ground on which it was built is no higher than many sur-
rounding points, and it could have been approached easily
on a level from all sides except from the east, and with
the timber growing around it, it could offer no advantages
for discovering the advancing foe.
As to the antiquity of these remains there can be no
doubt. Mr. Hagan's father settled the place about 1777.
When he came it was ancient, and nobody could give
any account of it. The poplar tree spoken of grew out
of the foundation and lifted a portion of it up more than
three feet, and its growth showed certainly more than
one hundred years, so that the foundation of this forti-
fication or house, whichever it might be, must have
been erected as early as 1677-how many years prior
to that time no man may say. It is a source of great
regret that it was ever disturbed at all. Had it remained
as it was in 1850, we could have found many things
in connection with it which would have thrown some
light upon the customs and habits of the people who
had constructed it, and who had so long before passed
into the silence and oblivion of the ages.
PREHISTORIC DRESS.
If it be true that the people who builded the mounds,
erected the forts, constructed the graves and temples of
worship in Kentucky were the same as the Red Indian,
then beginning four hundred years ago we have numer-
ous and accurate accounts of how they dressed. The
authorities are so numerous that it is hardly necessary
in a statement such as this to quote them.
[ 100 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Their clothing was prepared in three ways, or gen-
erally of three materials; first, of the skins of animals
tanned by different methods, sometimes smooth without
the hair and again with the hair retained; second, they
were made from a combination of cloth and feathers; and
third, they were woven into cloth of cat-tail, wild flax,
and the bark or lining of the bark of many trees, notably
the mulberry, papaw, and linn. Sometimes they used the
hair from the buffalo, bear, and other animals so as to
weave a cloth with hemp, flag, or bark basis for support.
The making of cloth of several kinds in Kentucky is
assured beyond all question by specimens which are found
at the present time. In the last few months in Salts
Cave have been discovered slippers, fragments of blankets
or sheets, hats, and pieces of cloth of several figures,
which go to confirm the knowledge we have of how the
people, at least in one part of Kentucky, dressed in
these earliest times. If they used vestments in burial, it
is reasonable to suppose that a similar dress was used
for ordinary wearing apparel, and the account of the garb
of the mummy found in Short Cave about one hundred
years ago indicates not only the material but the style of
dress which was worn by the people who then lived in
that portion of the State.
Beginning with the head, the hair was cut short. There
has been some difficulty in determining with what instru-
ment this was done, but there are in existence now
many flint knives, with which the hair could be easily
and readily shortened. Head caps were made of woven
or knitted bark, without borders and perfectly plain.
The headdresses were made of quills of large birds and put
together somewhat in the way feather fans are fashioned,
[ 101 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
except that the pipes of the quills were not drawn
to a point, but spread out in straight lines with the
top. This was done by perforating the pipe of the quill
in two places, running two cords through the holes, and
winding them around the quills, thus fastening each quill
in the place designed for it. These cords extended some
length beyond the quills on each side, so that in placing
the feathers erect they could be tied together at the
back of the head. This would enable the wearer to pre-
sent a beautiful display of feathers standing erect and
extending some distance above the head, entirely surround-
ing it. With plumage of variegated colors the effect of
this would be beautiful, and the headdress of no woman
of this age would be more handsome or striking.
Around the neck the women wore strings of beads.
These beads were made either of seeds of trees or bushes,
or of shells or stone. Necklaces were made of the red
hoofs of fawns. The highest number of these found in
any one necklace was twenty. As a locket the claws of
eagles through which holes had been made were suspended
from the neck, and by way of variety the jaw of a bear
was likewise held with a cord placed around the neck.
Deerskins dried, from which the hair was removed,
were used as an outer coat. The next coat was composed
of a deerskin, the hair of which had been cut away close
to the hide. The next garment was a wrapper or short
skirt of some kind, made of twine doubled and twisted.
This twine was made either from flax or wild hemp or from
the lining of barks. Another garment was a mantle of
cloth furnished with feathers so as to be capable of guard-
ing the wearer from wet and cold. Father Lallemant,
when in Montreal, writing of the Iroquois wars of 1661-62
[ 102 ]

川
​Seventeen and one half inches
Nine and three fourths inches
CELTS
Eighteen inches
Ten and one half inches
[ 103 ]
Um

이
​PESTLES-ROLLER FORM
Middle specimen seventeen inches in length. From Kenton County
MU
[ 104 ]

PESTLES RARE FORMS

STONE BOWLS
Smaller two are of Steatite. Largest of Sandstone
[ 105 ]
Un

Development of the Needle
from the crude bone awl.
Trigg Co
Typical Bone Awls
-And Perforators-
First Idea of Needle.
CARD OF BONE AWLS AND NEEDLES
Showing method of mounting. Author's Collection
MU
[ 106 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and speaking of bands of Iroquois returning from the land
of the Shawnees (probably Western Kentucky), says they
brought with them "scarfs and belts which had been
made from the feathers of small birds by process of inter-
weaving." It is not probable that this order of wearing
apparel was always observed, but it shows that these
people not only made themselves comfortable, but
exhibited much taste and skill in the preparation of their
clothing, and considering the circumstances which sur-
rounded them at that period, their clothing was as taste-
ful, as comfortable, and as cleanly as that of the present
pale-faced inhabitants of the Commonwealth.
Several mummies have been found in the caves in
Kentucky encased in clothing. There would have been
no exclusive preparation of articles of clothing for use in
burial. These people would not manufacture garments
of various materials simply to clothe the dead, but if
they were used in their burials it is sure that they were
worn by the living for protection from wet and cold,
or from the burning of the summer's sun. In the matter
of dress it will be observed that there must have been
relatively as much vanity among prehistoric people as
among those of the present age who make Kentucky
their home.
These people knew the use of dye so as to produce
stripes. These stripes were black, brown, yellow,
and red. The dyes could be obtained from vegetables
and fruits. Walnut dyes were used for years in many
parts of Kentucky in the preparation of clothing. As
these prehistoric people knew something of both earthen
and metallic colors, and as we find several colors ap-
pearing now in these garments which have been preserved
[ 107 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
through the centuries, it is sure that they used materials
which were striped with various colors, thus giving an
artistic effect to the cloth when made into apparel for
personal use. It is true that they knew the art of dyeing
skins and imprinting upon them the forms of animals and
birds and other fantastic shapes. If the skins were thus
ornamented which were used in other ways than for
clothing, it becomes an assured fact that in their clothing
they used the higher and more artistic forms of dyeing
and printing. As skins were used for various articles of
clothing, there would be no reason why they should be
made plain and colorless while blankets, reticules, and
knapsacks were made of materials into which color entered
for their adornment and ornamentation.
We know these people wore moccasins made from
materials obtained either from flax, flags, or barks. The
large number of cast-off slippers or moccasins show that
these articles of dress must have been universally used.
As reticules and knapsacks were common-this fact
being established by the number of these things which
are found in several caves in Southwestern Kentucky—it
is certain they would not make knapsacks or reticules
unless it was necessary to carry something for personal
use in these receptacles. They would not have woven
and prepared them simply for ornament. There would
have been no wisdom or sense in making a reticule if there
was nothing to carry in it, or a knapsack if there were
no things to be placed in it for transportation. The reti-
cules found contain articles of toilet used by women.
They had needles, threads, and thimbles after a fashion,
hairpins, small knives which were used in shortening
their hair and also in cutting their finger nails and clean-
[ 108 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ing them. It is not likely that the paints, mineral or
metallic, applied to the face, were always done by hand,
but it is more probable that they used brushes for the
application of these colors to their faces, hands, arms,
backs, and bodies generally. It will thus be seen that
the prehistoric men and women of Kentucky were well
and from a prehistoric standpoint handsomely dressed,
and that they had all that was necessary for a comfort-
able, pleasant, and agreeable life.
Their capes were made either of skins or of plaited or
twisted bark, hemp, or flags. These were easily and
readily colored with their earthen paints, and as their
vessels were thus ornamented with the paint, such as
they had, it can not be doubted that their clothing
likewise suggested the application of the art necessary
to produce colors. These people tanned bearskins, deer-
skins, and probably the hides of smaller animals. The
fragments of deerskins and bearskins found in the various
mounds show that when they were entombing their
dead they frequently covered them with skins of various
kinds.
NEEDLES, AWLS, AND THREAD.
When prehistoric man came to Kentucky he found
a climate that for six months of the year demanded warm
dressing. It therefore became essential for him to pre-
pare clothing materials from the wild flax, cat-tail, wiry
grass, lining of the bark of trees, or the skins of animals.
That he understood the art of tanning is conclusively
shown by the tools we find, which must of necessity have
been used for this purpose. Celts, scrapers, and knives
[ 109 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
all indicate beyond question that these people were adepts
in the art of curing pelts for domestic use. The author
was fortunate enough himself to find in one county
a fragment of a bearskin which had covered the form
of a dead chieftain. It may be asked, How do we know
he was a chieftain? Answer, by the things that were placed
at his side. No ordinary man would have had copper
beads around his neck. No ordinary warrior would have
carried a mica-plated pipe, and his position in the mound,
in relation to the bodies interred with him, showed
that he was the person to whom the memorial had been
erected.
If the prehistoric man was to manufacture his gar-
ments from skins, it was necessary for him to provide
himself with awls or needles by which he could make
holes in the skins through which he might pass thread
of some kind, and to manufacture a knife which would
cut his dressed hides. The awl was doubtless the first
of his discoveries. This instrument is found far more
frequently than the needle, and in almost every part of
the State, either in graves or caches or in caves. They
were generally made from the bone of the deer. The
needles were sometimes made from the bone of the wild
turkey or other bird. Many of these are smooth and
worn at the point, indicating long and continuous use.
The thread was either strips cut from the skins of animals,
else the sinews of the deer, the bear, or wild cat, or twisted
grass, flags, or bark lining. The size of the eye of the
needles would indicate that they used pieces cut from
the hide rather than the tendons. The awl served its
purpose for possibly a long time, but human ingenuity,
the same relatively in the savage as in the civilized man,
[ 110 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
found it was inconvenient to twist the end of the thread
and push it through the hole in the skin made by the awl,
and in a little while he invented an awl with a hole in
the end opposite the point. He thus evolved the needle.
In this hole, as we place the thread in the needle, the strip
of skin or thread was inserted, and when the awl was
passed through the material it carried the thread with it,
and thus much time was saved and great convenience
added to the methods of preparing clothing, especially
that which was made of skins. That these needles soon
came into widespread use is shown by the large numbers
found about the sites of villages and in the graves.
The prehistoric people did the best they could with the
material at hand. Of course a very fine needle could not
be made with a piece of bone. Possibly, like the Peruvians,
the prehistoric man might have used the honey thorn,
which, while not as lasting as the bone, had a finer and
smoother point, and would have pierced the garment or
skin with much more readiness. The eyes of some of
these needles are quite small, indicating one of two
things either that they used different sized materials for
thread, or that they learned better to prepare the thread
so as to be carried by smaller needles.
The most beautiful specimen of an awl that the author
has seen is one found at the foot of the Louisville and Port-
land Canal, in the city of Louisville. In excavating for
the walls of the locks at Thirty-first Street, a large number
of axes, awls, and flints of various kinds were unearthed.
This particular one is nine and one half inches long, taper-
ing beautifully from within two and one half inches of
the head of the bone down to a point almost as fine as
a darning needle. The preservation of this bone so many
[ 111 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
hundreds of years in damp, wet soil in the bed of the river
is a very unusual circumstance. An illustration of this
and other awls will be found on page 106.
The needles in large part were the shape of those now
used for sewing burlap sacks. On page 106 are several
which are as symmetrical as any metal needle used for
coarse sewing, as grain bags or those in which agricul-
tural products are placed. These needles may not be as
delicately fashioned as those of the present day, yet the
awls, considering that they did not have the art of plac-
ing wooden heads on the iron points, are quite as well
adapted to the uses to which they were put by these pre-
historic people as the awls of 1910. These awls or needles
are a curious illustration of man's adaptability to his
surroundings. In the climate of the United States, and
in a large part of the States composing the temperate
zone, these people could not live without adequate cloth-
ing. They were not very long in reaching this conclusion.
It required no great manifestation of intelligence to teach
them that the animals which lived in the woods and
roamed the forests were comfortable in winter, and that
it was by reason of the skins they wore, and so man under-
took to destroy the life of the animal that he might appro-
priate its skin to his own protection from storms and
winter's blasts.
In the matter of thread, it is reasonably certain that
the prehistoric man in Kentucky began with the use of
strips of skin cut from the hides of the animals which
he had killed. When these were tanned they were soft and
pliable, but when they were untanned and used as raw-
hide after drying they became rigid and lacked pliability,
which is such an essential element in thread. Later on
[ 112 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
he began to dress skins, and this made h th ead-using
easier and its hold more continuous. After a while this
prehistoric man discovered in taking bark from trees that
there was a soft thread-like lining which, twisted or plaited,
maintained its pliability and possessed quite a large degree
of strength. And so he doubtless twisted the bark lining,
and used that as thread when a very great degree
of strength was not required. During this period it is
likely that he discovered the use of certain grasses in
Southern Kentucky which grew to a height of six or seven
feet, which were strong and easily twisted, and so from
these he managed to get another kind of thread. But
later on he discovered that the fibre of the wild hemp
or flax, when stripped from the pith, had strength, plia-
bility, and continuity; so he manufactured thread from
the lint of the flax or hemp. This thread could be
made of much less size, while possessing greater strength,
than all the other threads he made except that cut from
the skins, either cured or uncured. In a little while he
learned to put this on spools, sometimes of wood and
sometimes of copper, and this would preserve his thread
from being knotted, and when thus wound he could use
it in a straight line from the spool or stock around which
it was wound. Specimens of this thread, probably five hun-
dred years old, were exhumed from a mound at Lebanon,
Kentucky, wound about a copper spool, and thoroughly
preserved from decay by contact with the metal, and is,
barring natural wear and tear which would arise from
exposure to the atmosphere and handling, in as good
condition as it was when the prehistoric man wound it
around the copper spool which he valued so highly, and
which was not only one of his chief ornaments, but also
[ 113 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
one of his most prized treasures. These spools have
been found in many parts of Kentucky, notably in
Central Kentucky, but the preservation of the thread is
unusual and rare. Three of these copper spools, with
thread on them, were taken from the same mound, and
as stated elsewhere there is a demonstrable age of at
least five hundred years to the mound in which they
were deposited. The copper spool is the only thing of its
kind that has passed the ordeal of the ages. The Mound
Builder fashioned cups, dishes, and some other domestic
implements from wood with stone knives, aided by fire,
but these are so rare that the searcher almost questions
whether the prehistoric man had aught to do with them.
The metal spool was better fitted to defy the conditions
which five hundred or a thousand years would evolve,
and through the centuries which have elapsed since
these people held Kentucky as their home, it has stood
with its thread wound about it to speak of how this ancient
people sewed, plaited, and wove.
WEAPONS AND MANNER OF USE.
The life of prehistoric man, judging by the large num-
ber of fortifications existing in Kentucky to this day,
must have been one of constant and general warfare.
His weapons were all constructed for conflict at short
range.
First was his ax of two kinds, grooved or grooveless.
The indications are that these were used contempora-
neously, and though this is not certain, their proxim-
ity to each other in so many places would tend to
[ 114 ]

BONE IMPLEMENTS
Johnson Collection
Un
[ 115 ]

POTS AND WATER JUGS
From Trigg and Adjoining Counties
[ 116 ]

POTTERY VESSELS
Largely from Northeastern Kentucky

POTTERY VESSELS
From Southern and Central Kentucky
[ 117 ]
Un

BOWLS FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF KENTUCKY
[ 118 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
show that they were made during the same period.
The grooved ax would be more reliable either in domestic
use or in war than the grooveless ax, because of the grip
of the handle, aided materially by the groove, permitting
it to be held much more closely and to admit of heavier
strokes and more constant action. The battle-axes vary in
weight from one to thirty-two pounds. They were doubt-
less so variant in weight by reason of the conditions that
surrounded the makers, and also by reason of the ability
of the user to carry either light or heavy weight. With
handles from three to six feet and firmly bound with raw-
hide, which could be obtained from several animals, these
men were enabled to fasten the handle tightly around
the ax, either grooved or ungrooved. These axes would
require close contact in battle. They had flint saws or
knives which enabled them to cut the hickory withe or
sapling from which these handles were made. After
soaking the handle in hot water, or for that matter in cold
water, it could easily have been bent around the ax and
tied with rawhide, which, by its contraction when dry-
ing, would press the handle closely in the groove.
They also used what is known as a battle-ax blade,
that is, a thin piece of flint, oval in shape, about five by
three and a half inches. By splitting the handle and
placing the flint blade between it, and then binding with
rawhide, they were enabled to fasten it very securely.
These handles were about two or two and a half feet in
length, and with the blade projecting on either side, be-
came a dangerous weapon at close range.
The most damage, however, done by these prehistoric
people was doubtless accomplished by the bow and arrow.
The bows were about six feet in length, judging by the
[ 119 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
strings which we have seen and one of which the writer
has been able to secure from Salts Cave. They would be
made of many woods, preferably of hickory, cedar, or
ash, but hickory usually possesses greater strength than
other timbers of similar size. It is not probable that
they had any tools with which they could split the
hickory trees. They would therefore be compelled
to use the hickory saplings in the manufacture of bow
staves.
The penetrative force of the stone-tipped arrow, driven
by the strong and skillful arms of these prehistoric men,
must have been very great. Quite a number of instances
are known and specimens preserved in which they were
driven practically through the larger bones of the body.
The author has a human pelvis found in a cave in Meade
County. Imbedded in this is a portion of a flint arrow-
point, the position of which shows that it had been driven
through the body, penetrating the bone on the opposite
side from which it entered. The point reached into the
socket of the hip joint. There it remained, causing ne-
crosis of the bone, until by processes of Nature the wastage
was stopped, and the point remained in the bone until
the death of the individual, which the indications show
occurred long after receiving the wound. In one instance
an arrowhead was driven three inches into the bone of the
leg just below its union with the hip, and evidently caused
the death of the party into whom it had been shot. A
number of instances are known in which these arrow-
heads penetrated several inches into bone, and it was
no unusual thing that they attained sufficient penetra-
tive force to drive them through both coverings of the
skull.
[120]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Three of these arrowheads that have come under the
immediate observation of the author are not sharp at
all, but rather blunt. The smaller triangular arrowheads,
if sufficiently strong-and probably they were could have
been driven readily into bone without the use of any
great force, but an arrow-point about three inches in
length, and with a blunt point, thus driven into the
bones of the body, demonstrates beyond all question that
the power which was used in their propulsion must have
been comparatively very great.
The wooden or cane shafts probably were tipped with
many kinds of points, some beveled, some serrated, some
triangular, some blunt, being fastened thereto with the
sinew of the deer or other animal. There are some evi-
dences, although not entirely conclusive, that these arrow-
points were often tipped with poison. It is said that at
one time the Shawnees in Western Kentucky were so well
versed in the use of poisons that they could place them
in springs and thus destroy their enemies, and also that
quite large streams of water were impregnated with these
dangerous elements. We sometimes comment upon the
savageness of the methods of these people, but the
poisoned arrow is no worse than the soft-nose or explo-
sive bullet, which has been used by civilized nations
in the memory of living people.
The next weapon was
was the spear. These carried
points so large that they could not have been used with
the ordinary bow. They must have been attached to a
larger piece of wood or cane than the arrow-shaft. They
were probably mounted upon cane or pieces of wood from
four and one half to seven feet in length. They were
doubtless used also in the destruction of the larger animals,
[121]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
either bears or buffaloes, during the buffalo period in Ken-
tucky. The spear would be much more formidable in
close quarters with an animal even as large as the wild-
cat than the bow and arrow. It would be comparatively
as efficient as the bayonet of modern times.
Many of the flint knives were mounted on wooden
handles. These sometimes measure from one to ten
inches in length, and at very close range would become
formidable weapons-not as formidable, however, as the
battle-ax blade which has been described above.
In Kentucky there are no evidences of the cross-bow
having been used. The five weapons which we have
described completed the military accoutrement of these
men, who must have spent a large portion of their lives
in warlike scenes and exploits.
AXES, CELTS, PESTLES, AND MORTARS.
The stone ax was one of the most useful implements
of prehistoric man. With it, aided by fire, he felled the
forest trees, and in his warfare it was his most trusted
and reliable weapon. The distribution of implements of
this class is very general throughout the State, and there
is little variance of form manifested in the different
sections. Grooved axes are found alike in the mounds,
stone graves, and upon the surface of plowed fields. Other
than the changes worked by atmospheric agencies, those
from the stone graves or plowed fields do not differ from
those of the mounds. It is an interesting fact, however,
that comparatively few grooved axes are found in con-
nection with burials, either in mounds or stone graves,
[ 122 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
while grooveless axes or celts occur frequently in both.
The grooved forms vary in size from small specimens
weighing scarcely an ounce to massive implements of
twenty and even thirty pounds. The great majority,
however, weigh between three and five pounds. The
material used in their manufacture consists of almost
every hard, tough rock found in Kentucky, and many
not native to the State. In the author's collection of
nearly three thousand axes and celts, there are specimens
of marble, argillite, greenstone, diorite, syenite, granite,
limestone, sandstone, quartzite, occasionally hematite, and
even clay. A beautiful specimen of hematite comes from
Trigg County, and some fourteen or fifteen years ago
two of clay were found in Todd County near the Tennes-
see line.
In many of the grooved implements a ridge has been
left encircling the weapon, in which the groove is cut.
Frequently the groove is formed in the body of the ax
after the latter has been dressed into shape. In many
the grooves extend entirely around the implement, in
others about only three sides, leaving the back flat. In
some cases the back is provided with a longitudinal groove,
probably intended for the insertion of a wedge in order
to tighten the ax in its hafting when it might work loose.
That the prehistoric Kentuckian was an economist of
labor is certain. Many specimens show that the edges
had been broken or dulled and afterward resharpened.
Often this process has been carried on until the blade is
but a small fraction of its original length.
The numbers of these axes, both grooved and ungrooved,
surpass calculation, and now and then, where some con-
flict likely occurred, they are found in vast numbers.
[123]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Kentucky in pre-Columbian times must have been very
heavily timbered. The fighting was always at close range.
The spear would do well enough for some battles; the
arrow, where there was some space, would accomplish its
purpose; but in the close, fierce conflicts that must have
been precipitated in the battles of those days, the ax was
the chief worker. The use of these weapons required a
very high order of courage. Those who are accustomed
to war know that close range is the test of fighting quali-
ties, and when in battle array, man to man, face to face,
these contending legions met, there was sure to be an
exhibition of very great bravery.
Grooved axes were mounted in two ways; first by
splitting a withe, inserting the ax, and then binding it
with rawhide on either side of the implement, or by bind-
ing the withe around the ax and tying it with rawhide,
which, when contracted, would render the mounting firm.
It would be impossible to use these axes at all without
a flexible handle. An ax weighing four or five pounds,
rigidly fixed, where the handle would not yield as a result
of the blow and thus relieve it of the force of the con-
cussion, would be quickly shattered. Felling trees with
stone implements was necessarily a tedious process, but
with an ax weighing seven or eight pounds, mounted
upon a suitable handle, the fibre of the wood could be
bruised and then removed with a flint knife, or else par-
tially burned, the charred portions being removed by
means of the stone ax, and even a large tree, by either of
these methods, could be cut down with a reasonable
amount of labor.
It is more than probable that, in the evolution of the
stone ax, the grooved ax succeeded the grooveless ax or
[ 124 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
celt. Its adaptation to a handle made of wood, and the
ease with which a connection between the ax and the han-
dle could be made, would render it a great improvement
on the celt or grooveless implement.
It is interesting to note the many kinds of axes that
are found. Some of the very crudest possible forms are
stone taken from any source, about the size of the desired
implement, and broken, pecked, or rubbed into some sort
of shape resembling an ax. The skilled stone worker would
produce an instrument shapely and well finished, while the
man who did not have the means at his command to
secure a highly polished and finished ax, would himself,
without any very great labor and in a careless and un-
skilled way, put the stone into some sort of shape as would
have the appearance and serve the purpose of an ax. The
well-finished granite ax of course would demand a large
expenditure of time and work. They are comparatively
rare, and were likely used by those who had sufficient
of the good things of life at that period to justify them
in having some of its luxuries.
The remains show that there were children's axes,
and great care was exercised by these people to provide
implements which small-sized boys could use with readi-
ness and ease. The largest specimen of the grooved ax
which has been found in Kentucky, so far as the writer
knows, is shown on page 93. It weighs thirty-two pounds,
and was found in Christian County. This magnificent
specimen is fifteen inches long by eight and one half inches
wide. The groove encircles it. The head is rounded,
and there is also a longitudinal groove along the back
for the insertion of a wedge, in order to tighten it in the
handle. The second largest ax found in Kentucky is
[ 125 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
made of a hard stone unknown to the writer. It is thir-
teen and one half inches in length by eight inches wide,
and weighs thirty pounds. The third ax weighs eighteen
and a half pounds, is eleven inches long and seven
inches wide. It is made from a bowlder of hard, dark
colored material. From these large implements they run
down through all lengths and shapes and sizes, until the
baby axes are reached. Whether these smallest axes were
used as beads or ornaments or charms there is no way
now to determine, but they have the perfect ax form,
and, if used as axes at all, they must have been used by
the children in their play.
On page 94 is an unusual product of the ancient ax-
maker. It was found near Somerset, in Pulaski County,
about the waters of the Cumberland River. It is grooved,
and there is a skeleton face carved upon its head. The
mouth, nose, and eyes are perfectly distinct, and upon the
side of the implement opposite this skull-like face may
be seen a complete skeleton worked in relief. This imple-
ment is highly polished, and is one of the most interesting
and unusual specimens known. Another very unusual ax
is shown upon the same plate. It was either made for a
ceremonial instrument or was a combined tomahawk and
The head of the ax is brought to a sharp point, while
the blade widens into a fan-like appearance. The material
appears to be quartzite.
ax.
Celts or grooveless axes
axes are much more numerous
than are the grooved varieties. Many of these were
probably not designed to be mounted on handles but
were held in the hand when used, either as chopping
implements or in the dressing of skins. Yet from speci-
mens discovered in other parts of the country it is evident
[ 126 ]

CUPS, BOTTLES, DISHES, AND POTS
From Southwestern Kentucky
[ 127 ]


MU
POTTERY VASES
About one ninth actual size. Southern and Central Kentucky
[ 128 ]

Ings Co.
CUPS, SPOONS, AND WATER BOTTLES
One third actual size
[ 129 ]

Green Co
CUPS, DISHES, AND WATER BOTTLES
From Southwestern Kentucky. Lower row, W. P. Taylor Collection
[ 130 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
that they were frequently mounted on wooden handles.
The handle at the point where the celt was to be
mounted was enlarged, and a hole made in it of sufficient
size to retain the head of the implement. Thus held, it
would make a most serviceable weapon or tool.
PESTLES.
Pestles are found in all portions of Kentucky, and
played a most important part in the domestic service.
It would be an interesting study to work out the problems
involved in the food preparation. It is easy to see how
they pounded the corn, eliminating the husks and the
heart and reducing it to coarse meal, in which form it
would be more palatable, easier to chew, and more readily
digested. The discovery of the appliance of heat to this
end must have been accidental. To determine this pre-
supposed, in the first place, a knowledge of fire, and
second, the use of vessels which would hold water and
which could be subjected to heat to warm the water,
and thus soften the particles of mashed corn or other
materials, and render them more readily assimilated by
the human body.
In Kentucky the Mound Builders only needed to
crush or grind three things-corn, meat, and nuts. The
earliest method of doing this was probably by the use of
two flat stones, between which the materials could be pre-
pared. After a time this method became cumbersome,
and rounded pestles were made. With the introduction
of the rounded pestle of course would come the mortar,
in order that the material which was to be crushed could
be placed more directly under the blow of the implement,
[ 131 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and be in position where the stroke would be most effective.
In a little while it is probable that pestles were made with
expanded base, with bottom flat or slightly convex, and
sometimes with a small depression in the middle. The
handle was made tapering, and of sufficient size to permit
a firm grasp between the thumb and fingers. It may be
said of pestles, as axes, that they were fashioned of every
available material, and with varying shapes. Some were
conical, occasionally grooved; some rounded at the top
and flat at the bottom, and others bearing a very striking
resemblance to what is called a rolling-pin; the longest
of which the writer has observed in Kentucky measures
seventeen inches in length by three inches in diameter.
(See page 104.) These pestles of cylindrical form are rare
in this State. The other forms would be used probably fifty
times where the long cylinder was used once. These cylin-
drical types now and then are discovered of very small size,
not more than three or four inches in length and half an
inch to an inch in diameter. It has been suggested, with
some show of reason, that these were probably used by
the tribal doctor in compounding herbs which constituted
the drug supply. Here and there are found pestles made
of rare stone and polished with great care and skill.
The usage to which this class of implements was applied
is not a matter of dispute among those who are interested
in archeology. Every one concedes that they were pestles
and were very commonly used. The wearing away of
the lower end, which is so often observed, could have been
done by no other process than by grinding or pounding.
Many show great economy in prehistoric domestic life.
They have been worn to such small proportions that the
object is but a fraction of its former size.
[ 132 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
MORTARS.
When the pestle came into general use the mortar
of necessity followed. If there was something to grind
there must be something upon which the grinding could
be done. This was undoubtedly in the early stages of pre-
historic domestic life merely a flat stone. As soon as the
prehistoric man realized the advantage of a pestle with
broadened base, yet so formed as to enable the holder to
grasp it firmly, he realized the necessity of an improved
surface upon which the matter to be ground could be
placed. He soon learned that a rounded cavity would
permit a greater surface for the grinding, and by the con-
cave form the material being ground would move to the
center of the depression. This doubtless grew until the
well-defined bowl mortar was evolved. Many of the
larger and finer specimens made of sandstone and soap-
stone, which have been found in the central and south-
eastern part of the State, were probably used as cooking
utensils as well as for grinding purposes. Steatite and
sandstone make excellent ovens. These are in a large
measure indestructible by any heat that would be applied
in cooking, and at the same time the materials were
easily worked, and it is certain that throughout Kentucky
these sandstone and soapstone vessels were both
used in cooking. The making of these utensils, even
of the softer rocks, with the limited means at hand, was
doubtless a slow and tedious process and one that required
a very high order of patience to secure a sufficient depres-
sion to render the oven useful and effective. But as time
was of comparatively little value to these people, the
[ 133 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
labor of days and even weeks consumed in the prepara-
tion of these objects, which in the end would add so much
to the comfort and welfare of the domestic life, was not
begrudged. Sandstone was obtainable in many parts of
Kentucky. Steatite was necessary to be brought from
other States, but this did not deter the Mound Builders
from using it in large quantities. The largest mortar
that the writer has seen in this section weighs thirty-five
pounds and is in the shape of the old-fashioned wooden
bread-tray. It measures eighteen inches in length. One
in the writer's collection, from Franklin County, shows
that it was designed to be fitted between the knees when
in use.
Judging from the depth of the cavity of this
peculiar specimen, it is probable that it was kept for
cracking walnuts or hickory nuts. No other specimen
has been observed which has this same hollowing out on
the sides in order to fit the shape of the knees, thus per-
mitting it to be held firmly and securely while the pound-
ing took place upon the upper surface. A remarkable
stone mortar or bowl was found about fifteen years ago
in Washington County. It is made of crystalline lime-
stone, comparatively smoothly finished on the outside,
while the inner or bowl surface has been carefully polished.
This specimen in size and shape resembles the ordinary
wash-basin. About the rim are four projecting knobs by
which it could be held. Altogether this is one of the
finest and rarest stone vessels that has been discovered.
On page 105 is shown three of these mortars from the
author's collection. The largest is made of sandstone,
the others of steatite.
[ 134 ]

POTTERY BOWLS
Imitation of Fish. From Southern Kentucky
[135]

Trigg County
Hickman County
T
VASES-One fifth actual size
Trigg County
[136]

LARGE COOKING POT
Height, eight and one half inches; circumference, thirty inches
Barren County
Um
[ 137 ]

Height, twelve inches; circumference,
LARGE POTTERY VESSELS
Height, twelve inches; circumference, forty
and one half inches
Pulaski County
forty inches
Warren County

[ 138 ]

CUP AND WATER BOTTLES
Fulton County. Taylor Collection
[ 139 ]

CUPS, DISHES, AND BIRD RATTLE
From Southern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee
[ 140 ]

EFFIGY POTTERY
From Trigg County. Johnson Collection
POT
[ 141 ]

TURKEY BOWL
One half size. The feathers are painted in black upon the body
Fulton County. W. P. Taylor Collection

MU
WATER BOTTLES AND CUPS
Southern Kentucky
[ 142 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
POTTERY WARE AND IMPLEMENTS.
Pottery vessels, pipes, axes, shell and flint implements,
large or small, constitute the vast majority of the remains
of the prehistoric people. In Eastern and Central Ken-
tucky pottery was never very abundant. Here and there
perfect specimens may be found, and in many places
large numbers of fragments are to be seen, but the great
center of pottery-making, in so far as the remains indi-
cate, is found west of Salt River. That the prehistoric
people began the manufacture of pottery hundreds of
years before the white man appeared, has been demon-
strated in sundry ways so as to no longer admit of doubt,
and that this manufacture reached a very high state before
the red man ever heard of the white man is equally true.
Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas excel in
pottery. In Kentucky, along the Cumberland River, have
been found some of the very best specimens of this ware
that were manufactured; not the most ornate, for to Arkan-
sas, Southern Missouri, and Tennessee are to be attributed
the best ornamented forms. But the pottery found along
the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, much of which
will ring when struck, shows that these people understood
the art of hardening or tempering their ware so as to
render it impervious to the effects of moisture.
The mound-building people of the Mississippi Valley
displayed a wide range of originality and skill in the plas-
tic arts. Their pottery ware covered an extensive variety
of uses.
From it were made images, pipes, toys, rattles,
drinking cups, spools, ornaments, beads, trowels, and
domestic vessels for storing and cooking. The use of
[ 143 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
pottery was distributed over a large portion of the Ameri-
can Continent. Not only was it generally made, but the
remains found show that it was generally used, and this
variety of use developed in many places great artistic
skill. Ornamented pottery is not very abundant in
Kentucky, and practically all that has been found comes
from the western and southern portions of the State. The
ornamentation on these vessels was done in several ways,
sometimes by pressing coarse cloth upon the soft clay,
sometimes by marking it with a sharp or blunt instru-
ment, or even the finger nails; again by pressing it against
forms of willow or other wood, which indented it. Usually
these ornamental designs were made while the clay paste
was in a soft and plastic condition, but sometimes even
after it had been hardened. Considering the lack of
resisting power of the material, these people showed great
skill in forming the larger vessels. The largest of these
were evidently salt kettles or pans. The action of the
fire with which these vessels were hardened was most
likely indirect, as pounded mussel shells, with a loam
more or less impregnated with clay, were the materials
from which they were prepared. It is certain that they
could not have been subjected to a very high degree of
direct heat without the particles of shell becoming cal-
cined, thus rendering the vessel likely to leak and making
it less resistant. In a number of these vessels the exist-
ing conditions show that they were subjected to the direct
action of fire after their manufacture. In all cases where
this was done it was followed by the crumbling of the
particles of shell imbedded in the clay at the point of
contact with the fire, while the unburned portion contained
the particles of shell in their original hardness.
[ 144 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The most complete account of aboriginal American
pottery ever prepared is that of Professor W. H. Holmes,
contained in the Report of the Bureau of Ethnology for
1903. For accuracy of statement, breadth of observa-
tion, carefulness of research, completeness of detail, and
thoroughness of delineation, this work has never been
excelled. It is almost impossible to suppose that one
person could have made such a large number of investiga-
tions as fell to the lot of Professor Holmes, and to have
examined with such a high degree of intelligence the
thousands of ceramic forms that are exhibited in this won-
derful work. On this subject it is a library in itself.
In the caves of Kentucky some pottery has been found,
but the great finds came from the stone graves. The
regions along the Mississippi, Tennessee, Tradewater,
Barren, Green, and Little rivers have been most prolific.
Here and there, about the headwaters of the Cumberland
and Kentucky rivers, specimens of pottery are found,
and while excellent in form and finish their occurrence.
is comparatively rare, and the bulk, whether for domestic
use or ornamentation, comes from the southern and western
portions of the State.
Among the thousands of specimens of vessels dis-
covered, no two are exactly alike. This demonstrates
that this work was all done by hand, without the use
of molds or forms, or even the potter's wheel. They had
what is known among archeologists as trowels, made of
clay, somewhat of the shape of an inverted mushroom.
These are smooth on the outer and rounded surface, and
were undoubtedly manufactured for the purpose of shap-
ing as well as smoothing the vessels. In Christian County
was found a trowel of a slightly different pattern. The
[ 145 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
smooth surface is flat and oval in form, with a handle
attached somewhat after the manner of a flatiron. It is
similar to the trowels described by General Thruston in
Antiquities of Tennessee.'
""
One of the most interesting features in connection
with the manufacture of pottery is the large number of
vessels and implements which are so diminutive as to
leave but little doubt that they were prepared for the use
of the children. In any large collection in Tennessee or
Southern and Western Kentucky, which has been at all
carefully selected, are many specimens which by their
size, form, and finish indicate that they were playthings
for young people. The smallest of these vessels are very
little larger than a good-sized thimble. Many of them
do not hold more than one or two ounces. They are seen
in the form of drinking vessels, cups, and jugs, sometimes
with a hole through the upper end, in which can be seen
the effects of friction caused from its hanging by a string,
showing that even the children carried their drinking
vessels, either at play or upon journeys. None of them
were ornamented by impressed designs, though they are
sometimes made in the shape of animals, especially the
frog and fish. While these little vessels indicate apparent
thoughtfulness and affection, they show that the higher
forms of skill in the manufacture of pottery was not
exercised in the preparation of these toys, and suggest
that perhaps many of them were made by the children
themselves.
The vast number of specimens of pottery, large and
small, ornamented and not ornamented, which have re-
mained over in perfect form through the lapse of hundreds
of years, show two things,-first, that the manufacture of
[ 146 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
pottery ware was universal among the prehistoric people;
and second, that in order to produce this large number
of remains there must have been a vast population inhabit-
ing the regions bordering on the Ohio River, south and
north, and along the Cumberland, Tennessee, Green, and
Barren. It must be remembered further, in connection
with this statement, that much of the prehistoric pottery
was merely sun-dried and has disintegrated in the soil,
only the most fragmentary parts now remaining. The
fragments found in the mounds and in and about almost
every village site shows that the number of vessels of
pottery prepared was almost unlimited.
CHIPPED STONE IMPLEMENTS.
No class of aboriginal artifacts are found in such vast
quantities or distributed over so wide an area as the chipped
implements of flint or kindred chalcedonic rock, and few
are of more interest to the archeologist. In every section
of Kentucky these implements occur in greater or less
number, varying in size from large agricultural specimens
measuring eighteen inches to minute arrow-points of
such proportions as to preclude use for any practical pur-
pose. The forms designated arrow-points and spear-
heads are picked up literally by the thousands. Along
all the fertile river bottoms the numerous flakes and cores
of flint show where the prehistoric man of Kentucky had
habitation or temporarily encamped on his hunting expe-
ditions and where he manufactured these useful imple-
ments. In many places, notably in Mercer, Wayne, Nich-
olas, and Boyle counties, arrow-points and spearheads
accompanied by axes have been turned up by the plow
[ 147 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
in almost countless numbers away from ancient village
sites, mute witnesses of a time when hostile tribes in deadly
feud contended for the mastery of Kentucky.
In the author's collection are upward of forty thousand
of these implements, illustrating every form, displaying
every degree of skill, and every phase of workmanship of
the prehistoric lapidary. Many are beautifully chipped
in graceful forms, others fashioned in a crude and clumsy
manner. Obviously every aborigine was not a skilled
worker in stone. There were men in every tribe who,
by natural aptitude and long practice, became adepts in
this difficult art; they devoted their whole time to the
work, and tradition has it that as from time to time they
accumulated a store of these implements they would
journey into distant regions to barter their wares for the
products of other sections. The arrow-maker of Ken-
tucky penetrated the mountains of North Carolina and
exchanged his flints for mica and steatite; to Pennsyl-
vania he went for graphite, and to Missouri for hematite.
In Minnesota he sought the wonderful pipe-stone quarries,
and in Michigan secured the highly prized copper of Lake
Superior. From the Gulf of Mexico and the shores of
the South Atlantic he brought to his lodge in Kentucky
beautiful seashells fashioned into beads and pendants
of exquisite lustre, and cunningly wrought gorgets of curi-
ous form. It is said that while engaged in these com-
mercial pursuits free passage was accorded him. His
vocation was respected and rendered him immune to
dangers which usually would beset a traveler through
hostile territory. That such a trade was carried on not
only in flint but other products, is amply demonstrated by
the vast number of relics, the material of which is
[ 148 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
nowhere found in situ in the State. In Mercer, Trigg,
Warren, and Christian counties have been found arrow-
points of obsidian, the source of which lies not nearer
than New Mexico or the Rocky Mountains.
War parties frequently brought these foreign products
to the places where we now find them. It is well known
that the historic Indians frequently went on hostile excur-
sions into territory many hundred miles distant. In "Jesuit
Relations" (Volume 47, page 145), Father Lallemant,
writing of the Iroquois Wars of 1661-62, says:
"Pro-
ceeding rather westerly than southerly another band of
Iroquois is going four hundred leagues from here in pur-
suit of a nation whose only offense consists in its not being
Iroquois. It is called Ontoagannha, signifying 'the place
where people can not speak,' because of the corrupt
Algonquin in use there.
Be that as it may,
against those people the Onnontaheronnon Iroquois have
turned their arms, to appease (as they say) the souls of
those of their number who were killed there eight or nine
years ago. Those souls will find no resting place in the
other world until they have been atoned for, as it were,
by fires of burnt captives." The Ontoagannha spoken of
by the Jesuit Father were the warlike Shawnees who at
that time occupied the extreme western portion of Ken-
tucky and were the only Indians within its borders.
The specimens of chipped stone found in Kentucky
are almost always made of the various forms of chalce-
donic rock which are popularly termed flint, and the name
"flints" here, as elsewhere, is used to designate all imple-
ments made of this material.
In the art of chipping flint the prehistoric men of
Kentucky exhibited a rare degree of manual skill. One
[ 149 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
can not but marvel at the long, broad, and regular flaking
displayed in much of their work. In the author's collection
is a spearhead of dark brown jasper, from Warren County,
seven inches in length, leaf shaped, with indented base.
From either face have been struck off slender flakes,
extending in parallel lines the whole length of the imple-
ment. The edges, by a series of smaller chippings, have
been fashioned into the most graceful lines. Along the
middle line the specimen measures scarcely more than
one eighth of an inch in thickness, while between this
and the edge it reaches a thickness of nearly three eighths
of an inch. Such marvelous skill as is here exhibited
extorts for the aboriginal arrow-maker our wonder and
admiration, and arouses a desire to know something of
the methods by which these interesting relics were wrought.
Many of the early explorers and travelers have de-
scribed the art of working flint among the historic Indians.
Captain John Smith, in describing the making of arrow-
points by the Virginia Indians in 1606, says: "His arrow
he maketh quickly with a little bone which he ever wearest
at his bracert, of a splint of a stone or glasse in the form
of a heart and these they glew to the end of their arrowes."
Catlin, in his "Last Rambles Amongst the Indians,"
thus describes the mode of making flint arrow-points
among the Apaches: "Like most of the tribes west of
and in the Rocky Mountains they manufacture the blades
of their spears and points for their arrows of flint, and
also of obsidian, which is scattered over those volcanic
regions west of the mountains; and, like other tribes,
they guard as a profound secret the mode by which the
flints and obsidian are broken into the shapes they require.
Every tribe has its factory in which these arrowheads
[ 150 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
are made, and in those only certain adepts are able or
allowed to make them for the use of the tribe. Erratic
bowlders of flint are collected (and sometimes brought an
immense distance), and broken with a sort of sledge hammer
made of a rounded pebble of hornstone set in a twisted
withe, holding the stone and forming a handle. The
master workman, seated on the ground, lays one of these
flakes on the palm of his left hand, holding it firmly down
with two or more fingers of the same hand, and with his
right hand, between the thumb and two forefingers, places
his chisel (or punch) on the point that is to be broken
off; and a co-operator (a striker) sitting in front of him,
with a mallet of very hard wood strikes the chisel (or
punch) on the upper end, flaking the flint off on the under
side below each projecting point that is struck. The
flint is then turned and chipped in the same manner from
the opposite side; and so turned and chipped until the
required shape and dimensions are obtained, all fractures
being made on the palm of the hand.
The yield-
ing elasticity of the palm of the hand enables the chip to
come off without breaking the body of the flint, which
would be the case if they were broken on a hard substance.
These people have no metallic instruments to work with,
and the instrument (punch) which they use I was told
was a piece of bone; but on examining it I found it to be
a substance much harder, made of the tooth (incisor) of
the sperm whale or sea lion, which are often stranded on
the coast of the Pacific. This punch is about six or seven
inches in length and one inch in diameter, with one rounded
side and two plane sides, therefore presenting one acute
and two obtuse angles to suit the points to be broken.
"This operation is very curious, both the holder and
[ 151 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
the striker singing, and the strokes of the mallet given
exactly in time with the music, and with a sharp and
rebounding blow in which, the Indians tell us, is the
great medicine (or mystery) of the operation."
Schoolcraft ("North American Indian Tribes," Volume
III, page 467) writes as follows of the manufacturing of
arrow-points by the Indians: "The skill displayed in
this art, as it is by the tribes of the entire continent, has
excited admiration. The material employed is generally
some form of hornstone, sometimes passing into flint.
This material is often called chert by the English mineralo-
gists. No specimens have, however, been observed where
the substance is gunflint. This hornstone is less hard
than common quartz, and can readily be broken by con-
tact with the latter. Experience has taught the Indian
that some varieties of hornstone are less easily and regu-
larly fractured than others, and that the tendency to a
conchoidal fracture is to be relied on in the softer varieties.
It has also shown him that the weathered or surface frag-
ments are harder and less manageable than those quarried
from the rocks and mountains.
"To break them, he seats himself on the ground and
holds the lump on one of his thighs, interposing some
hard substance below it. When the blow is given there
is a sufficient yielding in the piece to be fractured not to
endanger its being shivered into fragments. Many are, how-
ever, lost. After the lump has been broken transversely
it required great skill and patience to chip the edges. Such
is the art required in this business, both in selecting and
fracturing the stones, that it is found to be the employ-
ment of particular men, generally old men, who are laid
aside from hunting to make arrow and spearheads."
[ 152 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
'The Viard arrow-maker," says Stephen Powers, “takes
a piece of jasper, chert, obsidian, or common flint, which
breaks sharp-cornered, and with a conchoidal fracture;
this he heats in the fire and then cools slowly, which splits
it in flakes; then taking one of these flakes, he gives it
an approximately right shape by striking it with a rough
hammer; then slips over his left hand a piece of buck-
skin with a hole to fit over the thumb (this buckskin is
to prevent the hand from being wounded), and in his right
hand he takes a pair of buckhorn pincers, tied together
at the point with a thong. Holding the piece of flint
in his left hand, he breaks off from the edge of it a tiny
fragment with the pincers by a twisting or wrenching
motion. The piece is often reversed in the hand so
that it may be worked away systematically. Arrowhead
manufacture is a specialty, just as arrow-making, medi-
cine, and other arts. These pincers are probably only
our compound chipper." (Smithsonian Report, 1886,
Otis T. Mason.)
These descriptions of the methods of making flint
among the modern Indians will throw light on the methods
employed by the prehistoric men of Kentucky, yet none
of the historic tribes seem to have possessed the high
degree of skill attained by the ancient flint-workers of
Kentucky and Tennessee. Especially is this true of the
manufacture of the larger and finer implements which
are found in considerable numbers in parts of this State,
and in even greater numbers in Tennessee. So far as
the writer knows none of the modern tribes made imple-
ments comparable in either size or beauty with the fine
specimen shown on page 160.
Doctor Abbott (Primitive Industry, page 248), speaking
[153]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
of these large spearheads and commenting on their rarity
among the historic tribes, refers to an Indian chief declar-
ing one seven inches long to have been an implement
belonging to his ancestors, and then asks, "Is it probable
that they had been discarded in great measure at some
remote period and were veritable relics of a distant past
when the European settlers first reached our shores?
The absence of direct reference to these characteristic
implements seems indicative of this." It does not seem
improbable that the fine ones of sword-like form were
themselves prehistoric to the red men at the time of their
first contact with the Europeans.
It is almost impossible to satisfactorily classify all the
smaller flint implements. The simplest method is that
used by Mr. Fowke, into stemmed and stemless forms,
the former having a prolongation at the base for the
attachment of a shaft or handle, the latter being of
an oval or triangular shape. Doctor Thomas Wilson,
Curator of the Archeological Section of the United States
National Museum, in his work "Arrow-points, Spear-
heads, and Knives of Prehistoric Times," has attempted
a more elaborate classification of those used as arrow-
points, spearheads, and knives. The specimens in that
collection he separates into four grand divisions, according
to form. Division I, Leaf Shaped. This division includes
all kinds; elliptical, oval, oblong, or lanceolate forms bear-
ing any relation to the shape of a leaf, and without stem,
shoulder, or barb. Division II, Triangular.-This division
includes all specimens which, according to geometrical
nomenclature, are in the form of a triangle, whether the
bases or edges be convex, straight, or concave. They are
without stems and consequently without shoulders, though
[ 154 ]

EARTHEN BOTTLE
Effigy of Beaver. Height ten and one fourth inches. Taylor Collection
Un
[155]

EFFIGY VESSELS
From Southwestern Kentucky
[156]


Length, thirteen inches
FLINT IMPLEMENTS
Length, fourteen inches. Johnson Collection
[ 157 ]
Um

FLINT KNIVES
Found en cache at Louisville, Jefferson County
[158]

LARGE FLINT IMPLEMENTS
Upper row part of cache from Livingston County, Kentucky
Johnson Collection
[ 159 ]

FLINT IMPLEMENTS
Longest, fourteen inches. From Southwestern Kentucky
Johnson Collection
[ 160 ]

THREE FINE SPEARS OR KNIVES
Length of longest, eight inches

THREE FINE PERFORATORS OR ARROWS
Length of longest, six inches
[ 161 ]

t+
ART IN FLINT-ARROW-POINTS OF RARE AND CURIOUS FORMS
Johnson Collection
[ 162 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
in some specimens the extreme concavity of the base
produces barbs when the arrow-shaft is attached. Divi-
sion III, Stemmed.-This division includes all varieties
of stems, whether straight, pointed, or expanding, round
or flat, except those with certain peculiarities and included
in Division IV, and whether the bases or edges are convex,
straight, or concave. Division IV, Peculiar Forms.—This
division includes all forms not belonging to the other
divisions, and provides for those having peculiarities, or
specimens which are restricted in number and locality.
Nearly every form illustrated as belonging to Divisions
I, II, and III, in Doctor Wilson's admirable work, have
their counterparts in Kentucky, and of Division IV those
with beveled edge, serrated edge, bifurcated stems,
asymmetric forms, perforators, and several of the curious
and fanciful types pictured and described therein, were
known to the prehistoric men of this State. In describing
some of the Kentucky implements we shall follow the
classification of Doctor Wilson above given.
Implements of the leaf-shaped variety vary in length
from three fourths of an inch to eighteen inches. A speci-
men from Madison County now in the National Museum
measures thirteen inches long, two and a half wide, and
three eighths of an inch thick. It is of dark brown flint,
and is too large to have been hafted as a spear. It prob-
ably served as a dagger or sword. In the writer's cabinet
is an implement of somewhat similar shape, of light-colored
hornstone from Warren County. It is thirteen inches
long, two and three fourths inches broad, and three eighths
of an inch thick. The edges are slightly serrated, and
what is most interesting, the serrations are set as the teeth
of a saw. The object shows unmistakable signs of use;
[ 163 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
many of the points are broken, and the edge displays slight
traces of polish, such as would be caused by constant
friction. The writer believes that this flint was used as a
saw. In tests made upon green wood it answered that
purpose admirably. For quite a while it was difficult
to understand how these people cut the handles used in
mounting their spears and axes, but latterly a number
of saw-like flints have been found, and upon examination
it is shown that they can be used successfully in cutting
any timber the size of which is less than an inch in diame-
ter. With a stone ax this could not be done satisfactorily,
as the blunt implement, by mashing and bruising the
fibre, generally would have rendered the material unfit
for use.
A small specimen from Christian County shows
unmistakably that it was a saw. It is rectangular in
form, four inches by one and one half inches. Along
one edge the saw-like serrations, though small, are very
pronounced. Several other specimens have been found
in Madison, Woodford, and Mercer counties. In Trigg
County was found a flint disc two inches in diameter,
serrated around the whole circumference. In all specimens
that appear to have been designed as saws the teeth are
small. The larger implement described above is one of
the handsomest pieces of flint work we have seen. The
flaking is long, broad, and regular, the work of a master
hand. (See page 157.) In the collection of Mr. H. L. John-
son are several long, slender specimens from Southwestern
Kentucky. They are similar in form and material to
several described by General Gates P. Thruston in his
Antiquities of Tennessee.' The longest, from Trigg
County (page 160), measures fourteen inches. It is made of
the brown chert observed in specimens from Stewart
[ 164 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
County, Tennessee. The delicate, needle-like form on
same page is one of the most unusual we have observed.
It is eight inches in length and was found in the south-
western part of the State. In Breckinridge County,
not far from Hardinsburg, was found an implement of
willow-leaf shape, sixteen inches long and five broad, made
of white cherty limestone.
It would seem that the larger flint implements, espe-
cially those of the form illustrated on page 160, and those
from Tennessee, one of which, now in the Museum of the
Missouri Historical Society, measures twenty-seven inches,
are too delicate and fragile for use in the domestic arts or
as weapons of war, but had a peculiar ceremonial and reli-
gious value in the eyes of the primitive men, and should be
classed with the ceremonial hooks, sceptres, et cetera, which
are illustrated on pages 188 and 189. May they not have
been emblems of authority or swords of state, perhaps
borne by the medicine men or shamans in their incanta-
tions and ceremonial dances? Reference to such imple-
ments among the modern tribes may perhaps throw some
light on these wonderful specimens from Kentucky and
Tennessee. Otis Mason, writing of the Hupa Indians of
Northern California (Smithsonian Report, 1886, Part 1,
page 222), says: "That among the articles paraded or
worn in the dance is a flake or knife of obsidian or jasper,
some of which are fifteen inches or more in length, and
about two inches and a half wide in their widest part.
These are wrapped in skin or cloth to prevent the rough
edges from lacerating the hand, but the smaller ones are
mounted in wooden handles and glued fast. The large
ones can not be purchased at any price, but Mr. Powers
procured some about six inches long at two dollars and
[165]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
fifty cents apiece. These are not properly knives, but
jewelry, for sacred purposes, passing current also as money.
Mr. Powers, in describing the weapons of war of the Yurok
Indians of California, says that they formerly used large
jasper and obsidian knives, but "which, nowadays, are kept
only as ornaments or objects of wealth to be produced
on occasions of a great dance.
Page 158 illustrates a type of leaf-shaped implement
of unusual interest. These were taken from a cache of
seventeen in Louisville. The average size is five and a
half inches by two and one fourth; they are extremely
thin, and the chipping exhibits great skill. The material
is chert of light bluish cast. Near the base of each of
these implements are notches, as if for ligatures, which
suggest that they were mounted as knives or daggers.
They are too fragile for service as spearheads or projectiles.
The edges of several are convex for the greater distance,
then become slightly concave near the point, thus giving
a needle-like point. Doctor Wilson says such forms are
extremely rare. Mr. Moorehead says they are peculiar
to Illinois, Michigan, and Canada. With the exception
of a smaller specimen from Christian County, these are
the only examples of this type we have seen. The larger
implement on the same page was found in Whitley County.
It, as the others, was probably used as a knife. The
edges display slight fractures, such as would come from
use. It measures eight and one half inches in length by
two and three fourths at its widest point, and is about
three eighths of an inch in thickness.
Triangular arrow-points are found all over the State.
The northeastern portion has yielded large numbers of
the smaller forms with straightened base. They are
[ 166 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
generally from three fourths of an inch to two inches in
length, and are commonly termed war points. In the
middle and western parts of the State they are not
nearly so numerous. The most interesting and the rarest
of the triangular forms of flint implements are those with
beveled edges. Occasionally serrated specimens are seen.
The triangular types in Kentucky rarely exceed eight
inches in length.
Flints belonging to the stemmed division are distributed
in almost equal proportions over the Commonwealth.
However, there are variations of form which seem to be
largely confined to certain sections. The presence of the
stem in this class of implements presupposes some method of
attachment to a shaft or handle, according as the instrument
was used as an arrow-point or spearhead, knife or scraper.
These vary in size from less than half an inch in length to
fourteen inches. Many of the smaller points are as deli-
cately wrought as those from the Western coast, and in
them the ancient flint-worker employed the most beautiful
and rarest materials available. The largest specimen known
is in the collection of Mr. H. L. Johnson. It measures
fourteen inches, and is beautifully made of dark brown
flint. It is a masterpiece of the flint-chipper's art.
page 157.) In the author's collection is a specimen of light
colored chert four inches by one and one fourth inch by
one fourth inch. The flakes, which extend entirely across
the blade, are parallel and of equal width. Without the
specimen before one, such wonderful skill in striking off
with perfect regularity flakes the same length and breadth
from such refractory material as flint would seem almost
unbelievable.
(See
A very interesting class of flint implements are those
[ 167 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
of beveled form. The blades of the ordinary arrowheads
are worked from both sides, so that the ends of the flaking
meet near the center line, but in this class, the chipping
by which the edge is formed is all done from one side,
the edge being beveled to the opposite face. Several
suggestions have been offered as to the purpose of thus
shaping these implements. Doctor Wilson, in order to
determine the truth of the matter, inaugurated a series
of experiments, and after most careful tests came to the
conclusion that they were beveled in order to give a
revolving motion to the arrow-shaft while being propelled
through the air. He began his experiments by mounting
one of these beveled points upon a shaft and letting it
drop straight to the ground from a high building; then,
by throwing the arrow off, in every direction, finding a
universal rotation. He carried his experiments further
by arranging these specimens, mounted on a shaft, in
a sort of clamp of wire, the implement being free to
rotate in either direction with the application of the slight-
est force. This machine was used by pushing it with
its clamped arrow rapidly through water in a large tub,
and it was discovered that the resistance offered by the
water caused the implement to rotate. A more conclu-
sive test was made by suspending the shaft, the point
foremost, over the air-pipe of a driving fan, the current
from which immediately set it revolving. After these
experiments there can be no question that the beveling
of an arrow-point would cause the shaft, when propelled
from the bow, to revolve in its flight through the air,
and it may be that this was the purpose of the prehistoric
man in thus forming the blades of many of his flints. But
it is true that the same result could be accomplished, and
[ 168 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
more easily and effectively, by twisting feathers spirally
upon the shaft, an expedient which was well known to the
modern Indian and is mentioned by Schoolcraft, Powell,
Morgan, and Cheaver.
This discovery of the use of beveling by the prehistoric
men was the discovery of a most important mechanical prin-
ciple. It could only have been reached by much study as
well as experimentation. It is really the beginning of the
principles now involved in rifling small firearms and artil-
lery. Modern man has discovered that the rotary motion
is an efficient agency in both penetration and accuracy of
movement of projectiles. The prehistoric man found out
the same principle, and applied it in the beveling of his
arrow-points. It is true that he produced the same rotary
motion by feathering his shaft according to a particular
form, but the rotary movement which would come from
beveling in stone would be far more difficult to work out
than that which came from the placing of the feathers
spirally on the shaft. There would be no difficulty in the
arrow-manufacturer reaching the conclusion that serra-
tion or barbing was important. His object was to injure
either the animal or the man into which the arrow-
point was fired. These features would cause the arrow
to become more firmly imbedded in the flesh, to remain
more permanently, and render its removal more danger-
ous and painful. But the idea of fashioning a stone by
shaping the sides in a particular way so as to make it, when
attached to the arrow-shaft, revolve in its movement
through the air, would be really the most difficult task.
There are many discoveries about which there is no won-
derment. They are so easy and natural and readily under-
stood that we can see at once that the forms into which
[169]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
they were manufactured would require no great degree
of skill nor much lengthened observation. Whether this
beveling system was discovered by accident or evolved
after careful and patient study we can not say, but whether
it came in either way, it was a great step forward, and
enabled the men who fired the arrow to propel the pro-
jectile with much greater force and at the same time with
far more precision. And in looking back over the results
of either the experimentation or the discovery by accident
of this great principle, we can not but feel a high degree
of admiration for the genius and the skill of these prehis-
toric people in this remarkable phase of discovery and
manufacture.
While many of the beveled implements found in Ken-
tucky were designed for arrow-points, yet a great many
are too large and heavy for such use. It is hardly likely
that the Indian would have beveled a spearhead in order
to give a rotary motion to the shaft when hurled, nor is
it likely that the larger beveled implements were used as
projectile points at all. In the author's collection are
several beautifully and delicately wrought, measuring as
much as eight inches in length. (See page 161.) It is more
likely that these were used as knives or daggers; and
then the question arises, why beveled? It has been sug-
gested with some reason that many of the larger beveled
flints were used for skinning game, as they are better
fitted for this than anything else. The beveling almost
invariably being to the right, is such as would be necessary
if the implement were held in the right hand and drawn
toward the user. A peculiar feature of a large number
of the beveled flints is that the bases are smoothed or
polished. Sometimes it seems that this polish is due to
[ 170 ]

Kentucky Art in Flint.
AAA
A
Collection Rare Forms.
ART IN FLINT-RARE FORMS
From Kentucky
Um
[ 171 ]

SMALL ARROW-POINTS OF RARE AND ELEGANT FORMS
From along Tennessee River. Largely from State of Tennessee
[ 172 ]

FLINT HOES, NOTCHED
Largest, nine and one half inches
Um
[173]


FLINT SPADES
Length of longest, thirteen and one half inches

MU
FLINT SPADES
Length of longest, seventeen and three fourths inches
Fulton County, Kentucky. W. P. Taylor Collection
[ 174 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
the fastening in a shaft, or handle. Again, especially in
the larger points, it clearly appears that it was given in-
tentionally. In the author's collection of nearly a thou-
sand beveled points the beveling is to the right in all but
one specimen.
Flints of asymmetrical form are seen in every large
collection. Several are illustrated on
page 162 from
the collection of Mr. H. L. Johnson. While many of
this class appear to be arrow-points, yet their useful-
ness as projectiles is largely destroyed by their lop-
sided feature. It is likely that the majority were affixed
to short handles and used as knives or scrapers. Indeed,
the edges of many show unmistakably that such was
their use.
There are few more beautiful and curious forms than
the little spiral points illustrated on page 171. These
could not have been so fashioned for any utilitarian pur-
pose, but appear the result of a mere whim or fancy of
the old flint-chipper as he toyed with his art. They have
been fancifully termed hairpins, and the largest one was
obtained by the author from the back of a skull in a
mound burial.
The so-called drills or perforators are found in large
numbers. Many show both by the form of the pile or bore
and the unevenly worked base that they were designed
for drilling purposes. But in a large number the base is
carefully finished, frequently stemmed and sometimes pro-
vided with barbs. One of the most beautiful of this class
that has fallen under our observation is illustrated on
page 161. This delicate implement was certainly not
designed as a drill. Together with the others there shown,
it was found on the great buffalo trail which led from
[175]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Memphis, Tennessee, up through Kentucky to the salt
springs at Blue Lick. It is exactly six inches in length,
beveled, and exquisitely wrought. The second largest
measures five inches, while the third is four and one half
inches. If used for the killing of buffaloes, as the author
thinks they were, these flints are probably the product
of the arrow-makers of Tennessee or of those north of the
Ohio, and were lost by some of the numerous hunting
parties which ranged this State subsequent to the appear-
ance of the buffalo, when no red man dared make his home
in the "Dark and Bloody Ground." No implements made
of the bones of the buffalo have been found in the mounds
or graves of Kentucky, and no traces of the animal's
presence occur among the remains of the people of the
earliest human stages in this State, although the bones
of the ordinary game animals, such as would be eaten
by the Indians, are found about every ancient village site.
Mr. Allen thinks that the appearance of the buffalo was
comparatively recent, and like an eruption in suddenness.
It certainly occurred after the red man had abandoned
the mounds and earthworks and no longer made his habi-
tation here. In the early part of the last century a buffalo
trace worn deep into the soil until it resembled a railroad
cut was to be seen passing directly through an ancient
earthwork remain in Mason County.
Knives of flint played an important part in the indus-
trial life of the red man. With them he fashioned his bow-
staves and arrow-shafts, skinned game, and did a hundred
other things requiring a cutting edge. Many of the imple-
ments commonly thought arrow-points and spearheads were
affixed to short handles and used as knives. The ordi-
nary flint might have served equally as well as arrow-
[ 176 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
point or spearhead, knife or scraper, according as it was
mounted on a shaft or set in a short handle. The Indians
of Southern Utah as late as 1875 used as knives flint blades
identical with the typical arrow-point and spearhead, fasten-
ing them in short wooden or bone handles. It is impos-
sible to determine exactly where the knife begins and where
the projectile point ends. A cutting edge is the absolute
requisite of a knife. Many arrow-points and spearheads
furnished this, and unworked flakes of flint might answer
equally as well as the finished product. Some implements,
however, show by their form that they were designed
solely as knives. On page 185 is shown one of this type
with a smoothly ground or polished blade, from the collec-
tion of Mr. Johnson. The writer has two of similar form;
also a leaf-shaped knife eight inches in length, which
shows about the base unmistakable marks of having been
hafted.
BUNTS.
An interesting class of the smaller flint implements
are those called bunts. These are usually of the form of
the stemmed arrowhead, but are squared or rounded
instead of being pointed. Many appear to have been
made from broken or rejected arrowheads by working
off the point. Usually this was all done from one face,
giving the implement a beveled edge. Sometimes the
chipping was done from both sides, bringing the edge in
line with the center of the implement. Many of these
objects doubtless served as scrapers; others may have
been attached to arrow-shafts and used in killing small
game when penetration was not desired. It has been
[ 177 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
suggested that they were used as arrowheads in target
practice, but if this be true it is strange that none show
chipping or fracture about the edge, which would necessa-
rily come from impact with a hard substance. Some are
seen having a polished or glazed edge, such as might be
produced by use as scrapers, as the writer thinks most of
these implements were. Southern Kentucky has been
prolific in these objects.
Some years since a gentleman in Franklin County was
kind enough to secure for the author a large number of
this particular form. He collected at one time between
three and four hundreds of these little specimens from along
the Kentucky River in Franklin and Anderson counties.
In other parts of the Bluegrass these bunts are compara-
tively rare, and why in this particular locality, covering
a space of thirty-five miles along the Kentucky River,
they should have been found in such abundance is a puz-
zling problem. It may have come from the fact that the
men who lived in Franklin and Anderson counties at some
particular time of the prehistoric period in Kentucky
were largely engaged in tanning, or in some particular
form of preparation of skins which would require a large
number of these bunts. Up to the time of the sending of
this box by this gentleman, very few specimens of this
character had come into the writer's possession. But the
party sending these was a most reliable collector, and had
been moved in gathering this large number by a grateful
recognition of a slight favor which had been shown him.
The finds of pieces of tanned bearskin and deerskin in caves
in Kentucky indicate that these people understood in a
somewhat unusual degree the preparation of skins for
blankets, coverings, or cloth, and in the curing of these
[ 178 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
skins these bunts probably played an important part.
For these curious implements the manufacturer used broken
arrowheads, and the arrowheads of sufficient size to pro-
duce a rounded surface large enough to render them helpful
in scraping and cleaning skins, where they had been broken
and rendered useless for other purposes, were changed by
these people into these blunt or rounded points, thus
economizing the material from which arrowheads were
made and utilizing implements which would otherwise
have been worthless and would have necessarily been
thrown away.
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
The agricultural implements used by the prehistoric
men of Kentucky were less numerous than their weapons
of war. They consisted of two sorts of spades and one
form of hoe. These implements were almost entirely
made of flint. Now and then other stone was used, but
very infrequently. Those which we may call elongated
spades ran in size from six to eighteen inches, and in width
of blade from four to seven inches. The chipped flint ones
would have a thickness of about three fourths of an inch.
Figures showing these spades will be found on pages 173
and 174. They were mounted in two ways, first with
the handle at right angles to the blade and fastened as
were the axes, or they were arranged as are spades of the
present time, so that the handle extended in a line parallel
to the blade. The second form was rounded or oval
rather than elongated, and with a cutting edge all around.
These spades would usually be six inches by seven, and
thinner at any given point than the elongated spades.
[ 179 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
These could be mounted as the larger spades, either with
the handle extended from the blade straight out, or placed
at right angles to the blade, and fastened with a withe or
rawhide. Then, third, a notched hoe. These were prob-
ably mounted with the handle at right angles to the blade.
Large numbers of these implements had been worn
perfectly smooth at the edge by friction. They would
be considered unsatisfactory and cumbersome compared
with the modern steel and iron hoes or spades. They
were used more to loosen the ground than to dig it.
The flint blade would be driven into the ground, and
probably turned in part so as to place the earth in such
a position as to receive moisture, worked sufficiently to
destroy the weeds, and kept loose, that the roots of the
vegetables might find ready opportunity to spread out
under the surface.
Most of the cultivation done by these people was along
the river bottoms, where these three styles of implements
would be more efficient than if used on the hillside or
in the clay ground. In the loam and sandy soil of the
river bottoms they would be quite effective. The crops
which they grew would be amenable to the treatment
described, and in the kind of soil which they cultivated
produce prolific yields. Pumpkins, squashes, corn, beans,
sunflowers, melons, potatoes, and tobacco, while not as
thoroughly cared for as with our hoes and other steel
implements, would by this process find sufficient loosening
of the earth, and the soil would be made sufficiently recep-
tive to give good growth. The tobacco found in Salts
Cave shows that the leaf was large, and the corncobs
found in the same place, one of which measures eight and
one half inches, show that agriculturally good results
[ 180 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
were obtained from this meager stirring of the ground.
Some one might suggest that these corncobs had been
carried into the cave at a later date, but they were found
around the fires and mingled with the sticks of wood and
were partially burned, and about these fires were the
gourd plates, cloth, slippers, and other material which had
been used by these prehistoric people in the manufacture
not only of their clothing but of their implements, and
they were mingled in such a way with the daily life of the
cave men as to show that these cobs were contemporane-
ous with the other articles found.
Another instrument used in agriculture was a short
stick fashioned so as to make a hole in the soil, into which
plants such as tobacco could be dropped. They were
curved at the top, with a point running down about eight
or ten inches.
It will thus be seen that the things they used in pro-
ducing great crops, of which we have an occasional account,
were simple and crude, but judging from results, effective.
Squashes were equal in size to many that we grow in the
present day. Their gourds were quite as large as those
which are grown now, and those used for water jugs were
larger than anything of the gourd family that is grown
to-day, with the exception of the sugar-trough variety.
In the later crops of corn these implements would be pro-
ductive of good results. In the early spring, as agricul-
turists know, it is more difficult to prepare the soil, which
has not been loosened by the spring rains, for the seed
planting. But as they had corn covering fully all the
seasons which are included in the corn-growing period of
the present day, they must have had continuous labor
in their crops from April to September.
[ 181 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
CELTS AND CHISELS OF FLINT.
Celts and chisels of flint are common over the whole
State, being more numerous, however, and of larger size,
in the southern and western portions. They are made of
the same material as the arrow-points and other chipped
implements. After being flaked into form, the implement
was often ground or polished about the cutting edge, and
specimens are not infrequently seen where this grinding
process has been applied to the whole implement, and so
thoroughly and completely as to remove all traces of the
fractures made by the chipping. Implements thus polished
are shown on pages 185 and 186. Several of these
specimens are also remarkable for the broad, flaring
blade. Grindstones with which this work was accomplished
are found about every village site. They are generally
irregular slabs of sandstone, showing the grooves made by
the objects, which were laid upon them and moved back
and forth until smoothed. This was necessarily a tedious
process, as sandstone, the most available abrasive, cuts
flint but slowly. To have polished the finer specimens
mentioned above must have required hours and even
days of laborious rubbing. Page 184 illustrates a number
of these implements. The upper row are adz-shaped,
having a half elliptical cross-section. The longest meas-
ured eleven and one half inches. Chisels of somewhat
similar shape, but narrower, are frequently found in the
southern and western parts of Kentucky. The lower row
are of the common celt form. Two of the finest flint celts
we have seen are shown on page 187, from the collection
of Mr. H. L. Johnson, and were found in Trigg and Liv-
[ 182 ]


This
Mas one of o
in a pit to getti
Calon B

FLINT IMPLEMENTS
From cache of fifty. Caldwell County
Largest, 9x43 inches
Um
[183]

MU
FLINT ADZES AND CELTS, HIGHLY POLISHED
Length of longest, eleven inches
[ 184 ]


POLISHED FLINT INPLEMENTS
Length of longest, eight inches. Johnson Collection

POLISHED FLINT CELTS
Length of longest, seven and five eighths inches. Johnson and Taylor Collections
[ 185 ]
Um

FLINT CHISELS AND CELTS
Johnson Collection
[ 186 ]




FLINT CELTS, PARTIALLY POLISHED
Length of longer, thirteen inches. Johnson Collection
[ 187 ]
Un

FLINT IMPLEMENTS-RARE FORMS
From Stewart County, Tennessee, and Trigg County, Kentucky
[ 188 ]




SCEPTER OR MACE
Length, fifteen inches. Edmonson County
From collection of General Gates P. Thruston
[ 189 ]
Un

1
5
2
3
7
10
00
8
9
11
12
BANNER STONES
From various counties in Kentucky
13
6
[ 190 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ingston counties. The longest measures thirteen inches.
Trigg County, near the confluence of the Little River with
the Cumberland, has been prolific in beautiful little celts
and chisels of jasper. Nowhere else in the State have
these been found in such large numbers, of such beautiful
material, and such complete polish, as in that section.
CEREMONIALS OF FLINT.
The flint objects shown on page 188 are among the most
interesting of all chipped implements. It is likely that
none of these were designed for a practical use. We
think the sickle-shaped, the scepters, and perhaps the
other forms, had a ceremonial significance. These are
from Trigg County, Kentucky, and Stewart, the adjoining
county in Tennessee. General Gates P. Thruston, in his
"Antiquities of Tennessee," illustrates and describes many
of these problematical objects of flint. The most remark-
able is a scepter or mace of flint found in this State, and
now in the collection of General Thruston. The illus-
tration on page 189 is taken from his "Antiquities of Ten-
nessee." This wonderful object is fifteen and one fourth
inches long and over five inches wide at the points.
is of dark gray chert. General Thruston writes: "I do
not believe a finer or more elaborately wrought specimen
of ancient chipped stone work than this old mace has
ever been discovered." Mr. R. B. Evans, of Glasgow,
from whom this scepter was obtained by General Thruston,
says it was found many years ago near Chameleon Springs,
in Edmonson County, by a hunter who observed the end
of it projecting from under a ledge of rock. Two smaller
It
[191]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
scepters or maces are shown on page 188. One is from
Stewart County, Tennessee, just across the Kentucky
line, and the other from the Rogers farm in Trigg County.
These rare forms in flint seem to be confined princi-
pally to the regions along the Tennessee and Cumberland
rivers, and appear to be exclusively the work of the
ancient people who lived along these streams and who
constructed the stone graves of Southern Kentucky and
Middle Tennessee.
CACHE FINDS.
Cache finds of chipped implements have not been
numerous in Kentucky.
In Boyd County was found a cache containing one
hundred and sixty-five specimens of the leaf-shaped variety,
made of gray flint. The size of these are three and
three fourths inches by one and five eighths inches by
one eighth of an inch in thickness.
In Todd County, three miles east of Trenton, another
cache was found. The number of implements taken from
it is not known.
In Union County, near Uniontown, was a cache of one
hundred and forty hornstone knives. About six miles
above Caseyville, in the same county, two caches were
disclosed by high water in 1884. They contained respec-
tively fifty-six and seventy-five specimens, from six to
thirteen inches long.
In Caldwell County, about two miles from Princeton,
a cache of leaf-shaped implements was disclosed by the
plow, fifty in number, and measuring from seven to nine
inches in length. While these implements do not seem
[ 192 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
to be specialized, yet they are nicely finished and exhibit
a high degree of skill in chipping. Illustrations of these
may be seen on page 183.
In Jefferson County, a short distance from the bank
of the Ohio, on the farm formerly owned by the late Thomas
L. Barret, President of the Bank of Kentucky, there was
plowed up a cache of small oval-shaped implements of
gray flint, fifty-seven in number. They are all perfect,
and doubtless had been placed in such position by either
the manufacturer or some trader, who expected subsequent-
ly to dispose of them. Just at the head of the channel
opposite Sand Island, in the Ohio River, some twenty-five
or thirty feet below the surface, were found a large number
of flint arrowheads en cache, and at the mouth of the
Portland Canal, opposite Twenty-ninth Street in Louis-
ville, a large number of flint, together with bone, imple-
ments were found at a depth of thirty feet below the
natural surface. In High Avenue, at its intersection with
Twenty-sixth Street, in excavating for the purpose of
laying water-pipes about eighteen years ago, a large num-
ber of prehistoric implements were unearthed, among
them being seventeen leaf-shaped knives, several of which
are illustrated on page 158. With these were found several
slate gorgets, bone awls, and needles.
In Christian County, near Julien, several years ago,
was found a large cache of leaf-shaped implements, the
size and number of which are not known to the author.
In Trigg County, near Cadiz, Mr. H. L. Johnson secured
the contents of a small cache of knives. Among them
were the five shown in the upper row on page 159. They
are delicately wrought of flint of a bluish cast, and are
superior in workmanship to any similar implements the
writer has seen.
[ 193 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
CEREMONIALS OF POLISHED STONE.
In the stone graves and mounds and upon the surface
of plowed fields about ancient village sites have been found
prehistoric artifacts in stone, the use of which is prob-
lematical, and which, for want of a better name, anti-
quarians have designated "ceremonials." Many of these
interesting objects display the highest phase of Stone Age
art. The material, form, and fine workmanship of the
great majority suggest for them a non-utilitarian function
and indicate in their making long and tedious hours of
labor by skilled and tireless hands, seeking with infinite
patience to produce a form and finish which would satisfy
the cravings of the ancient artist and be a tribute worthy
of the great personage by whom they should be borne,
or the use, ceremonial or religious, to which they might
be dedicated.
As belonging to this class we shall describe those forms
popularly known as banner stones, bird stones, boat stones,
spuds, crescents, pierced tablets, discoidal stones, and
certain other types which seem to have been designed
with no utilitarian end in view. It is perhaps true that
some of the pierced tablets served a practical purpose;
but many were purely ornamental—that is, used for
personal adornment rather than as objects of ceremony.
BANNER STONES.
Of ceremonial objects, few are more carefully wrought
or fashioned of rarer and more beautiful materials than
those designated "banner stones." These have been found
all over the State, occurring most frequently in the central
[194]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
7
counties bordering on the Ohio River and along the val-
leys of the Cumberland and Tennessee. Their forms
vary greatly, though in all specimens there are certain
fundamental features which enable us to classify with
some degree of certainty the objects belonging to the
banner-stone type. Usually the two wings or faces are
symmetrical, broad, and comparatively thin, the implement
being perforated axially with a carefully drilled hole of
uniform diameter. The general form resembles some-
what a two-bladed ax; sometimes the blades are narrowed,
the implement assuming a pick-like or crescent shape;
again the blade, or face, expands into the typical "butterfly
stone." The material used in their manufacture also
varies, ranging from the homely indurated clay to beautiful
quartz, in hardness removed but a few degrees from the
diamond. Green banded slate from the glacial drift was
most frequently utilized, though the author has specimens
of steatite, greenstone, mottled granite, jasper, sandstone,
limestone, and quartz.
Many of the perforations in these objects, especially
those of the harder stones, show the spiral lines caused
by the drill. Several specimens have perforations which
are incomplete, each showing a central core ranging from
one eighth to one half inch in length, indicating clearly
how and by what instrument they were drilled. A hollow
cane or cylinder of copper, used with sand or water, would
have made a most serviceable instrument in doing this
work, and probably was the drill used by the prehistoric
man of Kentucky in fashioning these beautiful and curious
forms. The aboriginal workman, unlike the modern, fin-
ished his implement before adding the perforation. A
series of uncompleted specimens in the author's collection
[195]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
show that these objects were first battered, pecked, or
ground into form, then carefully polished, and lastly
drilled.
A number of banner stones are illustrated on page 190.
The double crescent-shaped figures, I and 3, are rare in
Kentucky, but are said to be more common north of the
Ohio River. These specimens are made of green banded
slate, and were found in Meade County. Figure 5 is a
crescent of argillite, beautifully polished, and measures
along the outer curve eleven inches, the cross-section
being rectangular. It was found in Livingston County,
and is considered a unique specimen. Figure 9 is the
typical butterfly stone, made of light yellow quartz,
containing blood-red veins or discolorations. This stone,
with its beautiful colors, attracted primitive man, and it
was his favorite material for the manufacture of his finer
discoidals and other ceremonial and ornamental objects.
This specimen was found about twenty years ago in Han-
cock County. Figure II is of the same material, and
comes from Oldham County. As the former specimen,
it displays a very high degree of manual skilt in shaping,
polishing, and boring this hard rock. Figure 7 is of green-
stone from Franklin County. A more perfectly formed
implement is rarely seen. Figures 4 and 6 are of steatite
and greenstone, and were found in Madison County.
Figure 8 is of jasper, from Livingston County. Figure 13
is of quartz, from Trigg County. Figure 2 is of mottled
granite, also from Trigg County. Figures 2, 8, and 13
are from the collection of Mr. Harry L. Johnson.
The purpose for which these implements were made.
is a puzzle to archeologists. We are informed that none
of the historic tribes knew aught of them. Professor
[196]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Warren K. Moorehead cites the fact that more than one
hundred and thirty years ago a Delaware Indian gave
to an old settler one of these butterfly stones and informed
the pioneer that this was carried because he believed
that while on his hunting and trading expeditions its pos-
session would bring good fortune. While we do not know
the significance which attached to these objects nor the
manner of their use, yet we may safely say that they were
made for a special and definite purpose and that none
of them saw rough or mechanical service. Their sym-
metrical forms, their rare and beautiful materials, the
great skill displayed in their manufacture, the patience
and labor necessary to have fashioned them of granite,
jasper, and quartz, all indicate that they were held in
high esteem by the aborigines, perhaps had a ceremonial
or religious significance, or were invested with some super-
natural power. From the perforations we may safely as-
sume that they were mounted in some manner, perhaps
on the stem of a calumet, or more likely on a staff, and
when thus mounted were used as ceremonial maces or
batons, and as emblems of authority borne by the chief-
tains upon occasions of state, by the shamans in their
weird ceremonial dances and incantations, or by their
generals in battle or war.
BIRD STONES.
Bird stone ceremonials are extremely rare in Ken-
tucky. They are found occasionally about old town
sites, but never, so far as we have observed, do they
occur in connection with burials. In form and finish they
hardly equal similar specimens found north of the Ohio
[197]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
T
River and about the Great Lakes. The term Bird
Stone" applies to a class of objects more or less resem-
bling a bird in form. From the well-defined and almost
realistic bird stone these specimens pass through successive
forms, gradually losing more and more of their lifelikeness
until the straight bar amulet is reached, an object which,
without a series of specimens before him, the antiquarian
would hardly classify as a bird stone. These relics are
usually made of slate, the green banded variety being
the commonest material, though specimens of granite and
other hard stone are occasionally seen.
Various functions have been assigned to these puzzling
objects. It has been suggested that they were used in
playing games; that they were talismans or totems of
clans or tribes. Gillman (Smithsonian Reports, 1873,
page 371) was informed by an aged Chippewa that "in
olden times these ceremonials were worn on the head of
Indian women, but only after marriage." Gillman thought
these bird stones may have symbolized the brooding bird.
Mr. Holmes thinks that they were probably worn by
men, rather than by women. Professor Moorehead believes
that many of the perforated tablets, especially those of
flat form with double perforations, were not suspended
as ornaments, but served as bases for holding effigies or
ornamental objects, and that many bird stones may have
been mounted in this manner. We can offer no sugges-
tions as to their use. In none of the specimens from
Kentucky do the holes show signs of wear, such as would
be caused by friction with a cord, if suspended, or even
mounted upon a pierced tablet as a base and attached
thereto by a string.
Page 199 illustrates several specimens from this State
[ 198 ]

BIRD STONES
Kentucky and Indiana
From collections of H. L. Johnson and of Author
Um
[ 199 ]

1
2
SPUDS
Green Stone
Cannel Coal

MU
SLATE IMPLEMENTS
Lengths, twelve and fifteen and one half inches
[ 200 ]

SPUDS
Length of longest specimen, seventeen and one half inches;
shortest, three and one eighth inches
From counties on Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers
Um
[ 201 ]


PIERCED TABLETS
Slate and Steatite. Largely from Jefferson and Meade Counties, Kentucky
[ 202 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and Indiana. Mr. Charles Patz, of Jeffersonville, Indiana,
has a beautiful one of mottled granite, the head resembling
that of a bird, the eyes being represented by protruding
knobs, the body being of a turtle-like form. It was found
on the banks of the Ohio River, in Jefferson County.
SPUDS.
Another class of objects, the use or function of which is
enigmatical, comprises certain spade-like implements known
as spuds, made usually of some soft material, as argillite.
None of these observed by the author show any signs of
having served a practical end in the arts and industries
of the primitive Kentuckian. While slate is the prevailing
material used in their manufacture, harder stones were
occasionally employed. These implements are usually
highly polished and display a correctness of detail and
symmetry of form which places them among the more
artistic productions of aboriginal art.
Early writers suggest that these spuds were agricul-
tural implements. Others think them bark peelers, and
still others hold that they were used in dressing hides.
But if designed for any of these purposes, some of the im-
plements would certainly have about their edges that
smoothness and polish which comes from friction in use,
a feature which is lacking in every specimen we have seen;
and, moreover, the majority of these objects are too delicate
and fragile, and the material of many of them too soft, for
any of the suggested uses. We think they were not de-
signed for any utilitarian function, but that they are
properly classed as ceremonials; that they were maces or
[203]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
emblems of authority, perhaps related in symbolism to
the banner stone.
There are two classes of implements designated spuds;
first, those with blades circular in outline, sharp or round
shoulders, and flat, short stem, always pierced. Second,
those with the stem or handle rounded, long, and tapering,
the stem being very much longer than the blade, which
is semi-circular or semi-elliptical. Page 200, Figure 1,
shows one of these implements of the first class. It is
made of greenstone, and has a neatly drilled hole through
the stem. Below this hole and extending around the
stem are marks, or discolorations, clearly indicating
that the implement, at one time, had been hafted to
some sort of handle. It was found in Tennessee, near
the Kentucky line. Another of cannel coal from the
eastern part of the State has a dull, rounded blade and
pierced stem. This implement could not have served any
practical purpose, but was probably ornamental or cere-
monial. (Figure 2, page 200.)
Spuds of the second class are among the most symmet-
rical of the works of the red man. They are beautifully
finished and made of a variety of materials; usually
of slate, more rarely of greenstone. They vary in length
from three and one half to seventeen inches. The blades
are semi-circular or semi-elliptical, usually with squared
shoulders, but in some specimens the shoulders are slightly
barbed. A striking feature of many of these is that the
blades are notched, an equal number of notches being on
either side, ranging usually from one to seven. In the
author's collection are two specimens seventeen inches
long, which are the longest known, and one three and one
eighth inches, which is the smallest. Cumberland County
[ 204 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
has been more prolific in these implements than any other.
In the author's collection are three from this county.
All that have been found in Kentucky come from along
the Cumberland River or the territory adjacent thereto.
Page 201 shows a number of specimens. The small, delicate
implement with the large indentations upon either side of
the blade was kindly loaned the author by Mr. Harry L.
Johnson. The others belong to the author's cabinet.
PIERCED TABLETS.
These objects, made chiefly of green banded slate,
pierced with tapering holes, have been found in all parts
of Kentucky, but in largest numbers in the tier of coun-
ties bordering the Ohio River in the north-central portion
of the State. While generally made of green striped
slate from the region of the Great Lakes or from the
glacial drift, yet specimens of granite, shale, cannel coal,
jasper, limestone, steatite, and other materials are seen.
The more common forms are thin oblong tablets, pierced
with two tapering holes near the center in the line of the
longer axis. These are generally termed gorgets, while
those with a single hole near the end for suspension are
called pendants. The distinction seems to be merely
arbitrary, determined by the number and position of the
holes. It has been suggested that many of those of gorget
form were used in sizing cords of rawhide or sinew in the
manufacture of bow-strings. Tablets thus pierced might
be used successfully in giving a uniform thickness to these
cords, but the material and excellent finish of the objects,
together with the position of the holes and the fact that
[ 203 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
these holes seldom, if ever, show signs of wear, such as
would necessarily be produced by friction in drawing a
tightly fitting tendon or thong through in the effort to
even the diameter, indicate that these handsome arti-
facts were not used for domestic purposes. Again, it has
been suggested that they were shuttles used in weaving,
but in view of the size, shape, and material this theory is
hardly tenable, nor is it likely that they have ever seen
service as twine-twisters. Some think them badges of
authority, or ornaments which were strung together and
worn around the neck, or that they were charms or talis-
mans used as safeguards against danger and the malignant
influence of evil spirits.
One of the most interesting specimens in the author's
collection is of rectangular shape, made of very hard,
compact red stone resembling jasper. It has been broken,
the fracture extending through one of the perforations.
The prehistoric owner has endeavored in a most ingenious
manner to repair this prized object by boring two small
holes diagonally through from one face to the edge of
the fracture, designing to bind the two parts together
with twine and at the same time prevent the binding
cord from showing and marring the beauty of the side
which would be exposed to view. Occasionally tablets are
observed with more than the customary two holes, some
having as many as four or five.
Those with one hole near the end are regarded as
pendent ornaments, or charms. The perforation in many
of these specimens in the author's collection shows signs of
wear such as would be caused by friction with the cord if
worn suspended about the neck or other part of the body.
Both classes of pierced tablets are generally smoothly
[206]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
finished, though some are embellished with designs of con-
ventional form. Occasionally rudely sketched figures of
life are observed. The author has one of cannel coal
upon which is crudely etched the image of a bear. Another
displays a series of notches or indentations, certainly
made by less skillful hands than those of the original
maker of the object. Some of these figures were evidently
designed as ornamental, others were certainly not so
designed, and if not merely trivial, must have carried a
significant meaning to the early Kentuckian who wore
them. Page 202 shows twelve of these objects from
Jefferson and Meade counties, and illustrates several of
the forms common to this State.
TUBES.
Many stone objects of tubular form are seen. The
uses of a large number of these are unknown, and little
can be surmised from their form or general appearance.
They range in size from small, delicate ones, scarcely an
inch in length, to those of hour-glass pattern, measuring
as much as twelve inches. The smaller ones were likely
ornamental, and used as beads. The function of the larger
ones is uncertain. Many writers have referred to the use of
tubes of various kinds among the historic Indians. C. C.
Jones says that the Florida and Virginia Indians used
reeds in treating disease, by sucking or blowing through
them, and also used them in cauterizing. Vagenas, in
his "History of California," mentions the use of stone
tubes by the medicine men for a similar purpose. The
old Spanish writers tell of the use of forked wooden tubes,
[ 207 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
the tube being inserted in each nostril while the other
end was held over burning herbs. Bancroft says that
the Acazees of Mexico employed blowing through hollow
tubes for the cure of disease. Some have suggested, with
a great display of imagination, that many of the larger
tubes, especially those of the hour-glass form, were for
astronomical purposes. This is hardly likely, though they
may have been used to protect the eye from the glare
of the sun when viewing distant objects on a bright day,
as one shades the eyes with the hand when looking toward
the sun.
Others have thought them musical instruments,
or trumpets. General Thruston, in speaking of this form
of tube, quotes from Judge Haywood's "Natural and Abo-
riginal History of Tennessee" as follows:
as follows: "When the
stone trumpet is blown through it makes a sound that
may be heard, perhaps, two miles," and that "probably
it was used for similar purposes to those for which the
trumpets of the Israelites were used, namely, principally to
convene assemblies and to regulate the movements of the
army.' The severest test of this class of tubes fails to
evoke a trumpet-like sound, or any kind that might be
heard more than a few rods, and negatives the idea that
these objects were ever designed or used as wind instru-
ments. However, the large tube pipe shown on page 276,
when blown trumpet fashion, emits a sound of considerable
volume. This is the only specimen we have seen which
might, by the widest stretch of imagination, have served
to convene assemblies" or regulate the movements of
the army."
""
((
The smaller tubes are generally made of slate, and
have holes of uniform size. The larger specimens of the
hour-glass pattern are generally of steatite, though in the
[ 208 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
author's cabinet there is one of indurated clay. These
usually have a narrow projection about the constricted
part, the object widening from the middle toward the
end in graceful curves, with a diameter at the end more
than double that of the middle. They have bi-conical
holes which were gouged out by a sharp instrument, not
drilled. These holes conform to the outline of the object,
being smallest at the middle. A feature of many of the
short tubes with holes of even diameter is that one side
is flattened or grooved. Many large beads of spherical
form having this same feature are observed.
Page 211 shows three large hour-glass tubes. The
upper one is of steatite, six inches long. It was found in
Cumberland County. The middle one is of the same
material, nine inches long, and was found in Crittenden
County. The lower is of indurated clay and measures
nine and one half inches in length and was found in a
cave, together with other interesting remains, in Warren
County.
The three flutes or fifes illustrated on page 217 are
among the most extraordinary and remarkable products
of prehistoric genius. The largest one is made of slate,
with a serpent's head at the point where the mouth would
be placed. The second is made of sandstone, the smallest
one of bone. They measure respectively four and one half,
three and one fourth, and three and one eighth inches in
length. The largest one has five holes, the others four
each. All give more or less correct musical sounds, and one
at least emits nine of the twelve notes in the musical scale.
The preparation of these instruments demonstrates that
these people had some knowledge of music, and those
who constructed them must have been moved by some
[ 209 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
definite idea of sound production from a cylinder, and the
holes themselves, placed as they are at regular intervals,
show that the purpose was to secure in the use of the in-
strument musical effect. Possibly they may have experi-
mented and used cane cylinders pierced as these stone
ones are, but the people who made these stone flutes.
abandoned the use of cane, if such existed, and from the
slate and stone secured permanent instruments which
would not be affected by changes of season or atmosphere.
The historic Indians had well-defined ideas of harmony
and used these harmonies to excite grace and ease in their
dances, and if these prehistoric people knew enough of
music to construct stone instruments which would give
three fourths of the notes in the musical scale, they must
have had some sort of musical notions, which would enable
them to sing, and by the use of such instruments provide
their accompaniments, and to make use of such musical
compositions as would produce pleasurable sounds for
the ear and measures for the dance.
CRESCENTS.
The large crescents shown on page 212 are among the
enigmas of the stone graves and mounds of Kentucky.
The large specimen is made of syenite, and is beautifully
finished. It resembles in form a pick, being fifteen inches
in length, with a square cross-section of one and one half
inches. It tapers to the points, which are chisel-like. All
of these interesting implements are from the collection of
Mr. Harry L. Johnson, and were found by him in the
southern portion of the State. Many years ago a similar
[ 210 ]

TUBES, HOUR-GLASS PATTERN
Upper, Steatite, length six inches; middle, Steatite, length nine inches;
lower, Indurated Clay, length nine and one half inches
[ 211 ]
Um

MU
BOAT STONES
Length of longest, ten inches
Materials, Greenstone and Green Banded Slate

CRESCENTS
Length of longest, fifteen inches. Johnson Collection

[ 212 ]



DISCOIDAL STONES
Material, Quartz and Quartzite. Diameter of specimen in left upper corner, six inches
From along Cumberland River
[ 213 ]
Um

DISCOIDAL STONES
Large and small. Diameter of specimen in center, eight inches
From along Cumberland River
[ 214 ]

BARREL-SHAPED DISCOIDAL STONE
Material, Crystalline Limestone. Height, five and one half inches;
circumference, twenty-two and one fourth inches
[215]
UM

CEREMONIAL AX
Length, ten inches. Material, hard reddish brown stone
From Northeastern Kentucky
HIGHLY POLISHED IMPLEMENTS OF DARK REDDISH STONE
Found in niche of rock, Bell County

One third size
[216]


HUMAN EFFIGY OF STEATITE
From Tennessee, near Kentucky Line
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Slate, Stone, and Bone Flutes


IMAGE OF FLYING BAT
Nine and one half by five inches. Material Slate, Trigg County
[ 217 ]

ORNAMENTS
Slate and Cannel Coal. From various parts of Kentucky
[ 218 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
specimen was secured from a cave near the mouth of
the Ohio River by Professor N. S. Shaler, at that time
connected with the Kentucky Geological Survey. This
specimen, made also of syenite, measures thirteen inches
in length, and is identical in form and finish with the
one here shown. We can suggest no use for these remark-
able forms. It has been stated that they were probably
symbols of the sun, and used in the worship of that
deity by the people who once lived in this State.
BOAT STONES.
Page 212 shows four boat-shaped objects of stone.
These implements, resembling in form a canoe, the face of
which is more or less hollowed out, are probably correctly
classed among the ceremonials. They have each two per-
forations, near the end of the hollowed surface. The
largest is of green slate, measuring ten inches in length.
Upon the outer or convex side there is a keel-like projection
extending from one hole to the other, and along this keel
lies a hollow groove, apparently designed for the reception
of a cord, which would be passed through the two holes.
The sides of this projection, or keel, are ornamented with
a checkerwork of incised lines. This remarkable relic was
found many years ago in Crittenden County. Another is
made of the same material, and is interesting on account of
the dial-like figure on its sides. It has been suggested
that the figure is a symbol of a sun-worshiping people.
This specimen came from Warren County. The remaining
two are made of green banded slate, and were found many
years ago in Montgomery and Jefferson counties. The
[219]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
purpose for which these interesting forms were designed
is totally unknown, and we have never heard a satisfactory
use suggested. Stone objects of boat shape, but without
the hollowed-out feature or the projecting keel, are found
in many parts of the State. Some have a groove or con-
striction about the middle, apparently for the attachment
of a cord. Some are notched at either end, as if to hold
in place a cord passed lengthwise about the object. Others
resemble the small hemispheres so frequently seen, but
are provided with a groove about the rounded surface.
DISCOIDAL STONES.
About many of the remains of the Mound Builders
there is not only a wide discussion but a wide divergence
of opinion. There have been suggestions for a revision
of the nomenclature of numerous objects prehistoric. Many
of the names in use are local or accidental and sometimes
meaningless, but they have been used so long that they
have come to be understood as designating particular
objects or things, and those who are interested in these
matters readily understand what the names represent.
The term discoidal stone refers in a general way to
disk-shaped objects of sizes running from one to ten inches
in diameter. The wide territory in which these artifacts are
found, and the large numbers which have been reclaimed
either by plowing or from caves, graves, and mounds,
indicate a very general use.
Discoidal stones are made
of a great variety of materials. Beginning with limestone,
and running through sandstone, slate, marble, greenstone,
granite, quartzite, and quartz, there seems to be no mate-
[ 220 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
rial from which a discoidal was not made. Upon them
were expended not only great labor but a high degree
of skill, and the finer types represent much ingenuity and
an expenditure of patience that is amazing. These objects
differ not only in size, but in the forms of their sides or
faces. Some have convex faces and some concave, the
latter occasionally coalescing and perforating the stone.
In some specimens these cavities are very slight, often-
times almost imperceptible; in others deep, and bringing
the faces so near together in the center as to render the
object translucent. This is especially true of those made
from quartz.
In the classification of these stones there has been a
great deal of uncertainty and disregard of all fixed rules.
Many of the things called discoidals certainly did not
serve the same purpose as the large and well-made objects
which are typical of this class. If it be true that these
stones were used in playing some game, then there must
have been more than one sort of game played with them.
The finer grades could not have been used, as is often sug-
gested, in some sport similar to quoits, as they could not
have stood the rough usage incident thereto.
The term discoidal, signifying a disk-shaped or circu-
lar object, has been applied to so many kinds of remains
that it would be difficult for anybody to tell exactly what
is meant thereby. Just where to draw the line between
a discoidal stone and bead, spindle whorl, or the numerous
pottery disks or counters, would tax the genius of any
antiquarian; and in order to give any real meaning to
the term it will be necessary for those who shall deal here-
after with these matters to contend for a more rigid classi-
fication.
[ 221 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
For a long time it was accepted almost without ques-
tion and without objection that these stones had been
employed by the prehistoric people in some game. In
historic days disk-like stones were used in a game which
was played upon level ground, something like our tennis
courts. The stones were rolled upon the edge across the
ground, which had been rendered smooth for this purpose.
The parties entering the game had poles or staffs about
eight feet long, and the purpose in the sport was to hurl
these poles so as to strike the point at which the rolling
stone would stop, each player being required to cast his
pole at the same time as the others. (Dupratz' "History
of Louisiana," page 366.) It has been suggested by others
that these stones were rolled, and that a pointed pole
was used by those engaged in the game, who ran after
the stone and so adjusted the pole to the center that the
disk might be removed from the earth and whirled on the
staff. Others have suggested that they were used for
pitching, as quoits, the purpose being to make the stone
strike or rest closest to some peg or stake which had been
driven into the ground. In the earlier discussion of these
matters it was frequently suggested that they were used
in mixing paints. It is hardly likely that they were ever
so used, as it would have been an unnecessary waste of
time and labor to have provided cavities upon both sides
and to have expended upon a paint mortar the skill
manifested in these remains.
Lieutenant Timberlake, who wrote in 1765, says that
a discoidal stone is a round stone with one flat side and
the other convex. Catlin, who wrote much later, says
that the hurling stone was simply a round stone ring.
In historic times the Indians who played games with these
[ 222 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
stones called it Chungkee, which interpreted, the early
writers say, meant "running hard labor." Dupratz says
that they were so fond of this game that they would place
relatively larger stakes upon it than the modern poker
player does on this card game, and that it had great fascina-
tion for the red man.
With all the ingenuity of the archeological mind, nobody
has yet been able to suggest a theory concerning the use
of these objects that would satisfy analytical investiga-
tion. These stones have been found in all kinds of places;
out in open fields, in the graves, in mounds, and in caves,
showing that their use was very general. They occur in
large numbers along the Cumberland, Tennessee, Green,
and Barren rivers, but are comparatively rare in Central
and Eastern Kentucky. The best specimens come from
the territory tributary to the Tennessee and Cumberland
rivers. The writer's collection contains about fifty, of
which one fifth are from Cumberland County, and these
ten comprise the largest and most handsomely finished
which have fallen under his observation. Whether it is
the writer's good luck in dealing with Cumberland County
people, or the great number of these stones that were
made by the men who lived there in those remote days,
he is not able exactly to determine.
After the various discussions we are compelled to
conclude that these discoidals were used for a purpose
which we, with all our ingenuity and reasoning, can not
divine. The method of manufacture discredits the theory
that they were ceremonials, charms, or talismans, and
they show from the very way in which they were made
that they were not ornamental. The amount of labor
and care required in the manufacture determines the fact
[ 223 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
that they were not used as weapons. For want of a better
theory we are compelled to settle down to the notion
that they were used for some sort of game, of which we
confess we are not able to say anything that can be received
as reasonably correct. That they must have had some
charm about them is assured by the fact that next to the
pipe these people seem to have expended more labor on
the discoidal stone than on any other thing they manu-
factured. The smoothness of the cavities, the care with
which they were rubbed out, the beautifully rounded
edges, and often a carefully formed secondary cavity
within the larger, all show that the men who made these
objects must have placed a very high value upon them
and spared no pains to make them handsome and attrac-
tive. Few specimens of prehistoric art surpass or even
equal in beauty of form, finish, and material the larger
discoidals of blooded quartz from along the Cumber-
land and Tennessee rivers. A number of specimens
from the author's collection are shown on pages 213,
214, and 215.
COPPER IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.
A class of objects discovered in mounds and graves
in Kentucky and other States which has given rise to
much speculation are those of copper. This metal is found
worked into numerous forms-axes, beads, chisels, cylin-
ders, gorgets, disks, blades, spindles, spools, pendants,
and wire. Articles made of copper have been found in
all parts of Kentucky, but not in such quantities as in
the States north of the Ohio River. Many copper beads
have been found in Greenup County, in the northeastern
[ 224 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
portion of the State; in Bell County in the southeastern,
and in Fulton County in the extreme western portion.
Most of the copper articles in Kentucky are in forms
which were evidently used as ornaments.
Knives are
seldom seen, arrowheads are extremely rare, and one
instance only of a grooved copper ax is known. Occa-
sionally masses of copper are found beaten into the form
of chisels or celts. All of these implements show a rough-
ness and unevenness of finish, as if they had been hammered
out from the metal in a cold state, with stone implements.
Occasionally articles are found made of thin sheets of this
metal, but these indicate that they are from hammered
sheets, not rolled. No copper article which we have seen
indicates contact with Europeans, unless it be several
copper bells which were taken from a mound in Union
County by Professor Sidney S. Lyon in 1870, and these
were from an intrusive burial.
Perhaps no county has yielded such rich finds of
copper as Montgomery. It has been the experience
of those who have explored its mounds and other
ancient remains that copper is almost invariably associated
with the burials. Bracelets have been found there in large
numbers, and these show by their form and finish that
they were made by hammering out masses of the metal,
the process of swedging in molds and casting being un-
known to the aborigines of the State. Copper cylinders
are frequently seen, ranging in length from one fourth of
an inch to four inches, and in diameter from one fourth
to one half an inch, which were probably used as beads.
In fact, in some of these have been found the remains of
the string or thong upon which they had been strung,
perfectly preserved by contact with the metal.
[ 225 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Among the most interesting classes of copper arti-
facts are those of spool or pulley shape. The form is that
of two flattish cones united at the apices. They are made
of thin copper, and in one instance a wooden spool plated
with copper has been found. It has been generally sup-
posed that these articles were worn in the ears as orna-
ments, and this supposition is very reasonable when we
recall the ear ornaments of the figure upon the engraved
shell gorget found at Eddyville in Lyon County. But
certainly all of these spool-shaped articles were not used
for the purpose of adornment. In the author's collection is
a well-formed specimen two inches in diameter and one inch
thick; about it is wound thread made probably from the
fiber of wild hemp, still in an excellent state of preserva-
tion. (See page 227.) In a mound in Montgomery County,
near Mt. Sterling, were found six massive copper bracelets
or rings. These are now in the collection of Mr. Matt
J. Holt, of Louisville, and are among the finest specimens
of copper work that we have seen. From a mound not far
distant were obtained several oblong articles of wood neatly
plated with thin copper sheets, and a large copper pendant
of crescent shape, together with a copper celt five inches
long and two inches broad at its cutting edge.
Practically none of the copper-with the exception
of a little from the western part of the State-indicates
contact with the Europeans. Most of it shows traces
of silver, which point to the copper mines of Lake
Superior as its source. Everything found in copper
shows that it was beaten into form and not molded or
swedged. They probably early learned that the metal
could be more easily worked when heated, but beyond
this the metal worker of Kentucky did not progress.
[226]

COPPER BEADS AND SPOOL WITH HEMP THREAD


SMALL AXES
One half size. From Trigg County
Un
[ 227 ]

COPPER BRACELET
Circumference, eleven and one half inches
Six found in Mound in Montgomery County
COPPER AX
From Northeastern Kentucky
[ 228 ]

0
HEMATITE CONES, HEMISPHERES, AND PLUMMETS

HEMATITE AND GRANITE PENDANTS, SINKERS, AND PLUMMETS
Johnson Collection
[ 229 ]
Um

Fluor Spar Beads, Engraved Shell Gorgets. Cross, of hard white material
From Rogers' and Author's collections
About one half natural size
From Trigg County
MU
[ 230 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
From the position of such copper as has been found in
Kentucky it is absolutely certain that it was considered
one of the most valuable of all their treasures. In
opening the Moberly Mound, near Richmond, which evi-
dently covered the grave of a great chieftain, was found
three small copper beads strung around his neck, and
the small number as well as the small size of the copper
pieces which were laid away with the dead, would indicate
that this metal was very rare and very highly prized.
It is difficult to understand why, in a few counties,
there should be found such a large proportion of the copper
that has been exhumed in Kentucky. So far as a cursory
examination shows, fully half of all the copper found
has come from Montgomery County or immediately on
its borders, and why in this particular locality there should
be, relatively speaking, such an abundance of copper, is
difficult to explain. Following any line along which these
prehistoric men traveled, Montgomery County could not
have been a greater thoroughfare than Fayette, Clark,
Madison, Bourbon, or Mason; and why, in so many mounds
in Montgomery, and within a short distance of Mt. Ster-
ling, there should have been such deposits of copper imple-
ments, as well as copper ornaments, is unknown. Mica,
which was considered certainly of great value by these
people, was widely distributed, being found in Eastern,
Southern, Southeastern, and Western Kentucky, but out-
side of two or three counties-Montgomery in large degree,
Madison in much smaller degree, and Bell in probably
about equal degree with Madison, and some in Simpson-
there have been no large discoveries of copper. More
than seventy miles from the Ohio River, Montgomery
County would not more likely be the subject of visits
[ 231 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
·
from the traders from Michigan than these other
counties. As the copper must have come from the North,
it is very extraordinary that it should have passed over
seventy miles and then been deposited so extensively
in Montgomery County, and so far as known there is
no line of copper deposits connecting this county directly
with the regions and the peoples north of the Ohio. There
may be this one explanation, that there was some tribal
relation or connection between the prehistoric men in
Michigan and those who inhabited Montgomery County.
All the appearance of this copper shows that it came from
the northern peninsula of Michigan. Copper has been
found in Indiana, Illinois, and in Ohio, and its scarcity in
Kentucky indicates that the traders did not penetrate
this region so often as the States north of the Ohio, or
even Tennessee.
Matt J. Holt, Esq., a prominent lawyer of Louisville,
was at one time with the United States Geological
Survey, and made extensive investigations and exhuma-
tions in Montgomery County. He was enabled to gather
a large number of splendid specimens, which have no
counterpart in the State. Mr. Holt says that in every
mound he opened in this county-and he investigated
a large number of mounds-he found not a single one
which did not contain some kind of copper article. Prob-
ably the handsomest copper ornaments that have been
found in the State are six heavy copper rings, an illustration
of one of which will be found on page 228. They are made
of large copper bars, hammered with great skill and with
stone implements, and the ends (so as to make the curve)
were carefully and skillfully turned in, meeting with perfect
accuracy. The exactness of this work would indicate
[ 232 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
that the bars had been bent over a stone or wooden anvil.
The six are of uniform size and weight, and were taken
from a burial at the base of a large mound situated close
to Camargo, in the southeastern part of Montgomery
County. They measure in circumference over the outer
surfaces eleven and one half inches.
ORNAMENTS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF
HEMATITE.
Objects of hematite occur in all parts of Kentucky,
yet are sufficiently rare to cause them to be eagerly sought
by collectors. It is probable that the mines of the Iron
Mountain district of Missouri supplied the greater part
of the ore used by the prehistoric men of this State. Hema-
tite relics in the author's collection include axes, celts,
chisels, knives, plummets, cones, hemispheres, beads, and
gorgets. The red earthy variety of this ore is frequently
found in irregular masses, having facets or smoothed
surfaces which suggest their use as paint stones. Red
ochre, or the disintegrated ore, was highly esteemed by
the aborigine as paint for personal adornment or other
Stone cups and small earthen vessels filled with this
material are frequently found near the bodies in mounds
and stone-grave burials.
uses.
Grooved axes of hematite are exceedingly rare. In
the author's collection of nearly fifteen hundred axes there
is only one of hematite of sufficient size to have served
as a hatchet or chopping implement. There are a few
very small specimens, about one inch in length, from
Northeastern Kentucky, but these, if not toys for the
[233]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
children, probably served as amulets or charms. Celts
and chisels of this material are usually of small size, seldom
measuring more than three inches in length by two inches
in width at the cutting edge. Many measure only one
inch, some even less. These smaller specimens were
likely fitted into a handle of some kind and used as knives
or scrapers.
Of all hematite relics, the plummet or pear-shaped
objects are the most interesting and display the greatest
skill of the ancient worker in this material. The finer
are symmetrical in form, carefully worked, highly polished,
and made of the harder and more beautiful varieties of
the ore.
The smaller end or neck has a notch or groove,
apparently for the attachment of a cord or thread. Several
specimens with holes through the neck have been observed.
Some have thought that these were line sinkers, used in
the capture of fish. Many of the cruder specimens were,
doubtless, so used, but the great care shown in the manu-
facture of the finer ones indicates that they were not
part of the fisherman's tackle, as the risk of loss while
so employed would be too great to justify the labor re-
quired to produce these objects. Yet the Esquimaux, who
excel in the manufacture of fishing apparatus, have been
known to expend the greatest care in making sinkers of
both ivory and stone, similar to the beautiful ones of
hematite found here. Foster, in his "Prehistoric Races,"
inclines to the opinion that these articles were used in
weaving to keep the thread taut, or to pass it through the
warp, suggesting that the grooves or creases were too
small to admit the attachment of thread except of deli-
cate proportions. We believe many of the rougher spec:-
mens were used as sinkers in fishing, while the finer
[ 234 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
forms may have served as pendent ornaments or charms.
While the greater number of plummets are made of
hematite, many of other materials are seen. Specimens
of granite are common, and occasionally those are found
made of the interior whorl of some large shell, as the
conch shell.
It is almost impossible to suggest a use for a number
of small objects in the form of cones and hemispheres.
They have been found in every part of the State.
They are generally well formed, highly polished, and
never show indications of rough usage. They have a
base, oval or elliptical in outline, the objects sometimes
being truncated or flat on top. They are often called
paint stones, but, as many made of granite and other
rocks are seen identical in form with those of hematite, it
is hardly likely that they were used in the manufacture
of paint. A number of hematite objects are illustrated
on page 229.
ENGRAVED GORGETS AND OTHER OBJECTS
OF SHELL.
Among the most artistic of all prehistoric finds are
the ornamental forms of shell work. Shell was used by
the aborigines for various purposes. Crushed into small
particles, it served to temper the paste used in the manu-
facture of pottery ware. Of it were made domestic imple-
ments and utensils, as scrapers, knives, celts, drinking
vessels, cups, and spoons. The ornamental forms of work
in shell are seen in beads, pendent ornaments of various
kinds, hairpins, earrings, carved masks, and gorgets.
[ 235 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The engraved gorgets are the most beautiful of all work
in shell, exhibit the highest degree of art, and are most
suggestive to the antiquarian of the cultural and religious
status of the people who formerly inhabited the State.
The curious designs upon these objects have been a source
of interest and wonder, and even the casual observer
must feel that these strange markings had a very definite
and well understood significance to the people of the Stone
Age. Kentucky has not been so prolific in these gorgets,
especially those with highly conventionalized figures, as
Tennessee. Perhaps the whole number of specimens dis-
covered would not exceed one hundred. Among the
figures seen upon these shells are the human form and
face, snakes, birds, spiders, the cross, and beautifully
scalloped disks. A most remarkable specimen was found
in a grave at Eddyville, in Lyon County. When the
Branch Penitentiary was being constructed, on the east
bank of the Cumberland River, it became necessary to
open a quarry in order to secure stone for building pur-
poses. While the earth was being cleared away there
was found, on the bluff which overhung the river, an
ancient burial ground, and a large number of graves
were thus removed. The exhumation of these remains
created considerable excitement, and in one of them was
found the beautiful gorget shown on page 239. This has
been most thoroughly described by Professor W. H. Holmes
in the "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections," Volume
45, as follows:
"It is a symmetric saucer-shaped gorget five inches
in diameter and made apparently from the expanded lip
of a conch shell (Busycum perversum). It is unusually
well preserved, both faces retaining something of the origi-
[ 236 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
nal high polish of the ornament. Two perforations, placed
near the margin, served as a means of suspension. The
back or convex side is quite plain, while the face is occupied
by the engraving of a human figure which extends en-
tirely across the disk. It will be seen by reference to the
illustration that this figure is practically identical in many
respects with others already published. It is executed
in firmly incised lines and is partially inclosed by a border
of nine concentric lines. The position of the figure is that
of a discus-thrower. The right hand holds a discoidal
object, the arm being thrown back as if in the act of cast-
ing the disk. The left hand extends outward to the margin
of the shell, and firmly grasps a wand-like object having
plumes attached at the upper end, the lower end being
peculiarly marked and bent inward across the border
lines. The face is turned to the left; the right knee is
bent and rests on the ground, while the left foot is set for-
ward as it would be in the act of casting the disk. The
features are boldly outlined; the eye is diamond shaped,
as is usual in the delineations of this character in the mound
region. A crest or crown representing the hair surmounts
the head; the lower lobe of the ear contains a disk from
which falls a long pendent ornament, and three lines
representing paint or tatoo marks extend across the cheek
from the ear to the mouth. A bead necklace hangs down
over the chest, and the legs and arms have encircling
ornaments. The lower part of the body is covered with
an apron-like garment attached to the waist band, and
over this hangs what appears to be a pouch with pendent
ornaments. The moccasins are of the usual Indian type
and are well delineated. A study of this figure strongly
suggests the idea that it must represent a discus-thrower
[ 237 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
engaged, possibly, in playing the well-known game of
chungkee." The illustration on page 239 was made from
Plate XXIX of Volume 45, Smithsonian Miscellaneous
Collections."
Another most beautiful piece of shell art (page 240)
is one which the author secured from a gentleman resid-
ing in Lincoln County. It was found in a mound near
Crab Orchard Springs more than thirty years ago, and
was preserved in the family of Mr. A. C. Lunsford until
about two years since, when he was kind enough to let
the author have it. It represents a double-headed eagle
with its claws drawn up under the body. The wings
and tail feathers are gracefully designed. It is made
from the extended lip of some large shell, probably the
Busycum perversum or conch shell, which comes from the
Gulf or South Atlantic Coast. This specimen has a hard-
ness of its polished surface which is very unusual. It
looks almost as if it were polished ivory. It is much
harder and more perfectly preserved than the average
shell gorget.
A third very handsome specimen of engraved gorgets
was found in Trigg County (see page 241), and is of the
conventional rattlesnake pattern. The design of the work
is good, its execution careful and painstaking, and it is
among the largest specimens that have fallen under the
observation of the author. It is seven and one fourth
inches in its greatest diameter. The smaller serpent gorget
on the same page was found in Southeastern Kentucky.
It measures five inches in diameter. While not so large
or so distinctly marked as the other specimen, it repre-
sents a higher degree of skill on the part of the ancient
artist. It has been said that these serpent gorgets were
[ 238 ]

1988
SHELL GORGET
Man Throwing Discoid. From Lyon County
After Holmes
Um
[ 239 ]

SHELL GORGET-DESIGN OF DOUBLE EAGLE
Diameter, six inches. From Lincoln County
[ 240 ]

+
ENGRAVED SHELL GORGETS
Diameter of largest, seven and one half inches
Um
[ 241 ]

MU
SHELL BEADS
Johnson Collection
Ganadethscügtes
Srat 1013
[242]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
probably worn on ceremonial occasions, where the serpent
(always a rattlesnake) played an important rôle. Magee
and Thomas (“ Prehistoric North America," page 357) say
that the conventionalized serpent appears to have been of
local origin, and confined almost exclusively to Shawnee
habitats in Tennessee and Northern Georgia, and Cherokee
territory in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
The small gorget on the same page, showing the design of a
cross, came from a mound in Christian County. The cross
is of frequent occurrence in aboriginal remains in Tennessee
and Kentucky, and these remains are of an age preceding
the period of contact with the whites. Efforts to connect
the cross of prehistoric America with the cross of the Old
World have proved futile, and the theories attempting
to account for its presence among the symbols of this
continent are of little value, because based upon insuf-
ficient and most unsatisfactory data. Its occurrence here
seems to be one of those coincidences which are occasion-
ally found in the customs, ceremonies, and symbols of
people of different origin and inhabiting different portions
of the globe. Small crosses appear on the backs of the
spider figures on page 230. These specimens were found
in Trigg County upon the farm of Mrs. Ellen Rogers,
who kindly sent them to the author for illustration. The
scalloped disk (page 241) is a most interesting specimen, and
was also found in Trigg County. Holmes inclined to the
opinion that these forms might have been calendars, from
the fact that similar disks are engraved on stone. A
striking feature of these disks is that the outer zone usually,
but not always, consists of thirteen circles. This is true
of the specimen mentioned above, and of several others
which the author has observed from the southern part
of the State.
[243]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Large numbers of beads of shell are found in the graves
and mounds of Southern and Western Kentucky, and
in smaller numbers in other parts of the State. Many
are simply the smaller varieties of natural shells pierced
for suspension. Others are made of the outer walls of
the univalve, or from the bivalves common to all Ken-
tucky streams. The finer and more beautiful beads are
made of the columellæ of large univalves cut to the desired
size, symmetrically formed, carefully polished, and pierced
lengthwise for suspension. Flat button-shaped beads
with a hole through the center are found in large numbers.
Occasionally beads of entire pearls are seen. They were
the richer and more gorgeous, and with the carved beads
of shell constituted the most effective ornaments used by
these people. Those who were not able to afford these
more stylish and artistic forms resorted to the use of small
and delicate shells, as the marginella concoidalis, making a
hole for the string by grinding the outer end of the shell,
thus wearing away enough of it to make an opening into
the center. In burials the position of beads with the
remains show that they were worn on strings about the
arms and ankles, as well as around the neck. Shell
bracelets and anklets are most frequently of the flat disk
variety, or else composed of entire, but small, univalves.
The rattling of these shells produced by the rhythmic
movements of the limbs in the dance would produce sweet
music to the ears of the dancers, and render this amuse-
ment the more attractive and enchanting. In the author's
collection are many massive beads from the southern part
of the State. They are made of the columellæ of uni-
valves, very large and heavy, and lack the symmetry
of outline and beauty of finish seen in the smaller discoidal
[244]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and barrel-shaped specimens, being merely roughly dressed
sections of the central whorl, which has been pierced
longitudinally. They occasionally reach a length of two
and even three inches. In spite of their ungainly forms,
in the eyes of the collector they are among the most prized
of all shell beads.
The mounds and graves of Southern Kentucky have
yielded large numbers of what are supposed to be hairpins,
made from the inner whorl of large univalves, but not near-
ly in so large quantities as Tennessee, which has been called
the great storehouse of these as well as other ancient
objects of shell. In the author's collection are several
specimens made from the columellæ of the conch shell.
The largest has a spherical head and a shaft five and
one half inches long. It is very slender and symmetrical.
Doubtless these forms were often used as hairpins, though
an early writer refers to the use of such objects as ear
ornaments.
Spoons made of the shell of the mussel are quite common.
These mussel shells are found in large quantities in Ken-
tucky streams, particularly in the Cumberland, Tennessee,
Green, Barren, and Kentucky, and afforded an ever-pres-
ent supply of material for the manufacture of spoons,
beads, and various kinds of shell ornaments. The spoons
are generally formed of that section of the shell which
would make possible the carving of the handle for use by
a right-handed man. But one specimen, found in Union
County, shows that it was intended for a left-handed
person. Occasionally celt-shaped implements are found.
Madison County has yielded several.
Vessels and cups made of large univalves are some-
times found. A cave near Glasgow yielded two large
[245]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
specimens which had been fashioned into vessels. One
was provided with a hole, evidently for suspension.
In
another cave in Barren County was found a scalloped
disk gorget made of the same species of shell.
The shells of the fresh-water mussel were used by the
historic Indians of the Mississippi Valley as tweezers for
plucking out the hair. By reason of the close contact
and the sharp surfaces of the two valves, they would be
well adapted for this purpose, and it is reasonable to believe
that they were used for similar purposes by the prehistoric
men. Knives and scrapers were also made of these shells.
A number of specimens showing use as scrapers have
been found in Salts Cave.
From the large number of shells found in Tennessee
and the southern part of Kentucky, which must have come
from the Gulf or South Atlantic Coast, it is an assured
fact that an extensive traffic in these articles was carried
on among the people of these two sections. Almost the
entire high-grade product in shell work is from material
brought into Kentucky from other regions. Perhaps
many of these articles, especially those of ornamental
form, were fashioned before their introduction here. It
can be readily understood that the people of Kentucky,
who had such an abundance of corn, nuts, and maple
sugar, would be ready to exchange these articles for the
beautifully wrought pins, gorgets, and beads made into
such exquisite shapes by the men along the Gulf and
Atlantic coasts; and the coming of the shell trader must
have always been to the original inhabitants of Kentucky
a pleasing and delightful experience, and wherever carried,
these articles would find a ready sale and glad welcome
in the homes of the inland men and women.
It is easy
[246]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
to recall the period when the peddler with his pack was
ever welcomed as a guest in the home of the countryman
removed from proximity to stores, and it is reasonably
certain that the shell man, among the older and younger
women of the prehistoric period, would be gladly received
and courteously entertained.
STONE BEADS AND RINGS.
اخلاط
There are many things in connection with the prehis-
toric people of Kentucky to show that they were fond of
ornamentation, and whether this was in pendants, gorgets,
earrings, beads, hairpins or rings, all indicate by the
abundance of specimens found that adornment of the per-
son was no inconsiderable element in prehistoric society.
In the vast number of finds over the various parts of
the State, beads are second only to arrowheads. Hun-
dreds of thousands of these have been collected and dis-
tributed, and it has been no unusual thing to find great
strings of beads of various kinds buried with the dead.
These beads were made from stone, shell, bones, clay,
and sometimes from seeds or nuts. They are flat, round,
smail, large, short, long, and judging from the conditions
which existed in regard to them it is reasonably certain
that every woman, old or young, recognized beads as
an important adjunct to her wardrobe; and the weight
and size of many would indicate that, as in the historic
Indian, these prehistoric men were accustomed to decorate
themselves with beads of various kinds and hues.
As beads are very abundant, rings are very scarce.
They are made of sandstone, cannel coal, and slate. Some
[247]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
have been made perfectly round, others flat on the top,
something of the shape of our seal rings. Their size indi-
cates that the hands of the prehistoric people were not
larger than those of the present inhabitants of Kentucky.
Three specimens of finger rings are shown on page 253.
The larger ones on the page were probably used as ear
pendants.
To show the great variety of materials used in the
manufacture of beads, one frame in the author's collection,
illustrated on page 251, contains beads made from banded
slate, quartz, quartzite, Kentucky lithographic stone, can-
nel coal, greenstone, hematite, catlinite, indurated clay,
granite, syenite, crystallized limestone, sandstone, and
baked clay, with several others the material of which is
unknown to the author. These range in size from less
than half an inch in diameter to one and one half inches.
The larger ones are frequently termed spindle whorls, and
it is probable that many were so used, the rod or spindle
being passed through the hole in the bead or whorl, thus
enabling the spinner, by twirling with the fingers, to attain
a rapid and constant motion. The numerous textile
fabrics woven of spun thread which have been discovered
in Salts Cave indicate that in that section certainly
spinning was carried on to a considerable extent.
The most beautiful of the beads of the prehistoric man
of Kentucky were those made of spar, some of which are as
clear as crystal, others tinted with purple, others so richly
colored as to resemble the amethyst. Several of these
fluorspar beads are shown on page 230. The most interest-
ing of these beads is of cushion shape, having ten flattened
surfaces or facets. Through this diagonally has been
drilled a hole of uniform diameter throughout. The large
[ 248 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
flat oval bead upon the same page is made of fluorspar,
beautifully tinged with purple coloring. In making the
hole through this object the aboriginal lapidary had drilled
from either end, the perforations not meeting with exact-
ness in the middle. Upon the same page is shown a
handsome barrel-shaped bead of the same material, also a
disk-shaped one of rock crystal.
Many of these beads are made from the very hardest
material, as quartz and rock crystal, which are removed
but a few degrees in hardness from the diamond. The
great amount of labor and the endless patience necessary
to have wrought these ornaments with the crude imple-
ments of the aboriginal stone-worker are sure indications
of their great value in the eyes of the prehistoric man.
The beautiful coloring in many indicates beyond perad-
venture that they were designed as ornaments, and were
selected because of their rare and variegated markings.
These objects range in size from those we have described,
up through larger ones, reaching finally the large perfo-
rated discoidal stones measuring four and six inches, which
are identical in form, finish, and material with many of
the beautiful specimens scarcely half an inch in diameter.
Many stone beads are of tubular form. The author's
cabinet contains a beautiful specimen, which is mentioned
elsewhere, made of a hard, compact red material resem-
bling jasper. It has a square cross-section, and measures
less than three eighths of an inch in diameter and four
inches in length. Generally, elongated beads are an inch
or an inch and a quarter in length. However, many
measure two and even three inches and occasionally small
tubes, evidently designed for use as beads, attain a length
of four inches. A peculiar feature in many of the large
[249]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
spherical beads, made generally of the green banded slate,
is that one side is flattened, or else provided with a groove
such as is seen in many of the shorter stone tubes made of
the same material, yet which were too large and heavy for
use in personal adornment.
A graveyard on the Rogers farm, in Trigg County, at
the point where Little River unites with the Cumberland,
seems to be the greatest depository of aboriginal work.
The beads from this point display a greater variety of
material and more beautiful and varied forms than any
other spot known in Kentucky. Though probably less
than two thousand people were buried in
buried in this pre-
historic cemetery, yet from this single spot many hun-
dreds of beautiful specimens have been scattered through-
out Kentucky and other States. In these graves were
found not only these vast numbers of beads, but hundreds
of other objects which had been prepared with equal skill
and genius. The tomahawks, rings, gorgets, drills, spear-
heads, and pipes found at this particular place all evince
extraordinary skill in those who manufactured the articles.
From these graves, in so far as Kentucky is concerned,
it is certain that the people who lived in the immediate
vicinity of this burying ground had reached the high-water
mark of stone art.
FISHING AND FISHING IMPLEMENTS.
The streams of Kentucky once abounded in fish. This
was particularly true of the Ohio River at its Falls near
Louisville, and if the vast number of fishhooks and stone
sinkers which have been found in that vicinity constitute
an index of the presence of fish, then this spot was more
[ 250 ]

SMALL DISCOIDS AND STONE BEADS
Slightly less than one half size
From Trigg County
Um
[ 251 ]

Ornamentation.
Shell Bead
Necklace.
Grotesque Human Face.
Bird Bone Necklace.
Stone Bead Necklace.
Fossil Bead Necklace.
-ww-
Cannel Coal Bead Necklace.
a
Sandstone Bead Necklace.
the lightness of which is caused by
spherical hollow inside of each bead.
NECKLACES
Made of Shell Beads, Bird Bone Beads, Pebble Beads, Fossil Beads,
Cannel Coal Beads, and Sandstone Beads
From various parts of Kentucky
[ 252 ]

O
O
O
FINGER RINGS AND EAR ORNAMENTS
Materials Sandstone, Slate, Steatite, and Clay. Lower three, Johnson Collection.
[ 253 ]
Um

لل
با
يا
BONE FISHHOOKS
Found about the Ohio River Falls at Louisville. The hook in white square
is flint, found near Tennessee River
[ 254 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
abundantly supplied than any other portion of the stream,
and was a favorite resort of the aboriginal angler. Bone
fishhooks occur in great numbers upon the Indiana shore
opposite Louisville, and in lesser number upon the Kentucky
side. They are generally of the conventional fishhook
form, but with the absence of a barb. Some are small
and delicate, others large and heavy, the shank of the latter
often measuring three and a half and even four inches,
and the instrument being of such size that the base shows
the curve of the marrow cavity of the large bones of which
they were fashioned, and of sufficient strength to safely
land fish weighing ten to twenty pounds. The shank or
stem of these hooks is usually notched near the end for
better attachment of the line, though in many specimens
this feature is lacking, the stem being straight and smooth,
leaving it difficult to understand how the primitive fish-
erman securely fastened his line. Occasionally speci-
mens are seen in which the end of the shank expands into
a rounded knob or is provided with an eyelet, but these
are extremely rare, not more than two of each kind having
reached the attention of the writer. Barbed hooks are
equally rare; only two barbed specimens, so far as we know,
have been found in this section. One is in the author's
collection and the other belongs to Mr. Charles Patz, of
Jeffersonville, Indiana. The prehistoric fisherman, lack-
ing this most helpful feature in his hook, could not know
the real pleasure of the modern angler, who delights in
playing and worrying his game until, wearied with the un-
equal struggle and vain efforts to rid itself of the cruel
barb, it finally succumbs and is drawn within reach of the
dip-net or gaff. The aborigine had to rely upon strong
tackle and a quick, steady pull; a weakness in either hook
[255]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
or line, or failure to draw promptly and keep the line al-
ways taut, meant inevitably the escape of his nimble game.
Most of the hooks from the Ohio Falls have a rounded
base, though in some it shows a straight line. A most
interesting bone hook was found some years ago in Trigg
County, upon the banks of the Cumberland River. The
shank is pierced for the attachment of a line, and the speci-
men is provided with four prongs. This hook is carefully
wrought, and reminds one of similar forms used by the
modern Esquimaux. A number of bone hooks from Ken-
tucky, and the Indiana shore of the Ohio River opposite
Louisville, are illustrated on page 254. Several of these
were kindly furnished the writer by Mr. Patz.
The simplest form of fishing implement used by the
prehistoric men of Kentucky was a straight, double-pointed
bait-holder or gorge. Very few well-authenticated speci-
mens of this kind, so far as we know, have been discovered.
Several bone objects ranging in length from one to two
inches have been found in Christian County along the
Little River. These are highly polished and sharpened at
both ends, although there is no grooving about the middle,
such as one would expect to find in a bait-holder. A mound
in Montgomery County yielded forty well-made bone
implements measuring from two to three inches and
sharpened at both ends, but there is no indication that
these were used in the taking of fish, although they might
well have served the purpose of gorges. In the author's
collection are several double-pointed flints of such a form
as to suggest that they might have served as bait-holders.
It is probable that wood was used in the manufacture of
the straight bait-holder as well as in hooks of conventional
pattern. A hook made of tough wood would be just as
[ 256 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
efficient as one made of bone, or as Captain Smith's "splin-
ter of bone tied to the cleff of a little sticke." Hooks of
copper and shell are unknown in Kentucky.
The harpoon and arrow were largely used by aborig-
inal man in the capture of fish, and in the evolution of
the art of fishing it is likely that this method preceded the
use of a hook or even the straight bait-holder. Among
the immense number of arrowheads found everywhere
throughout the State, many likely served as points for
arrows or spears used in the capture of fish. In every
large collection will be found numbers which would admi-
rably answer this purpose. Harpoon heads, with one
or more unilateral barbs, are occasionally seen. These were
made from a long bone of some large animal. The lower
part is usually flattened, thin, and pierced. Major G. B.
Cockrell, of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, has an interesting
specimen of this class. In the collection of Mr. H. L.
Johnson, of Clarksville, Tennessee, is a harpoon head of
bone of unusual form. It is about seven inches in length
and one and a half inches broad at the base, from which
it tapers gradually to the point; one inch from the point is
a very pronounced barb. An inch and a half from the
base is a circular hole evidently designed for connecting, by
means of a cord, the dart, which was a detachable one, to
the shaft. This specimen is similar to one from Ohio
described by Mr. Charles Rau in "Prehistoric Fishing in
Europe and North America," page 146.
So far as we are aware, no remains of fishing nets have
been discovered in the State, nor are there conditions
favorable to their preservation, but it is reasonably certain
that the prehistoric men used this method of taking fish.
Mr. Gratz, the former owner of Mammoth Cave, in a letter
[ 257 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
to Doctor Samuel L. Mitchell, of New York, written many
years ago (Archeologia Americana, Volume I, page 323),
says: There will be found in this bundle two moccasins
in the same state they were when taken out of the Mammoth
Cave, about two hundred yards from its mouth. Upon
examination it will be perceived that they are fabricated
out of different materials. One is supposed to be made
of a specimen of flag or lily which grows in the southern
part of Kentucky; the other of the bark of some tree,
probably the papaw. There was also in this package a
part of what is supposed to be a Kinniconeche pouch, two
meshes of a fishing net, and a piece of what we suppose to
be the raw material out of which the fishing net, the pouch,
and one of the moccasins were made." This is the only
mention of an aboriginal fishing net we have seen, and it
is likely that this fabric was not so used, but was part
of the articles found in connection with a mummy which
is said to have been discovered in Mammoth Cave in
1813, but which in reality came from Short Cave, several
miles distant. In the author's collection is a little hand-
bag from Salts Cave, resembling the old-fashioned reti-
cule; the larger part of it is an open fabric, and were the
article not complete a fragment of the open work might
readily be taken for a fishing net.
Sinkers, or stones used as sinkers, have been found in
large numbers along all the Kentucky streams. They range
in weight from less than an ounce to five pounds. Usually
they are roughly made and notched or grooved to hold
the line. Some are handsomely finished and of rare mate-
rial; almost every variety of stone was utilized, and speci-
mens resembling in form the stone sinkers, but made of
baked clay, are occasionally seen.
[ 258 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
In the streams of Kentucky, along which these people
found their favorite domiciles, fish would be an ever-present
means of support and food. Their system of cooking
would render its use adapted to the preparation of fish
food. Boiling in their kettles, baking in their ovens, or
baking in shucks or on boards, or wrapped in ashes, would
secure the preparation of this food without great labor,
and afford always ready means for the preparation of an
attractive and delightful meal. And it is as certain as any
statement can be about people concerning whom there is
no written history, that the prehistoric men who lived in
Kentucky regarded and used fish as one of the most con-
stant and appetizing of their viands.
DRILLS, DRILLING, AND FIRE MAKING.
Numerous artifacts of stone, especially those of orna-
mental or ceremonial form, show a wonderful mastery of
the art of drilling by the prehistoric lapidary. Much of
his work was done upon such material as granite and quartz,
and we can not but marvel at his ingenuity and skill in
making, with the crude materials at hand, instruments
which would pierce these rocks as nicely and as accurately
as the most improved diamond drill of his modern brother.
Mr. Kunz, the gem expert with Tiffany & Company, in
his work, "Gems and Precious Stones," page 304, says:
Many of the aboriginal stone objects found in North
America and elsewhere are marvels of lapidarian skill in
chipping, drilling, grinding, and polishing.
No
"
lapidary could drill a hard stone object truer than some
of the banner stones, tubes, and other objects made of
quartz, greenstone, and granite that have been found in
[ 259 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee." The stone
work in the States named by Mr. Kunz does not in any
particular excel in beauty of form or finish the work of
the prehistoric Kentuckians. In the author's cabinet is
a beautiful tube of a hard, compact red material, four inches
in length by three eighths of an inch in thickness. Through
this, with remarkable precision, the ancient stone-worker
had bored a hole one eighth of an inch in diameter. Many
beads measuring two and three inches in length, made of
the interior whorl of some large shell, have holes so small
that we wonder how they could have been made without
metal instruments. Beads and tubes of rock crystal,
quartz, and granite show the same mastery of this art.
Many implements of flint are classed by archeologists
as rimmers or drills, yet comparatively few of these would
have been serviceable as such. Only those with a bore of
rhomboidal or triangular section are at all adapted to the
work of drilling, and many of these seem too thin and frag-
ile for us to believe that they were ever designed for use
upon the harder stones. Objects of this class might have
served satisfactorily in working slate and the other soft
stones used in the manufacture of gorgets and pendants.
Many implements, by the irregular base and finished bore,
show unmistakably that they were intended as drills or
perforators, and that they were operated simply by being
pressed against the material to be pierced and rapidly
turned back and forth until the hole was made. The
most effective drill used by the Kentucky aborigine con-
sisted of a hollow cane, or a cylinder of copper, or even a
straight rod of wood. These, used with sand as the abra-
sive or cutting material, and water, served to pierce the
hardest materials. This work might have been done by
[ 260 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
merely twirling the drill between the palms of the hands or
by holding the object to be pierced, if it were a small one,
in one hand, pressing against it the point of the drill with
the shaft resting upon the thigh, and imparting a whirl-
ing motion by rolling the shaft back and forth with the
other hand. As the rapidity with which a drill cuts de-
pends largely upon the velocity of the revolutions, it
became desirable for the prehistoric man to devise other
methods than by simply twirling the reed or rod, to which
was attached the cylinder of copper, with the hand. Nat-
urally, as he became more experienced in the work he
evolved other methods-perhaps discovered, as has the
Esquimaux, that the strap drill is an excellent device for
attaining rapidity of revolution. In this form of drill
the shaft is held in position by a piece of wood containing
a socket into which the end of the shaft fits, the wood
being held in the mouth, the object to be pierced laid
upon the knee, and by bending the head the point of the
drill may be firmly pressed against the object. Then a
thong is wrapped several times around the shaft, one
end being held in either hand; by rapidly drawing this
back and forth a rapid whirling motion is imparted to
the shaft, and by downward movement of the head the
requisite pressure is obtained upon the point.
It may be that the prehistoric man of Kentucky finally
evolved the bow drill, another form which was common
among the historic Indians. Perhaps he even learned to
use the pump drill, which was known to the Iroquois
when they first came in contact with the whites. At any
rate, whatever may have been the instruments or the
methods employed, he secured results of which the skilled
lapidary of to-day would not need to be ashamed.
[ 261 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Closely connected with the art of drilling was the art
of fire making. Two methods of producing this agency,
so necessary to man's welfare and comfort, and so exten-
sively used by the prehistoric people in ceremonies con-
nected with the burial of their dead and perhaps in reli-
gious rites as well, were in use among the Indians when first
known to the Europeans. One was by means of flint and
pyrites, flint and steel being a European introduction.
The other was by friction of wood on wood, the ground-
off particles becoming ignited with the heat thus produced.
This latter method was known to practically all modern
tribes, and was their main reliance for fire making. The
methods and instruments employed resemble closely those
used in drilling. A shaft of wood was caused to revolve
rapidly in a socket in a wooden block. The heat thus
generated caused combustible materials placed in and
about the socket to become ignited. The methods of
causing the shaft of the fire-making apparatus to revolve
were the same as those used with the shaft of the drill.
IMAGES AND IDOLS.
The carving in stone of the human form and features
by the prehistoric man of Kentucky as a rule was crude.
His best work in face-making was developed in the manu-
facture of pottery, or upon the stone used in the manu-
facture of pipes. Stone images are of infrequent occurrence,
while images in clay, produced in pipes and upon their
domestic implements, are very common. Not many more
than half a dozen stone images representing the human
form have been found in Kentucky, so far as is now known.
[262]

THREE STONE IMAGES FROM KENTUCKY
Made from plate in Doctor Thomas Wilson's "Prehistoric Stone Art"
[ 263 ]

MU
STONE IMAGE
Height twelve inches. Limestone
Found in Mound on Cumberland River, Trigg County
[ 264 ]

WOODEN IMAGE
Height twenty-six inches. From Bell County, Kentucky
Found among Cliffs surrounding Pineville
Um
[ 265 ]

MU
STONE MASK
Owen County. Doctor William E. Baxter
[ 266 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The best three of these were in the Louisville Public Libra-
ry, and if they have not been lost they are mislaid, so that
they could not be found for purposes of photographing.
The precise locality of their discovery is uncertain, and the
details of their finding have now been lost. They are
all carved in sandstone. Their similarity suggests that
they were the work of the same class of artists and delinea-
tions of the same people. They are strangely alike in
their general make-up-the receding forehead, the lifted
chin, the broad face, prominent ears, protruding lips, and
ring-shaped mouth. Two of them are females and one a
male. They are all in sitting posture, and represent only
the trunk of the human figure. All are flat on the bottom,
so they may be able to stand upright and without support.
It is a source of great regret that these have been lost to
public exhibition. It is hoped that they may yet be
restored to their original place in the Louisville Public
Library. Efforts are being made to trace the present
whereabouts of these images, and the archeologists will
be delighted should these efforts prove successful. The
illustrations on page 263 are not satisfactory representa-
tions of the originals. They were made from halftones
of casts in the United States National Museum.
Professor W. M. Linney, formerly attached to the
Kentucky Geological Survey, in a paper on the mounds
explored by him in Boyle County (Smithsonian Report,
1881), mentions an image, or rather a bust of Aztec type,
which was plowed up in Marion County, near Lebanon,
and remarked that this object was in the Deaf and Dumb
Institution at Danville. Efforts have been made to locate
this image through one of the trustees of the Institution,
but the attempt has proved unsuccessful. Unfortunately,
[ 267 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Professor Linney gave no accurate description of it in his
report.
Another unusual image was found in a mound on Cum-
berland River, in Trigg County. It is made of limestone,
and is somewhat defaced by reason of the effect of the
elements upon the material. The back presents much
more defined and clear-cut lines than the face, the features
of which have largely been destroyed by disintegration
of the stone. The massive head, prominent ears, the elon-
gated chin well thrown forward, create the impression
on the mind that this was probably used as an idol. This
image, in spite of its marred features, would produce,
both upon examination and upon study, an impression on
the mind of power and force. The height is slightly over
twelve inches, and the width at the widest place, where
the hands touch the hips, is five and three fourths inches.
At the point where the ears project from the head it has
a width of three and one half inches, and weighs about
eight pounds. (See page 264.) There are many smaller
images running from one to three inches in length.
However, of these, few show any artistic skill or ability,
and present the rudest forms of carving.
In the winter of 1869 Mr. L. Farmer, of Pineville, who
was hunting for a fox among the cliffs which surround
Pineville, in Bell County, found a wooden image of a man
twenty-six inches high and in a sitting posture, with flat
base. The oldest inhabitant could tell nothing of this
curious find. Its whole appearance indicated prehistoric
manufacture. It is a fairly good imitation of a man, and
is made of yellow pine. Its features have been largely
obliterated by time, although it was found in a place
where it had been kept perfectly dry. One ear is visible
[ 268 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
with a hole pierced in it, as though once ornamented with
jewelry. When exhibited in that part of Kentucky it was
a great curiosity to travelers. It is the only prehistoric
image in Kentucky of wood that has been thoroughly
preserved, and the manner of its making gives evidence
that it had been executed by artists who antedated the
historic period. Its form resembles the stone images,
as it is in a sitting posture with a flat base and was built
so it would stand alone, and the pose of the arms is very
much like that found in the images. (See page 265.)
In Owen County, about sixty years since, a superb
mask was plowed up in a field and became the property
of Doctor Baxter, and he in turn bequeathed it to his
son, Doctor W. E. Baxter, of Frankfort, Kentucky, who
now has it in his possession. An illustration of this re-
markable work is found on page 266. The peculiar stone
which enters into this face is somewhat unusual in this
line of work. It is quite smooth and hard. The whole
pose of the mask is dignified, and creates the impression
that the artist had a conception of the higher and better
forms of the human countenance. It seems that he was
not simply making a representation of a face, but more
likely he was giving expression to some living form that
had come within his observation. The whole mask has
an intellectual cast or expression. The mouth is firm,
the forehead broad, full and straight, and the nose might
be safely styled of the aquiline type. The forehead, which
is massive and well developed, together with the whole
expression, gives not only at first glance, but after close
study, the impression of a splendid reproduction of a face
that indicates a high degree of mind force and dignity.
Another image, found in Henderson County, Kentucky,
[ 269 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
is shown on page 275.
This is of red sandstone, and was
plowed up in the alluvial deposits along the banks of the
Ohio River. In this image the mouth is wide open, the
tongue extended, the eyes glare, the nose is depressed,
and there is an expression of hideousness that makes one
think of ogres and devils rather than of men. This image
so widely differs from the other works of prehistoric art
that it must be placed in a class by itself. It has marks
which would indicate the use of metal tools, but its his-
tory and the story of its finding are all so thoroughly
trustworthy that its genuineness can not be questioned.
At one time it was on exhibition at the Louisville Public
Library, but was subsequently turned over by Colonel
Thomas W. Bullitt, upon whose farm it was found, to
his daughter, Miss Agatha Bullitt.
PIPES AND SMOKING.
The records of mankind show that smoking, or in-
halation of fumes of burning plants, was indulged in
from time immemorial by the people of the East before
they came in contact with tobacco or heard of the New
World. The Chinese, who are never modest in their
claims, assert that they always smoked, and that the use
of opium was merely a change in material. Herodotus,
Pliny, Plutarch, and other writers, relate wonderful things
of the early smokers-how they inhaled the fumes of plants,
barks, leaves, herbs, gums, and kindred mixtures. Colum-
bus and his sailors had doubtless seen smoking before,
but they had never seen tobacco smoked prior to the
time they reached the American Continent.
[ 270 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The French Ambassador to Portugal sent from Lisbon
the first tobacco seed to Paris for Catherine de Medici,
Queen of France, not for smoking, but as a remedy
against the pangs of toothache. This Ambassador had
come in contact with tobacco which had been trans-
ported across the ocean from the New World. His
name was Jean Nicot, and in honor of this mixture
his name was applied to tobacco, namely, Nicotiana. What-
ever may have been the fancies, the customs, and the
habits of the Old World as to various smoking materials,
the greatest smoking product that has ever been known,
or probably ever will be known, was found in the
Western World.
When Columbus and his followers landed upon the
shores of the newly discovered land they observed the
natives blowing smoke and fire from their mouths and
nostrils. They were not slow to discern the remarkable
endurance of the new race, and they attributed this to
some mysterious virtue connected with the practice of
smoking. They were informed by the Indians that the
leaf they used was a great medicine, which, besides guard-
ing against hunger and thirst, was a sure remedy for every
other ailment. Observing that these aborigines were free
from many of the diseases to which they were subject,
the newcomers accepted tobacco as a panacea for many
human ills.
It has been claimed by some writers that smoking was
not universal in America prior to the Columbian period,
but that it was used altogether for ceremonial relations,
or for purposes connected with the declaration of peace
or war, and the cementing of friendships. In Kentucky
at least this theory is hardly sustained by certain facts
[ 271 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
about which there can be no dispute. There have been
discovered a large number of pipes which could likely
have been used for ceremonial purposes alone, but there
are still greater numbers of small individual pipes which,
from their very make-up, demonstrate that they were used
for personal and not for public service.
The newcomers looked upon smoking as a most dis-
gusting habit. It was not confined to men, but was equally
prevalent with women and children. With the curiosity
incident to all travelers and explorers, they decided to
unite with their copper-colored friends in this exercise,
and borrowing from them their pipes, they regaled them-
selves with the fumes of the weed. In a little while they
were all sick; they were disgusted with themselves and with
the newly found smoking material. Some of the sufferers
the next day experimented again, and were surprised to
find that that which had made them ill one day, the next
day had a sedative and soothing effect. They were pleased
with the results of their dissipation, and so not only day
after day, but hour after hour, they regaled themselves
with their newly found stimulant, and became constant
and steady smokers.
Very shortly after the discovery of the Western World
tobacco was brought to the Old World, but the unexpected
call on the supplies of the red men quickly exhausted their
scanty store, and it was impossible to meet the pressing
demands which came from across the water for the delights
of this seductive plant, and at once the seed was sent over,
and in many parts of Europe tobacco was cultivated.
At first they adopted the methods of the red man, but
the genius of the white man doubtless improved the
cultivation, and brought with it better results. The
[ 272 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Spaniards became the pioneers in the use of tobacco,
and they were quickly followed by the French; but the
English, while slow to take up the habit, soon outstripped
their continental neighbors in its consumption. Sir Walter
Raleigh was among the first Englishmen to lend his exam-
ple. History says that Queen Elizabeth was not averse
to using the weed on certain occasions herself," thus being
a forerunner of, if not a worthy example for, the modern
cigarette girl.
It is admitted on all hands that smoking was an impor-
tant factor in the religious ceremonies of the American
aborigines, and that hundreds of years before the coming
of the white man they used tobacco in many ways and in
great quantities. The Jesuits, who were the first Western
missionaries, tell us that it was a part of every ceremony,
religious or otherwise, and that it was a necessary ad-
junct to all of the red man's councils and deliberations
and to the conduct of all business, and that pledges made
under its influence were held inviolable. The red man be-
lieved that the Great Spirit had revealed the use of this
plant to his forefathers. Whether or not his remote ances-
tors had heard of the incense offering to the gods, the man
of the West, in smoking his tobacco, imagined himself
thus brought closely in contact with his Supreme Being,
and the first breath of his pipe was blown toward the
sky and the sun, and was a part of his worship.
Strangers who visited the West, traveling under the
mysterious protection of the calumet or pipe of peace,
were not molested. Wherever the red man smoked this
pipe of peace with the stranger, he was safe. When once
the pipe was exchanged between men, peace was always
the result of this mystic proceeding. Hospitality, friend-
[ 273 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
ship, and protection were represented in the sacred plant,
and he who inhaled its mysterious smoke and together
with his host sent the flames skyward, became bound
by a compact as strong as that which united these people
to their God, and he was deemed miscreant who for one
moment forgot the tie and the obligations which this cere-
mony entailed. In going upon a mission of importance
to another tribe or nation they performed the incense
ceremony four times each day, first blowing the smoke
to the four cardinal points, then to the sky, and then
down upon the ground, thus invoking aid from all parts
of space, and surely in one of these directions reaching
the Great Spirit and placing themselves under the pro-
tection of the Being they worshiped.
The white man was not slow in imitating his red
brethren in the use of tobacco, and soon became more exces-
sive than his newly found friend in all the phases of tobacco
consumption, and whether in smoking or snuff-taking,
quickly outran the people who had first discovered and
perfected the use of this remarkable weed. With the red
man the pipe was the most important of all his possessions.
Upon it he lavished his highest skill, and no weariness
or labor caused him to hesitate in the necessary work
of its preparation. The high esteem in which it was held
is evinced by the great amount of labor and endless pa-
tience he expended in carving its forms. Axes and arrow-
heads were built along many lines, but these ordinarily
required no very great development or outlay of genius.
When beveling and serration came into fashion, the Indian
had made great advances in the art of arrow-making, but
it was when the red man realized the soothing comfort
and the sedative delight of tobacco that his artistic genius
[ 274 ]



SCULPTURED HUMAN HEAD
Red Sandstone. From Henderson County, Kentucky
Property of Miss Agatha Bullitt
[ 275 ]

PIPES TUBULAR FORM
Length of largest, ten inches
[ 276 ]


L
PIPES
About one half actual size. Miscellaneous Collection
Um
[ 277 ]

MU
PIPES
About one third actual size. Materials, Sandstone and Steatite
[ 278 ]





PIPES
STEATITE
Upper, Fulton County. W. P. Taylor Collection
Lower (two views), Cumberland County
Um
[ 279 ]

PIPES
BIRD EFFIGIES
About one third actual size
[ 280 ]



Upper, Steatite.
PIPES BIRD EFFIGIES
From Montgomery County. Holt Collection
Lower, Crystalline Limestone. From Fulton County. Taylor Collection
One half size
Um
[ 281 ]

PIPE-DUCK EFFIGY
Length, five and one half inches. Material, Steatite
From Bourbon County
[ 282 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
was quickened and incited to the highest skill to produce
that which would be beautiful as well as convenient for
his use.
Comforting and pleasing to him in so many
ways, as a matter of pride and gratitude he evoked all
that skill and labor could suggest to ornament the pipe,
which became his constant companion day and night,
his friend on long marches or dangerous expeditions, and
the talisman with which he disarmed the hatred and ven-
geance of his foes.
As soon as settlements were established in the New
World and agriculture begun, tobacco became the chief
product of the colonies. In 1616, at Jamestown, Virginia,
laws were passed making tobacco currency. It was cured
and sent across the ocean, and upon its arrival at its
destination, used. It was deemed to be a panacea for a
vast number of the ills of the body.
The red man used his smoke to allay storms on the
water, the Italian to divert the evils and the asthma of
the Tiber, and in England history tells us it was asserted
that the devil was much afraid of tobacco and its smoke.
The medical faculties of Europe prescribed its use in many
ways, and its use quickly permeated every grade of soci-
ety. When Columbus came, the tobacco leaf for smoking
purposes was used in the shape of a rolled tube. Pipes
were also common. The rolled tube was nothing more
than the ancestor of the cigarette or cigar of to-day. In
Mexico the people still largely use the cigarette in smoking.
Besides this, the natives made mixtures or pills which
they were accustomed to chew when crossing a desert
where food and drink were scarce, thus at least imitating,
if not antedating, the use of the leaves of the cocoa by
the South American laborer.
[ 283 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
A French writer claims that the plant was named after
an island by that name, but no such island was ever known.
Doctor Joseph E. McGuire, in his interesting work, "Pipes
and Smoking Customs of the American Aborigines," covers
fully the details on this subject, and he concludes: "The
name in all the modern cases appears to be derived from
the American word tobacco." To this delightful work of
Doctor McGuire's the author is indebted for much of
the information contained in the previous parts of this
chapter.
Whatever may have been the use of tobacco after its
introduction in Europe, it was certainly used in Kentucky
six hundred years ago. Pipes have been taken from
mounds, the age of which is demonstrable to be of that
period, and as early as that pipes of various forms were
used, some large, some small. The larger ones were of such
extreme size of bowl as to satisfy any observer that no
man could stand the strain of smoking such a quantity
of tobacco as would be required to fill these receptacles.
A recent find of two specimens of leaf tobacco, together
with the seed pod of the plant in Salts Cave, conclusively
shows that tobacco was used in Kentucky during the
cloth slipper period. So far as the observation of the white
man goes, this period of using cloth slippers either by
men or women antedated the Columbian period, and Pro-
fessor Putnam, whose opinion always carries weight on
such subjects, is inclined to the belief that the objects
in Salts Cave, with which this tobacco was associated,
indicate a rather great antiquity. While there is nothing
so far discovered in Salts Cave which indicates that the
tobacco was smoked, its presence at this early period is
an assurance that it was used either for smoking or snuff,
[ 284 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
and that certainly it was cultivated and cured in Kentucky
five hundred years ago. It is rather a remarkable fact
that among all the finds in Salts Cave no stone or pot-
tery pipe has been found, nor are there any evidences that
wooden pipes were used. It is not improbable, in view
of these facts, that these cave-dwellers may have used
their tobacco as snuff, or may have utilized the gourds
for pipes, as is done with the calabash in the present
period. Some of these gourds are not much larger
than the bowls of some of the pipes used by the Mound
Builders.
With the data now at hand it is not possible to deter-
mine the development of the pipe-indeed, many of the
best specimens appear to be the most ancient. The splen-
did pipe shown at top of page 288 has a certain age of at
least six hundred years. It was found in the roots of a
beech tree which had grown on the top of a mound near
Green River, in Hart County. The tap root had closed
around the pipe when the tree was very small and just
after the seed had burst the shell and sent its tiny stem
heavenward. Here this splendid pipe remained for hun-
dreds of years, until the mighty tree had reached gigantic
proportions; then through a long series of years the tree
remained stationary, and then began to decrease in power
and vigor until at last, by a storm, it was laid low and the
pipe again exposed to the light of day, which hundreds
of years before had been the pride of its maker and which,
to him who fashioned it, had brought solace in sorrow,
courage in war, and contentment in peace, and which had
doubtless played a conspicuous part in the lives of those who
had lived in its day and near the home of its owner. The
pressure of the root and the concussion in the fall of the
[285]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
tree broke the pipe into nine separate pieces. Coloncl
Robert Munford, of Munfordville, Kentucky, from whom it
was obtained, and who was a most enthusiastic and zealous
antiquarian, discovered the pipe in the root after the tree
had been blown down, cut away the pieces that were
holding it, and searched with intense diligence for the
remaining parts of this splendid piece of workmanship
that were lost. He moved the dirt carefully with his
hands and with a sifter, and in the course of two or three
months found every piece but one. With glue, which
he had learned from the Indians to manufacture out of
buck's horn, he welded the separate pieces into a beauti-
ful whole again, but still one piece was lacking. For
eight months he searched for this last piece until, like the
woman in the Scriptures hunting for the lost coin, he found
it, and his patience and courage were rewarded with the de-
light which can come only to an antiquarian when, after
long months of toil and watchfulness, he finds that which
he sought. The pipe was now restored to its beauty and
its original attractiveness. The mound showed that other
timber, certainly of an age antedating the beech tree, had
sprung out of the earth which had been used to fashion
it into form. Through these centuries the trees had
grown, while beneath the surface, in the grip of the beech,
the beautiful pipe, hidden from all that was bright and
attractive, lay in the dark, damp earth. At last the storm
had liberated it and brought it back into the sunlight
again. In its mute and silent way it tells of the achieve-
ment as well as the genius of him who, hundreds of years
before, had fashioned it with artistic skill into its present
form. This unusual piece of Mound Builder's work is
made of oölitic limestone. By its contact with the wood
[ 286 ]

PIPE-BIRD EFFIGY
Length, six inches. Material, dark reddish brown and very hard
From Trigg County
UM
[ 287 ]

From Hart County. Seventeen inches long


From Montgomery County
From Franklin County
PIPES
[ 288 ]

PIPE
Representing grief or despair. From Livingston County
Um
[ 289 ]

MU
PIPE-EFFIGY BEAR HUGGING MAN

PIPE
Steatite. Fourteen stem holes
[ 290 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
it has the appearance of petrifaction, but a scratch shows
this not to be so. It measures sixteen and three fourths
inches in length; just back of the bowl it is seven and one
half inches in circumference; the bowl itself is eight inches
in circumference; the cavity for the tobacco is four and
one half inches in circumference, and the pipe weighs
seven and one half pounds.
On the page with this large pipe is found another very
unusual form. Its details almost make one think it is
of Mexican origin. It is made of Kentucky sandstone,
and has a square hole at the base and round hole in the
bowl, and has been fashioned so as to secure what would
be called relief work. It was plowed up about ten years
since in a cornfield, by a lad in Montgomery County.
The point of the plow struck it and made a slight abrasion.
Proud of his find, the boy brought it to Mt. Sterling, where
fortunately it came under the eye of the editor of one of
the papers, Mr. Joseph W. Hedden, who knew the writer's
weakness for such specimens. He offered the boy a dollar
for it, but the young merchant felt he had a more
valuable possession than a dollar's worth, and insisted
on eight dollars. The gentleman replied that he knew of
but one man in Kentucky who was foolish enough to pay
eight dollars for a piece of stone like the pipe in ques-
tion, but would communicate with him. Upon writing
the author a description of the pipe he immediately tele-
graphed that there was a man in Kentucky foolish enough
to pay eight dollars for a pipe, and so it came along and
took its place in his collection. The relief work, the
arrangement of its lines, the square hole, the space cut
between the bowl and the place for the stem, all mark
this as a very unusual piece of prehistoric art.
[291]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
On the same page will be found another unusual and
interesting specimen of pipe. It is made of a black slate,
much heavier than the banded variety. This pipe was
plowed up in a field in Franklin County, Kentucky. It
passed into the possession of a gentleman who, being inter-
ested in antiquarian work, turned it over to the author.
Unfortunately the former owner marred it by carving
his initials on it, and either the man who made it or
some subsequent owner carved a face on the square beside
the bowl. The diameter of the bowl is three inches,
the diameter of the place in which the tobacco was inserted
is three fourths of an inch, and the hole at which the stem
was inserted is practically the same size as the opening
for the tobacco. The design, while quite simple, is worked
out in very graceful lines, and its proportions are in every
particular quite æsthetic.
The representation of another remarkable pipe will be
found on page 289. This has been thought by many observ-
ers to be the most artistic pipe ever found in Kentucky.
It is made of an apparently bluish limestone, and repre-
sents a man with his elbows on his knees, his hands
about his face, while every line indicates one in deep dis-
tress or despair. The general effect is striking, and it
certainly was a stroke of genius to work into a pipe created
out of stone the idea of a human being in grief or sorrow.
A companion piece to this pipe of despair is a man and
bear struggling in conflict. (See page 290.) The legs of
the bear envelope the man, and the man has the appear-
ance of being hugged to death by the brute who has him
in his grasp.
In both of these pipes the bowl is small, and
the place for the insertion of the stem is almost the same
size as the bowl. These were found in Southwestern
Kentucky.
:
[ 292 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
The most exquisitely striking pipe that has been found
in Kentucky is represented on page 279. It is made of
black soapstone. The bowl is one inch in diameter, while
around it is a projection very thin and measuring four
and one half inches. The length of the stem is nine
and one half inches, while the diameter of the hole along
which the smoke was carried is about one eighth of an
inch. The width of the piece of material through which
the stem hole passes is two inches. The thickness of
the stem is about three fourths of an inch at the widest
part. The stone is quite soft, and the hole may pos-
sibly have been drilled by a piece of cane. The object
is highly polished in all of its parts.
The pictures of pipes on pages 276-82, 287-95, and
295-96 will show the different forms and sizes of these
objects. In the collection of the author are something
like four hundred pipes, made of all sorts of materials, in
many differing shapes. No two are really alike, and they
display in their manufacture great originality and genius.
They have been found in every part of the State, large ones
and small ones, covering all parts of the Commonwealth's
territory; some in mounds, some in graves, some scattered
over the surface. All show not only that there must
have been a large population, but that there was ex-
tended use of tobacco among the people of the mound-
building period in Kentucky. No soil could have been
found by the Mound Builder that would have yielded
more generous returns for his labor in producing the
plant; and as Kentucky now produces a very large part
of all the tobacco grown in the world, it is possible that
in these early days the Kentucky farmer had his tobacco
patch and cured his crop and was ready to barter it to
[ 293 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
his red brother who would bring to him catlinite, steatite,
shells, small and large, and other trinkets, which went to
make up the things essential to the comfort as well as the
luxury of his family.
There was constant expectation for quite a while of
finding in some well-preserved form the deposit or residuum
on the sides of the bowl which the smoke would make
in the receptacle which was used for holding tobacco, but
only in one instance has there been such indications as
would show at all conclusively that the pipe had been used
for any great period of time. The tobacco and the cane
and the stone, all found in great abundance in Kentucky,
put readily into the hands of the smoker all the necessary
things to provide him with a convenient, comfortable, and
tasteful pipe for the exercise of the smoking habit. Many
of the designs of these pipes are taken from Nature, but
very many of them show the development of really artistic
talent.
DISCOVERIES IN KENTUCKY CAVES.
Those familiar with archeological research in Europe
will recall that through caves are found the most satis-
factory evidences of the habits, food, and clothing of
primitive man. These were used as places of abode or
refuge, and from the débris and ash-heaps of the sub-
strata of the cavern floors the antiquarian has acquired
the most reliable information as to what manner of man
he was, and how and when he lived. In the occupancy
of caverns in America, there is no prehistoric period cor-
responding with the "Cave Period" of Europe. Many
of the caverns of Kentucky were used by the aborigines
[ 294 ]

PIPES-FROG EFFIGIES

PIPES-BOAT IMITATION AND ARTISTIC ORNAMENTATION
[ 295 ]
Um

Foenth ind
CATLINITE PIPES
Diameter of largest disk, six and one half inches; length of bowl, nine inches
MU
[ 296 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
as depositories of the dead, and several show that they
were used, at least temporarily, as places of habitation,
or retreat from enemies in times of danger; yet this
occupancy was not of great antiquity, but seems rather
to have been contemporaneous with the mound-building
period.
In the limestone which lies below the coal measures
of Kentucky is a remarkable development of cavern
structure. The late Professor N. S. Shaler estimated
that there is an area of at least eight thousand square
miles where the subcarboniferous limestone lies in a position
suitable to the formation of caves. The layers of this range
in thickness from a few feet to three hundred and even
more. In Edmonson and adjacent counties underground
streams, the waters of which, charged with carbonic acid
gas and aided by the mechanical action of particles of the
sandstone above and pebbles from the flint beds of the
limestone itself, have carved out, by a slow but irresistible
process, wonderful caverns ranging tier upon tier, which
for majestic size and beauty are without rivals. In
Edmonson and Hart counties the writer has investigated
three of the most wonderful of these caves, all in close
proximity to each other, the entrances of which could
be covered by an equilateral triangle measuring hardly
more than three miles. These are Mammoth Cave, of
world-wide reputation; Colossal Cavern, but recently
discovered and noted for its magnificence, and Salts Cave,
from which have been taken some of the most remarkable
prehistoric textile fabrics and vegetable remains ever
brought to light. Several other caves in this vicinity
have also yielded relics of rare interest to the archeolo-
gist. In Short Cave, eight miles from Mammoth Cave,
[ 297 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
was found the so-called American Mummy, exhibited
many years ago at Mammoth Cave and now deposited
in the National Museum at Washington. Connected with
Colossal Cavern is a small cave known as the Bed Quilt
Cave, so named because of the finding there, some years
ago, of an Indian mat resembling a quilt.
Salts Cave, the most prolific in prehistoric relics and
rivaling even Mammoth Cave in the size and grandeur
of its avenues and chambers, was known nearly one hun-
dred years ago, and though often visited has never been
thoroughly explored, and little has been written of its
remarkable evidences of prehistoric life. In fact, apart
from the few accounts of the so-called Mammoth Cave
Mummy, published in the early part of the last century,
no scientific study of cave life in Kentucky was under-
taken until Professor F. W. Putnam, of the Peabody
Museum of American Archeology and Ethnology, together
with members of the Kentucky Geological Survey, vis-
ited and partly explored Salts Cave, and gave to the
world an account of some of the wonderful things which,
through this cave, were traced to the people who inhab-
ited Kentucky centuries ago.
There appears to be practically nothing written on
the early discovery of this remarkable place. There is
one date in the cave as early as 1818. It has been the
custom of many visitors in these and various caves to
inscribe by some method their names on the gloomy walls,
and thus leave behind them evidence of their presence
at a given period. The next date so far discovered is
1843, and this is accompanied by the names of persons
who were well known in the vicinity, and recalled to have
lived in the neighborhood about that period. No definite
[ 298 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
statement as to the discovery of Salts Cave can be found
in any printed matter which is attainable. After inquiry
among the oldest men now residing in that locality, in-
cluding Squire O. P. Shackelford and Mr. A. B. Johnson,
both of whom have lived all their lives near the place,
it is probable that the first white man who ever saw the
cave was William West, who it is said patented the land
covering it about 1794. Squire Shackelford distinctly
recollects his father telling him, when he was quite a young
man, that the cave was explored first by Peter Kinser,
who, upon entering it, remained in it a week examining
its passages, and Squire Shackelford's wife found a moc-
casin in Salts Cave in 1851.
The Mammoth Cave and other caves in the vicinity
were explored for the purpose of securing saltpeter during
the War of 1812, but Salts Cave, although containing
large quantities of the elements from which saltpeter
could be made, does not appear to have been invaded
for this purpose. There are places in the walls of the cave
which indicate that some kind of digging had been car-
ried on, but it is the opinion of those who have been
most observant of these matters that these excavations,
which are quite extensive, were made by the prehistoric
people. The condition of the walls now shows that the
excavations were made with sharp-pointed instruments,
such as are now found in the cave, similar to the sticks
used for planting tobacco, cabbages, and other vegetables.
In one portion of the wall there are disturbances of the
earth which contains clay apparently akin to ochre.
Markings on this clayey material show that it was scratched
or torn loose by the use of sharp-pointed wooden digging
implements.
[ 299 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
In 1893 Mr. Theodore F. Hazen, since deceased, and
his wife opened a new entrance into Salts Cave more
easy of access than that described by Professor Putnam,
and nearer to the great central chambers and larger
avenues of this wonder of Nature, and undertook a more
thorough exploration of its labyrinths. From them we
obtained many interesting relics, which aroused a desire
to know more of this cave and the home life of the people
who once occupied it. In 1894 the author first visited
this place, gaining access by the Hazen entrance, which
has since become closed by a fall of rocks and earth. Now
the only available entrance is about a quarter of a mile
from Sell's store, just within the Hart County line. The
mouth, difficult and even dangerous of access, lies at the
bottom of a deep sinkhole, and is but a few feet in diam-
eter. A stream of water from a small spring above trickles
over the entrance and into the cavern, quickly losing
itself in the masses of rock which have fallen from the
roof. This aperture, just sufficiently large to admit the
body of a man, gives little promise to the explorer of the
wonders awaiting him in this great temple of darkness
and night.
After entering this opening and descending a steep
declivity covered with rough jagged rocks, the main avenue
is reached. Stretching away for miles, this is covered
with great masses of stone fallen from the roof above.
At the time of the occupancy of this cave by the prehis-
toric people, there may have been another entrance known
and used by its inhabitants. About the present entrance
numerous spalls, flakes of flint, pestles, axes, awls, and
other implements have been found, indicating that a
prehistoric village was located at this point. North of the
[ 300 ]


MOCCASIN
From Salts Cave
MOCCASIN
From Mammoth Cave

RETICULE
From Salts Cave
[ 301 ]

MOCCASINS
From Salts Cave
[ 302 ]

SPECIMENS OF CLOTH
Size one third. From Salts Cave
Um
[ 303 ]

BAG OF WOVEN CLOTH-Size seven by nine inches
Fragments of textile fabrics and plaited rope
From Salts Cave
[ 304 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
entrance about a mile and a quarter are other traces, which
show that a village site at some time was located there.
This cave is perfectly dry in all its three tiers, with
two exceptions-the spring which pours through the
entrance and which loses itself a short distance away,
and a small spring at the far end of the cave, several miles
from its mouth. Close to where the spring enters at
the mouth of the cave, at the foot of a rather steep
acclivity, we found a large bed of ashes. Upon digging
into these ashes, over a space sixty by fifty feet, they
were found to vary in depth from two inches to two
feet. They covered human and animal bones. These
bones seem to have been cast in without regard to any
particular order. Several skulls were obtained, and
quite a number of lower jaws in which the teeth were yet
intact. A large proportion of these jaws indicate that
in life they were part of the bones of young people. In
several the second set of teeth had not cut through,
but were found under the milk teeth. At this point
there is some dampness in the soil and the bones were
not well preserved, and when exposed to the air and
touch quickly crumbled. The remains of the animals
found at this place were in a much better state of
preservation than the bones of the human beings. These
human bones were in the crevices between the stones.
Above them were ashes, placed either by design or acci-
dent, and on top of these ashes fires had been kindled.
It is therefore uncertain whether the people who built
the fires knew of the existence of the bones.
Along the main cavern for several miles are numerous
fireplaces and ash-heaps; occasional small piles of stone,
evidently placed to hold fagots, used in lighting; innumer-
[305]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
able partly burned torches of cane reed, and even the foot-
prints of the men who, hundreds of years ago, walked along
these majestic avenues. The cave contains a large amount
of saltpeter, and has a mean temperature of fifty-four
degrees. The atmosphere of the interior is dry and pure,
and this, together with the nitrous matter in the earth,
has produced conditions favorable to the preservation
of all kinds of materials. About the hearths and fire-
places were found hundreds of fragments of gourds, and
also some shells of the ancestral forms of the cultivated
squash, both of which were in an excellent state of pres-
ervation. Torches of reed, to be counted by the thou-
sands, which had been filled with grease or soaked in oil,
traces of which may still be seen on some specimens,
appeared as if they had been cast aside but yesterday.
Along the main avenues and the second or lower layer of
caves, as well as in many side avenues, these torches were
found. Those who have spent much time in this cavern
say that they have discovered no places where these and
other traces of aboriginal man are absent.
Among the most interesting discoveries were a number
of neatly braided slippers or sandals, and fragments of
textile art. Several materials seem to have been used in
the manufacture of these. Some were made of the fiber
of the cat-tail or Typha, a plant which grows abundantly
in the ponds in the southern part of the State. Others
were woven of the inner bark of trees, probably the papaw
and linn. Still others were made of what appears to be
the fiber of wild hemp, and yet others from a species of
grass which grew in great abundance on the Barrens of
Kentucky.
The sandals show several distinct forms of braiding;
[306]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
the material of the more delicate and graceful appears
to be the wild hemp, and the plait on the outer side
exhibits a beautiful triangular figure. They have raised
sides from the heel to the toe, the braids being worked
forward, uniting in a seam in the middle line above the
toes. Over the instep many were laced with cords, the
lacing still being preserved in some of the specimens.
Frequently long ornamental tassels were placed above
the instep. These slippers are found in the crevices of
the rock and on the ledges in out-of-the-way places, where
they evidently had been cast aside by these people. All
show signs of wear at toe and heel. Several display a
more or less skillful attempt on the part of the owner
at mending or darning. This was done sometimes with
cord, but frequently with bark. In size they vary from
small ones, made for children, to specimens corresponding
to a number seven shoe. Their form indicates that the
wearers had short, broad feet, somewhat smaller than
those of the men of to-day. Page 302 illustrates several
varieties of these sandals. The manufacture of these
articles was carried on extensively in the cave, as is well
attested by the large quantities of raw material discovered,
much of which is strewn around the floors, some neatly
tied up in small bundles of convenient size. A short while
since a child's moccasin similar in most respects to those
described above was found in Mammoth Cave. This
slipper is so thoroughly preserved as to be capable of
being handled and even doubled up without injuring
any of its parts, demonstrating that there must be
some substantial difference in the atmospheric conditions
in Salts and Mammoth Cave. An illustration of this
slipper will be found on page 301.
[ 307 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
Professor Putnam found a piece of cloth about one
foot square, woven of the inner bark of some tree. This
fabric was especially interesting, showing that it had
been dyed with black stripes, the corner exhibiting a place
where it had been mended or darned. A mat about one
yard square was discovered several years ago in a chamber
of the lower tier of the cavern known as Mummy Valley,
so called because there was found there many years ago,
by Messrs. Cutliff and Lee, the body of a young woman
of this lost race.
Among the most interesting of the writer's finds are
the braids which were evidently prepared for ornamenta-
tion of their clothing. These were made with three, four,
and five threads, varying in shape from flat to slightly
oval and box-shaped. Four well-defined pieces of cloth,
which would appear to have been parts of some garment,
have been brought out and are in a practically perfect
state of preservation. One of these recent finds, which
is now in the author's collection, is a piece of cloth
which carries a white stripe at regular intervals. The
method of use of this particular white piece of woof shows
that it was bleached before weaving, and both sides of
the cloth are exactly of the same appearance. The warp
apparently has been made of twisted thread of cat-tail,
while the woof or cross-thread is made of hemp. The
white thread, which was the filling or cross-thread, runs in
parallel lines through the fabric, three eighths of an inch
apart and with absolute regularity. The strands of warp
were apparently interlaced with each other and the cross-
thread, and this was done with great evenness, as much
so as if woven with the machinery of the present time.
As they had no material from which white thread could
[ 308 ]

PLAITED ROPE AND CORDS OF BARK, WILD HEMP,
LEAVES OF CAT-TAIL, AND GRASS
From Salts Cave
[ 309 ]
Um

RAW MATERIAL PREPARED FOR PLAITING AND WEAVING
Size one third. From Salts Cave
[ 310 ]

BASKETWORK HEADDRESS
From Salts Cave
[ 311 ]

MU
CORN COBS
From Salts Cave

CANE TORCHES-HALF BURNED
From Salts Cave
[ 312 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
be prepared, it is apparent that by some process they
bleached this woof or cross-thread white before it entered
into the body of the material. Black dyes would not
be difficult. Red dyes might be easily obtainable, but
the bleaching process used in producing the white thread
would not be so easy. An illustration of this cloth will
be found on page 303.
The author discovered a number of pieces of plaited
rope and small strings or cords of twisted fibre, many
containing knots. A piece of the rope showed that it
had been broken and spliced. It is interesting to note
the several kinds of knots that were tied by these people
in the various work which was done in the cave. The
ropes have something similar to our sailor's knot. The
fagots were tied with what we call hard knots, that is, by
two wraps and pulled together; occasionally by well-formed
bowknots, such as we now tie in cords and shoestrings.
There were also found a partially burned torch, con-
sisting of three reeds bound together with bark; a bundle
of fagots tied with the same material; pieces of wood
showing the marks of cutting instruments of stone; a small
digging implement resembling the dibble used by truck
farmers in making holes for setting out tomato, tobacco,
and cabbage plants. Another wooden implement was
found about two feet long, pointed at one end, and bore the
appearance of having been used for digging in the earth;
pieces of mussel shell, showing much use as cutting or
scraping tools; dishes and vessels made of segments of
gourds, several of which had been cracked and were mended
by holes bored on either side of the fracture, through
which a cord was passed, binding the parts together tight-
ly. One half of a well-formed bowl or platter made of
[ 313 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
sassafras wood was also brought out.
Professor Putnam,
in his explorations, discovered a similar specimen. Many
years ago, in a chamber in Mammoth Cave, was found a
wooden bowl, which for a long time was preserved in the
museum of the American Antiquarian Society at Worces-
ter, and which is probably the same mentioned by Mr.
Gratz and given by him to Doctor Mitchell more than
seventy-five years ago—possibly the one from which the
Wooden Bowl Room takes its name.
About two miles after leaving the mouth, under a
shelving rock, was found firewood, as much as a wheel-
barrow load, cut or broken to uniform lengths. After this
firewood had been piled under the shelf where now found,
a stone was placed in front of it in order to hide it from
others who might pass that way. All the conditions
surrounding it would indicate that some one of the people
who lived in the cave had prepared this for his own per-
sonal use, and fearing that it might be taken from him
had covered it over with the stone standing up against
the other ledge, so as to conceal its presence from the
ordinary observer. Here through the ages it had remained
undisturbed and unused. The man who reduced the sticks
to proper length for use at the family cooking-place lost
out in the darkness, or maybe in some battle, and the man
whom it was feared would appropriate the ready-made
fuel never came, and it remained hidden until the pale-
face successor of landed title came into the cave to search
for traces of his red-skinned predecessor, and so, centu-
ries after, the prepared wood reveals the domestic habits
of the men who had passed into the oblivion of ages.
One of the most recent finds under the direction of the
author is a squash cup. The squash seems to be less
[ 314 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
preserved than the gourd shells. The squash had been
cut in two and about two thirds of it left, which had been
nicely cleaned out, the top of the shell or rind smoothed,
and it had been used for a drinking cup, as the modern
people used gourds, only it would have no handle. An
illustration of this unique cup is found on page 318. There
was also found a gourd bottle. This was made from a
gourd of unusual form, and was not the same as the
sugar-trough gourd from which most of the fragments
that have been found in the cave have been taken. It is
a gourd unknown at the present time. It is harder and
smoother than the sugar-trough variety so familiar to
the Kentucky housekeeper sixty years ago. At the top
of the gourd had been made an opening two inches in
diameter, perfectly round and smooth, well shaped, and
which showed that this had been used most probably as a
drinking vessel or sort of canteen. It is six and one half
inches in height and has a capacity of half a gallon.
(See page 320.)
A large gourd vessel recovered, which was probably
half of an average sugar-trough gourd, plainly shows one
method this people applied in cooking their food. On
the inner side of this utensil, just at the point where the
water would reach its greatest height, there are indenta-
tions or depressions and several charred spots, and these
spots or depressions are evidently made from some hard
and hot substance pressing against the walls of the vessel
at that point. We are therefore safe in saying that the
vessel was filled with water, heated stones were put
into the water, and it was easy in this way to produce,
in the gourd dish or pot, boiling water, which could be
used in preparing corn, squashes, beans, and other vege-
tables for table use.
[315]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
In January of the present year was discovered in the
lower avenue of the cave a beautifully woven bag, resem-
bling the old-fashioned reticule. It measures twelve
inches in length by eight inches in depth, and has two
handles of plaited cord and several loops about the mouth,
evidently designed for the passage of cord or perhaps
a stick in order to keep the mouth closed when filled.
When first seen this interesting relic was lying upon the
floor of the lower passage beneath a fissure leading to the
upper gallery, through which it had evidently been dropped
by the owner, who, unable to descend through the crevice,
which was not large enough for the passage of the body,
and not knowing a way to the chamber below, had given
it up as lost. It was filled with small pieces of gypsum,
and when picked up by our guide, the weight caused it
to break and fall to pieces. Though badly damaged the
fragments of this remarkable relic were carefully taken
up and preserved. This bag is similar in many respects
to the one described by Mr. Merriam as having been seen
by him in 1815 with the mummy at Mammoth Cave.
On page 304 is shown a small bag in an excellent state
of preservation. About the mouth, which extends from
side to side, is an ornamental border. The guide insisted
that this is not a bag, but a cap or headdress. Near this
article were found a number of feathers of the wild turkey
and of the eagle, many of which have been cut off near
the end of the quill, and some have holes through them.
Among the most pathetic finds in this cave is a little
reticule made of fiber of the wild hemp. This little
bag measures two by two and one fourth inches. The
cord or string which closed the top is in a perfect
state of preservation, and the bag itself has neither a
[ 316 ]


ABORIGINAL LADDER
Length about five feet
From Salts Cave
WOODEN DIGGING IMPLEMENTS
Length of longest about twenty-four inches
From Salts Cave
[ 317 ]
Up

1013
IMPLEMENTS FROM SALTS CAVE

CUPS, DISHES, BOWLS, AND WATER BOTTLE
Made of Gourds and Squash Rinds. From Salts Cave
[ 318 ]

GOURD
From Salts Cave
Un
[ 319 ]

mu
GOURD WATER JUG
From Salts Cave. Capacity about one half gallon
[ 320 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
tear nor rent. This piece of hand work indicates that mater-
nal and paternal love was as strong and watchful among
the inhabitants of the cave as can be found at the present
period among civilized people. The care and patience
required in the production of this little receptacle,
evidently used by the children, would mean as much ex-
penditure of time and labor to these prehistoric people as
the silver mesh bag of this day would demand from the
father or mother who were providing for their offspring
something in which to carry their childhood's treasures.
Very recently there have been brought out two articles
which first had the appearance of baskets, but those who
have seen them insist that they are hats, and were used.
for wear on the head, either by men or women. They
are made of split cane, woven with great regularity, the
strips being a little more than one eighth of an inch in width.
One of them when found was in a perfect state of preserva-
tion, but as soon as exposed to the outer atmosphere lost
its power of resistance and dropped in the center, but
without materially injuring the material from which it
had been made. An illustration of the larger of the two
articles will be found on page 311. They are remarkable
in the regularity of the pieces of cane which entered into
their forms. They were made of strips from the outer
surface of cane.
Near what is known as Cumberland Gap was found
an unusual object (see page 317). Resting against a ledge
or shelf of rock was an aboriginal ladder, just as it had
been placed centuries ago. It was made from the trunk
of a small oak tree, and was five feet in length and three
inches in diameter at the lower end. Five limbs, extend-
ing at an angle of about sixty degrees from the trunk,
i
[ 321 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
had been hacked or beaten off with a blunt implement
such as a stone ax or celt, leaving some four to six inches
projecting. The lower end or body of the tree showed
that it had been felled by fire, while the upper end also
indicated the application of fire. A smoothness upon
the projecting limbs tells that this object had seen much
service. Upon a ledge near by, in the cave dust, undis-
turbed for many centuries, were found several foot-
prints, so distinct as to show that they were made by one
shod with the braided cloth slippers of which this cavern
has yielded so many. Since the shorter ladder was brought
out, another has been found made from a small cedar
tree or limb, being twelve feet in length, and discovered in
the position in which it had been placed by these people
when they ascended from a lower to an upper ledge.
In many places in the cave, along the paths over which
these people traveled in their journeyings through its
passages, the stones upon which they stepped have been
worn smooth and slick. As those who traveled along
these paths used braided slippers, it must have required
an immense number of steps to have worn down the stone
surface to the smooth condition in which it now exists.
This would indicate either that the cave was inhabited
for a very, very long time, or was filled with a large number
of people at some period of its past. In interior chambers,
heretofore unvisited by the white man, our guide observed
many footprints upon the surface of the floor.
Stone implements are exceedingly rare in Salts Cave.
A notched flint ax, a chisel-like celt, a pestle, and several
arrowheads comprise all our finds. Pottery ware is also
scarce, but near one of the fireplaces, probably used for
culinary purposes, was found an earthen vase. In this
[ 322 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
had been placed a human bone, which had evidently been
put there before thoroughly dry, probably while flesh
was upon it. The stained sides of the vessel showed
that it had absorbed some of the oil from the bone, and
cave rats, in their search for food, finding the vessel con-
taining the bone, had gnawed both the bone and a portion
of the side of the vessel.
A complete demonstration of the fact that these people
had different kinds of corn is shown by the cobs found
now on the floors of this cave. Pictures of three of these
are reproduced on page 312, and while men of the present
age are disposed to magnify the superb corn products
of this particular period, one of these cobs measures eight
inches, and would be a fair exhibit in a corn show of 1910.
These cobs render it certain that they had at least three
different varieties, one the larger grain, probably white
corn, a second more like stock corn, another closer and
shorter, similar to our sugar corn. All these cobs indicate
that the corn grown SO many hundreds of years
ago in Kentucky was not greatly inferior to that which is
being produced at the present day.
A sunflower head was picked up in a reasonably good
state of preservation, but the seed had entirely withered.
All the substance in the seed pod had disappeared. Part
of a sunflower stalk was found, measuring two and a half
feet in length. Vast quantities of wild grapes had been
carried into the cave. The stems are found now scattered
along the floor, in a fair state of preservation. These
were the wild fox grape so common in all Kentucky for-
ests, and which, with the coming of frost, when fully
ripened, are pleasing to the taste and extremely nutritious.
There was also found a melon rind, apparently of the
[323]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
1
watermelon. Upon exposure to the atmosphere it dis-
integrated, and unfortunately was dropped from the table
and broken into fragments. Numerous seeds of water-
melon were found scattered along the avenue, and in such
position and condition as to show that the melons them-
selves had been eaten by these cave-dwellers. A careful
examination of the human excrement, now discoverable
in several parts of the cave, shows that sunflower seed was
an important part of the diet of these cave-dwellers.
Watermelon seeds were also present, and here and there
a fragment of a hickory-nut shell.
This cave has surrendered absolute demonstration of
the growth and use of tobacco in Kentucky at a period
contemporaneous with the Mound Builders. Mr. Samuel
G. Tate, in exploring its labyrinths at my solicitation,
picked up three pieces of leaf tobacco. (See page 325.)
It was found in close proximity to the places where the
inhabitants of the cave had their workshops, fires, and
domestic gatherings. This find is probably the oldest
specimen of tobacco in the world. Amidst the darkness
and isolation of this weird underground habitation, covered
with the cave dust and preserved by the meteorological and
chemical condition of its gloomy chambers, it has lain un-
touched through centuries, but now, exhumed and brought
out into the light of the sun, it is a mute but indisputable
witness to the joy and pleasure of the mysterious inhabi-
tants of this dismal abode, where night never ceased, in
the soothing and sedative influences of what these people
doubtless esteemed one of the Great Spirit's best gifts
to man. When first handled it was as soft and pliable
as buckskin, but upon exposure to the outside atmosphere
became stiffened and brittle, and upon touch would
[ 324 ]

TOBACCO LEAF AND SEED POD
From Salts Cave
Um
[ 325 ]

MU
CEREMONIAL BOWL
Carved of Indurated Clay.
Found in cave in Clinton County
[ 326 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
crumble into minute fragments. With it
With it was what
experienced judges of tobacco say is the seed pod. This
would indicate that the entire plant was cut off and
carried into the cave.
The only thing to produce life brought out of this cave
was the seed of a gourd. In 1894 Mr. Hazen found near
the fires and the other remains which evidenced a par-
ticular place of abode, a large sugar-trough gourd high up
on a shelving rock. The vessels, dishes, and thousands
of fragments found in the cave were almost exclusively
from this sugar-trough variety. The dust of ages was
on this gourd when discovered. It was given to the author
and was placed in his cabinet. About 1900 it was thought
possible that the seed of this gourd might germinate.
The extraordinary preservation of the gourd dishes and
cups in this cave without apparent disintegration, and
in as good condition as a gourd which would have been
exposed for a year to the outside atmosphere, induced
the hope that possibly in the dry atmosphere, and pre-
served by the impervious qualities of the gourd shell
or rind, the seed from this specimen might retain
vitality, and thus we would be able to reproduce the
exact gourd which these people had used so many hun-
dreds of years before, in the habitation of this cavern.
This type of gourd contains usually about five hundred
seeds. When taken from the gourd these seeds appeared
to be firm and hard, and when opened, apparently were
yet capable of germination. The statement was made
through the Louisville Courier-Journal that these seeds
would be distributed to such persons as might ask for them,
and quickly they were scattered all over the United States.
Ten gourds would not have supplied the demand, showing
[ 327 ]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
extraordinary interest in the reproduction of this ancient
melon. The supply of seeds was quickly exhausted.
One hundred of them were planted in the immediate
vicinity of Louisville, and of these, four produced small
vines. One alone survived the dangers incident to
young gourdhood, and this had been planted on the farm
of Mr. Henry Schmutz, on the Seventh Street Road, a
mile south of Louisville. It exhibited great vitality, and
grew with a rapidity which indicated its close relation
to Jonah's gourd itself. But fertilization was slow. No
little gourds appeared, and the season was well advanced
when one small melon at last developed and began to
expand. It soon became apparent that Jack Frost would
not allow this little gourd to mature so as to produce well-
developed seed, and the author, unwilling to be outdone
by Nature, took hotbed sashes and built a glass house
over the gourd vine, so that by prolongation of the season
the seed might be sufficiently protected to mature and
grow another crop. This effort was successful. From
this gourd hundreds of others have been produced. This
year the author had fifteen. A history of this remarkable
find was written for the Western Farmers' Almanac, and
so curious were the public in regard to the study of its
gourdship that a number of persons have applied for seed,
so that they may see for themselves the manner of gourd
that was grown around Salts Cave probably a thousand
years ago. An illustration of the original gourd brought
from Salts Cave in 1894 will be found on page 319.
The conditions in this cave indicate that it was used
by these prehistoric people through a long period of time,
but it is improbable that the abode was continuous. It
would rather appear that it was held as a place of refuge.
If the cave is in the same geological condition now as when
[328]
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
inhabited, the water supply must have presented great
difficulty. It is not reasonable to believe that so large
a number of persons would leave the pure air and sun-
shine and take up a continuous life in the absolute dark-
ness of this tremendous cavern, where only their fires and
greased cane reeds could be relied on for light.
Thousands of stones have fallen from the ceilings.
These fallen stones in places obstruct the passages, and
the main avenue was at one time completely blocked
and can only be passed now by a long detour through
a side avenue. On these are found ashes, charcoal, and
other evidences of fires. When this top layer has been
removed, under it is now discoverable another set of
fallen stones, and on these had fires likewise been built,
and there yet exist ashes and charcoal, the remains of
fires which antedated the last dropping from the roof of
the chamber. It is reasonable, therefore, to conclude that
the time covered by these two falling rocks must have
embraced a period reaching over many years.
The remains in the cave indicate that its inhabitants
were largely vegetarians, and that they subsisted on agri-
cultural products. Except at the mouth of the cave
there are no evidences that these cave people used animal
food. At this single point the ash-beds contain large
bones, which have been split for some purpose, prob-
ably for the marrow, rendering it certain that flesh of
some kind was eaten. Many bird bones make it almost
sure that they fed in part upon that kind of food. These
people resided only a mile from Green River, which is
yet considered the best fishing stream in Kentucky. This
would make a fish supply certain and continuous. The
presence of mussel shells would also indicate that they
were not ignorant of the use of this bivalve for food.
[ 329 ]
INDEX
INDEX
ABBOTT'S "PRIMITIVE INDUSTRY," 153.
ABORIGINAL LADDER found in Salts
Cave, 321.
ADAIR COUNTY, explorations, 17; pyra-
mid mound, 35.
AGRICULTURE, successful, 9.
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, 179.
Allegewi, war of extermination, 3.
Allegheny RIVER, 21.
Allen CounTY, graves found, 24; re-
markable mound, 45; fort building,
56; remains of fortification, 60.
AMERICAN INDIAN, 8, 9, 10.
AMERICAN MONUMENTS, 6.
AMERICAN MUMMY, 298.
Anderson COUNTY, bunts found in, 178.
APACHES making arrow-points, 150.
ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCH in Ken-
tucky, 12.
ARKANSAS, pottery, 143.
ARMSTRONG, Mr., cemetery on place, 29.
ARNOLD, Dr. N. H., mill erected, 60.
ARROW used by aboriginals, 247.
Arrowheads, 40, 83; force of, 120, 121;
manufacture of, 150; Viard make, 153.
See Arrow-points.
ARROW-POINTS, 147; classified, 154.
See Arrowheads.
ASHE, Thomas, cited, 13.
ATWATER, Caleb, cited, 64.
AUDUBON, John J., visited by Rafin-
esque, 15.
AUGUSTA, battleground near, 18.
Awls, 109, 110, 111.
AXES, Stone, 83; various kinds, 114, 122;
largest specimen found, 125; second
largest specimen, 125, 143; copper,
224.
BAG, resembling old-fashioned reticule,
found in cave, 316.
Ballard COUNTY, pyramid mound, 35;
truncated mounds, 46; fortification, 55.
BANNER STONES, 194, 196.
BARBED Hooks, 255.
BARDON, Dr. B. S., 64.
BARDSTOWN, stonework, 77; stone re-
mains, 96.
Bardstown Turnpike Cemetery, 29.
BARREN COUNTY, graves found, 24, 27;
fort-building, 56; scalloped disk
found, 246.
BARREN RIVER, stone graves along, 22;
burials along, 29, 31; pottery found in
stone graves, 145, 147; hurling stones
found, 223; mussel shells found, 245.
BARRET, Thos. L., 193.
BATTLE-AX Blade, 119.
Battle Scene, imaginary, 85.
BAXTER, Dr. W. E., 269.
BAYOU DE CHIEN, rectangular mounds,
46; fortification on, 62.
BEADS, copper and shell, 23, 224; shell,
244; stone, 247; fluorspar, 248; quartz
and rock crystal, 249; from Trigg
County, 250.
BEAR CREEK, fortification near, 55.
BEARSKIN found, 110.
"BEAUTIFUL River, 21.
BED QUILT Cave, 298.
BEGINNINGS OF ARCHEOLOGICAL RE-
SEARCH in Kentucky, 12.
BELLS, copper, 45; found in Union
County, 225.
BELL COUNTY, mound in, 45; beads
found in, 225; wooden image found
in, 268.
[ 333 ]
Index
Berea, mounds in, 50; stone fortifica-
tion near, 75.
BEVELING, discovery of the use of, 169,
170.
BIG HILL TURNPIKE, stone fortification
on, 75.
BIG SANDY RIVER, 31.
BIRD STONES, 197, 203.
BLADES, Copper, 224.
BLANKETS, fragments of, found in Salts
Cave, 101.
BLUE LICK, Salt Springs, 176.
BOAT STONES, 219.
BOGY, James, mill erected by, 71; origi-
nal settler, 72; family burying ground,
72.
BOONE, Squire, 71.
BOONE COUNTY, fort-building, 56.
BOONESBORO, stockade at, 12, 13.
BOURBON COUNTY, battlefields of, 5;
sites and monuments, 17; fort-build-
ing, 56; circles in, 74, 231.
BOW AND ARROW, description of, 119.
BOW STRINGS from Salts Cave, 120.
BOWL OR PLATTER found, 313.
BOWLING GREEN, stone fortification
near, 57, 60.
BOYD COUNTY, chipped implements
found, 192.
BOYLE COUNTY, arrow-points, spear-
heads, etc., found, 147; mounds, 267.
BRACELETS, copper, 226.
BRACKEN COUNTY, battlefields of, 5;
graves in, 26.
BRAIDS found in Mammoth Cave, 308.
BRAND, Mrs., enclosure on land of, 68.
BREATHITT COUNTY, stone burials in, 31.
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY, implement of
white cherty limestone found in, 165.
BROWN COUNTY (O.), 25.
BUELL, Gen., cited, 55.
BUFFALO CREEK, mound on, 42.
BULLITT, Col. Thos. W., image found on
farm of, 270.
BUNTS or smaller flints, 177.
BURIALS in sitting or squatting posture,
25; in mounds, 31.
BUTTERFLY STONES, 197.
CACHE FINDS of chipped implements,
192.
CADIZ, cache knives found near, 193.
CAHOKIA (Ill.), description of mounds
at, 11.
Caldwell COUNTY, fort-building, 56;
fortification, 58; leaf-shaped imple-
ments found, 192.
CALUMET, or pipe of peace, 273.
CAMARGO, fort ring near, 74; copper
rings found near, 233.
CAMPBELL, Rev. John P., "Western
Antiquities," 3; cited, 4.
CAMPBELL COUNTY, Stone graves in, 26.
Carroll COUNTY, circle in, 74.
Caseyville, cache finds near, 192.
CATACOMB, ancient (where Lexington
now stands), 13.
CATLIN'S "LAST RAMBLES AMONGST THE
INDIANS,” 150, 222.
CAVES, discoveries in, 294.
CELTS, 122; description of, 126; of
flint, 182.
CEREMONIALS of flint, 191; of polished
stone, 194; bird stone, 197.
CHAMELEON SPRINGS, scepter found
near, 191.
CHAMPLAIN cited, 9.
CHILLICOTHE (O.), visited by Rafin-
esque, 15.
CHIPPED STONE IMPLEMENTS, 147.
CHIPPEWAS, 198.
CHISELS, flint, 182; copper, 224.
CHRISTIAN COUNTY, burial cists in, 24;
stone grave burials; grooved ax and
trowel found, 145; flint relics in, 149;
saw-like flints, 164; leaf-shaped im-
plements, 166, 193; gorget from mound,
243.
[334]
Index
CHUNGKEE, Indian game, 223.
CIRCLEVILLE (O.), articles of iron and
silver found, 9.
CLARK, Gen. George Rogers, 4, 5.
CLARK COUNTY, stone graves, 25; burials
without use of stone or wood, 29;
bones, flint, and mica found, 30;
burials, 31; circles in, 74; as thorough-
fare, 231.
CLAY COUNTY, 17.
Clifford, John D., 15.
CLOTH found in cave, 101, 308.
COCKRELL, Maj. G. B., 257.
COLLINS' "HISTORY OF KENTUCKY,"46, 67.
Colossal Cavern, 297.
CONES AND HEMISPHERE-SHAPED ОB-
JECTS, 235.
COOKING, methods of, 259.
COPPER spools found near Lebanon, 20;
cylinders, 25; bells, 45; implements
and ornaments, 224; found in Mont-
gomery County, 225; bells, 225;
artifacts and bracelets, 226; bars, 233.
CORN, different kinds found in cave, 323.
CORN COBS found in Salts Cave, 180.
CORNSTALK, Indian chief, 4.
CRAB ORCHARD SPRINGS, piece of shell
art found near, 238.
Crescents, 210.
CRITTENDEN COUNTY, Short tubes found,
209; boat stones found, 219.
CROPS, varieties of, 180.
CROSS-BOW, evidences of use of, 122.
CULTIVATION along river bottoms, 180.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Spuds found, 204;
hour-glass tubes found, 209.
CUMBERLAND RIVER, stone graves near,
22; valley home of race of pygmies,
24; burials along bank, 29, 30, 31;
mounds found, 37; ancient ax found,
126; pottery ware found, 143; vast
population, 147, 192; hurling stones
found, 223; ancient burial ground,
236; mussel shells found in, 245, 250;
image found on, 268.
CUPS made of wood and stone, 113;
made of univalves, 245; unique speci-
men, 315.
CYLINDERS, copper, 224.
DARK AND Bloody Ground, 5, 176.
DAVEISS, Col. Joe Hamilton, 5.
Delawares, traditions of, 2, 3, 197.
DESOTO, 6, 9.
DEVIL'S BACKBONE, 25.
DISCOIDAL STONES, 220.
DISCOVERIES IN KENTUCKY Caves, 294.
DISKS, copper, 224.
Dondelson CREEK, fortification near,
58.
DOVER, graves near, 26.
DRAKE'S CREEK, 60.
DRESS, prehistoric, 100.
DRILLING, 259.
DRILLS OR PERFORATORS, 175, 259. See
also Fire, methods of making.
DUPRATZ cited, 223.
DYES used by prehistoric people, 107,
108.
EARTHWORKS, 50.
EAST INDIAN SHELLS found, 18.
EDDYVILLE, Shell gorget found, 226, 236.
EDMONSON COUNTY, graves in, 24; fort-
building, 56;
56; scepter found, 191;
underground streams in, 297.
EFFIGY BEAR MOUND described, 48.
Elkhorn CREEK, mounds on, 68.
ENCLOSURES, 50; best in Kentucky, 71;
best circular types, 71.
ESTILL COUNTY, burials in, 31; mounds
in, 48.
EVANS, R. B., 45, 191.
[ 335 ]
Index
FALLS OF THE OHIO, battle at, 4.
FARMER, Mr. L., finds wooden image of
man, 268.
FAYETTE COUNTY, sites of towns and
graves, 18; burials, 29; best pre-
served enclosure, 68; mound, 70;
circular enclosures, 71; circles in, 74;
as thoroughfare, 231.
FERRIS, Mr., 73.
FERRIS, Mrs. Fred, 71, 74.
FIFES, prehistoric, 209.
FILSON, John, Kentucky's first histo-
rian, 13.
FIRE, methods of making, 259.
FIRST cabin at Lexington, 12; per-
manent white settlement, 12; histo-
rian of Kentucky, 13.
FISH HOOKS AND STONE SINKERS, 250,
255.
FISHING IMPLEMENTS, tackle and sinkers,
234, 250, 256.
FLINT KNIVES, 122; art of chipping, 149;
disk found in Trigg County, 164; larg-
est specimen of, 167; ceremonials and
celts of, 191; ax, 322.
FLUTES, prehistoric, 209.
FORT, largest in Kentucky, 75.
FORT HARMAr, 64.
FORTIFICATIONS of stone, 50; descrip-
tion, 57, 58.
FowкE, Mr., 25, 26, 154.
FRANKLIN, Dr. Benjamin, 6.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, mortar from, 134;
bunts from, 178; banner stones from,
196; pipe from, 292.
FULTON COUNTY, pyramid mound, 35;
mound, 45; rectangular mound, 46;
fort-building, 56; fortification, 61;
copper beads found, 225.
GALLATIN COUNTY, mounds, 35, 46.
Garrard COUNTY, Indian Fort Moun-
tain, 75.
GLASGOW, 45; vessels and cups found
near, 245.
GORGETS, 23; copper, 224; engraved,
235.
GOURDS, discovery in cave, 327; seed
distributed, 328.
GOURD BOTTLE found, 315.
GRAPE STEMS in preservation, 323.
GRASSY LICK, circle on, 74.
GRATZ, Mr., 257.
GRAVES, prehistoric, 22; description
of, 27, 28.
GREEN COUNTY, fort-building, 56; re-
markable fort, 60.
GREENSBURG, remarkable fort near, 60.
GREEN RIVER, pipe found near, 21;
stone burials along, 22; stone cists
found along, 24; burials along, 29, 31;
fortifications along, 55, 57; pottery
found in stone graves, 145; vast popu-
lation, 147; hurling stones found along,
223; mussel shells found in, 245; pipe
found near, 285; cave people, 329.
GREENUP COUNTY, 17; stone burials, 22,
28; wall-like structure in, 35; effigy
mound in, 47, 49; ancient earthworks,
64; copper beads found, 224.
GRINDSTONES, 182.
GROOVED AXES, 123, 124, 125, 233.
HAGAN, Jerry, 96, 97, 98, 100.
HAIRPINS, 245.
HANCOCK COUNTY, banner stones found
in, 196.
HARDIN COUNTY, stone fortification, 61.
HARDINSBURG, burials in rock shelter,
30; leaf-shaped implement found, 165.
HARLAN COUNTY, 17.
HARMONY, Indians' ideas of, 210.
HARPOON used by aboriginals, 257.
HARRIS, John D., 29.
HARRIS, Rev. Thaddeus M., 6, 7.
HARRODSBURG, cabins at, 12.
[336]
Index
HART COUNTY, pipe found in, 285; caves
in, 297, 300.
HAT found in Salts Cave, 101; split
cane, 321.
HAYWOOD, Judge, "Natural and Aborig-
inal History of Tennessee," 208.
HAZEN, Theodore F., 300.
HEDDEN, Joseph W., 291.
HEMATITE, ornaments and other objects
of, 233.
HENDERSON visited by Rafinesque, 15.
HENDERSON COUNTY, image found in,
269.
HICKMAN, rectangular mounds near, 46;
fortification near, 61, 62.
HICKMAN COUNTY, teocallis in, 18; pyra-
midal mounds in, 35; fort-building,
56; fort in, 57.
HODGENVILLE, stone fort near, 59.
HOLMES, Prof. W. H., mounds classified
by, 32; report of, 145, 198, 236, 243.
HOLT, Matt J., collection of bracelets,
226; specimens gathered by, 232.
HOPKINS COUNTY, fort-building, 56.
HOPKINSVILLE, small mound near, 41.
HORNSTONE KNIVES, 192.
HOUR-GLASS TUBES of steatite, 209.
HUMAN PELVIS found in cave, 120.
HUPA INDIANS (California), 165.
HURT, Hugh, 74.
HURT, Maj. Jonathan, 64.
IDALIA, 75.
IDOLS, 262.
IMAGE found in Marion County, 267.
IMAGES, Stone, 262; wooden, 268, 269.
IMAGINARY BATTLE SCENE, 85.
IMPLEMENTS of war and chase, 23; flint,
143; chipped stone, 147; leaf-shaped,
166; agricultural, 179; cache of leaf-
shaped, 193; copper, 224; celt-shaped,
245; fishing, 250.
INDIAN FORT MOUNTAIN, fortification
on, 59, 75, 84, 85, 96.
INDIAN HILL, fortifications on, 55.
IROQUOIS, 3; wars of, 102, 149.
IRVINE, mound near, 48.
JACKSON COUNTY, 75.
JACKSON PURCHASE RegioN SURVEY, 61.
Jefferson COUNTY, leaf-shaped imple-
ments found in, 193; bird stones found
in, 203; pierced tablets found in, 207;
boat stones found in, 219.
JESSAMINE COUNTY, 75.
"JESUIT RELATIONS," 149.
JOHNSON, A. B., 299.
JOHNSON, Harry L., collection of, 164,
167, 175, 182, 193, 196, 205, 210, 257.
JONATHAN CREEK, mounds on, 46.
JONES, C. C., 207.
KEENE, prehistoric skeletons found near,
30.
KEN-TUCK-E
blood, 5.
KENTUCKY, prehistoric men, 1, 5; begin-
nings of archeological research, 12;
first historian, 13; permanent settle-
ment, 14, 17; period in which people
lived, 19, 23; stone graves of peculiar
type in Northern, 25; stone grave
cists of Central and Southern, 26;
different forms of burial in, 30; re-
port of Geological Survey, 61; largest
fort, 75; pottery, 143; caves of, 145;
discoveries in cave, 294.
signifies the river of
KENTUCKY RIVER, 31; mounds along, 37,
75; specimens of pottery found, 145;
bunts found, 245.
KINSER, Peter, 299.
KINNICONECHE POUCH, 258.
KIRKSVILLE, mound near, 50.
KNIVES, flint, 176; hornstone, 192; and
scrapers found in Salts Cave, 246.
KNOX COUNTY, 17.
KUNZ, “Gems and Precious Stones,"
259,260.
[ 337 ]
Index
LADDER found in Salts Cave, 321.
LAKETON, fortification near, 63.
LALLEMANT, Father, 102, 149.
LANCASTER, mounds near, 50.
LARUE COUNTY, fort-building, 56, 59.
LA SALLE, 9, 21.
LEBANON, mound near, 20; thread found
in mound near, 113.
LENNI-LENApe, 3.
LEWIS, T. H., 47, 64.
LEXINGTON, first cabin at, 12; inhabited
before coming of white man, 13; center
of prehistoric population, 14, 15; en-
closure near, 68, 70.
LICKING RIVER, 31; mounds found, 37.
LINCOLN COUNTY, 238.
LINDSAY MOUND explored, 42, 44.
LINNEY, Prof. W. M., 267.
LITTLE RIVER, burial cists on, 24;
pottery found along, 145; graveyard
on, 250.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Octagonal mound
in, 18; celts found in, 182, 191.
Lost Creek, mounds on, 42, 44.
Loughridge, Dr. R. H., 61.
LOUISVILLE, Rafinesque visits, 15, 17;
La Salle visits present site of, 21;
cemetery near, 29, 111, 193.
LOUISVILLE AND PORTLAND CANAL, awl
found on, 111,; flints found, 193.
LOUISVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY,
image in, 267, 270.
LOVEDALE, mound near, 47.
Lunsford, A. C., 238.
stone
LYON COUNTY, shell gorget found in,
226, 236.
LYON, Prof. Sidney S., mounds of Union
County explored by, 42, 45, 225.
MCARTHUR'S LICK, noted saline spring,
67.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY, explorations in,
17; square teocallis found in, 18.
MCGUIRE, Dr. Joseph E., "Pipes and
Smoking Customs of the American
Aborigines," 284.
MCKEE, Col., commander on the Kana-
wha, 4.
MADISON, Bishop of Virginia, 6, 7.
MADISON COUNTY, mound in, 19; burials
in, 29, 31; Moberly Mound in, 38; most
unusual mound in, 48, 50; fort-build-
ing, 56; circular enclosures in, 71;
early settler's grave, 73; enclosures
in, 74, 75; leaf-shaped implement found
in, 163; specimens of saws found in,
164; banner stones found in, 196; as
thoroughfare, 231; celt-shaped imple-
ments found in, 245.
MAGEE AND THOMAS, "Prehistoric North
America," 243.
MAIZE and various vegetables, culti-
vation of, 9.
MAMMOTH CAVE, 257; moccasins found
in, 258; Kinniconeche pouch found
in, 258; two meshes of fishing net found
in, 258; mummy said to have been
discovered in, 258, 297, 298, 299; moc-
casin found in, 307; wooden bowl
found in, 314.
MARION COUNTY, image found in, 267.
MARQUETTE, 9, 21.
MARSHALL COUNTY, rectangular mound
in, 46.
MASK found in Owen County, 269.
MASON, Otis, 165.
MASON COUNTY, graves in, 26; pyramid
mound in, 35, 47; circles in, 74; earth-
work remains in, 176; as thoroughfare,
231.
MAT found in cave, 308.
MAXWELL SPRING, blockhouse at, 13.
MAYFIELD CREEK, fortification on, 46,
55, 63.
MAYSVILLE, circle near, 74.
Meade CounTY, human pelvis found in
cave in, 120; banner stones found in,
196; pierced tablets found in, 207.
[ 338 ]
Index
Megowan, John T., oval enclosure on
farm of, 74.
MELON RIND in preservation, 323.
MERCER COUNTY, arrow-points, spear-
heads, etc., found in, 147, 149; speci-
mens of saws found in, 164.
MERRIAM, Mr., cited, 316.
MICHIGAN Copper mines, 20.
MIDDLE FORK, 60.
MISSISSIPPI, 21; its tributaries, 36, 62;
pottery in valley of, 143, 145.
MISSOURI, pottery, 143.
MITCHELL, Dr. Samuel L., 258.
MOBERLY MOUND in Madison county,
38; excavations in, 38, 39, 40, 231.
MOBERLY STATION, mound near, 48.
MOCCASINS found in Salts Cave, 299;
found in Mammoth Cave, 307.
MONONGAHELA River, 21.
MONROE COUNTY, graves found in, 27.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, mounds in, 18,
35, 38, 46; bones, flints, and mica found
in, 30; enclosures found in, 71; circle
west of, 74; boat stones found in, 219;
as thoroughfare, 231; prehistoric men
in, 232; bone implements found, 256.
MOORE, Col. James, 3, 5.
Moore Farm, enclosure on, 68.
MOOREHEAD, Prof. Warren K., 166, 197,
198.
MORGAN, Col. George, 64.
MORGAN COUNTY, burials in, 31.
MORGAN'S OLD STATION, circles near,
74.
MORTARS, 122, 133.
MORTON, D., surveys, 64.
MOUND BUILDERS, 7, 8, 32, 37; knowl-
edge of defensive warfare, 55, 84, 131,
134, 220, 285, 286, 324.
MOUND CITY (Ill.), pyramid mound
opposite, 46.
MOUNDS, greatest of all, 11; octagonal,
18; examined in Madison County, 19,
20; conical, 32, 35; pyramidal, 35;
pear-shaped, 35; exploration of, 42,
43; truncated, 45, 46; rectangular, 46;
effigy representing bear, 47.
MOUNDS AND MOUND BURIALS, 31, 37.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, burials in, 29;
copper found in, 225; copper bracelets
found in, 226; pipe found in, 291.
MT. STERLING, large mound at, 37, 38;
copper bracelets found near, 226;
copper implements found near, 231;
pipe found near, 291.
MULLIGAN, Hon. James H., 68, 69.
MUMMY, American, found in Short Cave,
101, 298.
MUMMY VALLEY, Salts Cave, 308.
MUMMIES found in cave encased in
clothing, 107.
Munford, Col. Robert, pipe found by,
21, 286.
MUNFORDVILLE, 286.
NARROWS, The, fort near, 60.
NEEDLES, 109, 110, 111, 112.
NELSON COUNTY, burials in, 28; stone-
work in, 77; stone structure in, 96.
NEW HAVEN TURNPIKE, Stonework on,
77.
NEWPORT, stone graves above, 26.
NEWTOWN TURNPIKE, enclosures on,
68.
NEW YORK, Indian mounds, 9.
NICHOLAS COUNTY, arrow-points, spear-
heads, etc., found in, 147.
NICHOLASVILLE,
found near, 30.
NICOT, Jean, 271.
prehistoric skeleton
NORTH Elkhorn River, sites of towns
found on, 18, 70; circular enclosure
on, 71.
O'BYAM'S FORT, 57.
OHIO, 9.
OHIO RIVER, 16, 17, 26, 31, 35, 37, 65, 74;
vast population, 147, 193.
[ 339 ]
Index
"OLD FORT," mound near, 35; earth-
works near, 47.
OLDHAM COUNTY, banner stones found
in, 196.
ONNONTAHERONNON IROQUOIS, 149.
ONTOAGANNHA, were the Shawnees,
149.
ORNAMENTS,
233.
copper, 224; hematite,
OWEN COUNTY, mask found in, 269.
PAINTS, 23.
PATZ, Chas., 203, 255.
PEABODY MUSEUM of Archeology and
Ethnology, 27.
PENDANTS, 23; copper, 224.
PENDLETON COUNTY, battlefields of, 5;
circles in, 74.
PERIOD in which people lived in Ken-
tucky, 19.
PERRY COUNTY, 17.
PESTLES, 122, 131, 133.
PICKETT, Dr. Thos. E., 2; "Testimony
of the Mounds," 3.
Pierced Tablets, 205.
PINEVILLE, wooden image found near,
268.
PIPE found near Green River, 21, 23,
270, 272; six hundred years old found,
285, 286; found in Montgomery County,
291; found in Franklin county, 292;
most artistic ever found in Kentucky,
292, 293.
PIPE of clay, 40.
PIPE of peace, 273.
PITTMAN'S CREEK, remarkable fort on,
60.
PITTMAN'S FORT, pioneer station called,
60.
PLUMMET OR PEAR-SHAPED OBJECTS,
234.
POLISHED STONE, ceremonials of, 194.
PORTSMOUTH (O.), 48, 64, 65.
PORTSMOUTH GROUP, 35, 47, 49.
POTTERY, 23, 83; ware, 143; ornamental,
144; specimens of, 146.
POWERS, Stephen, 153, 165.
PREHISTORIC DRESS, 100.
PREHISTORIC MEN OF KENTUCKY, 1, 3;
in Montgomery County, 232.
PREHISTORIC POPULATION, Lexington
center of, 14.
PRINCETON, cache of leaf-shaped imple-
ments found near, 192.
PROCTOR, Hon. B. F., 58.
PROCTOR, J. R., 55.
PULASKI COUNTY, 17; ax found in, 126.
PUNCKNEY BEND ROAD, mounds on, 46;
fortification on, 55, 63.
PUTNAM, Prof. F. W., 26, 27, 28, 284, 298,
300, 308, 314.
PYGMIES, race of, 24.
42.
RAFINESQUE, prehistoric ethnography,
4; "Ancient Annals of Kentucky," 15;
visits, 15, 16; "History of the Earth
and Mankind, etc.," 16; death of, 16,
19; cited, 46, 47, 64.
RALEIGH, mound near,
RAU, Chas., "Prehistoric Fishing in
Europe and North America," 257.
Red Indians, 9, 10, 100.
REEDS used in treating disease, 207.
RELIABILITY OF RINGS OF TREES as an
indication of age, 20.
RETICULES AND KNAPSACKS found, 108.
RICHARDS Family, 96.
RICHEY'S RUN, 96.
RICHMOND, burials near, 29; Moberly
Mound near, 38, 231; mounds near, 48,
50; circular enclosures near, 71; stone
boxes or ovens near, 83; mound near,
84.
RINGS and copper medals found, 18;
copper, 226, 232; stone, 247.
RIPLEY, grave near, 25.
[ 340 ]
Index
'River of BLOOD," or Ken-tuck-e, 5.
ROBE'S MOUNTAIN, description of, 75,
76.
ROBINSON, Prof. R. S., cited, 30.
ROCKCASTLE COUNTY as thoroughfare,
17; stone grave in, 75; fort in, 75.
"ROCK HOUSES," 30.
ROGERS, Mrs. Ellen, specimens found
on farm of, 243.
ROGERS FARM, scepter or mace found,
192; graveyard on, 250.
ROLLING FORK RIVER, stone fort on, 59.
RUTHTON, enclosures near, 71.
SAC INDIAN cited, 5.
SALTS CAVE, slippers, blankets, etc.,
found, 101; bow strings from, 120; to-
bacco and corn cobs found in, 180;
knives and scrapers found in, 246;
textile fabrics found in, 248, 297; leaf
tobacco and seed pod found in, 284,
285; most prolific in relics, 298; ex
cavations by prehistoric people in,
299; moccasin found in, 299; new en-
trance to, 300; atmospheric conditions
in, 307; flint ax and chisel-like celt,
pestle, and arrowheads found in, 322;
gourd found in, 328.
SALT RIVER, center of pottery making,
143.
SAMUELS MOUND, 83.
SANDALS or slippers found, 306.
SAND ISLAND, arrow found near, 193.
SANDY CREEK, ancient fortification on,
63.
SANDY ISLAND, human bones found on,
4; battle of, 4, 5.
Saw-like FLINTS, 164.
SEARCEY, Hon. Chas. L., cited, 75.
SETTLEMENT IN KENTUCKY, first per-
manent, 12.
SCHOOLCRAFT, "North American Indian
Tribes," 152, 169.
SCHMUTZ, Henry, gourd seeds planted
by, 328.
SCIOTO RIVER, mound on, 48; earth-
works on, 64; enclosures opposite
mouth, 65.
SCOTT COUNTY, ditched town in, 18.
SCOTTSVILLE, fortification near, 60.
SHACKELFORD, Squire O. P., cited,
299.
SHALER, Prof. N. S., stone graves dis-
covered by, 26; specimens secured by,
219; cited, 297.
SHAWNEES, 45; dress of, 107; versed in
use of poisons, 121; occupants of West-
ern Kentucky, 243; gorgets worn by,
243.
SHEETS or blankets found in Salts Cave,
101.
SHELL, gorgets and other objects of, 233.
SHORT CAVE, mummy found in, 101, 258,
297.
SILVER CREEK, mounds along, 50; cir-
cular enclosures along, 71, 74; stone
fortification along, 75; temples of wor-
ship along, 85.
SINKERS for fishing, 258.
SKELETONS borne from distant sec-
tions, 24.
Slate Creek, circle on, 74.
SLIPPERS found in Salts Cave, 101, 306.
SMITH, Capt. John, 9; cited, 150.
SMOKING, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274.
SOMERSET, ax found near, 126.
SOUTH ELKHorn River, sites of towns
found along, 18.
SOUTHERN STATES, Indian mounds, 9.
Spearheads, 40; use defined, 121; found
in large quantities, 121; as weapon, 121.
SPIDER FIGURES found in Trigg County,
243.
SPINDLES, copper, 224.
SPOOLS, Copper, 113, 114, 224; spool-
shaped articles, 226.
SPOONS made of shell, 245.
Spuds, 203, 204, 205.
[ 341 ]
Index
Square EnclosURE, description of, 64,
65.
SQUASH CUP found, 314, 315.
Squier, E. G., surveys, 64.
SQUIER AND DAVIS, "Ancient Monu-
ments of the Mississippi Valley," 47,
64; "Old Fort Earthworks,” 67, 68.
STAHL, Prof. H., 68.
STEATITE AND SANDSTONES as ovens, 133.
STEWART COUNTY (Tenn.), 164, 165,
191; scepter or mace found in, 192.
STONE GRAVE BURIALS, 22; graves de-
scribed, 26; fortifications and en-
closures, 50; structure in Nelson
County, 96; ax, 122; implements, 147;
beads and rings, 247.
STONES, banner, 194, 196; bird, 197;
butterfly, 197; boat, 219; discoidal,
220; paint, 235.
STONE AGE FORTIFICATION, 78; art of,
194.
SUNFLOWER HEAD in preservation, 323.
TABLETS, pierced, 205, 206, 207.
TANNED BEARSKINS, DEERSKINS, AND
HIDES, 109, 110, 178.
TATE, Samuel G., discovers pieces of
leaf tobacco, 324.
TATE, Wilson, mound on farm of, 48.
TENNESSEE, pottery found in, 143.
Tennessee RIVER, stone graves along,
22; burials along, 29; bones, flints, and
mica found along, 30, 31; stone graves
along, 145; vast population along, 147,
192; hurling stones found along, 223;
hairpins found along, 245.
TEOCALLIS, or places of worship, 7; near
Lexington, 18.
Textile FABRICS found in Salts Cave,
248, 297.
THEORIES AND TRADITIONS as to pre-
historic men of Kentucky, 1.
THOMAS, Dr. Cyrus, cited, 25, 57.
THREAD, 109, 110, 113, 114.
THRUSTON, Gen. Gates P., "Antiquities
of Tennessee," 146, 164, 191, 208.
TIMBERLAKE, Lieut., cited, 222.
TIPTON, Hon. French, cited, 75.
TOBACCO, largest yield in Madison
County, 73; found in Salts Cave, 180;
first seed to Paris, 271; smoking, 271;
chief product, 283; uses of, 283; found
in cave, 284, 324.
TOBACCO, Indian chief, 4.
TODD COUNTY, axes found in, 123; cache
of chipped implements found in, 192.
TOLTECS were Mound Builders, 7.
TOOLS of the artisan, 23.
TRADE, extension of, 148.
TRADEWATER RIVER, Stone graves along,
14.5.
TRADITIONS of prehistoric men, 1.
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY, 15, 16.
TRENTON, cache of chipped implements
found in, 192.
TRIGG COUNTY, walled town in, 18;
graves found in, 24; fortifications in,
35; axes found in, 123; relics found in,
149; flint disc found in, 164; flint celts
found in, 182; ceremonial flints found
in, 191; scepter or mace found in, 192;
cache of knives found in, 193; banner
stones found in, 196; engraved gorgets
found in, 238; spider figures found in,
243; graveyard in, 250; image found
in, 268.
TROWEL found, 145.
TUBES, 207.
TURNER, Amos, ring fort on farm of, 74.
UNION COUNTY, burials in, 28, 29;
mounds in, 42; knives found in, 192;
copper bells found in, 225.
UNIONTOWN, mound near contained
body of man, 44; knives found near,
192.
UPPER HOWARD's Creek, circles near,
74.
[ 342 ]
Index
VAGENAS, "History of California,” 207.
Vegetables cultivated, 9.
VANITY among prehistoric people, 107.
"VERY LONG AGO" PEOPLE of white
complexion, 4.
VESSELS found in cave near Glasgow,
245, 246.
VIARD ARROW-MAKERS, 153.
VIRGINIA INDIANS, 150.
WACO ROAD, 84.
Walled Town in Trigg County, 18.
Warren COUNTY, ditched town in, 18;
fort-building, 56; stone fortification
in, 57; chipped stone implements found
in, 149; spearhead found in, 150; leaf-
shaped implement found in, 163; hour-
glass tubes and other interesting re-
mains found in, 209; boat stones found
in, 219.
WASHINGTON, mound near, 47.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, mortar or bowl
found in, 134.
WATERLOO BATTLEFIELD, monument, 11.
WAVERLY Sandstone, 30.
WAYNE COUNTY, arrow-points and spear-
heads found in, 147.
WEAPONS and manner of use, 114.
WEBSTER, Noah, 6.
WEST, William, first man to see Salts
Cave, 299.
WEST, prairies of the, 37.
WESTERN FARMERS' ALMANAC, history
of remarkable find, 328.
WESTERN STATES visited by Rafinesque,
15.
WHITE'S STATION, mound near, 83.
WHITELEY, Col., 48.
WHITLEY COUNTY, 17, 18; leaf-shaped
implements found in, 166.
WHO WERE PREHISTORIC MEN OF KEN-
TUCKY, 1.
WILDERNESS Road, 12.
WILSON, Dr., cited, 163.
WILSON, Dr. Thomas, 154, 166, 168.
WINCHESTER, stone graves near, 25.
WIRE, copper, 224.
WOLFE COUNTY, bones, flint, and mica
found in, 30; burials in, 31; flint quar-
ries examined, 31.
WOODEN BOWL found, 314.
WOODEN BOWL ROOм, 314.
WOODEN IMAGE of man, 268, 269.
WOODFORD COUNTY, teocalli found in,
18; pyramidal mound found in, 35;
specimens of saws found in, 164.
WYMAN, Prof. Jeffries, 26.
YUROK INDIANS (Cal.), 166.
DEC 27 1918
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