﻿90 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  rounded 
  by 
  a 
  swamp 
  from 
  which 
  rise 
  sloping 
  hills 
  is 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  land 
  

   some 
  3 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  swamp 
  level. 
  Upon 
  this 
  rise 
  of 
  ground 
  is 
  

   an 
  oval 
  or 
  rather 
  kite-shaped 
  earthwork 
  1297 
  feet 
  in 
  circumference. 
  

   The 
  wall 
  is 
  now 
  from 
  22 
  inches 
  to 
  24 
  in 
  hight 
  and 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  

   the 
  earth 
  which 
  was 
  scooped 
  from 
  an 
  outer 
  ditch 
  bordering 
  the 
  

   wall. 
  This 
  earthen 
  ridge 
  first 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  Obed 
  

   Edson 
  who 
  some 
  50 
  years 
  ago 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  running 
  the 
  lot 
  lines. 
  

   Some 
  mention 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  county 
  histories 
  to 
  

   which 
  he 
  has 
  contributed 
  or 
  written. 
  Numbers 
  of 
  men 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  in 
  archeologic 
  science 
  have 
  visited 
  the 
  place 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  

   a 
  dozen 
  years 
  ago 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  

   made 
  some 
  investigations 
  there. 
  To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  wall 
  rises 
  

   a 
  small 
  knoll 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  glacial 
  sand 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  north 
  running 
  through 
  a 
  little 
  valley 
  is 
  a 
  brooklet. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  wall 
  are 
  numerous 
  pits 
  or 
  depressions 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   and 
  3 
  to 
  9 
  inches 
  deep. 
  These, 
  upon 
  examination, 
  proved 
  

   to 
  be 
  shallow 
  refuse 
  pits 
  with 
  an 
  original 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  1 
  

   to 
  2*/2 
  feet. 
  A 
  rather 
  remarkable 
  pit 
  is 
  situated 
  almost 
  in 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  and 
  measures 
  157 
  feet 
  in 
  circumference 
  with 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  5 
  feet. 
  The 
  earth 
  wall 
  is 
  surrounded 
  on 
  its 
  outer 
  side 
  

   by 
  a 
  ditch 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  but 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  foot 
  below 
  the 
  

   normal 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  wall 
  at 
  present 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  

   8 
  or 
  9 
  feet 
  through 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  rises 
  

   2 
  feet 
  in 
  places. 
  The 
  ditch 
  and 
  wall 
  are 
  entirely 
  visible 
  in 
  lot 
  38 
  

   and 
  the 
  wall 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  in 
  lot 
  30 
  where 
  the 
  ground 
  has 
  been 
  

   cultivated 
  for 
  several 
  years. 
  An 
  enormous 
  white 
  pine 
  stump 
  stands 
  

   on 
  the 
  northwestern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wall. 
  A 
  cross-section 
  of 
  this 
  stump 
  

   was 
  made 
  by 
  Hon. 
  Obed 
  Edson 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  400 
  rings 
  were 
  

   counted. 
  At 
  the 
  northwest 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  earthwork 
  where 
  the 
  

   stump 
  stands, 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  20 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  

   brook 
  bed 
  which 
  lies 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  25 
  feet 
  distant. 
  At 
  the 
  lot 
  line 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  the 
  earth 
  wall 
  takes 
  an 
  abrupt 
  turn 
  almost 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  and 
  runs 
  about 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  for 
  450 
  feet. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  inclosure 
  at 
  about 
  its 
  mid 
  point 
  is 
  the 
  bowl-shaped 
  

   depression, 
  previously 
  mentioned. 
  This 
  pit 
  is 
  5 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  50 
  

   feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  In 
  area 
  the 
  inclosure 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  acres. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  found 
  after 
  some 
  expenditure 
  of 
  time 
  that 
  very 
  little 
  in 
  

   the 
  line 
  of 
  movable 
  material 
  data 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  original 
  inhabitants 
  

   could 
  be 
  hoped 
  for. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  the 
  arts 
  and 
  manufactures 
  were 
  

   few 
  and 
  fragmentary. 
  However, 
  bearing 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  problem 
  

   was 
  to 
  discover 
  the 
  identity 
  and 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  builders 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  