The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-05-31

wood, was another cemetery, that was
embraced in the subdivision Of the Lin
wood Land Company. In grading for
the streets, laid out by the company
many graves were opened. The bodies
had been deposited in two circular lay
ers, one above the other. The squares
of the village bounded by Elmwood,
Walnut, Oak and Maplewood avenues
cover the greater part of the cemetery,
and in excavating for foundations OF
houses and in planting posts for fencing
lots human bones have been found in
abundance. Near the cemetery was a
mound two hundred feet in diameter
and enclosed by an embankment eight
hundred feet in diameter. Similar re-
mains OF this ancient civilization are
found on Norwood Heights and near
Pleasant Ridge. In Columbia Town
ship, east of Plainfield, are several
large mounds and the traces of an en-
bankment enclosing nearly one thou
sand acres. Present writer's remember
when it was six feet in height and twelve
feet wide, but recent cultivation has al
most obliterated it. This work was
trapezoidal in shape, the eastern
/
But the most interesting monuments in
this portion of the valley are those on
the land OF the estate of Michael Tur-
ner, deceased. These have been care
fully studied by Prof. Putnam and DIR.
Metz, and will no doubt form chap
ter of the former Century series. 1t is
situated half way between Newtown
and Milford on ridge of land one hun
dred feet above low water. There is
circular enclosure two hundred yards in
diameter, defended on the east and west
side by bitches thirty feet deep, that on
the east being a crescent five hundred feet
| long, that on the west seven hundred
feet long. The inclosure embraces near
ly four acres. The wall is about thre-
/ feet high, and composed of brick, clay
and fiat river stones. At the south
eastern side there is an opening thirty
six yards wide, from which extends
causeway one hundred feet wide south
east distance of three hundred yards
| to some mounds. These have recently
been explored, and have revealed relics,
many of them such as are common to all
mounds. In addition, there were taken
| from the mounds huge stone altars.
such as we are told were used for sacri.
fee. One of these is now in the museum
of the Cincinnati Society of Natural
History. 1t is about two feet high and
three feet wide and long. Its weight is
about twelve hundred pounds. The TOP
is scooped out like dish, and in this
cavity were found ashes calcined river
pearls and other tokens of Ger emony
of fire. Three hundred yards east OF
the circular inclosure are the remains
of another, 125 yards in diameter, with
a thirty-foot-wide gateway ope ming out
between two parallel embankments that
extend a distance of thrce-quarters of
mile. This circular inclosure is now
the site of the residence of Mr.. Martin.
South of Ncwtown, on an elevated
plateau along Jennie's Creek, is another
ancient cemetery, overgrown with for
est trees. whose roots entwine the skel
etons that lie thick in the ground.
Many of the skulls show traces of VIC.
lence, as though the spot was a scene Of
a terrible carnage, and the irregular dis
position of the skeletons indicate hasty
burial. On the lands of Mr.. Lawler is
the site of an ancient village, covering
four acres.
The site of the four buildings OF Philip
Turpin was an old cemetery. In exca-
waiting for the foundation OF the house
fifty skeletons were taken out, and 9TH
ers were encountered in digging the
post-holes for the fence surrounding the
lawn. There is another on the Ohio
river near the town of California, in
which the burials were made under slabs
of limestone. There is still another ON
the estate of j. A. G. Morton.
Besides the great works mentioned.
and the cemeteries, about one hundred
mounds have been explored in Hamilton
County, and there are many that have
not been opened on account of the oppo-
sition of the present owners of the lands
upon which they are located to any dis
turbance of the dead that are we'll
known to have been buried there,
There is great oblong mound near
Newtown, thirty-nine feet high, $50 by
$50 in diameter, which has not been
opened, but which archRologists are
anxious to get at. 1t is believed from
its size and dimensions, that it holds the
remains of some distinguished man,
with whom it is hoped was buried some
thing that may throw additional light
on these prehistoric mysteries. DR.. F.
w. Langdon sums up conjectures in
these words: That the "Mound Build
ers' are to the Indians found here what
the pyramid builders are to the Egyp-
tians of the present day.-Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette.