The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-02-11
Find EARLIEST
OHIO RECORDS
Colonial Documents Tell OF
Indian Savagery During
Frontier Period

/
CLEVELAND, Feb, II. CUP
| chaeologists have discovered
| along the banks Of the Cuyahoga
river, near Cleveland, the exact
location of the lost village of Pill,
gerruh, unconstitutional frontier
outpost of the historic Moravian
missionaries.
Ten years before Gen. Moses
Cleveland and his surveyors ar,
J rived at the Cuyahoga, David
Zeisberger, one Of the most re-
markable figures in American
frontier history, led band OF
missionaries and Christian Indians
into the region and established
Pilgerruh.
The time was the summer OF
1856. The colony existed not quite
year. The missionaries built on.
ly temporary structures, traces OF
which had been obliterated when
historians of another century be-
gan a search for the village.
Establishment of q definite site
followed years investigation by
David Sanders Clark, research as
sistant of the Western Reserve
university historical society here
RARE DOCUMENTS FOUND
The society also has announced
Clark has discovered many Of the
original documents written by the
Moravians, describing their life
along the Cuyahoga in the days
when savage Indian tribes were q
constant menace.
Clark's search Of Moravian ar.
chives led to the discovery OF
nearly 30 letters written by Zeis-
berger and his fellows from Pill
gerruh and q new dairy of Zeis-
berger's, containing more details
of the "lost" village than did the
pioneers personal diary which had
long been available.
AS a result Of the discoveries a
virtual day-to-day account OF life
in the village has been brought to
light. 1t is believed more is known
now about Pilgerruh than about
any other pioneer American set
Element of as early a date.
Clark's most important aid IN
discovering the exact location OF
the colony along the river was q
crude map made by John Heck
welder, one of the missionaries.
Local historians, who long, have
disputed,the exact, site Of the VIII
lage,, eustomarily had fixed its
location further down the river
than the historical society inves.
. tigation showed it to have been:
OLD DWELLINGS UNEARThED
Using the map as q guide,
Clark began excayatings which
turned up remnants of three cir
cular stone fireplaces and several
wooden posts. Hcckwelder's draw
ing showed three. small water
courses flowing into the Cuyaho-
ga at the site of the village. This
and other topography Of the map
agreed in detail with that of the
ground Clark investigated.
DR.. Henry G. Shetrone, direc--
tor of the Ohio state museum at
Columbus and Edwin G. Zepp OF
the museum staff have visited the
site and said they believe it to be
the correct location. -r; =,
The exploration was done with
the help of the National Youth
administration. Aid was given Dy
the county engineer and by 9th
ers' interested in rorthern ONO
SETTLED SETTLED IN GEORGIA /.
The first Moravians who came
to America joined the Oglethorpe
colony in Georgia In 1875. A few
wears later they. migrated to Beth
iehem, Pa, still the headquarters
for the church in America. From
that point they sent out mission
aries to Christianize the Indians.
Ons of. these missionaries was
David Zeisberger,. whose career
among the Indians covered gu
years. He founded Schoenorunn,
the first town in Ohio, on the Tus-
carawas river in l772,
In 1872, ninety Christian In
dams, were massacred at their
settlement Of Gnadenhutten. near
,Schoenbrunn. Zeisberger then LED
a. party Of converts to a location
near Detroit, remaining there sew
eral years. They were on their
way back to, the Tuscarawas re-
gion when they arrived at the
mouth of the Cuyahoga in 1876.