T E M P L E MOUNDS. I75 



vicinity, and others still exist near the city of St. Louis* Mounds of this class 



are sometimes surrounded by low embankments of 

 earth. A fine example is furnished by the large 

 conical mound at Marietta, of which a view is else- 

 where given. Another occurs on the Virginia shore 

 of the Ohio, nearly opposite the head of Blenner- 

 hassett's Island (Fig. 61). It is lozenge-shaped, 

 and is surrounded by a wall and ditch.f 



Flo. 61. 



Some very remarkable mounds of this class occur in Kentucky, on the " Long 

 Bottom " of Cumberland river, in Adair county ; also near Cadiz, Trigg county ; 

 near Mount Sterling, and in Hickman and McCracken counties. In Whiteby 

 county is one three hundred and sixty feet long, one hundred and fifty wide, and 

 twelve high, with graded ascents ; and at Hopkinsville, Christian county, is one of 

 great size, upon which the court-house is built. 



In Bradford county, Tennessee, several extensive terraces or platforms of earth 

 are said to exist, one of which is represented to cover three acres. SLx miles 

 south-west of Paris, Henry county, is a terrace four or five feet high and two 

 hundred feet square. It serves as the site of a dwelling. Similar ones are 

 numerous on Old Town creek, nine or ten miles westward of Paris. There are 

 others on the banks of the Cumberland river between Palmyra and Clarkesville, 

 and a number occur in the vicinity of Knoxville. Some of large size are found in 

 Missouri, at New Madrid, St. Genevieve and other places. 



,,- V Fig. 62. A section from 



^^^ ^^-^ east to west of a large 



.^'^ \\ ^"^v-, mound in Clarke county, 



^■-''"^ ..TO !, \ n^~::^ Tennessee, not far from 



^"'- "- Claiborne. It is situated 



on a hill, and is fifty feet in height by four hundred and fifty in diameter at the 

 base. It is truncated, and has a level area at its summit about one hundred feet 

 in circumference. It is also terraced and has ten stages, each of which is not 

 far from five feet above the other. The terraces are covered with turf; but the 

 slopes exhibit the naked white clay of which the mound is composed. The stages 

 are interrupted on the eastern side, where there is a graded ascent.J 



* There is an elevation of eartli not far from Cliicago, in the nortliern part of Illinois, which was sup- 

 posed, for many years, to be of artificial origin. It is well known as Mount Joliet. It appears, however, 

 from all direct information that can be gathered concerning it, that it is simply a natural eminence of 

 regular outline. So far as we are informed, there are no traces of a great ancient population in thai 

 vicinity, such as we almost invariably find accompanying the more imposing aboriginal monuments. 



f On the authorit}' of Charles Sullivan, Esq., Marietta, Ohio. 



\ The description of this mound is from tlie Rafinesque MSS. The section purports to have bei'n 

 made by a Mr. Ewing. 



