Interesting Bent Trees

These neat looking bent tree's are located just off of Decker.

You can add to that this very nice old bent tree located a couple of hundred
yards away.

And all of this is situated near this old spring.

Another Look at this Wall

On a topic I talked about here and here , this is another example of what I about talking about.

This wall is located about 5 miles from the previous site. Right next to it is this small spring.

This spring is small - you'd get only about a quart of water out of it daily. I think it could have something to do with the Spirit of Spring Water. Which makes it's interesting being so close to the wall. As a matter of fact, I nearly tripped over this spring, because I was busy taking pictures of the wall and not paying attention to my feet.

This wall is in pretty bad shape with alot of debris all over the place. It looks like it's been here for quite a while.

What's strange about this wall though is how it is kind of in segments connected by what looks like flatted rock piles. For lack of a better way to explain this. I found this site in November on the way to another.

I didn't have alot of time to spend there, so all I basically did was take more pictures than anything else. Hopefully I can get back up there in a another couple of weeks. Once all the snow melts.

Closeup of one section of the wall. I've noticed that curved kind of rock used in another wall a couple of miles away.

This wall is a couple of hundred feet long and also has some nearby cairns that I believe could be of the burial type. It's almost like the wall/spring acts as a type of barrier from the rockpiles. Having said this, I also have a feeling that there is much more to be seen and learned from this site.

Two of the Oldest People in the U.S. Die - at 114 and 113 Years Old

http://www.atlanticbb.net/news/read.php?ps=915&rip_id=%3CD9EAR7C00%40news.ap.org%3E&news_id=17780481&src=most_popular_viewed

How and Why did Native Americans Build Mounds

Interesting article on mound building.

http://www.examiner.com/x-40598-Architecture--Design-Examiner~y2010m3d7-Why-and-how-did-Native-Americans-build-mounds

Old Squirrel Hill - Site of Monongahela Village and Later Delaware Village

Old Squirrel Hill Village - New Florence - Westmoreland County

The following is taken from Wikipedia:
The Squirrel Hill Site is an archaeological site in northeastern Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in St. Clair Township west of the borough of New Florence, it was once occupied by a large Monongahela village during the pre-contact period.

The village site lies on a bluff above the Conemaugh River northwest of Squirrel Hill, an imposing summit immediately southwest of New Florence, for which the site is named. The site has frequently been farmed since European settlement, and the disturbance resulting from plowing has brought up a large number of artifacts; consequently, locals have long been aware of the site's archaeological potential. A large area of permanently darkened soil suggests that the site was frequently the home of a dense population.

Archaeological investigation has determined that the Squirrel Hill Site is the location of one of the largest Monongahela villages in the valley of the Ohio River. Like the similar Johnston Site to the northwest, it was likely composed of a group of circular houses around a central plaza and encircled by a stockade. Objects found at the site include flint tools, pieces of pottery, and a wide range of bone fragments. The presence of human burials is expected, as the Monongahela often buried their dead within their villages.

Aside from plowing for agricultural purposes, the site has only rarely been disturbed; a dirt road crosses the property,but it is believed that the range of artifacts below the plow line has seen little damage. Few other Johnston phase Monongahela villages have been so well preserved as the Squirrel Hill Site. Accordingly, it has been seen as a prime potential site for yielding information about the poorly-known late prehistoric Johnston phase.

In 1980, the Squirrel Hill Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its archaeological value. One acre of the site, including land on both sides of the small dirt road, was included in the area added to the Register.

Not in the article is the mention of Old Squirrel Hill Town (Frontier Forts of Western Pa) - it was still the site of an indian village (Delaware) in 1774 - see the murder of Joseph Wipey, friendly Delaware Indian - Johnstown. From personal experience, I have walked from here (Lower Yoder Township and the Mountain Road) to Seward and New Florence thru the old trails to this area and others.

Round Flat Type Circular Rock Pile

Small Rock Pile

This is located in an area that has other cairns of various sizes.