Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Anthropology/Antiquities of Onondaga and Adjoining Counties in New York
ANTIQUITIES OF ONONDAGA AND ADJOINING COUNTIES IN NEW YORK.
By W. M. Beauchamp.
The best accounts of the antiquities of this portion of New York are in Clark's History of Onondaga (1849). This work treats principally of Elbridge and Pompey. General J. A. Clark, of Auburn, has published an identification of Onondaga historical sites, which is also worthy of study. Recently the Skaneateles Democrat gave an account of the finding of a clay pipe there, with human face, 30 inches under ground, in low land; the Auburn papers, of the discovery of human skeletons in Fleming; and the Syracuse papers, of the disinterring of thirty prehistoric skeletons in stone cists in East Syracuse, and of the finding of several skeletons (historic) in Onondaga Valley.
The writer has also made extensive investigations in this section, correcting some errors, and gives, in the following notes, the results of his labors and reading. The localities mentioned will be found on the accompanying chart.
OSWEGO COUNTY.
At Fulton, on the east side of the Oswego River, were the remains of a European earthwork, constructed in the French war, and of a semicircular aboriginal fort. The other portions were removed in making the canal. Here was a noted portage. Bone Hill, now leveled, on the west side of the river, contained large quantities of human bones, and about Lake Neawantha were many arrows.
1. On the line dividing the towns of Volney and Schroeppel was an
Fig. 1.
earthwork on a hill, now destroyed. A long wall, separating the bill from a marsh on the east, still remains. Arrow-heads of flint, en caché, have been plowed up.
Fig. 2.
2. The remains of a circular earthwork on Mr. J. T. Geer's farm, lot 24, Granby, east of the railroad station, are in very good preservation,
Fig. 3.
showing both gates. It yields nothing but small pieces of earthenware, The area inclosed is about an acre, and is upon a hill J. T. Clark's estimates for this and the next are too high.
3. There was an earthwork, like the preceding, on lot 32, east of the State road, but it has been demolished by cultivation. It was on a large plain, and many fragments of pottery, celts, and clay pipes are found.
Fig. 4.
4. There were villages about Phoenix of historic and prehistoric dates. One of the most important was on a small island, where over 1,500 flint implements have been collected; scrapers, flint and quartz arrows and knives, polished slate arrows, points, celts, gorgets, and bird totems abound.
7. A village site and cemetery occur at Caughdenoy, on the Oneida River. Arrows, gouges, and fine celts have been found.
8. At Brewerton are several village sites on either side of the Oneida River, near the lake. A noted burial-place is on the north side. These villages were both historic and prehistoric, and here the walls of old Fort Brewerton are still in good preservation. Arrows, pipes, celts, gorgets, and bird totems are met with here, and between this site and Caughdenoy two fine bayonet-shaped implements of slate were discovered.
9. On the Oneida Lake, at Good Harbor, fine arrow-points, stone tubes, and gouges have been found, and there are other localities beyond.
CAYUGA COUNTY.
52. In Brutus is the site of an earthwork, near the Seneca River, described by Squier. Fine gouges, with and without grooved backs, gorgets, arrows, and celts occur.
53. Remains of an earthwork, figured by Schoolcraft, are still to be seen on Fort Hill, Auburn. The pipes found here are peculiar. Two other sites have been identified in Auburn, and there were Cayuga settlements on Cayuga Lake, Salmon Creek, and Seneca River, mostly of the historic period. A well-known site is on Frontenac Island. Skeletons were dug up in Fleming in 1878. West of Cross Lake are sites but partially examined, and yielding coarse implements. Early sites have been found in the southern part of the county.
MADISON COUNTY.
The Tuscarora village of Conaseraga was in this county, as well as some Oneida hamlets and villages. There is said to have been an earthwork at Cazenovia, and there are burial-places near there. The most noted site is at Nichols Pond, on the Mile strip, which is claimed as the stockade attacked by Champlain in 1615. It is a few miles northeast of Cazenovia, and presents strong points of agreement and disagreement with Champlain's picture. It is prehistoric and yields fine relics. There was a fishing village at Bridgeport, and other sites will be mentioned in connection with Pompey.
ONONDAGA COUNTY.
Town of Clay.—On lot 14, near the Seneca River, was a small village and burial-place; and also on lot 16, at Oak Orchard, skeletons, tablets, arrows, pestles, celts, &c., have been found. A fine slate "bird-pipe" was picked up here in 1878; also slate arrows on lot 48, and a sandstone tube on lot 49. A fine copper celt, weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces, was recently found on lot 22.
Town of Lysander.—Near Belgium, on lot 82, a fine banner-stone was discovered, and also a fine and curious copper celt in 1878.
11. A village site exists at Cold Spring, lot 100. Human remains, celts, banner-stones, flint and quartz arrows are most frequent here. A bird totem, unique in form and material, has also been found on this spot.
10. On lot 89 was an earthwork, inclosing about 2 acres, within two circular ditches. Something like a wall was between these. It was on high ground, and the relics are earthenware, celts, pipes, and slender arrows of flint.
Two small hamlets were on lots 93 and 94, with similar relics, but coarser arrows; and two others occur on lots 86 and 87 (15), near Float Bridge and Railroad Bridge.
16. At Baldwinsville are vestiges of three small hamlets on the north side of the river, one of some size. The relics do not differ from those on neighboring sites.
17. A village site of two acres, probably once stockaded, occurs on high ground on lot 78. The arrows are slender and pottery fine.
18. A village site of two acres is on lot 76, where line drills, celts, arrows, &c., are found, with banner-stones.
19. Here are three hamlets, with the ordinary relics, on lot 75, and there are others on lot 74. On this lot also was found a fine copper spear-head, and another was obtained on lot 64.
20. A village site remains on lot 96, where arrow-heads, celts, and a little pottery are found. This is on the Seneca River, and smaller ones occur at Cross Lake.
21. On lot 99 are two or three hamlets, revealing arrow heads, hammer-stones, pestles, gouges, and celts. On the same lot was recently found a fine and very sharp copper celt. There are some smaller sites not mentioned here.
Town of Elbridge.—Small sites occur on the shore of Cross Lake, on lots 31, 32, and 33, with the ordinary relics.
23. Lot 34 contains the remains of a large village and one or two smaller hamlets, where arrow-heads, pestles and mortars, celts, fine gouges, and a little pottery have been found.
25. Lot 35 has similar remains on several sites, one historic. Stone pipes are found here in graves, and in a recent burial-place a fine human-headed pipe was unearthed. West of Carpenter's Brook one of the rare pentagonal arrows was found by the writer.
34. On a high hill on lot 70 was an earthwork, which Clark describes as rectangular, with two gateways, and inclosing 4½ acres. It really was elliptical, and inclosed a smaller area. Pottery is abundant there yet.
Fig. 5.
35. A smaller one on a hill on lot 81 inclosed 1¼ acres. It is described by Clark as having straight walls on three sides and a curved wall on the fourth. It was probably also elliptical, but has been leveled.
36. On lot 83 was a large Indian village. The writer has ascertained that Clark was mistaken in saying that hundreds of grooved axes were found there. None were found, and they are very rare in Onondaga County.
37. Here was a circular fort on lot 73, inclosing about an acre.
22. On lot 84 was a circular earthwork, with two gateways, and said by Clark to have included three acres, but his estimates prove almost always too high. Earthenware always occurs in earthworks or stockades, and often river shells in the north part of the county.
Town of Van Buren.—26. An Indian orchard was located on lot 18.
27. Here was a small hamlet, on lot 16, with pottery, arrow-heads, and a pick-shaped banner-stone.
28. In the river, at lot 3, is a stone fish-weir in good preservation, with several bays, and formed of bowlders. Since the river has been dammed it has been generally some feet below the surface, but an unusual drought gave opportunity for full examination. There are others on the river, the Indians reserving the right to make them in their treaties.
Fig. 6.
29. An Indian orchard and burial-place were located here, one of the few recent sites.
On lot 4, west side of Dead Creek, was a hamlet.
30. On lot 8, east side of the same creek, was a hamlet of considerable size, and there are fire-places on the opposite bank of the river. The Van Buren site yields celts, arrows, pestles, and pottery.
31. On high land, on lot 6, there is a large village site which was stockaded. Arrow-heads, celts, fine clay pipes, pottery, and one copper bead have been recovered. Close by was found a fine copper spearhead of large size.
32. Lot 7 includes at least four distinct village sites in Baldwinsville, south of the river, all of considerable size. On one was found a pentagonal arrow-head; on another a clay face luted on pottery. Here are burial-places and a great variety of prehistoric relics, including some fine pipes. At one point glass beads have been found.
33. A stockade, inclosing two acres, stood on a low hill on lot 13, by a small stream, and having one gateway. The usual prehistoric relics occur, with both stone and clay pipes. Near Memphis, lot 37, many fine articles have been found, as tubes, bird totems, slate knives, &c. Further east, on the Seneca River, are occasional small sites.
Town of Geddes.—12. On lot 9, west side of Onondaga outlet, are two village sites, on which occur celts, banner-stones, pestles, arrow-heads, scrapers, drills, stone pipes, plummets, gouges, together with a little pottery.
Fig. 7.
Another small hamlet was east of the present outlet, and a burial-place in a gravel-bank, now removed. In the woods a little north is a small mound.
38. There is a village site on the north side of Nine-Mile Creek, with arrows and pottery, and there are others still further north, with fine relics. On one of these, by the shore, the writer obtained a small cup-shaped stone pendant of very rare occurrence, the only one in the Smithsonian collection having come from California.
The site of the ancient Kaneenda, a fishing village of A. D. 1700, was on the west bank of Onondaga Creek. Relics modern, but fine.
Fig. 8.
39. Town of Salina.—A scattering village stood on lots 61, 62, and 65. Pottery, banner-stones, pestles, and arrow-heads are found, and other remains occur near Liverpool, where was also a village. Bird totems have also been found in this town.
The old French fort of 1696 stood on lot 106, but traces of it can now be found only by digging. An Indian village grew up about it, and there was a burial-ground farther south. In Syracuse there were also orchards and burial-places.
Town of Onondaga.—Sir William Johnson built the Onondagas a stockade in 1756, which was burned in 1779. It stood on a plateau on Webster's Mile Square, and the inclined roadway by which it was reached from the creek yet remains. The writer recently examined and fully described this site. The several burial-places and other sites in this town are all modern, and yield European and Indian relics. Yet a stone plummet and a bird totem were found at the present reservation, the latter worn as an ornament by an Indian girl.
40. Town of De Witt.—A burial-place was discovered in East Syracuse, lot 42, in 1878, from which many skeletons were taken. They were inclosed in rude stone cists, which yielded also clay pipes, arrow-heads, and celts. Near Jamesville fine stone pipes have been found.
41. Town of La Fayette.—On lot 3, east side of the reservoir, is the site of the large fort destroyed in 1696, during Frontenac's invasion. It was a stockade and earthwork, and the remains are both Indian and European. Several burial-places occur in this vicinity.
42. On lot 13 was a large Indian orchard and a settlement, which was abandoned on the invasion of 1779. The relics are both Indian and European. A burial-place has the graves in rows, and also scattered promiscuously. The bodies were inclosed in boxes of wood or bark. (Clark.)
Town of Pompey.—This has many sites, nearly all historic, and fully described by Clark, but with some errors.
43. At this point is a village site, which had circular lines of stone and relics of mixed origin. (Clark.)
44. A little south of the last named is a burial-place, and also lines of earthworks, with similar remains. (Clark.)
45. On lot 19 was a village site with four streets and mixed relics. (Clark.)
Fig. 9.
46. On lot 9 is Indian Hill, probably the Onondaga Castle of 1650. Clark describes the settlement as about a mile long, with a burial-place of 30 acres, but makes an overestimate again. He describes the earth-work as elliptical. European relics are found there yet. It may extend slightly into lot 20.
47. East of lot 44 was an angular earthwork and stockade, inclosing five acres, with a burial-place. (Clark.)The plan given by Clark would seem to be reversed by present indications. This is a prehistoric site, and has yielded very fine articles; among the rest, a clay pipe with 14 human faces, and earthenware with faces luted on at the corners. On lot 68 there is a site of about 3 acres.
48. The site on lot 69 is described by Clark as similar to No. 47, but it is on higher land and has some European relics.
Fig. 10.
50. On lot 100 is a ditch with a stockade inclosing 8 acres, with raves within and without. The bodies were placed in rows, which face the east and west alternately. (Clark.) A historic site, judged by relics. The post-holes and graves can yet be seen.
49. On lot 99, and like the last (Clark.), graves are yet distinct.
On lot 98, touching the town line of Fabius, is another circular site on a hill-top, and of early date, though the writer discovered European articles mixed with the peculiar pottery. This is not mentioned by Clark.
54. This was "Indian Fort." An earthwork on lot 33, inclosing ten acres, with a straight ditch across the point, the flanks being defended by steep banks of the ravine. Pottery and early Indian relics abound, but with some European articles. (Clark.) Some have supposed this was occupied by the Onondagas just before they moved to Indian Hill. Through this town and on the Seneca and Oswego Rivers brass and iron arrow-heads are sometimes found, of European origin, occasionally perforated, and of the same pattern as those found with the "Skeletons in Armor" at Fall River.
Town of Manlius.—The deep spring on lot 79 was the eastern door of the Onondagas, and shows signs of their occupancy. It was the starting-point for surveys. There is a reputed earthwork in the west part of this town, but of doubtful character.
GENERAL REMARKS.
Some banner-stones of striped slate have been found in Camillus, and one on Skaneateles Lake. Arrow and spearheads are occasionally found in all parts of the country.
The settlements in Southeastern Onondaga show a large and general intercourse with the whites; those in the northern part but very little, the only indications there being the Indian orchards, a few brass kettles at Jack's Rifts, and a few glass beads at Baldwinsville. Many sites have no signs of vessels of any kind. Potstone vessels occur in several localities, but seldom in connection with earthenware. Banner-stones, bird totems, and gorgets of striped slate occur in many places, some apparently recent. Catlinite is found at Phœnix and Onondaga Lake. Polished slate arrows are found on all the rivers, but sparingly. Stone tubes are generally of striped slate, and of many forms, while pipes have their usual variety of form and material. Copper articles are not common, but are generally fine. Stone cups take many shapes, a handsome circular one of striped slate from Hannibal being the finest. Banner-stone and gorgets vary greatly in form and material. Plummets are often highly finished, and some of the finest drills have been discovered here. Arrows and spears are of all materials and finish. Sinkers and hammer-stones occur on most sites, and the latter exhibit a perplexing variety of forms. Many fine articles have been found on the great trail from the north crossing at Brewertown, and others near the east and west trails.
The Onondagas were partial to stockades, although they also had earthworks. None of the settlements seem very ancient, and the defensive works may be placed in four groups: Earthworks along the Seneca and Oswego Rivers, east and north of Baldwinsville; simple stockades about Baldwinsville; earthworks in Elbridge; earthworks and stockades combined in Pompey. The last two groups have features in common, but the others are distinct; they seem of different periods.
The pottery is of the ordinary Indian type, and some attempt has been made to compare sites by its styles of ornament. Celts are of both hard and soft stone, and pestles and mortars of common forms. Semi-circular slate knives are sometimes found, generally without a thickened back.
There are no large burial-places known near the Seneca River, but the bodies found are in a sitting posture, and corn frequently occurs in graves. Horn implements are found on the southern sites, seldom on the northern; and there are marked differences in arrows, spears, and earthenware.