The Griffin Report

By Deb Twigg

Louise Welles Murray ~1854 - 1931

“The�death�of�Mrs.�Louise�Welles�Murray�on�April�22,�1931,�just�as�this�monograph,�under�her�editorship,�was�about�to�issue�from�press,�removed�from�the�Society�of�Pennsylvania�Archeology,�and�from�the�field�of�Pennsylvania�archeology�and�history�generally,�one�of�its�most�valuable�and�forceful�characters.

No�record�has�been�kept�of�all�the�newspaper�articles�and�various�addresses�which�she�prepared,�and�presented�for�the�sake�of�Truth,�seldom�receiving�in�return.�Many�of�the�sake�of�Truth,�seldom�receiving�in�return.�Many�of�these�are�preserved�for�reference�in�her�museum�she�often�laughingly�declared�was�to�be�her�monument.�A�better�one�would�be�difficult�to�erect.

There�she�spent�her�last�evening�on�earth,�planning�new�work,�having�remarked�that�she�did�not�have�enough�to�do.”

~Bulletin�of�the�Society�For�Pennsylvania�Archaeology�-1931

James B. Griffin• In 1927 after spending 2 years at the University

of Chicago pursuing a Business degree, he

transferred to the program of General Science

and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science

• In 1930, he had graduated from the University

of Chicago with a Master of Arts Degree in

Sociology and Anthropology.Sociology and Anthropology.

• Beginning in late May 1931 - James Griffin came

to the Valley where he conducted field studies

for the Tioga Point Museum until early July of

that same year.

Griffin:1931

Griffin’s Team

George Rumph, James Griffin, M.L.Gore, T. Welch, Ed Caselbury, Dale Woodruff

Griffin reports that Ellsworth Cowles worked with team at

different sites during the first week (presumably vacation)

BR 42 – Ahbe-Brennan Site

BR 5 - Murray Farm Site

BR 27 – Top of Spanish Hill

BR 41 - Thurston Farm

The REAL SITE – BR41

Site 42 – The (Abhe-)Brennan Site

Ahbe Brennan Village Site – BR 42

“The depth of the

humus, the shape

of the pits, and the

depth of the pits are

clearly shown.”

- Griffin:1931

12 Fire Pits Found in 1931 at BR 42•Pit 1: potsherds, flint chips, bone fragments, shells and fire brick

•Pit 2: Broken roller pestle, large fire brick, potsherds, flint chips,

fire brick, bone fragments, shells, carapace of a small turtle

•Pit 3: two broken triangular wide based arrow points, potsherds,

flint chips, fore brick, shells. Two arrow points similar to those in

the pit were found at the base of the humus line.

•Pit 4: Potsherds, bone fragments, wood ash, shells, broken arrow

point

•Pit 5: Potsherds, flint chips, sternum of a duck

•Pit 6: Potsherds, flint chips, bone fragments, shells•Pit 6: Potsherds, flint chips, bone fragments, shells

•Pit 7: not reported on (error)

•Pit 8: Five bone tubular beads, potsherds, flint chips, shells, bone

fragments

•Pit 9: Pieces of a broken pot, triangular wide base arrow point,

potsherds, bone fragments, flint chips, shells and fire brick

•Pit 10: Potsherds, broken arrow points, net sinkers, flint chips,

shells

•Pit 11: 3 ½ ” bone harpoon, potsherds, bone fragments, two arrow

points, flint chips, fire brick

•Pit 12: Two arrow points, 2 ¾” bone on, flint chips, bone fragments

Pit 2 (labeled in error as Pit 1 in report)

BR-42 Pit #9

Griffin states that all arrow points found at

BR-42 were of the “wide -based”

triangular style. (see above)

A total of 9 full and partial arrow points

were reported from all BR-42 pits in 1931.

Bone fragment Identifications:

• Most Common bone remains:

– Virginia Deer

• Largest bone fragment found:

– Elk

• Others

– Jaw and tooth of black bear

– Jaw of raccoon

– Jaw of a domestic dog about size of a fox

– Bones of another domestic dog size of a collie

– Tooth of a beaver

– Humerus of a “large bird” unidentified

– Didn’t he say that Pit 5 had the sternum of a duck?????Not reported

in bone fragments in the site.

Burials at Brennan Site - BR-42

• Burial #1 - Adult Male approximately 50 yrs

old, extended burial.

• Burial #2 - child just past the age of 6 in a • Burial #2 - child just past the age of 6 in a

small coffin made from white pine.(“The

wood was badly decayed but the outlines of

the box were unmistakable.” Griffin:1931)

BR42 – Burial 11.) The Trade Pipe

“White artifacts with the burial consisted

of a white clay pipe with a broken bowl

and a thin object of iron not yet

identified7

It was at first thought that the monogram

“IB” on the side of the bowl of the white

clay pipe found would be of great help in

determining the age of the site. While determining the age of the site. While

other clay pipes have been found with

rough dates assigned to them, none of

them previously found have carried the

same mark7

My interpretation is that the site is post –

European.

This period could probably be assigned to

the approximate dates of 1650 – 1750.”

Griffin:1931

BR42 – Burial 1

2.) The Pottery:

“at the feet of the burial both above and

below the level of the skeleton many

large and small potsherds of more than

one vessel found7

If it could be definitely stated that the If it could be definitely stated that the

pottery at the feet was a burial offering,

the burial could be unhesitatingly

assigned to the same age of the

surrounding pits.”

Griffin:1931

“While one of the jars at the feet indicates Iroquois influence, the other is so-called

Algonkian in shape7and could have been coexistent in an Algonkian village

recently coming under influence of the Iroquois7” Cowles:1931

BR42 – Burial 1

2.) The Pottery:

“After the skeleton had been removed, a

large pot was discovered to the east of

the burial area7found mouth down. It

was whole when it was discovered but

the weight of the earth had cracked it so the weight of the earth had cracked it so

that it came apart when uncovered.

The pit in which the restored pot was

found was almost certainly separate

from that excavated for the burial.”

Griffin:1931Large “Archaic Algonkian” jar found at the

right of the male burial in site BR42. Height

11 ½”, inside diameter at mouth 8’,

greatest circumference 28’.

BR42 – Burial 13.) “A Thin Piece of Metal”

Any guesses?

BR 42 - Burial 2

• Child in a white pine coffin – just past the age

of 6

• The skeletal material was scattered in the

coffin.

• There were no artifacts found in the burial

• Whether this was a later white burial or an

Indian burial that the group had been

converted to Christianity or had missionary

influence was questioned.

Griffin’s Beliefs on Dating BR42

“I feel that the burial (burial #1), which from the

physical type has been identified as Indian, was

buried by the group who left the physical

evidence (fire pits) of their occupancy. The clay evidence (fire pits) of their occupancy. The clay

pipe and unidentified metal object being

evidence, accordance to my interpretation that

the site is post European.” (Griffin:1931)

Griffin:1931

Griffin’s Conclusions on BR 42

Griffin:1931

BR 5, The Murray Farm

6 Burials at BR-5 in 1931

• Burial 1 (Female 18-24)– No artifacts, ribs, vertebrae, pelvis, scapula, and

some long bones were missing.

• Burial 2 (female 50)– No artifacts, the seven cervical and the first thoracic

were the only vertebrae found. The long bones were buried in one group

and the pelvis lay in about the right position for a flexed burial.

• Burial 3 (not identified)- No artifacts, only the skull and a few portions of • Burial 3 (not identified)- No artifacts, only the skull and a few portions of

skeletal material could be found.

• Burial 4 (female 13)– No artifacts, 13 year old girl, best condition

• Burial 5 (male over 45)- we will come back to…

• Burial 6 (female 36-47)- No artifacts, skeletal material scattered about,

even the skull being made up of scattered fragments

Griffin:31

57 burials found at BR-5 in 1916,

•“In some cases a part of a vessel occurred in one

grave and other fragments of the same utensil in

another some distance away”

•“A number of graves were opened in which there

were no skeletons, or at best only a few portions of were no skeletons, or at best only a few portions of

bones-.Some may have been rifled through by

whites-.”

(Moorehead:1938)

Griffin: Scarcity of Artifacts at BR-5

“The conclusion reached in the Second Report of the

Pennsylvania Historical Commission by the secretary of

the expedition (1916) that the scarcity of the artifacts

found with the bodies indicates that the group to which

these Indians belonged “was not in prosperous these Indians belonged “was not in prosperous

condition , is I think, not justified. It might rather be

that the lack of artifacts indicates that the particular

time at which these bodies were buried this group did

not place many cultural evidences with their dead.”

(Griffin:1931)

“Old Tioga Point and Early Athens”

- 1908

“It may be said that the first

recorded discovery of an extensive

Indian burial place at Tioga Point

was by Sullivan’s soldiers, close to

their camp, mentioned in many their camp, mentioned in many

journals, and an object of interest

and amusement to all of the

troops.”

Murray:1908

August 11, 1779

Burial #5 – BR-5 (1931)

• Complete flexed burial

• No artifacts except for

an effigy pipe with two an effigy pipe with two

faces.

Murray Farm – Griffin 1931

“If a comparison be made of the artifacts found

in the Murray Garden with those found at this

burial ground a striking similarity will be

noticed. Certainly it would indicate that the two

sites are of the same culture.” – Griffin:1931

BR5 – Murray Farm

BR 43-Kennedy Site 2-faced pipe bowl

T. Valillee Collection

Site BR-”41” – Thurston Farm

(Extension of BR-5 the Murray Farm)

Ro

ute

22

0

Thurston Farm - BR5

“Six test holes were sunk

along the west side of the

state road and disturbed

soil was found in three of

them. A connecting trench

was run from Pit 1 to Pits 2

and 3. It was found that the

major parts of Pits 1 and 2

extended under the road to extended under the road to

the east and for that reason

complete information on

those pits is not available”.

Griffin:1931

Six pits in total were dug at

this location.

Thurston Farm BR5• “The most productive area of the site was Pit 5…After the fired area

was delineated the top soil was removed…

• Many flint chips were present but only one small triangular point was

recovered. Eight net sinkers were taken from the fire place. There were

some few pieces of pottery found at random throughout this upper

disturbed area.

• As the actual fireplace was removed it was noticed that the disturbed

area continued below the point which showed contact with fire.area continued below the point which showed contact with fire.

• A large stone slab 2 feet long, 13 ‘ wide and 2’ thick was removed

• Below this stone at the depth of 3’9’ the broken remains of a good size

pot was found.

• It is evident from the structure of the fire place that an excavation was

first made and pottery was placed at the bottom.”

Griffin:1931

Thurston Farm BR5

• The surface soil was removed from a

small area in the southwest corner of

the staked area – artifacts included:

• Two arrow points

• Two net sinkers• Two net sinkers

• Flint chips

• Potsherds

• 1 small blue glass trade bead later by

the Heye Foundation as “Russian”

Griffin’s Conclusions – Thurston Farm

“The pottery and general character of this camp

site indicates that BR 41 (actually BR5) was

the temporary home of an Algonkian group

which I would tentatively date as later than which I would tentatively date as later than

BR5 and earlier than BR 42.”

Griffin:1931

Top of Spanish Hill Site BR-27

Top of Spanish Hill Site BR-27

3

21

6

7 8Griffin’s Trenches

3

5

4

Griffin’s Work at Spanish Hill

“The major excavations on

Spanish Hill consisted of

eight trenches and eight trenches and

numerous test pits in

the ridge.”

Griffin:1931

Trench 1A.) “Thin layer of topsoil or humus”

B.) “Mixed darker humus”

At the bottom of this dark layer, charcoal and fire

colored earth were found along the east face of the

trench

C.) Light Yellow Loess

D.) Hard Brown Earth Griffin:1931

Trench 3

The only potsherd that was found on

Spanish Hill by our group came from this

trench. It was a small rim piece, grit

tempered, the surface was smoothed

with incised parallel lines which slant at

an angle of 45 degrees. an angle of 45 degrees.

Griffin:1931

Trench 5

“The cross section againshows the thin

humus line. The layer of mixed humus

and loess varied from 4 inches at the

western end to 2’ 6” at the crest of the

ridge.”

Griffin:1931Griffin:1931

Griffin’s Conclusions on Spanish Hill“That Spanish Hill was used by the Indians is amply proved by

the amount of material picked up from its surface in the past.

From the work of the summer of 1931 the embankment does

not appear to have been made at one time. If the evidence of

the fire in Trench 1 is Indian in origin, it would indicate that the the fire in Trench 1 is Indian in origin, it would indicate that the

occupation antedated the construction of the embankment by

some considerable period of time. None of the trenches

excavated nor the test pits on the embankment disclosed any

evidence of post holes or of a trench on the inside of the

embankment.”

Griffin:1931

Question -

In 1916 The

Susquehanna River

Expedition sunk 400

test pits around the

top outer edge edge

of Spanish Hill – right

where Griffin’s

trenches were.trenches were.

(see image)

Shouldn’t this

disturbed earth have

shown up in the

Griffin trenches in

1931?

Past Records of the Embankments on

Top of Spanish Hill Site BR-27:

Earliest Reference to Embankments

• "Near the confines of Pennsylvania a

mountain rises from the bank of the river

Tioga (Chemung) in the shape of a sugar loaf

upon which are seen the remains of some

entrenchments. These the inhabitants call

the Spanish Ramparts, but I rather judge the Spanish Ramparts, but I rather judge

them to have been thrown up against the

Indians in the time of M. de Nonville. One

perpendicular breastwork is yet remaining

which, though covered with grass and

bushes, plainly indicates that a parapet and a

ditch have been constructed here." (La

Rochefoucald-Liancourt 1795:76-7)

Alexander Wilson, celebrated ornithologist

from Philadelphia who wrote in 1804:

"Now to the left the ranging mountains bend,

And level plains before us wide extend;

Where rising lone, old Spanish Hill appears, The post of war in

ancient unknown years.

It's steep and rounding sides with woods embrowned,It's steep and rounding sides with woods embrowned,

It's level top with old entrenchments crowned;It's level top with old entrenchments crowned;

Five hundred paces thrices we measured o'er,

Now overgrown with woods alone it stands,

And looks abroad o'er open fertile lands."

“Early Times on The Susquehanna”

“Many now living remember the beautiful flat

lawn of several acres on top of the hill, and an

enclosure of earth 7 to 8 feet high which was

within a quarter of a century been leveled by

the plow and harrow.”the plow and harrow.”

Perkins:1906

IP Shepard - (Murray 1908:58)

IP Shepard created the following illustration with the help of Charles Henry

Shepard, whose residence, throughout a long life of eighty seven years,

was close to the hill and who remembered "distinctly" the "Spanish

Ramparts" before the plow of an overzealous farmer nearly leveled them

to the ground.

The double lines in the diagram

indicate portions still clearly

defined, and were evidently

made much higher to protect

those portions of the hill that

were easily assailable. The

dotted line inside this angle, Mr.

Shepard thinks indicated a

palisade for greater security."

(Murray 1908:58)

Warren K. Moorehead - 1916

• Mr. Warren Moorhead even made reference to these

fortifications in the Susquehanna River Expedition when he

visited the Sugar Creek site further south of Spanish Hill.

• “Traces of a fortified hilltop, there being distinct traces of • “Traces of a fortified hilltop, there being distinct traces of

embankments. This being smaller than Spanish Hill, but it

resembled same. It contained Iroquoian pottery and

triangular flint points, probably Andaste." (Moorehead

1938:70)

~ Ellsworth Cowles

Summing Up The Griffin Report…

And its lasting effects on our

understanding of our local understanding of our local

archaeology…

Published Works

Vs.

Un-Published Works

Published Works…

Can Be Can Be Built Upon or Even CorrectedBuilt Upon or Even Corrected::“Given the defensive structure of Spanish Hill and reports of fortifications there, it seems as likely a candidate as any for the fortified stronghold of Carantouan reported by Brule. Until more information is known, it seems imprudent to eliminate Spanish Hill as a possible site related to the nation of Carantouan, as some researchers have done.” (Kent 1984:300-301, McCracken 1984)

Twigg:2005 (PA Archaeologist, Volume 75, 2, Fall 2005)

Un-Published Works…

Can Take on a Life of their Own

ALTERNATIVE MITIGATION TO THE INTERSTATE

FAIRGROUNDS SITE - David L. Weinberg, Archaeologist

Kent:1984

1984 – decision sheet where Spanish Hill was denied historic preservation:

The Power of a Myth:

Ellsworth Cowles’s bible inside cover: