The evening times., 1901-05-17
SEARCH FOR INDIAN RELICS.
Exploration of the Sand Bluffs of
Choptank River


Choptank River
CAMBRIDGE. Nd. May I7.-John Wild
geon, custodian and collector for the
Maryland Academy of Sciences. is in
Dorchester county in search of Indian rel
les. He visited the sand bluffs on the
Sandy Hill tract, where ne found some
fine specimens for the cabinets of the
academy 1t is well known that the IN
dams who ranged the country binding on
the Choptank River made this tract OF
land their feasting and burial grounds
The bluffs are from ten TO twenty-five
feet high and the salt water in front OF
the land is five miles broad. Here was an
ideal section for the Indians. and they
seem to have made the most of 1t, for it
is rich in relics of utensils and weapons
used in the wigwam, in war. and in hunt
ing.
Mr.. Widgeon found about ten specimens
of Indian pottery. all of different patterns.
which he considers OF special interest and
value It has been thought by some people
that the presence of 50 much broken pot
terry on this tract OF land is evidence that
an Indian pottery. was located here when
the Indians owned the country. But it is a
singular fact that the only finds are bTok-
en- pieces, and pretty small bits for the
most part. This. together with the pres
ence of heavy stratum of oyster shells
gives experts the impression that it was
used as d fessnng place. and that the frag-
ments are from vessels broken in use dur
ing feasts.
Anog the specimens which Ar. Widgeon
bagged for the Academy were hammer
stones. upon which the ownership devices
of Indians were found. These stones are
from one to TO pounds in weight and
were used by the Indians to break oysters.
nuts. etc. The devices for the most part
are very rude. but nevertheless distinct
and answering the purposes of the Indian
il his life quite as well as the signet ring
of cur English progenitors. The pigment
used in mixing the paint was of very dJI-
rabIe quality for it has stood the test Of
more than 269 years exposure TO earth
and damp The place where these stones
were found is planted in asparagus.
Mr.. Widgeon also secured some good
specimens Of stones used by the indians
to polish and sharpen their implements
They plainly showed evidences of the use
to which they were subjected. They were
of very gritty sandstone a rare find was
small jasper celt- This was the first
jasper smoothing stone which Mr.. Wids-
con had ever seen 1t was about one and
one-haIf inches long and was doubtless
employed on fine and delicate work. It
is a common thing to find jasper arrow
heads in Worcester county, but Jasper has
not. been heretofore found made into celts,
which, by the way. We're employed by the
Indians in dressing skins and finishing the
handles of their implements. AS jasper is
not native te the Eastern Shore, it was
doubties brought here and deposited by
! the ice-drift during the glacial period Mr..
Widgeon says the specimen he found ap-
pears TO be of the same kind as that
found in the chalk mines of England
a favorite bread of the Indians OF Ma
ryland and Virginia was made from the
root of the tuckahoe plant Now, the
tuckahoe plant loves the water and never
grows of its own planting away from the
water. Numerous roots Of the tuckahoe
are found here and Mr. Widgeon carried
away with him the largest Of the lot This
root was produced twenty-feet above salt
water in a sandhilI- It is no doubt sur
vivaI Of InGian times. The collection Of
specimens included some fine aTrowheads
Of flint and stones self-attached to oyster
shells This is mentioned to show that
the oyster has the same clinging habit
through all time. Mr.. Widgeon consider
ed his visit to be Of value, as it viii ena-
ble him to considerably enrich the Indian
cabinets of the academy
There IS a large depression running
through part of the Sandy Hill Tract
and losing itself in the Hambrooks tract
This place is now a succession OF mead
ows, marsh, cat-taH fens, snake-root
plantations and frog ponds 1t was once
a very pretty little salt water creek. half
. mile long. with beautifully slopinS
banks. Owing to some freak Of the cur
rents in the river the mouth of the creek
was closed and became a sandbar. When
this took place no cne now living can say,
but the Indians evidently knew ii as
creek At any rate on one side of it and
along the river they buried their dead.
on the other side and along the river they
held their fish and oyster feasts-
One mile down the river is the cele-
brated farm know as Horns Point Two
miles below tEat is Little Horns Point.
tinCtionS were made 254 years ago. for II
happens that at the present time the
greatest point Is Little Horns POint-a
long stretching piece Of land that forms
the easten horn Of lie COmptS Bay. Horns
Point is now in fact. not a point The cur-
rents have washed It away until the ero-
sion has extended nearly to the house.
Time was when this point reached out Tar
into the river almost inLeTlOCkIng with
Howen's Point, on the Talbot side Now
there are several miles of blue water be-
tween them
Nearly ten years ago several Indian
skeletons were removed from the burial
ground by agents Of the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition The Baltimore Academy of Sci
ences secured a few Indian skulls later
from the same mound, on the Sandy Hill
tract.