Fort Ancient. 87 



In scientific publications, such as these books that I refer to purport 

 to be, this error of one thousand four hundred feet is unpardonable. 

 The actual measurement with a surveying chain, as made by our 

 party, is that given above, and is absolutely accurate. 



The two mounds at the commencement of these parallel walls 

 have been the subject of much comment by travelers on the road 

 which passes them, and many have, in their published accounts, 

 said that the opening of these mounds would yield wonderful 

 results to the antiquarian. Caleb Atwater, in 1809, said that these 

 mounds would be found to contain nothing, and Atwater was 

 right. 



The two mounds at the beginning of these walls were carefully 

 opened from the south, and dug entirely out and afterward 

 restored, but there was nothing whatever in them except a few 

 pottery fragments and decayed animal bones. Between the two 

 parallel walls (which are one hundred and thirty feet apart) is the 

 stone pavement. The existence of this pavement has been doubted, 

 and no one seems to have seen it or figured it. Our party opened 

 it in several places, and found it composed of river limestone, 

 lying on a hard bed of clay about twenty inches below the original 

 surface of the ground. There has been considerable gravel heaped 

 on the pavement in order to fill up the crevices between the stones 

 and make it level. This pavement was doubtless used as a place 

 for tribal meetings or assembly floor. This is very plausible when 

 we consider that when the fort was built, the earth was taken from 

 the surface of the ground, leaving a clay soil exposed, which when 

 wet with descending rains, would be so extremely muddy as to 

 hinder the inhabitants from holding any of their councils or cere- 

 monial dances. This pavement would not be affected by rains, 

 and would be a capital place for such proceedings to take place. 

 The length of the pavement is about five hundred feet, and it 

 extends between the parallel walls on each side. We are not 

 aware that it is found anywhere else throughout the fortification, 

 and are positive that a pavement of stone exists nowhere else 

 among the ancient structures of the Mississippi Valley. 



Fort Ancient was undoubtedly built for defense. Its position 

 on this high hill, following the course of crooked ravines, placed 

 upon points where it would be almost inaccessible, and its very 

 construction indicate that no other purpose of erection can be 

 assigned it. The number of skeletons found hastily buried 



