Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-08-02
CORRESPONDENCE.
FROM WEST VIRGINIA,
AfnrNpsy1LLE. July %, 1867

1
Editors Bedford I,q,arer Thinking some
of my friends in Old Bedford would like to
know where | am, I propose to furnish
them the information through the columns
Of that good and loyal old sheet-THE IN
oUIRER | will first try to describe the
pleasant little town of Moundsville" the
County seat of Marshall Co. West Va. my
present place of residence. There are two
parts or precincts, as the citizens call them
here, one is called Upper town, and the
other Lower or old town. Upper town is
the neatest and prettiest part of the place,
from the fact there are no works of any kind
going on, and it is so far from the Rail Road
that it is free from all the black smoke and
SCOT that generally comes from steam en-
glnes. 1t is on very nice rise of ground,
with beautiful view of the broad Ohio
river. The citizens have a fair view Of
all the boats passing up and down the river,
also have nice view Of the West Virginia
Penitentiary that is going up at this place.
1t is being built of cut stone, the building
alone covers three acres Of ground, and the
entire enclosure is ten acres with a wall
twenty feet high. What they have now to
keep the Prisoners in, is something similar
to the 'Andersonville Prison" or stoekade,
twenty feet high, with sentry box in each
corner. Within two hundred yards of the
Prison is a Mound one of the largest in the
Mississippi Valley. 1t is seventy feet in
perpendicular height, with circumference
at the base Of eight hundred and twenty
| feet. The form of it IS what we call trun-
| Gated cone, with a summit diameter of sixty
three feet. 1t is one of the most interesting
things | have ever seen. There is room
in it called ''The Tablet Room or Chamber"
where there was a skeleton of human be-
| ing found seven feet in height, also wristlets,
made of copper, beads shells, and a great
many ornaments of different kinds. In the
Tablet Chamber" was found round stone
or some kind Of metal with curious marks
on it, which as yet no one has been able to
declpher. In the centre Of the Mound is a
hole, about ten feet in diameter, dug down
on level with the base and-all walled up
with brick, and which you can see from the
top, OF one Of the rooms; heard some one
say there were some two or three more
rooms. This one room was at one time mot
many years ago. used as an Ice Cream Sa-
loon, with a Round House on the top.
There are several of these Mounds in this
county bat none as larpe as this npe There
are very large trees growing on the sides of
it, some of them, | would suppose to be
three feet thick and are in circles around
the Mound. l have inquired if there is a
history of this wonderful place, but it ap-
pears no one knows any thing about it, ex-
cept what the gentleman knows that owns
it. 1t was owned by company some years
ago, but is owned at present by Colonel
Lockwood, formerly of the 10Th Regiment
of West Virginia Infantry
The part of town l..reside in, is Old town,
where we have a Kegg Factory, two Steam
FIGURING Mills, Wharf, Post Office, a
Boot and Shoe Store, two Dry good Stores,
and very nice Drug Store kept by a good
old friend, DIR. j. Reichter, formerly Of
Bedford where he practiced Medicine for
sixteen years. There is a great amount of
business done in this part of town double
the amount there is in Upper town. The
Baltimore and Ohio r. r. passes through
this part and we have four daily trains with
an accommodation train to Wheeling at Z
O. clock every morning, Sundays excepted. }
As it is getting late | must stop writing
for the present. and will try and gather an
other for some of my young friends on the
system of Free Schools in this State
Your 0bedient Servent,
JAS. A. GILCHRIEST