The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-11
THE MOUND-BUILDING RACE.
The Wonderful Work in Indiana of a
Strange Prehistoric People.
Information on an Interesting Subject Given
Yesterday by Mr.. VI. II. Smith in Lect-
ure to the Young People.

At Plymouth Church, yesterday afternoon,
Mr. W. II. Smith ectured to the school children.
his subject being 1.-THE Mound Builders" The
i've. He said that no one could answer the ques-
tions as to who were the mound-builders, or
whence came they. They have left their monu-
ments behind them, but nothing to tell from
whence they came, how long they dwelt here,
and what became Of them. The evidence that
they once peopled the forests and fields of Indi-
ana are found in the mounds and fortihcations
they have left behind them, and the weapons,
tools, pottery and skeletons taken from the
mounds scattered over the country. Every
school child knows of the pyramids of Egypt. of
the wonderful masonry in the walls Of Nineveh
and Babylon, and perhaps something about the
ruined and buried cities of Central America, but
how few know anything of the wonders of their
own State. The works left by this prehistoric race
are Of three kinds-fortifcations mounds and
memorial pillars.
The largest mound in the world is on the
plains of Cahokia, ILL.,, opposite the city of ST.
Louis. 1t is seven hundred feet long by five
hundred feet wide at the base and ninety eight
feet high At Grave Creek, near Parkersburg,
w Va, and at Miamisburg, o., are two remark
able mounds. Both are conical in shape The
first 10 seventy feet high and the other sixty
eight feet. They are burial mounds and mark
the graves of distinguished dead. In Grant
county, Wisconsin. is q mound known as Ele-
plant Mound for its shape. and in Adams coun-
ty, Ohio, is the Serpent Mound" an earthWork
about one thousand feet long
From whatever place they came the mound
builders chung closely to the great rivers, and
a. all hair ia nd a on
would seem the great center OF population was
not far from the junction Of the Ohio and Mis-
sissipp rivers 1t is evident that Indiana, Ohio
and Illinois were once densely populated by
them. In Ohio alone there are moro than ten
thousand tumuh and one thousand i've hun
dred Enclosures. The southern half or Indiana
Is dotted all over with their works and quite
number have been found in tho northern half.
Knox and Sullivan counties are the mostfavored
Around the city of Vincepnes there are
more than forty large mounds, and
hundred smaller ones. The immense shell heaps
here have given Professor Collett much data to
sustain his theory Of the existence Of race in
sermediate between the mound-builders and the
Indians Knox county has three mounds that
for symetry of shape will rival any in the coun-
try. They are known as pyramid Mound
'Sugar-loaf Mound" and "Terraced Mound"
One mound in the town OF Spencer yielded
TWENTY-FIVE wagon loads of bones representing
about FIVE thousand bodies A mound in Worth
ington yielded some rare relics, besides the skel-
etons found In Morgan county there is a beau
tiful mound about 100 feet in diameter and
twenty feet high.
The Notifications or walled Enclosures are
more numerous in Ohio than in this State. and
more extensive but in Indiana there are some
we'll worthy of attention The mound-builders
possessed chain of Notifications reaching from
She southern part of New York diagonally across
the country to the Wabash river, and another
chain beginning in Clark county. Indiana, run
ming north to Madison county thence east TO
central Ohio, thence south through Kentucky
snto Tennessee. The only important walled In
rom, in Sullivan county 1t has been chrstened
"Fort Azatlan," bv Professor Collett. It's ex-
treme length is about ], 200 feet varying in width
from fifty to four hundred feet The most won
derfui defensive work of this prehistoric race Is
In Clark county, on the Ohio river, few miles
above Jacksonville. In the county of Madison,
not far from the town of Anderson, is a section
rich with historic interest Within half mile
are two groups of works. The principal work is
n circular embankment ten feet high, sixty
feet wide at the base, and broad enough to
furnish pleasant drive for a carriage. On the
inside is ditch sixty feet wide and ten feet deep.
To the west of this are four other smaller in
closures. There is near Winchester the remains
of beautiful walled inclosure. This is not
only the largest in the State, but it is the most
scientifically laid out It incloses an area OF
about thirty acres; in shape it is parallelogram
with curved angles. The sides have length OF
1850 feet. and the ends of 1000 feet
The principal mounds mentioned in the lect-
ure were illustrated by drawings made by Ben
Hymau On next Friday afternoon DR.. L. D.
Waterman will deliver his lecture on Mexico"