1 88 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



excavation reveals quantities of animal bones, broken pottery and 

 fragments of implements. 



From the lower end of the fortification the trail runs down to a 

 sloping flat that gradually leads to the valley level. From this point 

 it is about one-fourth of a mile to the Hemlock lake outlet. 



The character of the implements found on the site are without 

 question prehistoric Iroquoian and presumably early Seneca. Two 

 sites three-fourths of a mile to the northeast, on the Alva Reed farm, 

 .are non-Iroquoian, as are most of the contiguous sites where relics 

 are found in any quantity. One site on the Alva Reed farm, situated 

 west of his house and in the woods, is probably similar in age to the 

 fort site. It is Iroquoian. 



Where the Implements Are Found 



Relics on almost any site are first found on the surface as the 

 result of excavations, leveling, land clearing or plowing. This was 

 true of the Reed site, which has been " surface hunted " since it was 

 deforested. The implements found on the surface are those that 

 have especially resisted surface weathering and decay. On this site, 

 as on others, these are anvils, matetes, hammerstones, chipped flints, 

 celts, fragments of pottery and occasionally shell, bone and slate 

 articles. Frequently animal bones are also found. The more fragile 

 .articles are seldom found on the surface. 



Many specimens have been found in surface dumps or deposits 

 as well as in refuse pits. These occur on portions of the site and 

 seem to indicate the former presence of bark long-house*. One 

 deposit on the southwest side near the falls of the smaller brook is 

 nearly 30 feet long and 6 feet deep. 



The inhabitants of the site, however, carefully threw most of their 

 refuse over the banks and into the brooks. Much of this refuse 

 ^collected in slides or dumps along the banks and became covered 

 with the disintegrating shale and the overwash of storms. Where 

 the deposit became obnoxious there seem to have been large fires 

 of waste wood for the purpose of incineration. Indeed many of 

 these dumps, especially near the bottom of the slopes, are covered 

 by thick layers of white ashes and in some cases charcoal. To 

 examine the banks one would think that the inhabitants had pur- 

 posely kept up heavy fires to hold back either the invasion of human 

 enemies or of the no less savage mosquitoes. 



The dumps along the edges have proved the most fertile sources 

 of specimens and one is surprised at the fine objects that were 

 .apparently discarded with refuse, such as fish hooks and bone combs. 



