IQ BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 118 



Unfortunately it was not possible to determine the exact deposi- 

 tion of the burials, inasmuch as the moist condition of the soil and 

 darkness prevented further removal of dirt. Upon returning the 

 following morning, the party found that all these burials had been 

 removed and borne away during the night by young men living in 

 the vicinity. This loss was much to be regretted, since a complete 

 excavation of the mound yielded nothing further, either in materials 

 or information. 



Site No. 2.— BOWMAN FARM MOUNDS 



The Howard Bowman farm at Agee, Campbell County, Tenn., 

 lies in Catham Bend of Powell River, about 4 miles upstream from 

 its junction with Clinch River. This great bend in the river is about 

 iy 2 miles long, north to south, and a mile wide, east to west. Here 

 the Powell River flows northward on the east side and swings west- 

 ward to flow southeast on the west side of the farm. The area thus 

 nearly surrounded by the river is a rolling plateau sloping gradually 

 to the river level. Outside of the "bend", rocky hills covered with 

 sparse growth of timber rise some 300 feet above the river. The 

 topography here probably was a deciding factor in influencing pre- 

 historic man to select Catham Bend as the site for a village. The 

 plateau is on the 960-foot contour, and the waters of Norris Lake 

 will cover it to a depth of 60 feet. 



The farm, shown in plate 2, a, has long been in cultivation. The 

 area under excavation is to be seen in the center of the picture. The 

 soil, which is a heavy red clay loam mixed with sand, is fairly fertile. 

 It is easily displaced by flowing water, however, and erosion has 

 already removed the top soil from part of the area, leaving in places 

 barren gullies. 



The crest of a low-lying ridge which constitutes the center of this 

 area in a field of about 25 acres had been plowed in the fall of 1933 

 in preparation for spring planting. There was, thus, very little sur- 

 face evidence of prehistoric occupation visible on the site. The most 

 noticeable feature was an elongated ridge of earth, some 150 by 100 

 feet, and about 10 feet high, having a general northeast-southwest 

 direction. Investigation revealed that this ridge had been formed 

 by the erosion of two closely associated mounds, each nearly circular, 

 one much larger than the other. Trenching outside the mound area 

 revealed a village site covering several acres adjacent to the mound. 

 The long cultivation of this gently sloping plateau and the gradual 

 erosion of the top soil had almost obliterated all trace of the village. 

 All that remained were scattered post molds in the subsoil, fireplaces, 

 and piles of pebbles below the plow line. 



