Archeological Discoveries in Jefferson County 119 



RECENT ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN JEFFER- 

 SON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



Glenn Culbertson, Hanover College. 



During- the year 1922, some further investigations were made into 

 the ai'cheology of Jefferson County. One result of this work was the 

 discovery of an additional mound, located along the bank of the Ohio 

 River, approximately one mile above the mouth of Indian Kentucky 

 creek in Milton Township, near the middle of section seven, on the 

 Coleman farm. This mound is on what is locally known as the second 

 bottom, or first terrace, and had been so undercut by the waves of the 

 Ohio River during recent floods, that at least half of it had fallen away. 

 The remnant indicated that the original mound had been 75 or 80 feet 

 in length and 40 or 50 feet in width. 



Near the middle of the mound lengthwise, and at a depth of some 

 two and a half feet below the present surface, the writer found ex- 

 posed wheie the bank had fallen away, a complete human skeleton 

 lying at full length. The bones were much decayed, being, in that 

 respect, very similar to those taken from the Lawson mound, a few 

 miles away, some 20 years ago. Several parts of the skull, one clavicle, 

 one humerous, a few vertebrae, the head of the left femur, and two teeth, 

 incisors, were obtained in a fair state of preservation. Measurements 

 cf the remains indicated the height of the person to have been some- 

 what over six feet. The right huinerus measured exactly 14^/^ inches 

 in length, and one of the finger bones also indicated a person of rather 

 unusual height. The bones of this skeleton are at present in the geologi- 

 cal museum of Hanover College. 



At the same level as the skeleton, which was that of the base of the 

 mound, were found many fragments of Ordovician limestone partially 

 burned and badly decomposed, a few fragments of river mussel shells, 

 and several fragments of very hard river boulders and pebbles of glacial 

 origin. Since it is very difficult to break these boulders even with a 

 heavy hammer, the probabilities are that these had been broken by 

 heating to a red heat and then plunging into a vessel of cold water in 

 cooking or other operations. No implements of stone were found closely 

 associated with the skeleton, but many arrow heads, tomahawks, pestles, 

 polished fleshers, and other such articles have been, and are still being- 

 picked up from the surrounding bottom lands. -Judging from the num- 

 ber of implements found, and fragments of chert ar.d of flint to be seen 

 in the vicinity for several hundred yards from the mound, this site was 

 probably that of a village. Flint such as may be picked up at this 

 place is not found in any geological formation within many miles. 



Another recent discovery of archeological interest in Jefferson 

 County was that of a cache or deposit of flint implements. This cache 

 was found early in 1922, on the farm of Hiram Foster in Graham 

 Township, in the northeast quarter of Section 15, Township 4 North, 

 and Range 9 East, some 300 yards from the old Hartwell mill site on 

 Big creek. The immediate location of the deposit was a clay point 



"Proc. 38th Meeting, 1!)22 (1023)." 



