Noblesville, Ind. August 24, l930. Report o~ work done on Archaeological SUrvey August, 11•25, 1930. H~ilton County, Indiana. Introduction. Hamilton county is bounded on the north by Tipton eounty,on the east by Madison,on the south by Hancock and Marion and on the west by" Boone and: Clinton counties. It is approximate~ a square with sides 20 miles in length and an area of 399 square miles. Topographically it varies from a level till plain to a somewhat hilly eurt'ace, the latter being found mainly in the vicinity of st.ream courses.Moraine are not ve'f7 common in any pari of' the coun"ftyr. The coun1t7 has a range in elevation of 150 feet.The western portion lies between 900 and 950 feet above sea level and the eastern par"ft ~rom 800 to 850 feet. The general slope is from north t .o south. The drainage is by the West;, Fork of the White River,(hereafter called the White River),and its tributaries. The river banks usually rise in two distinct terraces,f'rom 10 to 30 feet in height, to the broken country behindl. The county is covered with a mantle o~ glacial till varying in thickness from a few feet to as mmch as 300 feet,the result of glacial deposition. This glacial till is a stif~,compact,clayey,matr1x,with which is mingled sand,gravel and boulders.Some of this rock is of local origin but other kinde have bee·n brought trom the Lake Superior region.In the eastern half' of the county, Niagara 11meetone underlies the glacial deposits and outcrops in the valley of the White River near st.rawtown. (1) Hamilton county was organized in 1823. Previous to this event there had been a ~ew trading poets, notably William cronner 1 s and several settlers. William Conner settled about four miles south of the present city of Noblesville in 18ol,and opened a trading post. He is the first settler on record in ' Hamilton County. The Indian occupants of the region at this time were known as the Delawares. They had migrated to the White River after the middle o'ff' the 18th century with the consent o'f the nominal owners, the Miamis, and established several towns. In the treaty of St. Mary•e,Oh1o,l818 all the Indian land in central Indiana was ceded to the Government and the Indians required to remove beyond the •ississippi River within 3 years.Ae a consequence the hisorical material dealing with the Indians is relatively scanty. In historic ttmes,previous to the Delaware occupation,north of the region south of' the Wabash River in Indiana was apparently unoccupied,serving as a hunting ground. In pre-historic times however the region was apparently the western outpost of a group having their cultural center in Ohio. Extending along the White River and into Hamilt,on crount.y are a series of' earth-works and enclosures. A study of these earth-works and an analysis {2) of the related culture is an importan-t problem in Indiana Archaeology. There have been practically no excavations ot' a scientific order~or any- other order~in Hamilton County. Most of the material that. has been imcovered has been lost and no record remains. Hamilton Count~. Weast Pork White River Valley. Adams Township. Indian Trail: An old Indian trail :ran diagonally across the to-.nehip from Strawtown to the Wabash River near Lafayett.e~passing through the present site of Boxley. "'!he mosii direct. route between Strartown and Tippecanoe county •as indicated b:tr an Indian rtrace' which became a we-11 de~ined road. "( 2) T'his road was surveyed in 1830 •. Collect.ions; W. S.lllcMurt.r.J of' the lher1dan News has a collection gathered from the township. Jackson '!ownship. Camp Site: On t ,he west bank of Cicero creek,opposite a wide bend,ie located a camp sit.e , M.F .Bundy. reports that hie ~ather and bimselt had found numerous artifacts along the creek at this point. Glacial boulders,some showing signs of being worked~and flint cores and chips gave evi• dence of a possible workshop.Th1s site is located on the C.S.Hunt farm about lt miles S W of Cicero,in the N E i of the S W i ot th& S E i of section ll,T.l9 N,R.4 E. Indian Trail: An Indian trail paralleled the creek and joined the Strawtown-Lafayette trail which ran just north of Cicero. White River Township. Mounds and Enclosures: A large earth enclosure,assotated with aburial mound and village site,is located near St.rawtown on the White River~south side. At present the enclo• sure is almost leveled,due tb cultivation. Therefore I shall quote the description of Professo-r E. T. Cox, State Geologist, kh1ch was based on observations made in 1875. 6 ' The main work is a circle about 300 feet in diameter,thrown up in the center but apparently level~and surrounded by a ditch, that Mr Parker said was about 5 fee-t deep when he first saw it. Fifty ;rards to the south of the large circle is a small circle,about 50 feet in diameter, and now almost obliterated. Between the eart.h enclosure and the river is a mound which commands an extensive view up and down White River •••• This principal enclosure is 700 feet west of' the river and. about 1000 feet. nort.hwe st of the center of section 3, on an elevated point o.t land •••• An accurate measurement o:r tpe works shows a diameter of· 280 feet ••• The outer slope to the middle of the ditch surrounding is about twenty feet,)he ditch having been about 30 feet wide and 9 feet deep, the eart.h and. gravel excavated therefrom f"orming the embankment. • • • the embankment is still visible from the inside and apparently {3) 2l ~eet high. The purpose o~ the construction,it ean scarcely be doubted was for defenee,the ditch on the outside being designed to resist assault. Within the enclosure numerous specimens of ancient pott.eey have been found, ~lint arrow heads also. l'Almost directly t.o the westward,near the western extremity of the elevated peninsula and almost 600 feet from the earthworks,ie a sepulchral mound and general burying place for the O·c cupants of the fort •••• on the side of this moundekull and other human bones have been exhumed,or otherwise uncovered in the process o~ cultivating the grounds. "(3) The accompany!~ map shows the group as surveyed in 1880 by T?B.Helm.(4) I have made several additions and corrections in pencil. The smaller circle mentioned by Professor Cox is at present entirely obliterated. In ~ opinion both~the enclosures had ceremonial significance rather that being used as a means o~ defense. Their small size,the1r lack of proyection and the absence of an adequate water supply all m.a ke them unsuitable for withstanding attack.In addition their village site is located about 6oo feet t .o the west,rather than being in the enclosure. The mound 500 feet to the north of the large enclosure,at present in the midst of" a cornfield,is undoubtedly a burial mound. It is situated on the first terrace and is 90 feet in diameter and at present about 4 feet h1gh.Skeletal material and pottery are reported as being found during excavation and cultivation. A survey of the mound disclosed several human vertebrae on the surface. The eo-called 10 Sepulehral mound"to the west is probably a gravel ridge used as a burial place. Village Site: On this elevated peninsula,representing the second terrace of the river,is the site of an extensive and long occupied village. At present a gravel pit is located at the end of this peninsula,and the exposed strata yield village site material and intrusive burial pits into the glacial gravels. Excavation of these pits revealed portions . of the skeleton of two child's burials,animal bonee,mostly of deer,an implement made from the canine tooth,several potsherde,and a large amount of charcoal. The surrounding surface earth likewise contained charcoal to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. The fields to the east revealed potsherds, broken implements,and many flint chips. The known material from this site is in the possession of Mr.O.A.Stage of Strawtown, Mr.P.A.Bray of Noblesville and the State Museum. The trail from Strawtown to the Wabash River near La~ayette ran nearby.In the other direction the trail ran to Newcastle,Connersville and beyond to Ohio.{See map). The location o.f the above sites 1 e on the old R.B.Castor farm,now owned by Mr.C.L.Pierson,in the S E i of the N W i of 8.3, T.l9 N, R.5 E,near the center of the section. The 11 H1 story o~ Hamilton County~ 1880, rerers to strawtown ae .. originally a Delaware v1llage"(5) but I was unable unable to definitely verify this statement. ( 4) Camp Sites: On the west side of White R1ver,just north of' the present Strawtown-Cicero highway,on a gravel ridge between two small creeks,was located an Indian c~p site. The ridge 1 s about 30 feet high and about !OO feet from the river. Scrapers,broken arrow points,a spear point and numerous fi1nt ehips were f'ound on the surf'aee. Three raised places,about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide,on t .he surface of" the ridge suggest possible burial sites. The location is on the C.L.Heath :farm on t .h e S W i of the N W i of' the N E i of' S.4, T;19 N, R.5 E. -A possible camp site is located on the J.S. Hartley farm. Mr. Hartley told of his f"ather finding caches o• implements in the woods east of' the farmhouse. Observation disclosed nothing much beyond a mound,wh1ch,when dug into proved to be a natural t'ormation. Mr Hartley located an Indian trail which ran north and south through his propert,yr between Strawtown and Port Wayne. His collection was studied and photographed. Gravel Pit: On the W.W.Morris f'a~ across the road from the Castor fa~,a gravel pit was reported to have yielded several skeletons during. the process o~ excavation. ~his is close to the enelos11.re and village site mentioned above. It is located in the N W i of the N W i of the S E i of' S.3, T.l9 ~. R.5 E, near the center of the section. Probably most of the gravel pits of the region have served as burial places,sinee they were easiest places to dig into. Washington ~ownsh1p. Mounds: On the Ida M.Beals farm al!"e located two large elevations,reported to be mounds. They are about 20 feet high and probably of glacial origin. Thay are in a glacial valley and are built up of glacial material. They are in the S E i of' the N E i of 5.18, ~.19 ll, R.4 E. Village Sites:On the M.Covode fa~ on a ridge S W off the above mentioned mounds,was located a Delaware village.My inf'ormant,Mr. Bray,said the valley below the ridge was eul)ivated in historic times by the Indians. He showed me several large depressions along the east side of' the ridge might have been storage pits. I did not f"ind a~ surface material of' a village site nature along this ridge. It is located in the N W i of the S E i of' S.l8, ~.19 N, R.4 E. Cmllections: Several excellent. collections were studied in this township,particularly those of' Mr.Eli Stalker and Mr. Fletcher Jessup. Noble~lle Township. Mounds: Mr.Scarce pointed out two small eminences in the woods to the east of' his farmhouse which he thought might be mounds.No evidence was found to substantiate this belief'. Their location is on the Cary Scarce farm in the S E t of the S E i o~ the N E t of S.ll~ T.l9 N, R.5 E. Village Sites: On the bluffs on the west side of White River,south of' a point known as "Indian,tC Po1nt:1s located an Indian village site which extends along the river for about a quarter of a mile. Exwnination of the site disclosed a slate ax~several mortars and hammerstones.bl'"Oken projectile points,scrapers and flint cores. It is located ( 5) on the J. Stafford farm at about the center of the N W i of the N W t of S.30, T.l9 N, R.4 E. Burial Site: Just north of the above village site,on the old CalVin Granger farm,Dr.Earl Brooks,the present owner, pointed out the site of five indian Graves on a knoll near the river,one of which was a burial in historic times. The location is in the S W i o~ the S E i of t•e S Wi of S.l9, 'r.l9 N, R.5 E. An Indian trail ran along the river,on the west side,at this point,probably between the Delaware vilages at Strawtown and below Noblesville. Camp Sites: A crunp site is located on the Cary Scarce fa~ on a bluff above White B1ver,about 200 feet southeast of the present power dam. This site extended ~or some distance along the bluff,as evidenced by the worked flint cores, broken slate implements,.ch1ps and hammerstones which were noted in examining the corn field which occupies the site. the location 1 s in the N E i of'the N W i of the S E i of S. 16, ~.19 N, R.5 E. A camp site was reported by Mr.S.L.Leneve and Dr.Brooks as being located just north of the present entrance to Forest Park,Noblesville. The location is on the low bluf~s about 150 feet ~om the west side of the river. A spring used to flow on the site of the entrance road. Quantities of· unfinished points were reported,indicating a possible workshop·. It is in the N E i of' the N W i o:f the N E i of' S. 36, T'.l9 N, R.4 E. The ''History of' Hamilton Oountyr: 1880, mentions a spring located within the corporate limits of Noblesv1lle,.called Llewellyn Spr1ng.{6) It is reported as being south of Conner Street and was used by the Indians in earl~ times. I could no reference to a village or camp site however. An Indian trail ran east and southeast from the vicinity of this spring past the present village of Clarksville. Wa.;yne Township. Village Site: A village site is located on the C.W.Pass·water fann on high ground above a spring and just north of a small branch of Stony creek. Mr.Ja.sswater told me that the Indians used to come up to his father's house to trade. Part of the collection from this fann was located in the hands of M.E.Passwater in Delaware Township and photographed. The village site is located on the 5 E i of t•e S W t of the S W i of s. 35, T .18 N, R. 5 E. Indian Trails: South of the above site,about i mile,.an old! Indian trail runs diagonally across the township, part. of' the trail from Ft;,. Wayne to Vincennes. Clay Township. Indian Trail: Mr.A.E.Jessup showed me the location of an Indian frail which ran diagonally across the township from Vincennes to Conner's trading poet and beyond. From the large number of implements Mr.Jessup has found along a branch of Willia.m.s creek, which runs through his farm,it is possible that a camp site existed in the vivin1ty, but I was unable to locate it. His :tarm is in the N W i ot S.3, T.l7 N, R.3 E. ( 6) DELAWARE TOWNSHIP. Mounds: The Talge mound consists of a large circular eminence about 25 feet high,and sloping off gradually into the fields. In all probability it is a natural gravel and clay format&on,the result of glacial action. Intrusive burials have been fou nd resen~ ly during the laying of a pipe line,just under the surface. This mound is located on the old U.G.Michner farm on the west side of the ro ad running north between secti ons 32 and 33, and is in the NEi of the SEi of the NEi of secition 32, TI8N- R4E. On the east side of U.S. highway 3l,about two miles south of Carmel, is located a mound. It is situated in the bottom l and of Williams Creek, and about 200 feet from the highway. It is roughly triangular in shape, point ing toward the we st. It is approximately 12 feet high and about 75 feet long. It has been pitted in several places,and Mrs. Parsley,who has lived nearby for a long time,says that implements of some kind were found, but no burials. The soil as far as I was able to determine however,is quite similar in character to that of t he surrounding bot t om land and seemed undisturbed. This fact along with the unusual location ,and the smallness of the creek,make the artificial nature of the mound problmatical. lt is located on the Maurice Donnely farm in the NWiof the SWi of mvi of section 6, TI7N-R4E. V~llage Sites: On the west s ide of White River, across from the trading post established in 1801 by William Conner,was a Delaware Indian village which existed in h i storic times. irhis Delaware village,according to the History of Hamilton County, 1880 was located on the west of White River,and on t h e south bank of Dry Run. There were three prairies in the vicinity where they cultivated corn ••• Thir village wa s burned during the war of 1812 ••. it was never rebilt ••• a large spring was in the neighborhood. The site of this village is on the present John Owen, farm in the SWi of the NW! of section 24, TI8N-R4E. Years of cultivation have practically obliterated all evidence of the site. A possible village site is located on the F.Klingensmith farm, on a knotl in some woods about 200 feet south of the farm house • A large circular de preesion about 75 feet i n diameter and originally 5 to 6 feet in depth may be s ignificant. The site is in t he NEt of the NWi of the NEiof section 2 2 ~ T L~N -Rb-E . (7) INDIAN TRAILS: In historic times several trails converged in the vint•~ty of William Conner's trading post, they will be traced in mcrre detail in a later section. FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP. Gravel Pit Burials: DR.EARL BROOKS,has in his possession a skull taken from a pit near Fall Creek,in the NEi of section 10, Tl7N-R5E. No artifacts were with thafo burial.He showed me the site of another burial in the NWi of the SWi of the NEi of section 35, Tl8N-R5E. Another gavel pit in which burials were reported was located in the SEi of the NWt of the section 1, Tl7N-R5E. ln the nearby fields were found slight evidence of Indian occupation. Dr. Brooks has a collection of axes and celts from his farm inthe NEi of section 3, Tl7NR5E. A trail ran along the north side of Fall Creek. uThe first road was surrveyed along Fall Creek before this township was settled. It was a well defined read in 1829,and has evidently been travelled for many years. The road followed the course of the creeku.