The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-08-25
PREHISTORIC TENNESSEE
TRACES or RACE TH1TPREC1DN"
THE fNDffN TRIBES.
r p,r,,,r Grouuds. and Remains o.
Towns and Forts That May '
valuable Relics.

tatioii n ,s'',s ,,i,h which, when at home,
fhov ,yere surrct nded. Inc ca.se - 80 80
defect Is easily explained. ,.'.t,,'i,t,,'fs
no state museum n rev iil'' $500. ,'1t','Si
roupose the Tennessee HlstoFicdi 'oStc''
800 nave formed the nucleus OF a coiitc-
nor of relics Of the aoorlSihes' pue - 81
enorfs in the main have Deen ulit.scu -,
other charnels, and they nave sd'ntlc"
rCrtraits OF eminent statv9Asi' ~ -
ments relating TO events IN the carry MS
t,rv Of the STATE, and arms ia use ny &c
yier's men. In fact, II may DE sald that
Kings Mountain forms the starting point
Of tennessee history so iar as the inu-
s.urn is concerned. There are several
very fair private collections OF stone I'M
elements and pottery IN the state, nut the
probability is that they viii never become
bubble property. Inc authorities at
Washington have made explorations III
the state, and Prof Putnam and others
have opened mounds and graves, ana the
treasures discovered are nov IN tire VA
tional Museum, the Smithsonian lnsueu-
ton, and other places.
But there are many mounds ana graves
that have been discovered by surveyors
and timber rangers which have never
been opened; in fact, the archaeolosiCal
exploration of Tennessee has Lot really
begun. and the treasures to be discovered
may prove of infinite value 10 antigua
rians For instance when searching lor
deposits Of iron ore on the banks or
stream OF considerable dimensions, yet
rarely placed upon maps, the writer
found upon an elevated point the remains
of an Indian village marked py series
Of circular mounds deep hidden IN
tnicket and a short distance away seVe-
raj stone graves mad previously oeen
opened. Ia another place are scNerai
large !. olated mounds, evidently burial
mounds. ard in another 2 series Of stone
graves. as yer untouched. In ADDITION
rot many miles from Chattanooga, there
are relics Of a prehistoric race, a race
whose existence in this section or the
continent mad never been dreamed OF.
The relics are unmistakablc. There Is
10 doubt about them. for they are CHS
elled deep in the rock and cover an area
thirty feet long by five In height. No
further explorations have been made IN
the locality referred TO. Then. there are
innumerahle caves, which VIII some day
be made 10 yield up their treasures IN the
shape OF remains OF extinct animals ana
birds These caves are so numerous that
vast assortment of relies VIII probably
be discovered In other sections of the
state fossils abound, many being OF great
value, and close 10 them, In the coal
areas, are found relics Of the nOra OF past
ages IN the shape Of leaves of the tree
fern, the lepidOdeudrOn with the exterior
marked like the scales Of "A FISH, and
called by the miners black horse. In
other places are found large slabs covered
with the delicate tracery of the gigantic
maiden-h3lr fern and many more. m
5000 49, f'~- +'t+' FtfNNANN ~ ~ tAfH'N't""N
i'm endless variety.
The object Of this article. however. is 10
direct the attention 20 some of the old
Indian burylng grounds and the ruins or
towns ana fortIhcariOns that exist in
any places in the state. To give a min
ute description Of them all would require
prOdigiOus volume. The FIRST settlers IN
that portion of CAROLINE nov called ien-
cssce. referred in ,heir writings 20 tine
numerous ancient turying grounds. they
had found, and 10 was of course thought
That they were all the last res ting places
Of the dead Of various Indian tribes tLen
iu possession of the soil. such Is not tile
case, many of these sarpOphagi mark the
existence of distinct end separate races.
ages before the red man set foot In the
territory. one Of the most interesting
ttrying grounds in the State is in White
county, about SIX miles from enc town ut
Sparta. The skeletons here found ara for
the most part of small stature, many
being hardly four feet long though they
have every indication Of mature age. j.
". VI. BraZcale, who opened some OF
these graves as far back as 1911. says I'm
pamphlet on Matters and Things i'm
General, published al Knoxville I'm 1872.
"Dr. -icc4ll also opened some Of these
graves. The skeletons were found n short
distance below the surface, some only six
inches"
The stone collins. If such they may be
called, being merely slabs Of stone. are
nearly an the same size-2l inches long
10 inches wide, and IS inches deep. In
many or them are found bones Of ami
mails, supposed to be portions OF the food
placed for the Use Of the corpse on the
long journey. In one coffin was found the
skeleton OF a woman with the arms en-
closing part Of "a bear and leg of a deer
In these collins are also found urns or
pots Of various shapes. some are found
20 represent the crest or badge of the
tribe or of the individual. as an eagles
head an Opossum, Il raccOOn, an alligator
The clay used in the manufacture or
these urns was taken from the bottoms
of caves and mixed with sand and ground
shells. Near these urns are frequently
found charcoal and the bones Of turkeys
and other birds. DiscOdal stones. many
made from stdidgmltes, are also found IN
these graves, and frequently turtle shells
and the claws Of bears, panthers, ana
other large animals.
In Wayne county, In the southern pOr-
ton Of the State are other burvtng
grounds and the site of a town, but they
nave never been explored. two or three
graves alone having been opened. In Lewis
and Perry counties there are small bury
ing grounds and several Isolated graves.
one OF the latter was opened by the writ
tfs some time ago, and In addition to
the urn. which was formed like the head
Of fox, were found two copper gOrgets.
one apout the size OF dollar and one
smaller ana very fine gOrget Of shell,
beautifully carved in birds heads and
stars. Illustrations Of these articles are
found in work on the ANTIQUITIES OF
Tennessee, published by Gen. Gates T..
Thruston, Of Nashville. The copper gor-
gets are thought by Gen. ThrustOn 70
be harness ornaments taken by the In
dams from the dead horses Of the Span
iards. and consequently relics Of De Soto
or Navarro. About quart Of very i7ne
wampum and some large cOnch shell
beads were also discovered
In several places the ruins OF ancient
fortresses are found, but they are more
numerous on the banks Of the Tennessee
river and its tributaries than in the hill
country. u has been asserted by some
that these forts We're built ages before
the era of the Indian. and there are sew
eral strong reasons why this opinion Is
tenable The work has been ascribcd 20
the AzteCs, but IL is probable that in the
Immediate future explorations Will be
made that may bring 10 Hight other relies
that are expected 20 settle this vcXsd
question. The remains Of an almost i'm
rTcenable fort are situated within he
limits OF the town OF Manchester, on the
banks of Duck river. I'm middle Tonnes
sea. The stone walls enclose an area Of
about forty acres. Three sides OF this
fort are protected by high bluffs. ana
these again are protected on the summit
by stone walls. In Hamilton county at
Dallas, Ordbe north side OF the Iennes-
see river. are another redOubt and the
remains Of several Indian villages. In the
lower end OF Roane county are the we'll
preserved remains Os a fortified town. II
Is on tho south side OF the Tennessee
river on horseshoe shaped bend. The
remains Ct buildings are visible, and
streets seem 10 have crossed one another
az right angles.
Another very fine old ruin Is found in
Cooke county. a short distance above the
| junction Of Big Pigeon and the French
Bread rivers II is placed on blan
forms the front while I'm the rear or land