190 ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 
MOUNDS ом THE A. J. GRAY PLACE, STEWART COUNTY, TENNESSEE. 
About one mile in a northerly direction from Moltke, a settlement on the 
river, are two mounds near together in a cultivated field, in full view from the 
road leading from the landing at Moltke. These mounds are on the property 
of Mr. A. J. Gray, whose residence is in sight from them. 
The mounds have been plowed over for a long time and their height evidently 
has been much reduced. Midden debris, including fresh-water shells, fragments 
of coarse pottery, and broken implements of flint, is abundant on their surface 
and on the field which surrounds them. A small bi-cave stone, a dise wrought 
from a fragment of a pottery-vessel, a similar dise centrally perforated, 1.5 inch 
in diameter, several arrowheads of flint, two agricultural implements of the same 
material, one rather rude, several flint knives, were picked up on the surface. 
The easternmore of the two mounds, 6 feet in height at the time of our visit, 
had a diameter of 96 feet. "Trial-holes in its central part came upon no sign of 
burials, but among others that were put down near the margin of the mound, one 
uncovered a skeleton extended on the back, lying on a fireplace about 22 inches 
below the surface. This skeleton, which showed no trace of fire and was not 
enclosed in slabs, was much decayed and fragmentary. Near the skull was a 
pot about 3 inches in height, on which two loop-handles had been, resting in 
the fragments of a bowl which had possessed handles similar to the others. Near 
these vessels, which are of coarse ware, was a bowl with an extension from one 
side to represent the beak of a shell—a common form for earthenware in the 
Middle Mississippi region. 
At the same fireplace, but not near enough to the skeleton to connect them with 
it, were fragments belonging to several vessels of earthenware, but not the full 
complement. Among these was a well-modeled effigy of a human head which 
had formed part of a bowl. 
A smaller mound, 3 feet high and 75 feet in diameter, was on a ridge giving 
the mound an appearance of increased height on one side. Our digging yielded 
no trace of interments. 
Near this mound the level ground is very dark and gives every appearance of 
long occupancy in the past, but as the field was planted with clover, our digging 
was of necessity limited. Some trial-holes which we kindly were permitted to 
put down came upon no trace of burial, though a flint spade was unearthed from 
one of them. 
CEMETERY ON THE T. J. GRAY PLACE, STEWART County, TENNESSEE. 
This property, adjoining that of Mr. A. J. Gray and belonging to Mr. T. J. 
Gray, who lives upon it, includes a field immediately south of the A. J. Gray 
Place in which is a ridge extending №. and S., thickly strewn with slabs of shale, 
which according to Mr. Gray, the owner, had been plowed up in course of culti- 
vation of the field. Very many others, we were told, had been gathered and 
cocti ii 
