Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 42

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274

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" 'Prepare for a toast from Governor Troup,' was the next order; and, with solemn, distinct enunciation, our Julius Caesar of a Chief Mag- istrate gave forth, 'A union of all hearts to honor the Nation's guest, a union of all heads for the country's good.' Again the air was rent with cheers, the band played a national march, and the cannon fairly jarred the square.

"The next order was, 'Prepare for a toast from General Clarke.' Until then the author had never seen this celebrated party leader. In re- sponso to the call, a tall, bony man, with an open, honest face, rose at

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the table and, in a shrill voice, gave 'Count Pulaski, the gallant Frenchman who fell at Savannah,' and we emptied our glasses in honor of the French Count, as though history had not been contradicted by the statement. [Count Pulaski was a native of Poland.] General Lafayette must have esteemed it a special compliment to himself for such renown to be trans- ferred to France in the presence of such an assemblage of witnesses. Whether the mistake was' accidental or otherwise, it did not detract in the slightest degree from the valor or integrity of General Clarke. At most it only signified that his youth was spent in fighting the battles of his country, instead of being enervated within the walls of a college.

"It should be remembered that before the military retired from the square they were formed into line, and General Lafayette, leaning on the arm of Governor Troup, walked along a little lame, and shook hands with every man, officer and private, Colonel Jones officiating in the introduction. The author was mentioned to him as 'Sergeant M- ,' and the response was, 'Sergeant M-, I am very glad to see you.' This joy was expressed to all, and was more than reciprocated by all the volunteers. The hand of General Lafayette had been grasped-that was glory enough then. It is still a pleasant remembrance, but thirty years of hardship in the camp of life have rather tended to prove, to the author at least, that glory is not communicated in so easy and simple a manner."*

While the banquet to General Lafayette was in pro- gress two very sensational events occurred on the Cap- itol lawn, and there might have been a panic had it not been for the calm demeanor of Major-General Daniel Newnan, who was in chief command of the troops. The first episode was the sudden swooning of Major James Smith, of Clinton, on discovering that he had been robbed of his pocketbook, which contained something like five thousand dollars in bills. The other was still more serious. The shirt-sleeves of the man whose duty it was to load the cannon had caught on fire; and, without being aware of the fact, he put his hand into the large cartridge hox for another round, when the fire was com- municated to the powder, and the whole lump, containing not less than twenty or thirty pounds, instantly exploded, blowing the poor man several feet into the air and se-

*Stephen H. Miller, Vol. 2, Bench and Bar of Georgia.

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verely wounding two others who were standing near the cannon. There was a general rush of people to the spot. Major Miller, who was present, says that he can never forget the appearance of the poor man who was most injured. His body was literally burnt to a black cinder; and his agony was inexpressibly great. He died within a day or two, but the others, after much suffering, re- covered. This melancholy affair hastened the close of . the festivities.

BARROW.

Winder. On July 7, 1914, a Constitutional amendment authorizing the new County of Barrow was ap- proved by Governor John M. Slaton. Three counties, Jackson, Walton and Gwinnett, each contributed to form the new County of Barrow, so called in honor of the present distinguished Chancellor of the University of Georgia, Dr. David C. Barrow, one of the most popular men in the State, and one of the most successful college heads in America. Winder will be the new county-seat. This wide-awake young metropolis has surrendered a most unique distinction among the towns of Georgia, in exchange for its new honors as a seat of government. Heretofore each of the above-named counties has formed an angle within the corporate limits of Winder; and such has been the peculiar situation of the town with reference to county lines that part of its population has been in Walton, part in Jackson and part in Gwin- nett. Moreover, in a number of cases, the same man has crossed the street from his office in one county to his residence in another county, and looked out of his window upon property which he owned in a third county -all embraced within the corporate limits of Winder. This condition of affairs naturally gave rise to a most embarrassing situation, and constituted an argument for the new county, which was not to be answered by

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its opponents. To quote Mr. H. N. Rainey, Jr., it was frequently difficult for a man even to die in Winder, as it was sometimes necessary to take out letters of ad- ministration in all of the counties. Mr. Rainey was a zealous supporter of the bill, and was naturally quite elated over the result achieved. He lives at Winder and represents Jackson County in the present House. But tlie fight for Barrow County was not won without the most pronounced opposition, each of the counties above named taking an active stand in the matter. The move- ment for a new county was started ten years ago, when the town of Winder first awoke to its possibilities as a center of trade. Session after session the advocates of a new county went before the Legislature, only to find the way effectually blocked. But there was no furling of banners. At the last session of the Legislature, after a splendid victory in the House, an unforeseen defeat was sustained in the Senate; but when the Legislature reconvened this year the bill was reconsidered in the Senate and passed-a result due largely to the tactful generalship of Senator R. T. DuBose. The original name of the new county-seat was Jug Tavern, so called from a jug factory in this immediate neighborhood; but in 1893 the name was changed by a legislative act to Winder, in honor of a former president of the Seaboard Air Line. At the same time it was granted a charter of incorpora- tion as a city, and since then its marching columns have never once come to a halt. Governor Slaton, after attach- ing his signature to the bill, relinquished to Mr. Rainey the pen with which he performed the executive act.

BARTOW.

Prehistoric Memor- Perhaps nowhere on the continent of

ials: The Famous

North America can there be found Etowah Mounds. today memorials of a more colossal character or of a more intense inter- est, testifying to the existence of the very earliest inhabi-

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tants of the western hemisphere, than in the famous monumental remains of the Etowah, some two miles dis- tant from the present town of Cartersville. These an- cient relics of an unknown race are located on what was formerly the property of Colonel Lewis Tumlin. There are similar structures to be found in the valley of the Mississippi and along the Ohio and the Scioto Rivers, but none to compare in magnitude with these splendid piles. Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr.,* who visited the locality some time in the fifties for the purpose of making scientific investigations, has put on record an exhaustive monograph, dealing with the subject from almost every point of view. He thus describes these immemorial mounds :

"Situated upon the right bank of the Etowah River, in the midst of a perfectly alluvial bottom, they tower above all surrounding objects, changeless amid the revolutions of centuries. They consist of a series of mounds, surrounded by a large and deep moat-the traces of which are quite distinct; and, when filled with the tide of the river it effectually isolated the entire space ineluded within its boundaries. The Etowah River here turns to the south ; and, after a gentle sweep again recovers its wonted course, thus forming a graceful bend. This moat originally communicated at either end with the river, a fact which is still apparent, although the current of the stream, in its flow of years, has filled to a very great ex- tent, the mouths of the ditch, thus preventing the influx and reflux of the tide. Formerly the water must have coursed freely through it, thus isolating the entire space and constituting quite an obstacle in the path of an attacking foe. This diteh varies in depth and width; in some places possessing still a depth of twenty feet-in others, of not more than eight or ten; and differing in width from fifteen to forty feet. North and west of the mounds situated within this enelosure, and along the line of the moat, are two exeavations, each having at present a conjectured area of about an acre, and a depth of some twenty-five or thirty feet. With these ex- cavations the moat communicates directly, so that the same rising tide in the river, which flowed into the diteh, would also convert them into deep ponds or huge reservoirs. The reason why these excavations were made is evident. The earth removed in constructing the moat was not sufficient to build even a moiety of the immense tumuli within the enelosure. Hence the Mound-Builders were compelled to resort to these enormous excavations, which still exist and will remain for ages yet to come. The space included

*Historical Remains of Georgia, by Charles C. Jones, Jr., pp. 27-29, Savannah, 1861.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

within the limits of the moat is between forty and fifty acres. From the general appearance and nature of the works, we are induced to be- lieve that these excavations were designed to answer another purpose. They might have been, and probably were, intended as huge reservoirs, wherein a supply of water, sufficient to flood the entire moat, might have been detained and preserved ready for an emergency. The streams of this region, springing as they do from hilly sources and passing through valleys, are subject to great increase and diminution in volume. When, therefore, the water was low in the Etowah, it might have been difficult, if not impos- sible, to have filled the moat."

Speaking of the mysterious structures enclosed within this ditch, the same authority says .:*

"Within the enclosure there are seven mounds. Three of them are pre- eminent in size; one in particular far surpassing the others in its stupen- dous proportions, and in the degree of interest which attaches to it. This large central mound stands almost midway between the moat and the river-a little nearer the latter. Its position is commanding, and to the eye of the observer it seems a monument of the past ages. It belongs not to this generation. The hunter tribes had naught to do with its erection. The offspring of an ancient people, who have passed forever beyond the confines of this beautiful valley, it stands a solemn 'monument, ever re- peating the story of what they achieved, while they themselves and all else connected with them are sleeping beneath the shadow of a forgotten past. Composed of native earth, simple yet impressive in form, it seems calculated for an almost endless duration. Although no historian has chronicled the names and deeds of those who aided in its erection-although no poet's song commemorates the virtues, the manners, the loves, the wars, the brave deeds of those who here dwelt-still this monument exists, speak- ing a language perchance more impressive than the most studied epitaph upon Parian marble.

"This central tumulns is some eighty feet or more above the level of the valley. There is no geological formation entering in the smallest degree into its composition. To all appearances, it consists entirely of the earth taken from the moat and the excavations, together with the soil removed from around its base, having received no assistance whatever from any natural hill or elevation. In view of this circumstance, its stupendous proportions become the more surprising. It is somewhat quadrangular in form, if we disregard a small angle to the south; its apex diameter two hundred and twenty-five feet, measured cast and west, and two hundred and twenty-two feet, measured north and south. It is nearly level on top.

*Ibid., pp. 107-119.

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Originally this tumulus was crowned with the most luxurious vegetation, but the utilitarian arm of the husbandman has shorn it of this attraction. A solitary tree stands near the northern extremity. The native weeds and annual grasses flourish, however, in such rich profusion that the steps of the observer are seriously impeded. The view of the surrounding country from the summit of this tumulus is highly attractive. Almost at its base flows the ever-changing tide of the Etowah River. Alternate fields and forests charm the eye. The rich alluvial bottoms, teeming with the prod- ucts of intelligent husbandry-the crests of the neighboring hills, adorned with pleasant cottages and covered with well-cultivated orchards-the con- secrated spire, rising from the oak grove which marks the suburbs of the neighboring village-all proclaim in glad accord the happy reign of peace and plenty. Tender must have been the attachment with which the Mound- Builders regarded this beautiful valley."

Curious Relics According to Colonel Jones, the follow- Taken From ing curious relics, among a number of the Tumuli. others, have been found from time to time as the result of excavations made within the area enclosed by the moat. 1. A pipe, fash- ioned of a species of green stone, almost equal to Egyp- tian granite. It is three and a half inches in height. It represents a human figure seated in oriental fashion, the extended arms of which uphold an urn of classic pattern, which constitutes the bowl. The latter is two inches in' diameter, with ornamented rim and unique handles. The countenance of the figure is clearly not Indian in a single feature. The head is thrown back, and the uplifted eyes seem to be resting upon some superior, unseen, yet adorable divinity. The chiseld .hair upon the front is gathered upon the top in a fold, and thence flowing back- ward is confined behind in a knot. Ears prominent. 2. A pipe, likewise of stone, four and one-quarter inches in height, similar in design to the first, but ruder in its con- struction. 3. Clay pipes-some perfectly plain, others with rude impressions upon the outside, and scalloped rims. Probably of Indian origin. Bowl at right angles with the stem-some of baked, others of undried clay. 4. An idol. This interesting relic, made of a coarse, dark

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sand-stone, is twelve inches in height. It consists of a human figure in a sitting posture, the knees drawn up, almost upon a level with the chin, the hands resting upon the knees. Retreating chin and forehead-full head of hair, gathered into a knot behind-face upturned-eyes angular. Not a single feature, not an idea connected with this image is Indian in its character. Everything about it suggests the belief that it must have been fash- ioned by the ancient Mound-Builders. It is an interesting fact, in this connection, that the Cherokees were never worshippers of idols: Both Adair and Bartram testify in positive terms to this effect. 5. A stone plate. This singular relic is circular in form, eleven inches and a half in diameter, one inch and a quarter in thickness. Be- tween the scalloped edges and the central portion of the plate, there are two circular depressed rings. The mate- rial is of a sea-green color. Weight-nearly seven pounds. It was probably never employed for domestic or culinary purposes. We incline to the belief that it was a conse- crated vessel, in which was exposed the food placed by the Mound-Builders before the idols which they wor- shipped. 6. A shell ornament. Five and a quarter inches in length; four and a half inches in width; ovoidal in form; various designs chased on both inner and outer sides ; numerous apertures cut-some circular, some el- liptical. It was probably worn as an ornament, sus- pended from the neck. The impressions cut upon this shell appear to indicate the fancy and taste of the artist, rather than any positive attempt at representation of any particular object or thing. The carved lines may be hieroglyphical, but who at this day can reveal the hidden meaning? We are inclined to refer this relic to the handi- work of the Mound-Builders. 7. Fragments of isinglass. In the construction of mirrors, this material was con- stantly used by the Mound-Builders. The most extraor- dinary specimen of this character was found at Circle- ville, in the Scioto Valley, twenty-six miles south of Columbus. It was three feet in length-one foot and a

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nalf in breadth-and one inch and a half in thickness- while on it a plate of iron had become an oxide. 8. Stone pestles. 9. Numerous fragments of pottery. 10. Head and neck of bird. a specimen of clay-baked. 11. Various little images. These remains were found upon the sur- face of the tumuli and in the fields around them. We may, therefore, eagerly anticipate the revelations which will come to light when the Herculean task of exploring them has been successfully accomplished.

The Mound Like the unsolved riddle of the Sphinx, Builders: an Un- there obtrudes upon the imagination Solved Problem. this question, which time has not yet answered: Who were the mysterious Mound-Builders? They must have been an extraordi- nary race of people to have reared such enduring fabrics. But the days when these primitive inhabitants roamed the continent lie far away in the remote background of the past, beyond even the shadowy range of tradition. The mantle of oblivion rests upon them. No historical records have been left behind; and only from the internal evidence of these tumuli can the least information be de- (luced. But Colonel Jones speculates interestingly upon the subject. Says he :*

"It will be at once remarked by those who even to a limited degree have bestowed any attention upon the antiquities of our State, that these remains are not at all Indian, in point of origin. They have nothing in common with those which were ascertained to have been constructed by the Indians who were here when the region was first peopled by the whites. We have also the positive testimony of the Cherokees to the effect that they retained not even a tradition of the race by whom they were made. The anthors of these tumuli were probably idol worshippers. Among the Cher- okees this religious custom was never known to exist. The belief cherished by them with respect to a future state forbids the supposition that the idols found in the neighborhood of these tumuli were fashioned by them. Again, no migratory or nomadie race of people would have undertaken the

*Ibid., pp. 37-41.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

erection of such vast earth works, involving immense labor and designed for almost endless duration. Men must have emerged from the hunter state; they must have become more advanced in civilization; population must have become more dense before the erection of such temples-such fortifications-could have been undertaken. There was not in the sixteenth century a single tribe of Indians, between the Atlantic and the Pacific, who had means of subsistence sufficient to enable them to apply to such pur- poses the unproductive labor necessary for the erection of such a work. Nor was there any in such a social state as to enable a chief to compel the labor of the nation to be thus applied. It is only under despotic forms of government that pyramids will ever be erected in honor of princes-or such huge earth works be dedicated to religious purposes. It is evident that these monuments were never constructed by the Indians who pos- sessed this region when Georgia was first peopled by the whites. Without pausing to enumerate the proofs upon which the supposition rests, we may here state in general terms that all the probabilities point to Asia as the country whence came the earliest inhabitants of America. When or what place they located, cannot at this remove be definitely ascertained. While there are indications now and then of what may be termed an intrusive type of civilization, referred by some to occasional adventures and migra- tions, having an impulse from the east toward the Atlantic coast, we in- eline to the opinion which looks to Mexico as the parent of the immediate civilization which originated in this valley, and which resulted in these me- morials to the industry, religious zeal and military skill of a people who, in the absence of some definite name, are denominated Mound-Builders. The remains which they have left behind them are in many instances precisely similar to those which have been exhumed in the valleys and at the base of these ancient temples, seated upon the plains of Mexico. Another fact worthy of notice is this: these remains are generally located upon or near streams, having communication directly or indirectly with the Gulf."*

Testimony of a Since the locality in question was vis- Skeleton: Perhaps ted by Colonel Jones, light from other a Race of Giants. sources has been thrown upon these mysterious tumuli. The following item is copied from one of the old scrap-books of Judge Richard H. Clarke. It reads :

"Several years ago an Indian mound was opened near Cartersville, Ga., by a committee of scientists from Smithsonian. After removing the dirt for some distance a layer of large flag-stones was found, which had evi- dently been dressed by hand, showing that the men who quarried the rock

*Charles C. Jones, Jr., in Monumental Remains of Georgia, pp. 27-119.

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understood the business. These stones were removed, and in a vault be- neath them was found the skeleton of a giant, measuring seven feet and two inches. His hair was coarse and jet black, and hung to the waist, the brow being ornamented with a copper crown. The skeleton was re- markably well preserved and was taken from the vault intact. Nearby were found the bodies of several children of various sizes. The remains of the latter were covered with beads made of bone of some kind. Upon removing these the bodies were found to be enclosed in a net-work of straw or reeds, and underneath these was a covering of the skin of some animal. In fact, the bodies had been prepared somewhat after the manner of mummies and will doubtless throw new light upon the history of the people who reared these mounds. On the stones which covered the vault were carved inscriptions, and if deciphered will probably lift the veil which has enshrouded the history of the race of giants which undoubtedly at one time inhabited the continent. "*

Kingston: Story of the Old Beck Home. One of the most historic old landmarks in Cherokee Georgia is the famous old Beck home, at Kingston. It is situated a half mile from the town center, but within a stone's throw of the railroad track. This relic of ante-bellum days was purchased in 1850 by the noted author, Dr. Francis R. Goulding, who remodelled the building to suit the needs of a school which he here successfully taught for a number of years. The top story of the house was converted into a large danc- ing hall and equipped with a stage for private theat- ricals and school exhibitions. Appurtenant to the house, there is a bold spring of water, crystal clear, to which White, in his "Statistics of Georgia," makes refer- ence, stating that it threw out several hundred gallons a minute, boiling from under a cleft of rocks. Some fine old beech trees cast a luxuriant shade over the spa- cious grounds; and, after years of absence, gray-haired men have returned to Kingston to find their names cut high into the bark, where they had cut them low on

*Extract from a letter written by a Mr. Hazleton to J. B. Toomer and published in the "Banner," of Athens, Ga., date unknown. Reproduced from one of the scrap-books of Judge Richard H. Clark, in the Carnegie Library, in Atlanta, Ga.

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the trees in the early fifties. While residing in the old Beck home, Dr. Goulding wrote his world-renowned story: "The Young Marooners." The property was ac- quired in 1858 by its present owner, Mrs. Josephine Hardin Beck.

During the Civil War this famous old landmark of Kingston was used as a hospital by the Federal Army, under General Sherman, and one hundred and fifty Union soldiers were buried in the back yard. These were after- wards removed to the Federal Cemetery at Marietta. In the meantime, quite a number of the inscriptions had faded and some of the wooden boards had rotted away, but Mrs. Beck-though a Southern lady-was so unre- mitting in her watchful care over these graves, in which slept the soldier boys of the North, that she was able to restore each epitaph, by means of a note-book which she faithfully kept. Today not one of them sleeps in an unknown grave at Marietta. There is quite an interest- ing story in regard to the fine old mahogany furniture from San Domingo, still used in the old Beck home. It was purchased by Colonel William Hardin, Mrs. Beck's father, from Governor George R. Gilmer. The latter ordered it from England, for his use in the executive man- sion while Governor, but it was so long on the way that the old Governor was not only out of patience, but out of office when it finally arrived. Colonel Hardin, on taking his cotton to Charleston, in 1836, managed to get on the track of this furniture, bought it from Governor Gilmer and transported it to his home on the Etowah. In 1859 it became the property of his daughter, Mrs. Beck. Colonel Hardin took an important part in the removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia, in 1837, and was put in command of one of the detachments. He was the father of the late Colonel Mark Hardin, for years clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives .*

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 42

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1274

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274