574 PREHISTORIC VILLAGES IN TENNESSEE [eTH. ANN. 41 
MOUND NO. 2 AT ITS PRESENT LEVEL 
Mound No. 2 has been in continuous cultivation for at least 85 
years. Some of the old citizens, who have known this mound con- 
tinuously for from 50 to 65 years, say that the erosion has not been 
appreciable. They think the mound has not decreased more than 
12 or 15 inches in height during the last 65 years. 
A reference to Figure 164, which shows the remains belonging to 
the buildings on mound No. 2 at its final or present stage, will show 
only a very small amount of evidence of structures on the last or 
present level. However, enough postholes were found to establish 
the fact that a building was on it. The + on the south point of the 
compass represents the center of the present surface of the mound. 
While not enough of these postholes were found to throw any definite 
light on the plan or character of 
20x Bed this building, it is extremely prob- 
tn-s Burnedfi350 able that the mound continued to 
y haye the same character of build- 
ings as at the previous levels. — 
A bed of about one peck of 
decayed unworked mussel (unio) 
: shells was found at 36, about 18 
Post holes feet northwest of the center of the 
mound, and 7 inches below the 
@Mussels N. present surface of the soil. At 50, 
about 38 feet north of the center 
and 6 inches below the present 
surface of the mound, a fire bed of 
:Postholes hard-burned clay, 4 by 21% feet, 
10 inches in thickness, was uncoy- 
Ss! ered. This fire bed was underlaid 
Fic. 164.—Remains belonging to buildings with a 14-inch stratum of light, 
on mound No. 2 at the final or present stage powdery ch arcoal, such as would 
arise from burning light, chaffy materials, which probably represented 
a ceremonial fire at the establishment of this fire bed. 
The similarity of the cultures of its various stages makes it appear 
that the mound was in continuous use by the same people. It does 
not appear to have been left deserted for any considerable period 
during all this time. This is brought out by the fact that no surface- 
soil line was found in the interior of this mound, such as would arise 
from its being deserted and allowed to form a humus soil line. Such 
lines would have shown clearly in the mound. 
Some burials of a later and different people are reported by Hon. 
P. E. Cox, of Franklin, Tenn., to have been found by him near the 
present surface of the soil on mound No. 2, at the point marked 
“Cox” on Figure 164... These will be described later. 
