[Illustration: Diagram of an ancient fortification on Fort Hill,
Auburn, N. Y.]
This enclosure is situate on the highest point of land in the vicinity
of Auburn, and is in the form of an ellipse and measures in diameter,
from east to west, (from the outside of the base of the embankment)
four hundred and sixteen feet, and from north to south, three hundred
and ten feet; the circumference, twelve hundred feet; present height of
the highest part of the embankment on the west side from the bottom of
the ditch, four feet; the thickness at the base, fourteen feet; from
the centre of the enclosure the ground has a gentle slope to the north,
east and west, and is nearly level towards the south. The openings
on the south, one of sixty and the other of seventy-eight feet, are
directly opposite or against deep ravines separated by a narrow steep
ridge, access through which would be difficult, being on an angle
of nearly forty-five degrees. The opening on the north measures one
hundred and sixty-six feet, opposite to which the ground continues to
slope to the north for the distance of seventy feet, from which point
the descent is very abrupt. The opening on the east measures sixty-six
feet, opposite to which the ground continues on a gentle descent to the
east for several hundred feet. The opening on the southwest measures
fifty feet, and is opposite to a ridge gently descending to the
southwest. There are no less than ten deep ravines and as many steep
ridges surrounding and leading to this ancient fortification.
McAuley, in his history of the State of New-York, Vol. 2d, pages
111 and 112, gives a minute and interesting description of this
fortification, which, however, contains some inaccuracies; and also
of another fortification situate in the northeast part of Auburn. The
large chesnut stump described by him as standing in the moat on the
west side of the enclosure, is still to be seen; there are still to be
seen the remains of two large oak stumps, which seem to have escaped
his notice, situate on the southeast side of the enclosure, one of
them on the top of the embankment, and the other in the ditch some
twelve feet distant. There are scarcely any traces remaining of the
fortification described by McAuley as being in the north east part of
Auburn, from the fact that the ground upon which it stood has been
under cultivation for many years.
JAMES H. BOSTWICK, _Surveyor_.
_October 16_, 1845.
(F.)
Letter from Frederick Follet to Henry R. Schoolcraft.
_Batavia, Oct. 25_, 1845.
DEAR SIR—My private and public duties together prevented my
making a visit to “Fort Hill,” until the 22d inst. and I proceed to
give you my ideas of that formation.
The ground known as “Fort Hill” is situated about three miles north of
the village of Le Roy, and ten or twelve miles northeast from Batavia,
the capitol of Genesee county. The better view of “Fort Hill” is had to
the north of it, about a quarter of a mile, on the road leading from
Bergen to Le Roy. From this point of observation it needs little aid
of the imagination to conceive that it was erected as a fortification
by a large and powerful army, looking for a permanent and almost
inaccessible bulwark of defence. From the centre of the “Hill,” in the
northwesterly course, the country lies quite flat—immediately north,
and inclining to the east, the land is also level for one hundred
rods, when it rises nearly as high as the “Hill,” and continues for
several miles quite elevated. In approaching the “Hill” from the north
it stands very prominently before you, rising rather abruptly, though
not perpendicularly, to the height of eighty or ninety feet, extending
about forty rods on a line east and west, the corners being round or
truncated, and continuing to the south on the west side for some sixty
rods, and on the east side for about half a mile, maintaining about the
same elevation at the sides as in front; beyond which distance the line
of the “Hill” is that of the land around.
“Fort Hill,” however, is not a work of art. The geological character
of it shows it to be the result of natural causes. Nevertheless,
there are undoubted evidences of its once having been resorted to as
a fortification, and of its having constituted a valuable point of
defence to a rude and half-civilized people.
It is probable that at a period of time very far distant, the ground
about “Fort Hill” was, for some considerable distance around, entirely
of the same level, and that by the action of water, a change took
place, which brought about the present condition. The low land
immediately in front to the north, is only the remains of a water
course, which was made up of a stream coming down the gorge of the west
side, and the present “Allen’s creek,” which flows through a portion
of the gorge of the east side, the stream of the west having been a
branch of that of the east side. Through the west gorge now flows, in
the wet season, a moderate stream, coming from the lands above the
gorge, and having an interrupted fall of some forty or fifty feet;
while “Allen’s creek” occupies a portion of the eastern gorge, much
broader, at the extremity of which, some half a mile from the “Hill,”
there is a beautiful fall of eighty feet perpendicularly. The structure
of the “Hill” bears out this construction; it being composed of the
same rock—with the exception of the upper strata—as the falls. At
the falls the upper strata of rock and that which forms the bed of the
creek for some two miles or more east, is the _corniferous limestone_;
underlaying which are _hydraulic_ and _Onondaga limestones_. The two
latter are only seen at “Fort Hill,” covered by a few feet of soil and
several small masses of stone, a part out of place, among which are a
few of _Medina sandstone_. The strata are, therefore continuous from
the falls, and at some former periods, extended over the gorges, and
formed a regular and nearly level surface, the action of water having
removed, which has left the broad and conspicuous point of “Fort Hill,”
as memorable monuments of the earlier condition of the country.
When “Fort Hill” was used as a fortification the summit was entrenched.
Forty years ago an entrenchment, ten feet deep and some twelve or
fifteen wide, extended from the west to the east end, along the north
or front part, and continued up each side about twenty rods, where it
crossed over and joining, made the circuit of entrenchment complete. At
this day a portion of this entrenchment is easily perceived for fifteen
rods along the extreme western half of the north or front part, the
cultivation of the soil, with other causes, having nearly obliterated
all other portions. It would seem that this fortification was arranged
more for protection against invasion from the north than from any other
quarter, this direction evidently being its most commanding position.
Near the northwest corner have, at different times, been found
collections of rounded stones of hard consistence, which are supposed
to have been used as weapons of defence by the besieged against the
besiegers.
Arrow-heads, made of flint or horn-stone, gouges, pestles, hatchets,
and other weapons formed from stone, have been found about the “Hill”
and throughout this section. Of the rarer articles, are pipes and
beads, a few of the latter of which I have been able to obtain. The
gouges, pestles and hatchets, are, I think, frequently made of compact
limestone, probably what is now known in Mr. Hall’s State report as
the _one foot limestone_ at Le Roy, though many of them seem to be
formed of primitive rock, and very likely were worked out from boulders
scattered about the country.
Skeletons found about “Fort Hill” and its vicinity sustain the
impression that the former occupants of this “military station” were
of a larger and more powerful race of men than ourselves. I learned
that the skeletons generally indicated a stouter and larger frame.
An humerus or shoulder bone of which preserved may safely be said to
be one-third larger or stouter than any now swung by the living. A
resident of Batavia, THOMAS T. EVERETT, M. D., has in his
cabinet a portion of a lower jaw bone full one-third larger than any
possessed by the present race of men, which was found in a hill near
Le Roy, some two years since. From the same hill arrow-heads and other
articles have been removed for many years.
The articles I send you are as follows:—No. 1, an Indian gouge, made
of very hard stone, found at “Fort Hill;” No. 3, arrow-heads, of flint;
No. 4, beads; No. 5, a bead, evidently formed from a tooth, as the
enamel and other distinctive marks indicate; No. 6, a bead, apparently
of bone.
No. 2 is a stone tomahawk, presented to me by JEROME A. CLARK,
Esq., of this village. It was found on his premises half a mile south
of this place. I herewith present it to you.
These articles I have sent to-day by a friend, and you will find
them by calling at Tammany Hall. I have not yet been able to visit
Tonawanda, but am in hopes to do so in a day or two.
Your ob’t serv’t,
FREDERICK FOLLETT.
(G.)
Letter from C. Dewey to Henry R. Schoolcraft.