EXPLORATIONS OF THE CAMPBELL ISLAND VILLAGE SITE AND THE HINE MOUND

AND VILLAGE SITE

BY H. C. SHETRONE,
Curator of Archaeology

TRANSMITTAL OF REPORT

PROFESSOR WILLIAM C. MILLS, Director,

JUNE 11, 1923.

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Museum.

MY DEAR PROFESSOR MILLS:

I have the honor to submit for your approval a condensed report of the examination of the Campbell Island Village Site and Hine Mound and Village Site, located near Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio.

Very truly yours,

H. C. SHETRONE,

Curator.

THE CAMPBELL ISLAND SITE

Late in the summer of 1921, Dr. H. L. Good, of Hamilton, Ohio, brought to the attention of the Museum authorities the fact that marked evidences of prehistoric human occupation exist on what is known as Campbell Island, in the Miami river at the northern edge of the city of Hamilton; and also on the farm of George Hine, five miles south of Hamilton, on the west side of the river. In view of the fact that Dr. Good had interested himself to the extent of obtaining exploration privileges, the Director of the Museum deemed the occasion favorable for obtaining definite information regarding the pre-historic occupation of

Butler county, and instructed the writer to devote the remainder of the exploration season to the examination of these sites.

Campbell Island was named for Lewis D. Campbell, the early owner of the land, who was an uncle of Honorable James E. Campbell, former governor of Ohio, and at this time president of the Ohio State Archæological and Historical Society. The term island is something of a misnomer in this instance, since the site is not a true, or natural island, but owes its origin to the fact that early in the nineteenth century the river, at a point about three miles north of the city, changed its course and made for itself a new channel to the westward. At the south end of the island the stream assumes its regular course, leaving the abandoned channel to form the eastern boundary of the thus created island, of several hundred acres extent.

It is upon the elevated southern portion of the island that remains of prehistoric human occupation are found. The site presents the anomaly of being located on the eastern side of the river, whereas it formerly lay on the west; and furthermore, as a result of the flood of 1913, it is covered by a deposit of sand and silt to a depth of from three to eight inches, so that even where the soil is under cultivation, not a vestige of human handiwork is to be seen, and surface scrutiny would give no hint of the underlying remains of human occupation.

The Campbell Island site, of limited extent, at best, is in great part occupied by the farm-house with its numerous barns and buildings, so that only restricted portions were available for examination. The accompanying map shows the portions excavated and

suggests the location and extent of the remaining unexplored areas. While the available strip lying to the south of the farm-house produced one burial and a number of storage pits, it was in the feed-lot to the northeast of the large barn that the more important results were obtained. This area, it will be noted on the map, apparently comprises an oval space trending north and south for a distance of something over 200 feet and having a width of approximately 100 feet. The barnlot which, owing to graded driveways and other obstructions, could not be examined, apparently comprises practically one-half of the richest portion of the occupied area.

The feed-lot area produced a total of 20 burials and 17 storage-pits; its southern extension, across the barnlot, four pits and a fireplace; and the strip extending along the bank of the old river channel, to the south of the farm-house, one burial and 14 pits. There seems to have been no definite grouping of burials, nor any particular relationship between location of burials and

Number 1; (1-3).

house had the head of

the enclosed skeleton almost directly toward the west.

The depth at which burials were placed varied from those lying partly within the plow-line to those placed a trifle more than two feet below the surface.

Of the 21 burials uncovered, 15 lay extended at length upon the back; two lay upon the back with knees drawn upward; three were of undetermined position owing to recent disturbance; and one skeleton, disarticulated and incomplete, was found in a refuse pit. Of the total of 21, 12 were adults, two

adolescents, and seven were children ranging from infancy to ten years of age. Five of the 21 had pottery vessels placed with them, while four others were accompanied by minor artifacts. Of the total number of burials, one had been disturbed by the depositing of a later burial, and two had been partly displaced in the construction of storage-pits. A single burial was partial, indicating re-burial.

THE BURIALS IN DETAIL

Burial Number 1- - This grave contained the skeleton of a child of about four years of age, extended upon the back, with head almost due east; with it was an earthenware pot (Fig. 1) of about three pints capacity, having four handles. Within the pot, was a musselshell spoon (Fig. 2) decorated with notches cut upon its edges.

Burial Number 2-Skeleton of a child (Fig. 3) of approximately five years old, extended upon the back with head toward the east. A pottery-vessel (Fig. 4) of one quart capacity, having two handles and a scal