﻿NO. 2 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I924 IO5 



most interesting was to the site of old Tuskegee and Fort Toulouse 

 where William Weatherford surrendered to General Jackson at the 

 close of the Creek war. The Indian settlement, Tuskegee, was most 

 picturesquely situated at the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa 

 rivers, together forming the Alabama River. Several other mounds 

 situated near Montgomery were visited, including one at the ford 

 where it is claimed De Soto crossed the Tallapoosa. 



Dr. Fewkes examined several Indian sites and mounds of size near 

 Nashville and Lebanon under guidance of Mr. P. E. Cox. State 

 Archeologist of Tennessee. The most instructive were large mounds 

 near which are stone walled graves that had never been opened. The 

 excavation of one of these is now being made by the Bureau under 

 supervision of the Chief. At Lebanon a rare form of bird-pipe made 

 of steatite shown in the accompanying figure (fig. 109) was purchased 

 for the Museum. The large mound at Lebanon is situated in a corn 

 field and surrounded by a low embankment of earth and accompany- 

 ing moat, indicating a fortification. The most remarkable object 

 seen on the visit to this mound is the stone idol shown in figure 116. 

 This idol was ploughed up a short distance from the base of the 

 mound, suggesting that the elevation was formerly a temple or house 

 of a chief, upon which it once stood. 



In a determination of the Muskhogean culture area as fixed by the 

 archeologist, we find traces of it in South Carolina, somewhat modified 

 on account of the peripheral situation. Although little is known of 

 the prehistoric pottery of South Carolina, Dr. Fewkes has obtained a 

 photograph of a bowl (fig. in) owned by Mr. Wm. J. Thackston, Jr., 

 which is supposed to be ancient Catawba ware and shows Muskhogean 

 influence. Dr. Fewkes examined several fine bowls of this ware 

 decorated with figures of the sun and winged or plumed serpent, often 

 conventionalized into incised geometric designs. These clearly indicate 

 sun worship, a pronounced feature of the Muskhogean culture. The 

 design on this Catawba bowl suggests parts of a highly conven- 

 tionalized serpent. 



A most instructive excursion near Montgomery was a visit to the 

 Pintlala Creek cemetery in Lowndes County, Alabama, where the 

 burial urns collection was found. These urns have been figured and 

 described by Mr. Graves in Arrozv Points, Vol. 6, No. 8. Additional 

 figures of burial urns from islands off the Georgia coast and elsewhere 

 have been given by Mr. C. B. Moore who has treated the subject of 

 urn burials in a special article. 



