Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-09
ANCIENT BURIAL MOUNDS
Relics Of the Original Dwellers in
Florida
Explorations by DR.. Featherston-
to Light Many Interesting Data.

returned from south Florida, where he has
been opening some burial mounds of the
so-called mound builders. The mound
builders appear to have lived close to the
water. and probably largely subsisted upon
the products of the sea. Lake Apopka
seems to have been the dwelling place of a
large number Of these people, and this re-
gion was selected by the doctor a place
for his researches. Aided by Mr.. Norman
Dodge Of Washington and by a body of
hired men. the doctor opened seven mounds
on ard atcut Lakes Apopka and Butler. OF
these seven mounds ony about three were
found to have been used for burials, the
other four being built either for domiciiary
or ceremonial purr oses. These mounds are
from sixty to Seventy-f1ve feet In diameter.
nearly circular, and from six to twelve feet
in height. Being near the water, they are
In almost inaccessible jungles of swamp
growth. The palmettos thrust their roots
down to she very bottom of the mounds,
and every bone found was enwrapped In a
meshwork of rootlets.
1.-The way we worked said DR.. Feather
stonhaugh. yesterday, was to first clear
the mound of trees and shrubs, and then
cut trench ten feet wide from one edge
right through TO or past the center. This
preliminary trench disclosed the character
of the mound, and if it was found to have
leen made for purposes other than burial
no further work was done. If, however,
the trench disclosed relics, the mound was
pretty thoroughly riddled.
Great Burial Mound.
THE great burial mound at Lake Butler
has a curious structure about it well worth
describing. The mound is situated at least
a thousand feet from the shore of the lake,
and is nearly surrounded by an embank-
ment four feet or so in height, placed about
ten feet from the edges of the Pile. This
embar kment does not surround the mound
but after RAISING about the structure the
banks are continued to the lake shore.
This embankment was doubtless of
ceremonial nature though it has very
mt Oh the appearance of q fertilization. The
lower portion of this mound almost
a solid mass of bones and the bodies were
apparently piled up on each other without
any special order. Msry of them seemed
to have been doubled up with the knees
upon the breast and the arms upon the
knees. Many of the heads were surround
ed by masses of broken pottery, and a
charm stone was frequently found about
the skulls of these favored ones. The
bones are IN remarkable state of preSer-
walton, though, of course, they are very
friabe. While perfect skulls were taken
from the ground, il was found Impossible
10 transport them The teeth are very per-
feet and | have several portions Of the
jaw bone with the teeth complete. One
REGULARITY of the teeth outside of the fact
that none of them have cavities, is the per-
feet Smoothness of the grinding surfaces.
They appear as though they mad been filed
down smooth This is probably due to the
wearing of the teeth from the use of hard
food.
Relics of an Ancient Race.
From the fact that with a few excep-
lions, only the long bones and skulls were
found, and that these long bones were piled
together in each case. it is believed that
the bones have been removed from tenn
porary graves to the ultimate place of
sepIlture, the mound. Some few bones of
the upper vertebrate We're picked up and a
few portions of ribs and other bones. None
of the small bones OF either the feet or
hands Were discovered. The long bones
were probably collected from the temper
airy grave after the flesh had decomposed
and were Their buried in the mound with
the skull resting upon them.
Eight so-called celts and number of
charm stones were recovered One OF these
latter is curiously carved to resemble a
ducks head. and the workmanship display
ed is remarkable. Several sharp flin:s sup
posed to have been used for skinnna ami
nii'is, arrow heads, ornaments made from
the conCh shell. etc, We're found.
Il should not give very ancient date to
the construction of these mounds. PROBABLY
most OF them were made since the occu-
patton of this territory by the white. This
opinion IS formed not only from results
obtained on this trip, but also from pre-
vious researches of the same character in
Florida. 1t is believed by many that the
mound builders We're a race of their own
allied to the ancient inhabitants of Mex
ico am that they have become extinct.
Carpenters Adxc Found.
Others have held that they were simply
a branch of the American Indians follow
ing burial customs that have become obso-
lete- The former opinion has obtained be-
cause of the superior workmanship dis
N hot
because of the fact that the Indians do not
build these peculiar mounds either for.
burial or other purposes. The evidences of
intercourse with the whites that have been
found in the mounds are explained away
by intrusive burials,' that is, bands of In
dams have come along in comparatively
modern times and buried one of their num-
Der who CHANGED to die in one of these old
turial mounds. But 1 found glass beads at
all depths in these mounds, and in one.
amongst targle of roots, was an iron or
steel carpenters adze. This adze was so
low down in the mound as to negative the
iGea of an intrusive burial and the posi-
ton of the surrounding bones showed plain
ly that they had not been disturbed since
they were placed there.
1T must be remembered that Florida has
been known to the whites certainly since
1Il:', and probably before that time 1t is
not possible that bones buried prior to this
date would be in such a good condition as
We're the bones in these mounds MANY of
the long bones were excelIently preserved
and could not have been buried in the wet
sand for 800 or 400 years.
Deposits of Pottery.
Between the large burial mound upon
the shore of Apopka and the lake the
ground is fairly permeated with pottery.
and one can hardly stoop down without
seeing piece within reach. Mr.. H. S.
Brooker, who owns the ground on which
this mound is situated, and who kindly
gave his consent to the exploratory work
lately found upon his premises a perfect
jar of Indian manufacture. 1t evidently be-
longs to the period of the mound builders.
'An of the pottery we found was broken.
and, doubtless, the breaking of pottery was
ore of the funereal ceremonials. This broken
pottery is found about certain bodies only
ard possibly was mark of distinction or
pcs session. Some of the attempts at deco
ration show considerable artistic skill and
taste.
little copper ornament shaped some
thing like hat was found, but this is not
conclusive evidence of communication with
the whites, since it is known that the In
dams used copper obtained from the region
OF Lake Superior. Quite large masses of
charcoal We're found distributed through
all the mounds, and this doubtless was
scraped from the surrounding surface of
the ground in the act of collecting earth to
build the structure, for no evidences of
charred bones We're SEEM
DIR. Featherston Waugh will, as before
present the result of his labors, together