The Conneaut Giants - THE SPALDING RESEARCH PROJECT - A Spalding Saga Episode Back to Conneaut Witnesses Index Page Mormons & Mound-Builders | 1816 Port Folio | An Indian Interpretation of the Book of Mormon 1814 Weekly Recorder | 1878 History of Ashtabula Co. | 1884 History of Erie Co., PA Part 1: Aaron Wright, Solomon Spalding, and The GIANTS of Conneaut WHEN the first European settlers came to North America they were not shy about digging up the graves of their Indian predecessors on the continent. As they generally found no great wealth in these burials, the motivation for their digging was probably mostly curiosity and a need to level their farmland. As the new Americans spread westward, into the states of New York and Pennsylvania, the peculiarity of the grave contents and the size of the tumuli thrown up over them increased. In the years following the conclusion of the Revolutionary war, the westward moving pioneers became less and less sure that the strange items they were finding preserved in the caves and artificial mounds of the west actually came from the Indians. Certainly, they rationalized, such huge and carefully designed earthworks could not have been built by the scanty Indian population they were familiar with in the lands between the Great Lakes and the southern tributaries of the Ohio river. In 1798 the first permanent settlers from the east arrived in the Western Reserve of Ohio. They began to clear the forests along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and in the process found numerous ancient earthen structures and almost everywhere the finely made spear points and other artifacts of a long forgotten and once populous native society, a people obviously quite different from the Massasauga Indians then living in that country. A generation before the first immigrant explorers of western Pennsylvania and southern Ohio had made similar discoveries -- the extensive earthworks of Circleville and Marietta Ohio were already well publicized by the time that settler Aaron Wright and his companions began to stake out their new homes along Conneaut Creek, in what would become Ashtabula Co., Ohio. The Discoveries of Aaron Wright in 1800 Perhaps it was because he was a single young man with plenty of energy, or perhaps it was because his choice for a homestead included a large "mound-builder" burial ground -- whatever the reasons may have been, Aaron Wright has gone down in the history books as the discoverer of the "Conneaut Giants," the unusually large-boned ancient inhabitants of Ashtabula Co., Ohio. In an 1844 account, writer Harvey Nettleton reported that this "ancient burying grounds" of "about four acres" was situated in what soon became the village of New Salem (later renamed Conneaut), "extending northward from the bank of the creek... to Main street, in an oblong square" tract that "appeared to have been accurately surveyed into lots, running from the north to the south." Nettleton also said that the ancient "graves were distinguished by slight depressions in the surface of the earth disposed in straight rows, with the intervening spaces, or alleys, cover[ing] the whole area... estimated to contain from two to three thousand graves. These depressions, on a thorough examination made by Esq. Aaron Wright, as early as 1800, were found invariably to contain human bones, blackened with time, which on exposure to the air soon crumbled to dust." The prehistoric cemetery on Aaron's Wright's land was remarkable enough, just in its size and the configuration of the graves -- but it was what was in those graves and in the adjacent burial mounds that captured Nettleton's attention: The mounds that were situated in the eastern part of what is now the village of Conneaut and the extensive burying ground near the Presbyterian Church, appear to have had no connection with the burying places of the Indians. They doubtless refer to a more remote period and are the relics of an extinct race, of whom the Indians had no knowledge. These mounds were of comparatively small size, and of the same general character of those that are widely scattered over the country. What is most remarkable concerning them is that among the quantity of human bones they contain, there are found specimens belonging to men of large stature, and who must have been nearly allied to a race of giants. Skulls were taken from these mounds, the cavities of which were of sufficient capacity to admit the head of an ordinary man, and jaw-bones that might be fitted on over the face with equal facility. The bones of the arms and lower limbs were of the same proportions, exhibiting ocular proof of the degeneracy of the human race since the period in which these men occupied the soil which we now inhabit. Circleville, Ohio antiquarian Caleb Atwater was the known first person to comment upon the earthworks at Conneaut (then New Salem) in a published text. In his 1820 report, Description of the Antiquities Discovered in the State of Ohio... Atwater describes the "work at Salem... on a hill near Coneaught river... having two parallel circular walls, and a ditch between them." Atwater says practically nothing about the burial mounds in the vicinity of this pre-Columbian fort "on a hill," but he does provide the following information on page 125 of his report: "My informant says, within this work are sometimes found skeletons of a people of small stature, which, if true, sufficiently identifies it to have belonged to that race of men who erected our tumuli." Thus, it was Caleb Atwater's opinion that the builders of the ancient mounds were a "people of small stature," and that reports of larger skeletons uncovered among their ruins were the exception, not the rule. To the above summary of Atwater's investigations it might also be added that many of the earthworks he described he never saw himself, relying upon information supplied by untrained observers living in the vicinity of these ancient remains. What Nehemiah King Found in 1829 Nettleton's account was widely circulated when it was summarized in 1847 by historian Henry Howe in his Historical Collections of Ohio. Howe speaks of "Thomas Montgomery and Aron Wright" coming to Ohio "in the spring of 1798," and of the subsequent discovery of the "extensive burying ground" and of "the human bones found in the mounds" nearby. Howe repeats the report, that among these uncovered bones, "were some belonging to men of gigantic structure." He also tells how, in 1829, a tree was cut down next to the ancient "Fort Hill in Conneaut" and that the local land owner, "The Hon. Nehemiah King, with a magnifying glass, counted 350 annualer rings" beyond some cut marks near the tree's center. Howe concludes: "Deducting 350 firom 1829, leaves 1479, which must have been the year when these cuts were made. This was 13 years before the discovery of America, by Columbus. It perhaps was done by the race of the mounds, with an axe of copper, as that people had the art of hardening that metal so as to cut like steel." The same year that Henry Howe's history of Ohio appeared another interesting book was published by the Smithsonian Institution, entitled, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. On page 38 of that seminal report by E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis appears the first known published description of "Fort Hill," that strange pre-Columbian landmark situated on the property of Aaron Wright's neighbor, Nehemiah King. 1847 sketch of Fort Hill -- see also the 1896 view Number 2. Ancient Work near Conneaut, Ashtabula county, Ohio. -- "This work is at present very slight, but distinctly traceable. The sketch is a mere coup d'aeil, without measurements. The elevation on the bluff upon which it stands is about seventy feet; and the banks of the aluminous state are, upon the north, very precipitous... Upon the south side... the wall which skirts the brow of the hill is accompanied by an outer ditch, while upon the north there is a simple embankment. The ascent (marked C-C in the cut), is gradual and easy. Within the enclosure the earth is very black and rich; outside of the wall it is a stiff clay. The adjacent bottems are very fertile, and the creek is everywhere fordable. There can be no doubt that this was a fortified position." Near the village of Conneaut are a number of mounds, and other traces of an ancient population, among which is an aboriginal cemetary regularly laid out, and of great extent. The antiquarian who contributed the survey of "ancient works in Northern Ohio" to Squier and Davis was Charles Whittlesey (1808-1886) of Cleveland, Ohio, who had been sketching the ancient earthworks of his region since the mid 1830s. The archaeology and paleoanthropology pioneered by investigators like Squier, Davis and Whittlesey eventually revealed the fact that the builders of the mounds were, in fact, ancestors of some of the eastern woodland Indians. Whittlesey is remembered today in the application of his name to the "Whittlesey Culture" of late pre-Columbian Indians who inhabited northern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania at the time the "Fort Hill" and other Conneaut earthworks were constructed (c. 1000-1400 CE). For a much more recent description of archaeological finds at this site, see David S. Brose et al., "Conneaut Fort: A Prehistoric Whittlesey Focus Village in Ashtabula County, Ohio" in Pennsylvania Archaeologist 46:4 (1976) pp. 29-77. Brose's 1971 excavations at Fort Hill were just one part of a wider archaeological survey conducted by Case Western Reserve University -- and his published report is merely a summary of a much more detailed "site plan." Brose found little of interest in his dig and concludes that "Conneaut Fort" was not so much a Mound-Builder fortification as it was "a base camp" from which migratory "hunting parties" went out into the surrounding woodlands to obtain food. Although he includes some brief comments regarding 19th century reports about the place, Brose says little about the other prehistoric earthworks in the area, and nothing at all about accounts of giant skeletons being found in the ancient cemetery just across the creek from the hill. However, his simply giving Whittlesey's name to a "focus" of these ancient Americans does not even begin to account for or explain the early discoveries of gigantic skeletons found along the banks of Conneaut Creek. It is obvious that the modern scientists, in their narrow investigations, have missed seeing the larger picture of the enigma the early settlers encountered at Conneaut -- the strange burial places, odd relics, and inexplicable remains of the previous inhabitants. To gain a useful perspective on these people the modern reader must turn the historical pages back to reports from the previous century. Dr. Peet's 1878 Account of the Giants In late 1878 or early 1879 William W. Williams' History of Ashtabula Co., Ohio appeared -- the first major publication devoted exclusively to the past years of that corner of northeastern Ohio. In that volume various accounts of the first eastern settlers and their encounters with the remains of the "Conneaut Giants" are described in some detail. For example, on page 17 can be found the following description by the local (and later widely known) antiquarian, Stephen D. Peet: ... an impenetrable mystery still hangs over... a race preceding the various tribes of Indians which history has come in contact with, and may be regarded as strictly pre-historic.... Ohio gives numerous evidences of such. a race. Here, it would seem, was the chief seat of the ancient empire... in this State two classes of works have been discovered... [in] the southern counties the works are much more massive and distinct. They are also much more complicated and mysterious in their design... the works at the north, on the other hand, are much simpler in their character, and are mainly indicative of a military race. Ashtabula County abounds in earthworks... These works are generally situated on the banks of streams, or in such locations as to have attracted attention... [some] are works of defense, and are well chosen for this purpose.... That at Conneaut is situated on the summit of a lofty hill... which has been left by some former change of the bed of the stream... A steep ascent protects it on all sides. The only approach is up a gradual slope to the eastward, formed by the narrow strip which has been left by the wash of the waters. The height of the eminence is... about seventy-five feet... The only mark of artificial defense is found on the summit. This consists of a simple earth-wall built on the very edge of the bluff, and following closely the very line of the bluff. A ditch was on the inside of the wall, and the height of the wall may have been at one time five feet. Possibly a stockade may have surmounted it, making the inclosure doubly secure both from the natural and artificial defense. The work has been described by those who visited it at an early date. The land thus inclosed was perfectly level, and embraced an area of about two acres, triangular in shape... A single opening to the inclosure existed, and this was approached only from the level of the stream below by a narrow pathway... The work might have served for a defense to the various tribes of Indians which inhabited the region, or it may have been the residence of the ancient people called the mound-builders. There is on the bank opposite this work, but farther down the stream, a large burial-mound, which might indicate that the occupants of this spot were of the more ancient race of original mound-builders. This mound is beautifully situated on the very summit of the point of land where the river turns to the northward... The location of this mound was favorable as a lookout, and connected with the defense. The defense itself might have served as a signal-station, to warn against the approach of an enemy from the lake below. There are also other mounds in this neighborhood, though they are of comparatively small size. They were situated in the eastern part of the village. It is not improbable that the Book of Mormon has some connection with these mounds, and possibly may have been suggested by them. Its author, Rev. Mr. Spalding, lived in Conneaut, and the story is based on the common sentiment that the descendants of the lost tribes buried their dead in large heaps, which caused the mounds so common in this country. Their arts and sciences and civilization account for all the curious antiquities found in North and South America. This theory of the lost tribes has long since been exploded. Dr. Peet goes on to say a little about the "ancient burying-ground" which "was situated a little west of the village" and repeats the story that it was "examined as early as 1800" by settlers like Aaron Wright. Peet only mentions in passing that these earthworks and burial ground "were found to contain human bones, some of which were of a large size." He provides no possible explanation for this necrological oddity, nor have the scientists of later years, who have described these ancient people and their "Whittlesey Culture" in some detail, provided the necessary explanations. It is obvious that the giantism evidenced in the "Whittlesey Culture" human remains was not an isolated phenomenon, occurring in a few, scattered individuals and then disappearing. This was an aspect of physical anthropology that appeared among several different late pre-Columbian "mound-builder" populations inhabiting the southern shores of lake Erie. The large boned trait continued through many generations -- probably for several hundred years -- among certain segments of those populations, at a rate seemingly far higher than what might be expected through natural, random processes. Nevertheless, there appears to be no firm evidence that the individuals who bore this strange physical trait were treated any differently in their own societies than other, less robust and tall members of their groups. The burials of these very large persons occurred among those of the less robust individuals without any recorded distinguishing features, as though they were all of a social status more or less equal. On pages 18-19 of this history, Dr. Peet continues his article, telling a little about similar earthworks reported in neighboring Ashtabula by "Rev. Mr. Hall, the former, rector of St. Peter's church" in that town. Peet relays the following information: "In cultivating the soil in the vicinity implements have been found, and in excavating the ground for graves it is said that bones have been exhumed which seemed to have belonged to a race of giants... Mr. Peleg Sweet, who was a man of large size and full features... in digging, came upon a skull and jaw which were of such size that the skull would cover his head and the jaw could be easily slipped over his face, as though the head of a giant were enveloping his." Dr. Peet also examines the view of Charles Whittlesley, that a forgotten "white race" inhabited the region "long before the advent of the white settlers" in 1798 and thereafter. As an evidence for this theory he tells of "the discovery of an inscribed stone... near the burying-place upon the east side of the Ashtabula creek... found by the son of Peleg Sweet" in 1808, or perhaps shortly thereafter. "On turning it over it was discovered that its surface was covered with marks of inscribed letters... Roman capital letters," etc. Peet says, "It was too deeply planted in the ground to have belonged to any of the white settlers, as the discovery was within four or five years of the occupation" of Ashtabula by the pioneers. In the 1878 history Dr. Peet also provides a lengthy and detailed account of the "Destruction of the Eries," the ancient foes of the Iroquois, who inhabited the southern shore of Lake Erie prior to the first settlement there by the Europeans. Although the writer does not specifically link the extinct Eries to their "Whittlesley Culture" predecessors, he tells of the later Indians' extermination in a romantic narrative reminiscent of some published conjectures regarding the fate of the "mound-builders" -- "A great battle was fought... in which the Eries were again defeated, and slain to a man. Their bones lie bleaching in the sun to the present day." The 1878 history also provides some specific information on the first settlement of towns in Ashtabula county, partly contributed by the prolific pen of Stephen D. Peet. On page 131, in discussing the early days of Ashtabula town, the writer again speaks of prehistoric "burying-places" and reports of "the bones of a gigantic people" having been "exhumed from these ancient sepulchres," adding, "of the people history knows nothing." In the section on Conneaut (beginning on page 154), the historian again takes up the subject of the ancient inhabitants of the area, providing the following interesting observations: The banks of this river [Conneaut Creek] had long been the favorite resort of not only the red man of the forest butof a prehistoric people, who, without doubt, dwelt here in the remote past. The number and character of the mounds and burying-places, the exhumation of bodies from their ancient cemeteries, disclosing the fact that their bones belonged to a race of larger size than any known Indian tribe, are proofs of the fact that here in this delightful locality there lived, in the unknown past, a numerous people, and different from any Indian tribes of which the white man possesses any knowledge. There is no other spot in the county, and probably but few others anywhere, that abounds in such striking proofs of the existence of a powerful and populous people.... The ancient people disappeared, leaving no written record which might serve to enlighten us as to who they were, whence they came, and whither they have gone. Nevertheless they have left abundan… truncated (38,309 more characters in archive)