38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 
served the grassy glade for a lawn. No one suspected that 
an ancient Indian town was lying buried a few inches be- 
neath the surface; but on the surface of this undisturbed 
lawn there were very faint saucer-shaped depressions and 
other evidences marking the sites of about 125 dwellings. 
When the accumulated superficial black loam’ was _re- 
moved from some of these circular depressions floors made 
of hard packed clay were brought to light. Some of these 
floors were very pleasing to the eye, being covered with a 
smoothed and polished coating of fine black, glossy material. 
The stone slab tops of the coffins of little children were 
exposed here and there projecting an inch or two above the 
level of the floor. 
A building was uncovered in the center of which was an 
altar filled with the pure white ashes of the ancient per- 
petual fire. The neighboring buildings were dwellings with 
fire beds used for domestic cooking. Stone metates, mullers, 
and other utensils used for household purposes were likewise 
found on the floors of these rooms. 
Mr. Myer also explored an unnamed group of five mounds 
and a surrounding village site at Boiling Spring Academy in 
Willamson County, Tenn. At the request of many citizens 
of Tennessee he gave this the name of Fewkes Group in 
honor of Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, Chief of the Bureau of 
American Ethnology, who had visited: the site, recognized its 
importance, and caused it to be explored. 
Archeological field work was carried on by Prof. J. HE. 
Pearce, of the University of Texas, in cooperation with the 
bureau. The area examined is situated in the vicinity of 
the city of Athens, in Henderson County, and during this 
work Professor Pearce received many courtesies from Judge 
A. B. Watkins, who has long manifested an interest in the 
archeology of the region. Professor Pearce finds that the 
eastern Texas region contains numerous mounds, village 
sites, and burial places, the objects from which are quite 
different from those found in the central and western portions 
of ‘Texas. Three interesting mounds on the Morrall farm, 
4 miles east of Cherokee County, were investigated. The 
highest of these mounds measures 80 feet across the base 
