Midwestern Epigraphic Society/Ancient Cities in Ohio?
An Ohio 'Lost City' Reported In 1811
Its Site Was Near The Baum Works,
Above
By William D. Conner
Paint Valley's fabled "Lost City" must have been located somewhere in the area covered by the map (above) from Squier and Davis' 1848 book Ancient Mounments of the Mississippi Valley. Investigator James Foster that a mound nearby was "perfectly level to the top," apparently it is at the top center of the map labeled "Square Truncated Mound."
The "dug hole" is a borrow pit for the mound. Later in the 19th century, the mound group was named for the landowner as "The Baum Works." In his letter found in an old book, Foster, the earliest investigator to report on fortifications at Spruce Hill, also wrote about the nearby "Lost City" ruins he visited at the same time.
"At the bottom of the hill on the south west side are the ruins of the town, or rather city. The cellars and the stone foundations of the houses still remain. The streets are in regular squares. Near it there is a large mound perfectly level on the top. It was from all appearances the residence of a warlike race; but a description of it will form the subject of a future communication," said Foster, who was then editor of the newspaper in nearby Chillicothe, Ohio.
Unfortunately, it is unknown if Foster ever wrote this second, more complete description of this 'city,' since such a document has never been found. Foster was at the site in 1811 and in 1812 left Chillicothe to fight in the War of 1812. The Baum Works was one of several mound groups in Ross County, Ohio's Paint Creek Valley.
A 20th Century update on the "lost city" near Spruce Hill was published in an early 1970s issue of the New England Antiquties Research Newsletter, Vol. XI, page 37, written by the late B.E. Kelley, an amatuer archaelogist, retired newspaperman and museum curator of Washington CH, Ohio.
Kelley noted, "There are pictures of orderly layouts extant for such Indian towns as Hochelaga but the idea of cellars and stone foundations sounds more European. Donald McBeth saw one remaining slab plowed up from the area and Tom Porter, who also dug with Mallery, reported to McBeth that fifty years ago numerous slabs were plowed up and removed."
McBeth and Porter assisted controversial amatuer archaeologist Alrington Mallery in his investiagtion of mysterious pit furnaces in Ross County 50 years ago (For further information on Mallery's work with the furnaces, see "America's Mysterious Furances".
"The vestiges of cellars and foundations did not impress Ross County's pioneer farmers," said Kelley, who believed the ruins were remains the buildings of an unknown civiliziation. The farmers simply "plowed in the cellars, thus burying in them forever whatever they preserved of artifacts from the civilization. We do not know whether this civilization was Indian or European."
So it seems all traces of the stones which once remained at the town of mystery have disappeared forever. Or have they? The first issue of the Midwestern Epigraphic Society (MES), published in June, 1984, carried the following article about a mysterious piece of stonework, which seemingly could have come from Foster's lost city near Spruce Hill, but instead was found around 1950 in Chillicothe, the county seat 12 miles to the east.
One logical assumption about this stone is that some 19th century farmer plowed it up at Foster's lost city and had the curiosity carted into Chillicothe. Did some citizen of the town tire of its bulky presence and toss it down a well in later years? MES investigators found this stone in the yard of a house in Chillicothe. Here is an article about it written by MES founder Victor Moseley for the fist issue of the MES Journal, June 1984:
Carved Stone Buried 15 Feet Below Chillicothe
By Victor Moseley
During a recent field trip to the Paint Creek area in search of' the ancient rock fortress reported on Spruce Hill in 1824 by Caleb Atwater, we met a local resident and his family of sons. The father, Leroy Shoemaker, took us to a neighboring home to view a most curious rock sculpture.
The accompanying photograph shows society member Bill Dangler checking out its features. Although we have not sufficient time to properly research this piece before publication of this first issue of the Midwestern Epigraphic Journal, we can tell you briefly at this time what we did learn from Mr. Shoemaker.
Bill Dangler examines the Chillicothe sculpture. Can you identify it?
The artifact was discovered about twenty years ago, 15 feet be low the surface during the excavation for a new four story building behind the U.S. Post Office in downtown Chillicothe. It has been called everything from an Indian dancing stone to a Mound Builder religious alter.
We call it the "MacDonald Arches" since a series of intersecting arches encircle the stone in high relief. In our opinion, it resembles a capital that came from unknown Chillicothe sculpture. Can you identify it? Trouble is, how did it get to be 15 feet below the surface in an area that had been previously residential with only slab type or off' grade housing without basements? Then too, if basements were used in the area, 15 feet is a bit much for residential excavation.
The photograph shows the artifact in, we believe an inverted position. Barely visible in the grass at the lower right base of the artifact one can see an elliptical bulge or protrusion at the bottom of one descender of the arch. Similar protrusions, or pieces of them (some have been broken off entirely) are located at the bottom of every other descender. Can anyone identify the architectural style of the carving? (end of 1984 article)
So perhaps this mysterious stone did come from Foster's 'Lost City' near Spruce Hill. On the other hand, did a second 'Lost City' or town exist 15 feet under the site of Chillicothe? Or, is there just a very ordinary explanation for all this? -- wdc
Oldstone htm. appended 8-29-01