SOUTHWOLD EARTHWORKS 23 (PREH I STORIC )
SOUTffiJOLD ·H~A P.':'If,VORKS
INDIAN FORT AND VILu\GE Elgin County, Ontario, (South of Iona, Highway #3)
Map - Survey by t-.1." J. ·vl itenburge , 19.35 shows .the area to be approximately five ae!'es. Drawn by Dr. \~ilfred Juryt 1944
Story - Excer~ts taken from the Story as wrJ.tten by D..r . 'l'dlfred Jury..t . formerly formerly with t~e·Department m· Indian Archeaol;;gy, Toronto, now with the University of \vestern Ontario, Londorn. · DlAGRAM OF SOOTHWOLD EARTH\'lORKS -~ STORY OF IONA EARTffilORKS '.-...... _.E ~gin County, Ont. _ ------;: .~ -~:. ::~--:-- .....__ \'lhen you as a tourist arrive at the r.; ------· .. ·--~-'!.. · ,; :- .• ·• · ··.·: ·. ·,·.·.\ · : --... (cl\ 1 1 I If # • • '._ .f ,. -- •• # • ' entrance of the Southwold EarthWorks, you ,., .. ; ':.. : ._ ~ :·...: · :.·:·::-.:.:. _ .- ...... · ·: · ~; ~·}·; • · ~~:;.:'-:-:--: : ='~ · "~-• .'· - ~ • \ will find a · gate of wood between natural/ . ~ ;~~-- · .. ·.:· · · .:: .:. : · ·~-_. · ~- e .. :- ! ~ :- • \ stone posts, and a plaque erected in / .:-;· · a* ...... · _-: . . · ... ·.:". .·· _:·;· .·_: ·~ ~· ~::":/ .: :" ··. · ·~ ·...... : ' .. .. ·. ·. , "" l9JO. You will then follow one of tw9- ,... : : · . · .-.. · ·. o • . '. :~ · ~: .: ,·,~·:·.: ·::•· .. . ~:: ,. " 5 truils which l ead back some distance/ :::' .....:: : ; .' f-::~r~ ~r .. ~:~· ::_; ;::· --.':=·~;;:.:::,~---:. '.-.'; : -·;:· =.~... ··j ··. .. ·'· .... , _~~,.·· .• ,. •,:,: .: ...... · · · ~: ~:... :-: \ to the sight of the Indian Village 1 .. ~· ..-. •. : · • • , • ... ..:: •• ':: • ' c->ao ·,-; o oo e : · · : :: .._ ', c1nd Fort known as the Southwold 1 ;::~· _{;·: ~ o~ ~,,o 0 ~;~ \~ .. 4 Earthworks. Only a careful exam- r :,· . ~::::· ~~ o " ., ••• .. •• "., " ~· .~·: : •. - ~ ·· ~ • ·:: . .-·.. ;._ \ ination of t he CU'64 will reveal 1 .;· ;·.,:· ,.. ~,. ~ :;.( c; .,_ ,. • 0 ,. ::.. 1. ··.: •:._::: ·. c o ,. . . : .. \ two walls, which run .in a circular 0 ~r ~~ : :·~ 1 1 shape among the t rees. A trail _1· tJ ct• ,: ;;, o e ·::: o ..~ <.l c ::_\ !::_.-_=. ) runs over the top of the walls. 1 .; · ,. 9·:.:: r~ .. ~<.? • •• i -~-- 1 o .. .. • ·:.: , :-:.; 1 This sight is an unique hi~ .. : 0 ....,!> 0 -~ ~ exar. 1~le of a double-walled I:.; , £. • • •: ,;, ·,•:. 0 .... ! .:,: 1 abor~ginal fort. The pl~que <.' . •., t'l'.'.~ v . ~~ ~ ~-. : ··· .:··. ::: .:~~: J. 6 1 talls the tourist in bot / t~ ~.-: ·, --.. .. , .. · ... ~ . ~ ·~:.: .... o f ··· .. · .. :b;nglish and French that the - ~~: a.l~ S,l.,J-. ·:.~:::: . r"!_;'~ ~ o(a 1) :~ ;~ :i:' f.•. 0 0 ° . 0 U.Attinwandaronk or Neutral ft, '/..,, ...... t.Qo!\r(\ .,·:~ ·: :: : .. .,o"'co ~: :"'~· t Nationn occupieA this region ~~· · .. . t'" o o '.. v ~ , ;t o Cla,. .· ~ ,.:. '~ ? .f :-···, prior t o expulsion about 1650 A .]) ~·· '? .. ··:) :::-~c(\ \•• L e afY) ., " ·•\'1; !~~> "'~ut-.,. ~:~ 1 0 1 by t he Iroquois. Prior to this· , ,·:~: ~: -'-,:;,, ,. " •• .: o ~ ' ;·~,·t~·· ' '" .~ / · ··: it had been visted by French Tra de '··:-. ';.~ , . ~ ,. ,.~ oO e ~ • · . • ; 1 I " " .., 0 .. ...,P .'.; but this earthworks shows no trace o ... ·;:.: ~': ; .: ·. • ~ .• o ~ .. ~ • b ~- . ..·:. ;' 1uropean con~act . Its antiquity and '\ ~- ·' ,. q ~~ •o~ oo ., "'e -~· .. _.T>t.• . •.-·=: · •. - ~ / orig in remain unknown. '\. :·: :- ·,·~ -~. i • ;:. ·. · :r..., .~ 0 .. .. .,.. .c ,;:...: .~.:: · : .~-/ c: 6 1 t is described as a double-walled \ · ·:t; ·. ~··:- i -. = ·•. ·, o • o • : ",o .,, ~ .. / ·- .:-.:· / Indian Fort with a v1ater filled moat bet we~ .:: :;,, : · ·.~. ·. ·. ·.·.: . ()• D e; ~~ e>:.";:; <~~·-;/ the palisades. The fort or village must have '-;:·:·:··:_: .._. . .. ••• • oe • · ... = ..· ·' / provided accomodations for a fairly large number ...... ,: · :·-::· 4 ~ ··:.... c. '" r>.,~ot ·:.: ·~.- - - · ~/ of persons - possibly 200 to 400 persons (.or maybe '"-·-:---....._ ·: ..·:~: ~ ~=::: Q ·l\· .:·::· oc '> •• ...: ~~··. : ·. : · .,·/ tJJO to 700). It is one of several similar forts that must--.....!...:.. ~": -.. c o · · .. ~ ·::·.. ::.-,. :. .. oo ·.~:·- ,:-:: · / ~ve been in existance in the peninsula between Talbot Creek ana,·.:_:·~ ~ --·.. ··:, =-··.: :· .·:· · ~ -.::.:··:: .. ·.···· /Trees - Ci the most lvesterly bend of KettJ:e Creek. No trace of t he other sites-.....:~·.··.... : t···; 1 Post holes- ~·~;:. ; .:- Relllain. These sites were about 17 miles apart. The Indians living t !lere '-~···· · ~ - . . . :.~ · / ...... practised controlled births by the knowledge of medicinal Iferbs. Both :/omen an~ :---· .:.··>. -:.~._:,::.-~;·_:·,:~:: ~<""·''/ Refuse Heaps- .... ~ . :"- 0 men smoked the Tobacco that they themseliDes grew. Excavat~ons showed deformed were -- · · · . · · 1 Pockets ~ ashes. ... ::~ -· put to death - ashes preserved bones utensils. - _ I Human rema ~ns - G~ According t o the History of El~ih County the Southwold Earthworks may have been the ---4 Limits of ex.cavated Area·-· sight of Alexis, one of the fiYe v~llag es marked on Sanson's map of 16,6. The Southwold o 20 40 60 so Earthworks are now considered to be t he only one of their kind in· Canada. There is a similar site I • t • I a I • I • I • I • I • I iu ~he u.s.A. These people made pottery and were users of flint, or flit workers. Eigh~ · percent Scale o f Fe et . of the flint found originated in Ipperwash; Ont. It could have been aquired bY. t r ading. Such a gr oup of Indians lived 7 years at one site, a nd then moved on to proceed to bu~ ld anew. SOUTHWO LD EARTHWORKS 24
( PREH I STOR I C)
:, 10:-.IA 1Wr.st Elgin Bureau)i IPublir prrssurr. may cause th el\ ~ATURDAY, JU ,~E~~5, 1 96~ ~- .0 nlario go\·crnment to do some- bing a b o u l the Southwold ,l•:arthw orks, a rare historical St. Thomas, Saturday, April 1, 1967 I;ite j11sl south of here. ! Un less something is done the Dr. Jury Gi ves Us a Prod Soul hwJid Earl hworks, the re- The suggestion by Dr. Wllfred Jury, tmains of an olci Indian fortress, •';:ill be grown O\'Cr by shrubs noted archaeologist and expert on early ::111.d weeds so t hal Lhev can no Canadian history, that the Neutral Indian l]onge r be recognized.· \ illage that used to exist at what is known The site is now clearly mark ll(JW as the Southwold Earthworks should eel by signs. But all the signs be reconstructed in the interests of history have accomplished is lo make and tourism, is someth1ng with which many lourists an~ry. ,P(Ople will agree. When they arrive at the silc This historic site, located south of Jona ;1nd fol lcw ·a bumpy road they on the Dunwich-Southwold 'fownline, will f'nd up at a dearl-rnd ncar a l t> nd itself admirably to the treatment that hush. Two trails lead into the tt • • . , h;..s been given-under Dr. Jury's personal bush. but unless it is . known t ,;~'·_t:,.::":' · \\ha l to look fo r there Js vcryl [it. .. · · :.ttpervision-to the 17th Century Indian lit tle> to SN' lHil some hig trees,1 ' illage at Midland. This village is one of a lot or undergrowth and wrc>ds. three tourist attractions of an historical Onlv a careiul examination o[ vnture at Midland. Others are the Huronia lhe
The Southwold Prehistoric Earthworks is one of several simila r f orts that must have been in existence in the peninsula between Talbot Creek and the most west erly bend of Kettl e Creek." No trace o f the other sites remain. According to the history of Elgin County compiled by George Thorman and Ral ph Parker, the Southwo l d Earthworks may have been the site of Alexis, one of five villag es marked on Sanson's map of 1656. The s ite is now considered to be the only bne of its kind in Canada. There is a similar site in the u.s.A.
An official of the Historical b r anch of the Ontario go vernment to l d the Ti mes Journal that a r equest t o restore th e site and make it easily accessibl e to the public would be considered .
Times Journa l, J une 25, 1 966 .
Dr. Wil f red J ury, a l ecturer at Western University, London, ontario , a n d a n authority on Indian Archaeology, who has had the privilige o f reconstructing the Indi a n Vill a g e of st . Ma rie at Midland , h a s given several lectures on the Southwold P rehisto ric Earthwork at t he southern out s kirts of t he vill a g e of Iona.
There were, h e said , a p proximat e l y thirty-two villages of abou t 4 0 , 0 0 0 Ne utral Indians. Their palisaded villa g es, where t h ey lived about seven years on one site, were about sevent een miles apart . These palisades h ad wa ter between the double banks, a n d the living quarters were i n the centre of the circle .
These I ndia ns, also known as the " Attiwandaronkr pra c ticed birth control by their knowl edge of medicinal h e rbs. Bo th men and women smoked the tobacco they g rew. Di ggings at the site showed that they used a form of pottery, and flints. They were known as "fl in two rker s , '' - 80 percent of which can be traced a s o ri g ina t ing from I pperwash on La ke Huron. Their source could have beeh from trade.
Ther e is no e videnc e that any battle h ad taken p lace a t this location.
Ex c erp ts fro m a l ecture by Dr. 1. Jury. ( .Mrs . J . L . Healy- 1 967).
BURWELL'S CORNERS, Nov. 2 - Southwold Township 'tarmer, Cecil Brown, has one of the most unusual ta~ka In Canada. / Cl5 'f •' He looks after a double ~vall c d earthun fortification ll3 a national historic site for the Federal Government. There are man;• forts throughout Canada, "' nnd possibly just as many care- ; property is kept in good shape. takers. However, this former f ~ecently ,, he has had the tenc• stron t~hold is one of the few mg repal.red. . . built by ancient Redmen. Vandalism IS VIrtually un- 1 In fact it is so old that it 1 ~nown . ~onccrnlng un:mthor dcflnltcly pre-dates the first Jzcd probmg of the tort, Mr. white men ln. this part of tho Brown states: \t world "There Is no t wublc a~ ull." Mr.'Brown took on tho main- Persons · who come to tho .. tcnanco responsibility baclt Jn fort are gcn('rally those with 1030, when Dr. James H. Coyne an Interest In h l:~tory. Ml'. 1 and other prominent historians Brown saw the v~luo of pre· culminated many years of ef- serving. the site 1.\S a Y?Ung fort to obtain the site tor the man, recalling the enthusiasm natio, 1• w. J. Wintcmberg, of displayed by tho late Dr. C~yne the National Museum had care- who had delved deeply mto fully excavated pprti~ns,of the Can.ada's earliest history. , site, pronouncing it an out- . Smcc. the earthwo:lts build standing example of Attiwan- ers vamshcd. !rom the sec~~ ~y dnron workmanship. 1650, there IS scn~t poss1b11ity During the year, Mr. Brown tha~ ~f r. Brown wtll ever meet takes occasional time ott from a v1s1tor who can honestly say his farm worlt to cut the grass, tha t t heir forefathers lived at tend the t~ _ and see the this place.
Newspaper clippi n g s - from - Th e S . Thoma s Ti me s Jou r nal . -
TH E TALBOT ESTATE 26
On June 3, 1 803 , Colonel Thomas Talbo t landed on the shore of Lake Erie at a s pot he deci ded was s u itable for headquarters from which t he Talbot Settlement would be est ablished. This extended over what is now El gin a nd part s of four ad joining counties. The spot h e cho s e is named Port Tal bot.
In the early 1 800's, Colonel Tal bot a nd Mr . Mc Beth,a lawyer of London, owned t he by now extensive house and land of the Talbo t Estate.
Co lonel Tal oot's Residenc e - Port Talbot l 86 0 • s. Copied fro m a sketch of Mrs. John Graves Simcoe.
Much ha s been said and written about the Tal bo t Settlement, which i s in t he area served by the Iona Branch of the Women 's Institu te.
Mr . and Mrs . Jame s Wa t kins lived there within the memory of some of us who are still present in Iona. Mrs. Wa t k ins was a friendly and outgo ing pers on. They are are r emembered a s having been very hospitable p eo ple. Miss Clara Lumley (Mrs . Thomas Edwa r ds) of St.Thomas, often visited the home of t he writer particularl y in t h e summers. She, with Miss Alice Lodge ( Mrs . Frank Henderson), Miss Edythe Lumley ( Mrs. Duncan Carswell), Miss Laura Graham (teacher a t Southwold Schoo l Number 5), t h e two Lodge brothers of Alic e and others, were often invited t o Port Talbot and were entertained royally.
The Ions Me t hodist Sunday School were invited to Port Talbo t to h a ve their games and sprea d t heir l unches on the Watk i n 's l awn. The mo re venturesome have been known to climb the cliffs. Any g irls caug ht by the boys on the Swing Bridge back o f the house we r e g i v en a good swing to their t error. Crossing the mouth of t h e Bi g Creek wh ere it emp tied into Lake Erie, was sometimes possible. When the sand bar blocking the creek's flow wa s absent , it was dangerous. Some memb ers of this Sunday School arrived at t he picnic with t hei r parents , others , more fortunat e came in a wa gon fil led with hay. The food was plentiful and good - p ies, cakes , fried chicken and ice cream - a r e remembered.
In later years , 1 950 and a few yea rs l a ter, the Kerrs , who own t he farm now, allowed the members of the West El g in Women's Insti tutes to hold a summ er t ea at the farm. These teas proved suc cessful and t h e funds raised hel ped to l aunch the El g in Mu seum in st . Thomas . An important feature o~ t hese events wa s a tour of the h istorical old home of Co l onel Tal bot.
El izabeth J ohnson - Curator 1962- 1968 . THE TALBOT ESTATE 2 7
On May 21, 1803 , Colonel Thomaa Talbot arrived with four followers at the mouth of a small, sluggish stream in Dunwioh Township, ther,after known as Talbot Creek. He eiesed an axe, and, chopping down the first tree, inaugerated the new settlement. Woodsmen, Indiana and Halt-breeds felled the trees and broke ground for Talbot's first cabin. It was log construction, roomy, perfectly adapted to hie needs and became a stage for many of th~ dramas of the early settlement, its dangers, ita privations and triumphs.
From an item in the London Free Press in 1960. (Historic Houses of Canada) - Katherine Hale.
Two miles due south of this fort is what is known all over Canada as the Talbot Settlement . Colonel Talbot came from Ireland and was given a grant of ten thousand ( ? ) acres o f l ~nd from the British Cro wn to be distributed to settlers, in two hundred acre lots . If the settler required more acreag e, t hey could do eo by giving fifty cents an aore. This land was surveyed by Colonel Burwell, a right hand man of Colonel Talbot, and a registry office was built on the Dunwich side of the town line at Burwell's Corner, where a cairn by the Historical Society was erected . 1n 1924 . The inscription r e a d : " Site of Re g i stry 0 f f i c e , County of Mi d d 1 e sex , Pre v i o u s to 18 4 3 . "
Burwell's Corner is midway between the Earthworks and the Talbot Estate .
Mise Victoria Munro (Convmor Historical Research- Iona Women 's Institute ) .
Talbot's original homestead, a log cahin By JOE 'MA1'YAS built with llis own hands, \Vas dest royed by ~Find ~ T race~ .~ ~ of The Free I•n·ss Am erican raiders during the war. His l'el·oncl home has large, open rooms whith today arc While hisfory may have rcl>crvations aboi.1t · filled with many of his personal belongmgs, <·ontrovcrsial colonial devcioper Col. Thoma• as well as antiques l\1r. I
IllS WOI'K tile Royal Society or Canada He· JJukc o£ Kent would be his royal lobby! I Uy 1.. N. BRONSON :;cribcd him as an ardent Tory or the olrl his bid to receive land grants. 1 school, so much so one township in which he lie rrturned to Britain, was unable to s I · 'Who were W1 lliam Powers, Patrick Whea· was never popular constantly voted nerorm. cure the land he sought, but did get un of ton. George Crane and S The present one hundred year old, eight roo~ home , known as "~.aalahide House" now o ned by Ur . F . Ker and his son John of Ja~ilton , i s the second house of Colonel Tho mas H. Tal oot . This home has been r efur bished by the Kers . The shel ter of the f r ont entrance was added fo r protection agai nst the storus f r om Lake Er ie . Pictures courtesy Ur. F . herr . THE TALBOT ESTATE 30 COL. TALBOT'S HOUSE AT PORT TALBOT From the painting by Hubert Marius Robert !i> Toronto Star Weel..ly --- A Cairn was erected a t the entrance t o the Talbot Esta te by t h e Historical Sites a nd funume nts Bo a rd o f Cana da i n 1925, with t he f ollo wi ng i nscri ption : l? ORT TALBO T Ne a r the cliff wa s the log hut reside nce for al most f i f ty y ears of t he Honorable Co lonel Thomas Talbot, who on 21 May 1803 , began there the Tal bot Se ttlement . From h ere in 1 809- 1811 Mah lon Bu r we ll surveye d and l a i d out Tal bot Roa d e a st and west, for year s the longest a nd best kept road in t h e pro vince. In t h e far of 181 2 Tal bot was Co lonel in co mmand of the London Distric t. On the l Oth of Au gust 1812,. Brock ' s ex pedition encamped on the beach on its way to capture o f Detr o i t a nd Hull's a r my. Enemy forces repe a te dly r a i de d the settleme nt and a bout t he 20th Se ptembe r, 1814, burnt Talbot's mills and Bu r well ' s buil ding s a t l?o rt Talbot. ....