ACCOUNT OF ABORIGi?.'AL RUINS OX THE WILLIAMS FARM, U HARDIN 



COUNTY, TENNESSEE, TWO MILES BELOW SAVANNAH, TENNESSEE. 



By J. Parish Stelle. 



These ruins occupy a set of ridges running toward tlie bottom lands 

 of the Tennessee Kiver, about two miles below Savannah. The fronts 

 of the ridges terminate in steep bluffs rising fifty feet above the level of 

 the bottom. Along the foot of the bluffs there is a series of springs, 

 spreading and forming swampy lands, and through these lauds, also at 

 the foot of the bluffs, runs a line of earthworks, made precisely on the 

 plan of the earthworks in the Savaunah ruins, with the exception that 

 there is but one line traceable instead of two. It seems to have been 

 located in the swampy grounds v/here the springs came out, v.'ithaview 

 to having the ditch always full of water, which must have been its con- 

 dition. The redoubts are about eighty yards apart. Most of the work 

 is traceable ; the points at which it is not clearly so I have indicated ou 

 the diagram by dotted lines. 



Xo other line of earthworks save this at the foot of the bluifs is to be 

 seen; hence we must infer that the defenses ou other sides of the town 

 were stockades, or something of the kind. The regular line of mounds 

 back (A, P, V, W,) would lead to the conclusion that there had been 

 other defenses, and that these mounds were erected for the purpose of 

 ov^erlooking them. 



All the mounds of the group were carefully opened ; the markings ou 

 the diiigram show the shape and position of the excavations made. 



A. — This is a round-shaped mound, twenty yards across and five feet 

 high in the center. Upon its side is a dead white oak, fQucrcus alba, J 

 over three feet in diameter. Went to the bottom in the center, but 

 found nothing. Composition yellow clay without gravel, showing that 

 the material had been taken from the surface of the ridge, as gravel 

 occurs a short distance beneath. 



B. — Ten yards across and four feet high in center. Same character 

 as A. Cut entirely through it, but found nothing. 



C. — Ten ypa'ds across and four feet high in center. Same character 

 as B ; opened it with same result. 



D. — About same size, and precisely same character as C. Opened it, 

 but found nothing. 



E. — Ten yards across and six feet high. At eighteen inches down 

 we came upon a human skeleton lying with its head toward the south- 

 east. The bones were very badly decayed. There were a few shells 

 with the bones. Nothing more was found. Upon the side of this mound 

 there is a white oak stump over three feet in diameter. 



