l86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The Reed Fort site is a sandy arm of the terrace projecting nearly 

 westward into the Hemlock valley. It covers a sloping sandy hill 

 lying between two brooks that have cut deep ravines. The place is 

 a natural fortification since the brooks at the southwest end come 

 within 30 feet of each other, measured from the rims of their banks. 

 The effect is a natural inclosure easily protected from human and 

 beast enemies. From this upper neck the area gradually expands to 

 a point directly above a fine spring that flows into a large brook on 

 the north bank. From this point the site gradually tapers down the 

 slope until it reaches a steep knoll the base of which rests in a more 

 level space between the brooks, which again approach within 40 to 

 50 feet of it. The brook on the northwest side is shallower at the 

 upper end but quickly eats its way into the shale and plunges over 

 a series of falls until at the lower end of the fortification the banks 

 are 30 to 40 feet in height. The brook on the opposite side is 

 deeper and throughout the length of the hill its depth is 40 to 60 

 feet with high shaly embankments impossible to climb in places. 

 There was once a gas spring in the bed of this creek below the falls. 

 Along these embankments, particularly at the upper end, the refuse 

 heaps are found scattered over the end of the bank and down the 

 talus slope almost to the bed of the brook. In fact the entire out- 

 line of the fortification is nearly bounded by refuse heaps. 



The site covers an area of about 5 acres, which was ample space 

 for a considerable Indian village. Wdien the site was cleared about 

 1850, it was covered with a dense growth of large oak trees, with 

 pines at the lower slope. 



The Seneca Indians in 1850 had a settlement near Lima and fre- 

 quently passed over this site at the time it was cleared and frequently 

 hunted, fished and worked in the neighborhood. They told the 

 original settlers they had no idea who had lived on the site, and that 

 the pipes, flints and fragments of pottery were of as much interest 

 to them as to the settlers who opened up the tract. W'e suspect, 

 however, that the Indians did have some knowledge of its occupation 

 by their own ancestors but did not wish to talk about a " dead 

 village." There was once a superstition about bringing back the 

 ghosts of the dead by so doing. 



From this time on antiquarian and amateur archeologists com- 

 menced their search for relics, and the first spring plowings were 

 always a signal for relic hunters to pick over the surface for finely 

 shaped flints, pipes and shell and bone trinkets. Not much exca- 

 vating was then done. During the recent years the most successful 

 -collectors so far as we know have been Alva Reed, P. P. Barnard 



