168 CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS OF THE SAVANNAH RIVER. 



mounds at Silver bluff, 1 about 27 miles by water below Augusta, of which no trace 

 is now apparent. Colonel Jones 2 describes large mounds at Mason's plantation, 

 below Augusta on the Carolina side, and examined a section of one which had been 

 exposed by the river, finding no burials (page 155). He earnestly hopes that the 

 mounds may be carefully watched during the process of destruction. All have 

 totally disappeared. The archaeological examination of the Savannah river has 

 been too long deferred. 



Mounds Investigated. 

 Near Pipemaker's creek, Chatham county, Georgia (2). 

 Near Hudson's ferry, Screven county, Georgia (2). 

 Near Mills' landing, Screven county, Georgia (2). 

 Near Brooks' landing, Barnwell county, South Carolina (2). 

 Near Demerie's ferry, Burke county, Georgia (2). 

 Near Shell bluff, Burke county, Georgia (3). 



Mounds near Pipemaker's Creek, Chatham County, Georgia (2). 



At the union of Pipemaker's creek and the Savannah river, about four miles 

 above Savannah, in view from the river, on property belonging to Henry Taylor, 

 Esq., of Savannah, who kindly gave us permission to investigate, are two aboriginal 

 mounds. 



The larger, a truncated cone in shape, has a base irregularly circular in outline 

 with a diameter of about 130 feet. The diameter of the summit plateau, which 

 also is circular, is about 60 feet. The mound, which has a height of 19 feet, presents 

 a picturesque appearance. The sides are steep and on them grow cedars and live- 

 oaks, the oaks covered with trailing moss. A large excavation had been made pre- 

 vious to our visit, by treasure seekers, we were told. The exposed portions were 

 carefully examined by us and a certain amount of digging done without showing 

 traces of burials. The mound seemed to be composed of clayey sand with oyster- 

 shells in places. 



Contiguous to the southwest margin of the large mound was a rise in the 

 ground, circular in a general way, with a diameter of about 60 feet and a height of 

 3 feet at the center. The mound, which was more than half dug through by us, 

 seemed to have been a refuse heap formed by long-continued occupation. It had 

 also been used as a place of burial. Human remains were met with at eighteen 

 points — the usual flexed burials, the head as a rule, though not always, pointing to 

 the east. With the burials were small shell beads on two occasions and with one 

 was a pebble-hammer roughly pecked to leave a central encircling ridge. In the 

 midden debris were : many pebbles, some broken ; bits of chert ; two earthenware 

 discs ; one-half of a discoidal stone ; numerous sherds bearing the check, the 

 diamond-shaped and the complicated, stamp. 



1 C. C. Jones, "Antiquities of the Southern Indians," page 150. 



2 Ibid, page 153, et seq. 



