92 Hopewell Mound Group 



Cresson and Mr. Smith. A small clay altar in which lay some calcined 

 human bones was discovered about 2 p. m. Mica ornaments of circular 

 shape were found near the copper implements (to east side). 



September 9, 1891. Work continued on Mound No. 17. Much of 

 interest was found, such as fossil shark teeth and bone disks. Some of 

 the former were saved entire, but others, having been burnt, broke in 

 pieces. Some of the shark's teeth were perforated. The ground plan 

 will give all the necessary details of the work and show the exact 

 position of objects found within the mound. Excavation of this mound 

 was completed this afternoon. The mound is remarkable in that 

 it contained so much mica. The sheets have been estimated at three 

 thousand in number. They filled two barrels when packed for ship- 

 ment to Chicago. In 19 18, one or two of these large crystals, or books 

 were measured by me in Field Museum. Some of them were 50 cm 

 in diameter and 15 cm thick. Many of them were 26 cm by 20 cm. 

 There are also twelve lumps of galena weighing from 12 to 15 pounds, 

 which came from Mound No. 17. Plate XXXIX shows a part of the 

 floor of No. 17 with the mica layer in position. 



Excavation of Mound No. 18. — Dr. H. T. Cresson had joined our 

 party a few days previously, and on the morning of September 9 he 

 staked off this mound. It was found to be about 75 feet longest dia- 

 meter by 55 feet east and west, and 3 feet 8 inches in height. There was 

 an altar in it, the base of which was 1 foot 4 inches long, by 1 foot 3 

 inches in width and 2^4 inches deep. The slope leading from the 

 base up to the basin in this altar varied from two to as much as four feet. 



On September 10, Dr. Metz and Marshall H. Saville came to camp. 

 Dr. Mete represented Professor Putnam, and Mr. Saville took photo- 

 graphs. In this mound there were some incised human maxillaries 

 (Fig. 10), a platform or monitor pipe, and various layers of different- 

 colored earth. Except calcined bones and a fragment of a skeleton, 

 nothing else of consequence was found. Dr. Cresson made a study of 

 these cut human jaws, giving me the following observations : — 



"It will be interesting to mention a peculiar habit of the people who 

 erected the tumuli at Hopewell's farm, that of placing alongside of 

 their dead, ornaments made of the superior and inferior maxillary 

 bones. In Mounds Nos. 3, 18, and 23 at the above mentioned earth- 

 work, the upper jaw was placed alongside of the left humerus about 

 four inches below the articulation of the glenoid process of the scapula. 



Measurements of objects in the collections of Field Museum of Natural History 

 are given in the metric system. The field-notes follow the English system, and it 

 is thought best to retain them as originally made. 



