USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. DEER SKELETON UNCOVERED While Excavating (?) Pond on a Farm North of (?) An interesting discovery was made on the John J. Stokes farm north of town last week. There is an old spring on this place, which has been there as long as the earliest settlers can remember. The spring is of fine sulphur water and no doubt is connected in some way with the famous Green Springs, water being of about the same mineral composition. Early this year a spring on the Chas. Wott place, south of the Stokes farm, suddenly went dry, and at the same time a new spring broke out within yards of the old one on the Stokes farm. Since that time the water has flowed from this place into a ditch and found its way into Raccoon Creek. A few days ago Mr. Stokes began excavating an area about a half an acre in size with the purpose of making a duck and fishing pond. The place is a natural resort for wild ducks, indicating that this has been their custom for many years. The ground is of a mucky-clay variety, and while workmen were at work the scraper overturned a bone. On investigating further, most of the skeleton of an animal was unearthed, having been covered by about three feet of soil. When the bones were dug up there was some controversy as to what kind of animal they belonged to, and several of them were brought to Dr. A. E. Metzgar and Dr. E. A. Baker, and they pronounced them the bones of a deer. Just how long they had been there is difficult to say, but probably more than fifty years. They were in a wonderful state of preservation. The land around the pond seems to be undermined, and a heavy machine passing over the road near by makes a movement on the surface of the water. The pond in now only a foot or so deep but is constantly filling up. The spring which feeds the pond is so deep that the bottom has never been touched, and has a appearance similar to the Castalia Blue Hole. In an interview with Elijah Pocock, whose farm is adjoining the Stoke place, he says, "I came to this vicinity with my parent in 1845, when there were very few settlers here. There were 18 acres cleared on this farm but no roads to speak of, and I can remember when my father used to go through the woods with grain to the old mill at Venice. We lived in a log cabin that had cracks between the timber so large you could throw your hat through them. "When I was a boy I never wore an overcoat till I was 21. We didn't need any because the woods broke the strong wind, There were deer around here, occasionally a wolf, and I am sure the bones discovered were those of deer." Transcribed by: Marianne Hitchcock Smith ----