﻿AN 
  ERIE 
  INDIAN 
  VILLAGE 
  AND 
  BURIAL 
  SITE 
  519 
  

  

  which, 
  falling, 
  had 
  carried 
  away 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  site 
  and 
  with 
  

   it 
  the 
  missing 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  ring 
  [see 
  map 
  of 
  village 
  site, 
  pi. 
  4]. 
  

   The 
  soil 
  most 
  modified 
  by 
  the 
  occupation, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  top- 
  

   soil 
  most 
  deeply 
  stained 
  and 
  intermixed 
  with 
  waste 
  products 
  of 
  

   aboriginal 
  activities, 
  was 
  that 
  part 
  embraced 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  

   dirt 
  ring. 
  Just 
  outside 
  of 
  this 
  ring 
  there 
  was 
  another 
  occupied 
  

   layer 
  but 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  extend 
  far. 
  Some 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  

   the 
  former 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  wall, 
  on 
  September 
  4, 
  Mr 
  George 
  

   Morse, 
  an 
  old 
  settler, 
  visited 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  and 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  himself 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  pioneers 
  of 
  Chautauqua 
  county, 
  and 
  as 
  

   a 
  man 
  who 
  in 
  his 
  boyhood 
  remembered 
  the 
  site 
  and 
  its 
  features. 
  

   Mr 
  Morse 
  made 
  a 
  verbal 
  statement 
  to 
  the 
  Archeologist 
  which 
  was 
  

   taken 
  down 
  verbatim. 
  The 
  account 
  was 
  afterward 
  read 
  to 
  him 
  and 
  

   pronounced 
  correct. 
  The 
  statement 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  STATEMENT 
  OF 
  GEORGE 
  MORSE 
  RELATING 
  TO 
  THE 
  EARTH 
  RING 
  

   Taken 
  verbatim 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  1823 
  a 
  half 
  mile 
  from 
  Dewey 
  knoll 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  child 
  

   remember 
  the 
  Indian 
  fort 
  ring 
  here. 
  It 
  was 
  breast 
  high 
  and 
  as 
  

   round 
  as 
  a 
  cart 
  wheel. 
  My 
  father 
  said 
  it 
  (the 
  inclosure) 
  w'as 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  second 
  growth 
  whitewood 
  woods. 
  All 
  around 
  the 
  

   circle 
  several 
  rods 
  from 
  its 
  edge 
  was 
  the 
  primeval 
  forest 
  which 
  

   was 
  cleared 
  away 
  by 
  Mr 
  Dewey, 
  — 
  he 
  owned 
  the 
  land 
  once. 
  To 
  be 
  

   precise 
  I 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  ring 
  was 
  not 
  complete 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  

   ends 
  like 
  the 
  letter 
  C 
  touched 
  the 
  lake 
  bank. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  earliest 
  days 
  relics 
  have 
  been 
  carted 
  away. 
  When 
  the 
  

   stumps 
  were 
  pulled 
  and 
  whenever 
  the 
  grub 
  hole 
  struck, 
  arrows 
  and 
  

   " 
  skinning 
  stones 
  " 
  would 
  come 
  to 
  light. 
  Sometimes 
  Indian 
  crockery 
  

   (pottery) 
  in 
  pieces 
  as 
  big 
  as 
  your 
  hand 
  and 
  bigger 
  would 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  I 
  remember 
  it 
  was 
  as 
  round 
  as 
  a 
  cart 
  wheel 
  and 
  was 
  plowed 
  

   down 
  to 
  level 
  it 
  off. 
  My 
  father 
  planted 
  corn 
  there 
  in 
  1826 
  and 
  he 
  

   plowed 
  and 
  dug 
  it 
  level. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  stone 
  mound 
  covered 
  with 
  

   earth 
  there. 
  My 
  brothers 
  dug 
  into 
  it 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  dig 
  deep 
  enough 
  

   I 
  think. 
  Finally 
  the 
  bank 
  caved 
  off, 
  — 
  caves 
  off 
  every 
  spring 
  a 
  good 
  

   deal, 
  and 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mound 
  fell 
  into 
  the 
  water. 
  Then 
  when 
  we 
  

   looked 
  at 
  it 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  skeleton 
  exposed 
  under 
  it. 
  Shortly 
  the 
  entire 
  

   mound 
  went 
  over 
  into 
  the 
  lake. 
  

  

  The 
  earth 
  ring 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  

   elsewhere 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  base 
  upon 
  which 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  sharpened 
  stakes 
  or 
  

   palisades 
  was 
  placed 
  to 
  fortify 
  the 
  enclosure. 
  This 
  being 
  true, 
  the 
  

   village 
  here 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  within 
  the 
  circular 
  walls 
  of 
  sharpened 
  

   posts 
  that 
  rose 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  circle. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  families 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  had 
  lodges 
  outside 
  the 
  fortification. 
  These 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   the 
  less 
  cautious 
  or 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  crowded 
  out 
  through 
  lack 
  of 
  

   space 
  within 
  the 
  narrow 
  confines 
  of 
  the 
  picket 
  wall. 
  

  

  