S A C R E D E N C L S U R E S . 65 



" The plain upon which these remains occur is not tiir from a mile and a half 

 long", by a mile and a (juarter broad, and contains upwards of one thousand acres. 

 The soil is a sandy argillaceous earth, easily tilled and quite tlsrtile. At the 

 northern extremity of the plain is the village of Chauncey, where are located 

 ■several salt factories, which arc supplied by some of the most abundant saline 

 waters in the State of Ohio. The plain has an elevation of sixty or seventy feet 

 above the present bed of the Hocking river, and was evidently formed when its 

 waters flowed at a higher level. This stream now runs from half a mile to a mile 

 to the. eastward of the plain, separated from it by low hills. All around the margin 

 of the plain, where not bordered by hills, burst forth copious springs of fresh water, 

 which are most abundant in the vicinity of the principal ancient works. Most of 

 these works occupy the south-eastern portion of the plain. They consist of a 

 number of small circles, accompanied by mounds, the several dimensions of which 

 are given in the accompanying plan. The largest circle is situated upon a detached 

 point of land, of the same level with the adjacent plain, from which it is cut oft' by 

 ii deep ravine, in which flows a small stream. This detached portion contains not 

 far from six acres. The circle itself has a diameter of two hundred and ten feet ; 

 the diameter of the enclosed area is one hundred and thirty feet ; the height of the 

 wall is seven feet, and the depth of the ditch six feet. In all of these circles, the 

 ditch is interior to the embankment. 



" On the top of a hill, half a mile to the south of this plain, is a stone mound 

 fifteen feet in height. It is built of stones of various sizes, none of which, however, 

 are larger than one man could conveniently carry. They must have been collected 

 from considerable distances, as there are very few lying upon the surface of the 

 adjacent hills. Many of them are water-worn, and evidently came from the bed 

 of some stream : some are limestone, some sandstone, and others quartz. About 

 twenty years since a partial excavation was made, and the mound penetrated to 

 about half its depth. Here were found three human skeletons, in tolerable pre- 

 servation. From the appearance of ashes and charcoal beneath them, it was con- 

 jectured that the bodies had been burned. One of the skeletons had copper bracelets 

 on its arms, and beads made of the tusks of the bear about its neck. These relics 

 are now deposited in the Museum of the Ohio University, at Athens." 



It has been suggested, that the work situated upon the detached portion of the 

 plain above mentioned was designed for defence. There is nothing to favor the 

 suggestion, except the fact of position, which is far from conclusive. On the 

 other hand, the small size of the work, its form, and the occurrence of the ditch 

 inferior to the wall, may be taken to establish a difl'erent origin, — probablv a 

 religious one. 



