USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II > Part 55
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Prehistoric Memor- The region of country between the ials : The Mound- Oostanaula and the Etowah Rivers Builders. is rich in antiquities. Besides an un- written body of traditions, there are numerous relics which testify to the former existence in this locality of a race of inhabitants older than the Cher-
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okees. We quote from an account written by Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr., in 1861. Says he :*
"The organic traces of the Mound-Builders are frequent in this neigh- borhood. Just where the rivers meet, there once stood upon the point of land, whos base is washed by these streams, an interesting mound, circular in shape, some twelve or fifteen feet in height and, at the base, not less than fifty feet in diameter. The earth and clay which composd this tumulus have been almost entirely removed, the same having been employed in level- ing the streets of Rome and in making a landing place for the ferry-boats. From this mound silver ornaments and heads of gold were taken. It was found to contain numerous skeletons, pots, vases, stone axes, arrowheads, spearheads, shell ornaments, pipes, copper beads, mortars, circular stones, carefully rounded and polished, besides other relics of a less interesting character. Along the banks of the two rivers are numerous traces of in- humation. This spot appears to have been consecrated to the purposes of burial. The swollen tides never wash the shore, without bringing to light new proofs of this fact. In the immediate neighborhood were several other mounds of smaller dimensions, all of which seem to have been de- voted to the purposes of sepulture. They are now nearly level with the plain. Upon the very spot occupied by at least two of them have been erected the dwellings and work-shops of another and a nobler race. The contents of these were all similar. They were composed of the blue clay and alluvial soil of the valley, interspersed with stones and muscle shells taken from the beds of the confluent streams."
But the Cherokees possessed no information concerning these mounds. They knew nothing whatever of the race of people by whom they were built. Says Colonel Jones :* "When questioned by the whites who first located here, they replied by saying that they retained not even a tradition of those who constructed them." The story is shrouded in oblivion. With respect to the physical characteristics of the environment, Colonel Jones waxes eloquent. Says he: "Beautiful in all its features is this necropolis of a departed race. Standing upon the almost obliterated traces of the larger mound, whose base is washed by the confluent waves of the Etowah and the Oostanaula, the eye, gladdened by the joyful meeting, watches the stranger wavelets, now friends, as in joyous companionship they leap along the current of the softly gliding Coosa. The dark green foliage which crowns the left bank grows darker still as the shadow of the opposite hill-almost a mountain-settles upon the river; while the trees on the other side are joyously waving their beautiful branches in the soft sunlight which rests upon the valley beyond. On the right, hill succeeds hill in gentle undulation. Behind, stretches the valley of the Etowah, beautiful in its
*Monumental Remains of Georgia, by Charles C. Jones, Jr., pp. 82-83, Savannah, 1861.
*Ibid., p. 83.
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foliage, attractive in its graceful windings, as it bends over to guard in its accustomed channel, the stream which imparts its life and verdure. Upon the adjacent eminences, sits the village of Rome. The stately trees have fallen before the stroke of the woodsinan. Broad bridges span the waters. The steamboat, freighted with the products of intelligent husbandry, stem their currents. Through the echoing valley of the Etowah, are heard the shrill whistle and the rapid march of the locomotive. On every side are seen the traces of a new, a superior, and an advancing civilization. How changed since the time when the Mound-Builder fixed here his home, and above the remains of his family and friends, heaped these memorials of his sorrow-these tributes to the memory of the departed."
F
Indian Antiquities. "Some eight miles above Rome, in a bend of the Oostanaula River, known as Pope's Bend, is a mount, at present some five or six feet in height and, at the base, some eighty feet in diameter. It stands in the middle of a field, which is said to have been cleared and cultivated by the Indians. Circular in form, its central portion is considerably depressed. In consequence of the ex- posure of this tumulus to the immediate action of wind and tempest and due to its having been for years cultivated, its present proportions do not realize its original size. The walls of this mound must at first have been raised several feet above its central portion. In this respect, it seems quite unique. Now, however, the outer rim has an elevation of not more' than two feet. It is composed entirely of the sand and soil of the valley. Upon its surface were found broken fragments of pottery, a stone axe, a pipe, a soapstone ornament, broken clay utensils and numerous fragments' of human bones. This was, without doubt, a burial mound. Just across the river, and upon a neck of land formed by the confluence of Armurchee Creek and the Oostanaula, is still another. The surface of the ground for several acres here is covered with pieces of pottery, and a great varity of spear and arrow-heads. From this mound were taken a mortar of beau- tiful proportions, pestles, stone axes, etc. We are inclined to refer these last tumuli to an Indian origin. Certain it is that many of the remains found in and about them are purely Indian in character. It will be ob- served, however, that the same locality sometimes, and in fact not un- frequently, indicates the existence of remains peculiar both to the Mound- Builders and to a later period.
From the best authority it appears that the Cherokees of this region did not, as a general rule, erect mounds over the dead. The usual custom was to hide the body in some rocky fissure, covering it with bark, despositing with it the bow and arrow, pots, stone axes, and other articles, the property of the deceased, and then close securely the entrance. Often the hut of the deceased was burnt, and with it many articles used by
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the late owner. Sometimes they interred beneath the floor of the cabin, sub- scquently setting fire to the walls and roof, thus obliterating every trace of the inhumation.
"Again, they buried by placing the body underneath a ledge of rocks, or upon the slope of a hill in some unfrequented spot, heaping above it a pile of stones. Subsequently they adopted the plan of digging a grave some three feet or more in depth, into which the corpse was lowered. Above it was heaped a small tumulus, some six or eight feet in length and two or three feet in height. Upon the range of hills running to the south of Rome are several graves of this latter description. They lie north and south and are generally located in the vicinity of large trees. On the right bank of the Etowah River, near Rome, at a point known as 'Old Bridge,' a heavy ledge of rocks, projecting from the side of the hill, overhung the river. It was necessary to remove this, in order to construct the track of the Rome Railway. When forced from its position by the blast, the fissures in the ledge were found to be filled with the skeletons of Indians. By many they were supposed to have been the dead killed in a battle fought but a short distance from this spot, and here secreted by those who survived. Upon the hill opposite Rome, known as 'Cemetery Hill,' many bodies have been discovered securely lodged in the inequalities of the hillsides, care- fully covered and with utensils of the chase, of war, and of domstic use, buried with them. Scattered throughout these valleys, however, there are mounds of moderate dimensions, circular or ovoidal in form, which are doubtless to be referred to an Indian origin. Judging from the internal evidence, we are inclined to regard them as the oldest organic remains of the Cherokees. Elevated spaces, perfectly level at the top, are still to be seen. These were formerly used by the Cherokees for the purposes of sport, dancing, ball playing, and quoit rolling. In one locality, not far from the village of Rome, was pointed out a track, some quarter of a mile or more in extant, which tradition designates as an Indian race-course. All traces of the dwellings have, of course, disappeared, with the exception of some of the more modern buildings-such as the ruins of the house formerly occupied by John Ross, the chief of the national, beautifully situated upon a gentle elevation, on the edge of the Coosa Valley, near the inception of the river; and the former residence of Major Ridge, which still remains in good preservation [1861], upon the left bank of the Oostanaula River, some two miles from Rome. These, however, are modern in character and belong to the semi-civilized Indian, as modified in his tastes and habits by association with the white race."*
The aboriginal remains of these valleys may be divi- ded into three classes: 1. Those which are to be referred
*Charles C. Jones, Jr., in Monumental Remains of Georgia, pp. 82-93. Savannah: 1861.
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to the Mound-Builders. 2. Such as are purely Indian in character. 3. Those which, although the work of In- dians, were modified by intercourse and contact with Whites or Europeans. Authorities : Jones, Adair, Bar- tram.
Base-Ball: A Game There is little room for doubt that of Indian Origin. the most typical as well as the most popular of American games, viz., base-ball, originated among the North American Indians. As played by them the game was, of course, crude, and in some respects was not unlike the game of foot-ball. It is only by an evolutionary sort of process that the favorite sport of the modern college athlete can be traced to the primitive play-grounds of the savage wilderness, but the essential principles of the game were undoubtedly derived from the aboriginal inhabitants of the continent. Throughout the whole of upper Georgia, there are tra- ditions without number concerning important issues, such as boundary line disputes, which were settled by the game; traces of the old fields can still be found on which the famous contests occurred; and in Cherokee County, not far from the town of Canton, is a village which com- memoratively bears the name of Ball Ground. To James Adair, the celebrated annalist of the North American sav- age, are we indebted for the following description of this favorite pastime of the Indian :
"The ball is made of a piece of scraped deer-skin, moistened and stuffed with deer's hair, and strongly sewed with deer' sinews. The ball sticks are about two feet long, the lower end somewhat resembling the palm of a hand. They are worked with deer-skin thongs. Between these they catch the ball and are enabled to throw it a great distance, when not prevented by the opposite party, whose effort it is to intercept its passage. The goal is some five hundred yards in extent. At each end of it, they fix into the ground two long, bending poles, which are three yards apart at the bottom, but reach much farther outward at the top. The party who succeeds in throwing the ball over these, scores one; but if the ball goes underneath, it is cast back and played for as usual. The game- sters were equal in number on both sides; and at the beginning of every
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course of the ball they throw it high in the center of the ground and in a direct line between the two goals. When the crowd of players prevents the one who catches the ball from throwing it directly in front, he commonly sends it in the right course by an artful, sharp twirl. They are so ex- ceedingly expert in this manly exercise that, between the goals, the ball is mostly flying the different ways, by the force of the playing-sticks, without falling to the ground; for they are not allowed to catch it with the hand. In the heat and excitement of the game, the arms and legs of the players are sometimes broken. The celebration of this game is pre- ceded by fastings and night-watches, by those who are about to engage in it. They turn out to the ball-ground, in a long row, painted white, and whooping as if Pluto's prisoners had all broken loose. The leader then begins a religious invocation, which is joined in by his companions. Each party strives to gain the twentieth ball, which they esteem a favorite divine gift." From the foregoing description it will be observed that while the modern game of base-ball differs materially from the primitive game played by the North American Indians, the equally popular game of foot- ball preserves many of the savage characteristics of its original prototype. ''1
FORSYTH
Cumming. The county of Forsyth was organized in 1832 out of a part of the Cherokee lands named for the Hon. John Forsyth of Georgia. The county-site was called Cumming, in honor of a gallant officer of the war of 1812, Col. Wm. Cumming, of Augusta. Cumming was incorporated by an Act approved December 22, 1834, with the following commissioners : John Jolly, Daniel McCoy, John H. Russell, Daniel Smith, and Wm. Martin.2
Recollections of "In the great Anti-Tariff Convention, at Milledge- John Forsyth. ville, in 1832, Mr. Berrien, who led the movement, was forced to grapple with the best off-hand debater in the world. Burke may have been more philosophical and ornate, Fox more logical and comprehensive, Sheridan more brilliant in repartee, and Pitt, in stately grandeur of eloquence, may have surpassed him, but not one of these was the polemic gladiator, the ever-buoyant and ready master of
1 Charles C. Jones, Jr., in Monumental Remains of Georgia, pp. 91-93; also James Adair, in the History of the Indian Tribes, etc.
2 Acts, 1834, p. 255.
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elocution that Mr. Forsyth was, with look and gesture, inflection of voice, and all the qualities of a high-bred soul gushing for victory. He was a perfect model of eloquence, without having copied any man or any rules. By some happy method, accidental or otherwise, he had accommodated his organs of speech to the capacity of the lungs for respiration. He was never out of breath; his voice was always clear and resonant, always pleas- ing to the ear in its high or low keys and in its grand or simple modula- tions. There was no hurry, no discord, no break, in the constant stream of pure vocalization. The listener had no dread of failure. . His very looks accomplished a great deal. A glance of the eye, a motion of the finger, a wave of the hand, a curl of the lip, a twitch of the Roman nose, could kill or cripple at the will of the speaker. The person of Mr. Forsyth was exceedingly handsome. His form was classical. He was neither too light nor too heavy for grace of manner. No orator in the United States possessed such a fine command of the keys and modulations whereby the heart is subdued at the will of the orator. His supply of the best words was inexhaustible. In this respect, he very much resembled Lord Erskine. Had he been less a man of the world, less indoctrinated in the etiquette and levity of courts, less inclined to the heartless formalities of fashion, he would have been more of a public benefactor and more deeply entwined in the affections of men. His instincts were not with the masses. He was faithful to his trusts, because it was impossible for him to do a mean or base act. He was always courteous and obliging in his personal relations; still there was a diplomatic element in which he loved to revel, and from which he derived his chief enjoyment. Beyond this, life was measurably insipid; nor is it certain that the philosophy of Boling- broke or the morals of Chesterfield contributed to his happiness. But if Mr. Forsyth had his defects-and he would be more than mortal to be exempt- let it be remembered that the sun has spots which do not mar its brilliance. It may be centuries before such a man shall again exist."*
"The late John Forsyth was one of the most accomplished men of his time. As an impromptu debater, to bring on an action or to cover a re- treat, he never had his superior. He was acute, witty, full of resources, and ever prompt-impetuous as Murat in a charge, adroit as Soult when flanked and out numbered. He was haughty in the presence of enemis, genial and winning among friends. His manners were courtly and diplomatic. In the times of Louis the XIV, he would have rivalled the most celebrated cour- tiers; under the dynasty of Napoleon he would have won the baton of France. He never failed to command the confidence of his party ; he never feared any odds against it; and, at one time, was almost its sole support
*Stephen H. Miller, in Bench and Bar of Georgia, Vol. II.
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in the Senate against the most brilliant and powerful opposition ever or- ganized against an administration."*
FRANKLIN
Carnesville. In 1784, the Legislature of Georgia created two large counties: Franklin and Washing- ton, out of lands obtained from the Indians, under the treaties of 1783, negotiated at Augusta. These were the first counties created after the war for independence, and most of the lands in these counties were given in bounty warrants to Revolutionary soldiers. Due to conditions on the frontier, several years elapsed before there was any permanent county organization. But Carnesville, as a mountain village, doubtless arose soon after the Revolution. It was made the permanent site for public buildings in the county of Franklin, by an Act approved November 29, 1806, at which time the following commis- sioners were appointed : James Terrell, Obadiah Hooper, Joseph Chandler, Frederick Beal, and James King.1 The town was incorporated on December 7, 1809, by an Act entrusting its better regulation to the following board of commissioners : Frederick Beall, Samson Lane, Ben- jamin Dorsey, Dudley Jones, and Andy Williamson.2 The town was named for Judge Thomas P. Carnes, a noted Congressman and jurist of the early days.
FULTON
Atlanta. As stated in Volume I, of this work, Atlanta was the offspring of railways, and was first called Terminus, afterwards, Marthasville. The latter town was incorporated by an Act approved December 23, 1843, with the following commissioners: L. V. Gannon, John
*J. F. H. Claiborne, in The Cabinet-Past and Present.
1 Clayton's Compendium, p. 309.
2 Clayton's Compendium, p. 320.
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Bailey, Willis Carlisle, John Kile, Sr., and Patrick Quinn.1 Later on, the name of the town was changed to Atlanta, and under this name was incorporated as a city by an Act approved December 29, 1847, with provision for its government by a mayor and councilmanic board, con- sisting of four members. Moses W. Formwalt was the first mayor. It is commonly understood that Atlanta's original charter was drawn by the late Judge John Col- lier. Until 1853, Atlanta was in DeKalb County; but, when the new county of Fulton was organized under an Act approved December 20, 1853, out of DeKalb and Henry Counties, Atlanta was chosen as the new county- site. The First Baptist church, chartered on January 26, 1850, was the earliest church incorporated. The trus- tees were : David G. Daniel, Ira O. McDaniel, Fred Kick- lighter, Alfred W. Woodin, and James S. Baker.2 Next came the First Presbyterian church, whose charter was granted on February 10, 1854, with the following board of trustees: John Glenn, Oswald Houston, Julius A. Hayden, James Davis, Joel Kelsey, George Robinson, and Wm. Markham.3 There is no record of a charter for the Methodists, but they were here in the very beginning and afterwards acquired the property which was at first jointly owned by the several denominations in common, on the site of the present Candler building, where the First Methodist church long stood. The present school system of Atlanta was established in 1872.
"Gate City": When At a meeting of some of the early the Sobriquet was First Used. pioneers, held at the Kimball House, on the evening of April 24, 1871, soon after the original structure was completed, quite a number of spicy reminiscences of the ante-bellum days were revived. To the fund of
1 Acts, 1843, p. 83.
2 Acts, 1849-1850, p. 76.
3 Acts, 1853-1854, p. 274.
1
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anecdotes, the following contribution was made by Judge William Ezzard, an ex-Mayor. Said he :
"The name of the Gate City was first given to Atlanta in Charleston in 1856, and it came about in this way. When the road was completed between Charleston and Memphis, the people of Charleston put a hogshead of water on the car, together with a fire-engine, and accompanied them to Memphis for the purpose of mingling the waters of the Atlantic with the waters of the Mississippi. In the year 1857 the Mayor of Memphis, with quite a number of ladies in the party, came to Atlanta, en route to Charles- ton, carrying water from the Mississippi, and they also carried a fire- engine for the purpose of mingling the waters of the Mississippi with the waters of the Atlantic. They arrived about 12 o'clock. I was then Mayor of Atlanta, and we gave them a reception and prepared a handsome colla- tion for them. The next morning they left for Charleston. I went with them. There were also several others in the party from Atlanta. We ar- rived in Charleston, and had a grand time there. We paraded the streets, marched down to the bay, and then went through the ceremony of pumping this water from the Mississippi into the ocean. There were a great many people present on this occasion; they came from all parts of Georgia and from all parts of South Carolina; and a grand banquet was given by the people of Charleston. Everything was well arranged. There was a toast drafted for Savannah, one for Macon, one for Augusta, and one for At- lanta, and so on. The toast prepared and given for Atlanta was: 'The Gate City-the only tribute which she requires of those who pass through her boundaries is that they stop long enough to partake of the hospitality of her citizens.' This was the substance of the toast. I may not recall the exact language. After that Atlanta was always called the Gate City, and it was never known as that before. I responded to this toast for Atlanta. It was given, I suppose, from the fact that this railroad had just been con- structed through the mountains, for the purpose of connecting the West with the Atlantic seaboard, and there was no way to get to either place except to pass through Atlanta."*
"Peachtree:" There is little room for doubt concerning
Its Derivation. the source from which the name of At- lanta's thoroughfare was derived. In the early days of the last century, an Indian village, called the standing Peachtree, stood just to the North of the
History of Atlanta and Its Pioneers, published by the Pioneer Citizens Society, p. 210.
.
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city's present site. The stream which meandered near the village was called Peachtree Creek, while the path which led to it through the forest was called Peachtree Trail. With the influx of population, the path was even- tually widened into Peachtree Road, a thoroughfare which is today lined with some of the most palatial and elegant homes to be found south of Baltimore.
To cite authorities: Dr. Abiel Sherwood, in his quaint little work entitled "Sherwood's Gazeteer, "' published in 1830, states, on page 103, that the town of Decatur was then "95 miles northwest of Milledgeville, 25 miles southwest of Lawrenceville, 9 miles southwest of Rock Mountain, and 12 miles east of the Standing Peachtree on the Chattahoochee." The author prints the words "Standing Peachtree" in capitals, just as in the ease of the towns mentioned. Moreover, since the various roads entering Atlanta, viz., the Roswell, the Marietta, the Decatur, the MeDonough, were cach named for the towns to which they led, the same, especially in the light of other evidence, must be inferentially true of Peachtree.
But there is still another witness. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, Governor George R. Gilmer, who was then barely of age, received a lieutenant's commis- sion; and as soon as enough recruits were collected an order was issued for them to be put in charge of an of- ficer, and sent into the Indian country, where active hos- tilities were going on against the Creeks. Says Gov. Gilmer :*
"I asked for the command and received it. I marched with twenty-two recruits, having no arms, except refuse drill muskets, a small quantity of loose powder, and some unmolded lead. My appointed station was on the banks of the Chattahoochee, about thirty or forty miles beyond the fron- tier, near an Indian town, not far from where the Georgia Railroad [mean- ing Western and Atlantic], now erosses the Chattahoochee River." It was an awkward business for one who had only seen a militia muster and who had never fired a musket. I was ordered to build a fort. I had never seen a fort, and had no means of knowing how to obey the order but what I could get from Duane's Tacties. I went to work and succeeded very well, so far as I know, as the strength and fitness of my fortification was never tested. Some few days after my arrival at the standing peachtree, a rough Indian fellow came into the camp with some fine catfish for sale. I had supplied myself with hook and line for catching eat in the Chatta- hoochee before I left home, and had bated and hung them from limbs
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