 = Spanish Hill = 
 
 Spanish Hill is a hill located in the borough of South Waverly , Pennsylvania . The hill is controversial among historians and archaeologists ; opinions regarding the origin of structures found on the site vary from embankments created by early farmers , to the remnants of a Native American village and battlements , due to the site 's similarity to the description found in the account of Étienne Brûlé of a settlement called Carantouan . The area in the hill 's vicinity was previously occupied by Susquehannock Native Americans . It was a common site for both amateur and professional archaeology , as well as relic hunting . The source of the name remains unknown , but various theories have been proposed as to its origin . 
 
 = = Geography = = 
 
 In 1795 , François Alexandre Frédéric visited Spanish Hill while en route to Canada . He described the hill as " a mountain in the shape of a sugar loaf , about 100 feet high , with level top , on which are remains of intrenchments . One perpendicular breastwork is still remaining , plainly indicating a parapet and ditch . " In 1833 , another individual visiting the hill described " the remains of a wall which runs around the whole exactly on the brow , and within a deep ditch or intrenchment running round the whole summit . " In 1898 , I.P. Shepard created a sketch of Spanish Hill , including the portions still visible at the time as well as those no longer extant . Shepard enlisted the assistance of a longtime local resident , Charles Henry Shepard , who claimed to remember " fortifications as consisting of an embankment with a trench behind , giving a height of four or five feet on the inside . " In addition , an indent was discovered on the site which was pronounced to be a corn cache by Beauchamp . 
 According to John S. Clark , a surveyor and historian active in the area until the early twentieth century , the topography and size of the site were appropriate to correspond with Brûlé 's description of Carantouan ; Brûlé described a palisaded town , populated by approximately 800 warriors and 4 @,@ 000 individuals in total . He also described the dwellings and fortifications as being similar to those utilized by the Wyandot people . Clark 's conclusions were based in part on surveys he conducted at the site in 1878 , when he observed what he believed were fortifications atop the hill . Amateur archaeologist Ellsworth C. Cowles conducted an excavation at the base of the hill in 1932 , uncovering what he described as " seventy five postholes extending east and west , " as well as the " effigy of a huge animal . " 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 Originally created by receding glaciers , Spanish Hill comprises approximately 10 acres ( 40 @,@ 000 m2 ) of earth in a site that is part of the Sayre quadrangle . Located at an elevation of 978 feet ( 298 m ) above sea level , it rises approximately 230 feet ( 70 m ) over the nearby floodplain of the Chemung River . The hill is located in South Waverly , Pennsylvania , in Bradford County , just south of the state border with New York , inside of territory once occupied by the Susquehannock people . It has been acknowledged and studied by historians and archaeologists for over two hundred years . The source of the name is unknown , but individuals traveling through the area between 1795 and 1804 described " Spanish Ramparts " as a feature of the hill , and some of the earliest settlers to the region report that local Native Americans referred to the hill either as " Hispan " or " Espan . " In 1615 , Étienne Brûlé was sent to the area by Samuel de Champlain to meet with Native American tribes in the hope of finding assistance to fight the Iroquois , against whom Champlain had allied with the Wyandot people . During his voyage , Brûlé recorded a town called Carantouan ( meaning " Big Tree , " according to ethnologist William Martin Beauchamp ) , which was subsequently included on a map published by de Champlain in 1632 . In the early nineteenth @-@ century , a Native American man who lived in the area near Spanish Hill reportedly refused to ascend it , for fear of a deadly spirit that lived on top . According to the man , the spirit spoke with a thunderous voice and " made holes through Indians ' bodies . " Archaeologist Louise Welles Murray suggested that this could be a reference to cannon or musket fire . 
 In the early twentieth century , archaeological and historical research was conducted regarding a potential connection between Carantouan and the structures described on the hill . After surveying the area in spring and fall , archaeologist L.D. Shoemaker discovered evidence of Native American habitation , including shell heaps , corn and flint chips , along with various other implements . In 1918 , historian and archaeologist George P. Donehoo , after a survey of the site , determined that it was impossible for Spanish Hill to have been the site of the town described by Brûlé . He cited the sharp incline , which would have made ascension difficult , as well as the lack of water and archaeological evidence on the hill as evidence against it having been the location of Carantouan . Speculation that Spanish Hill was the site of the village was also countered by James Bennett Griffin , who found nothing of interest in the area following an archaeological survey in 1931 . However , historian Deb Twigg suggests that prior excavations conducted by early twentieth @-@ century archaeologist Warren Moorehead , as well as years of heavy farming activity in the area may have contributed to the lack of artifacts found during the Griffin expedition . As Twig wrote : “ Until more information is known , it seems imprudent to eliminate Spanish Hill as a possible site related to the nation of Carantouan , as some researchers have done . ” 
 The site was a popular location , both for archaeological excavations and amateur collecting . According to Twigg , Spanish Hill was " looted " by Moorehead , and his finds likely sold to collectors . In addition , the area was heavily scoured by relic collectors approximately since the early nineteenth @-@ century . 
 On October 15 , 1915 , the Historical Society of Bradford County , Pennsylvania , dedicated a memorial on Spanish Hill in honor of the tricentennial of the arrival of Brûlé to the present @-@ day border of Pennsylvania . Later , in 1939 , Section of Painting and Sculpture artist Musa McKim depicted the hill in a mural entitled " Spanish Hill and the Early Inhabitants of the Vicinity , " for display in the United States Post Office branch of nearby Waverly , New York . The hill was nearly demolished and used for highway fill in 1970 , but the efforts were reportedly halted due to lobbying by local amateur archaeologist Ellsworth Cowles . 
 
 