AO NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
there. The material was found during the excavation of the sand 
and gravel pit on the south slope of Bare hill, and for more than 30 
years the owners had steadfastly refused to permit excavations by 
any private parties and even by museums, until this year, when the 
State Museum secured the right to make excavations. 
The site lies along the south slope of Bare hill on its westernmost 
side and on the ridge just above the valley of Vine Valley creek and 
extends from the lake to a point just east of the Strum farm, a dis- 
tance of about 1250 feet. The village site is on the flats but extends 
upland on the north side of the creek and covers a portion of the 
Robson farm. To the south of the creek it seems to begin along the 
landing road and run south in the level area back from the lake to 
the beginning of the steeper rise of South hill or Genundewa. Here 
are occasional ash pits and surface indications. Arrowheads and 
now and then polished stone implements have been found here. 
The location is reputed to be an early Seneca haunt, and there are 
traditions of an ancient Seneca fortification on the top of Bare hill. 
Historic sites are known on both sides of the lake and the Senecas 
up to the Civil War period wandered about the lake, as if it were 
hard to abandon this region so sacred to their forefathers. As a 
matter of fact, however, Jroquoian artifacts in any abundance are 
not to be found in the vicinity of Bare hill and the evidences of a 
eenuine artificial fortification on the top of the hill are too feeble to 
admit of plausibility. All the evidences of occupation on the east 
slone of the hill and in the valley below are Algonkian. Jroquois 
evidences occur opposite Bare hill at such places as Seneca Point, 
and south of the lake at such points as Naples. Bare hill itself shows 
no cvidence of having been occupied at any time by any branch of 
the Iroquoian people. 
Owing to the intensive farming of the village area of the old occu- 
pation we were unable to make more than a superficial examination, 
but this was sufficient to determine the culture and its approximate 
period. 
The site that was examined and excavated was the sand pit and 
the slope just to the south. But a small portion of the pit area, the 
small plat to the east and up-hill could be excavated. Here nothing 
of any importance was discovered. Our attention, therefore, was 
eiven to the steep slope, graded into grape terraces. Here great 
piles of earth had, been scraped from the top of the hill and graded 
into the terraces, where 40 years ago vineyards were planted. In 
('~ “ne back to widen the terraces skeletons were sometimes found. 
