The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-02-13

Monongalia county is quite pro-
life in interesting and noted places,
where nature has performed curious
freaks and broken up the monotony
of her usual manner of doing things
There are, also, many spots where
spooks are supposed to take up their
habitation, to the terror of the sur
rounding neighborhood.
On the old Potter farm near Lau-
rel Point there stands, or used to
stand, a giant oak, nearly Is feet in
circumference. 1t is short and very
limby, and seems to be as old as the
surrounding hills.
Several years ago a wonderfully
tall and stately poplar stood all
alone on the very summit of one of
the highest hills in Grant district,
and seemed to be queen of all the
vast domain that lay at her feet. 1t
could be seen for miles and miles.
The owner, W. c. Stevens, Esq, had
it cut down, and one of the huge logs
broke loose from the men who were
handling it, and rolled and leaped to
the bottom of the hill, attaining an
incredible speed and making a noise
like distant thunder.
There is said to be sassafras tree
standing near Ellington which meas
ures nearly six feet in circumference
some distance above the ground.
This is remarkable tree when We
remember that the sassafras in this
country is usually scarcely more
than a shrub.
Some of the finest and subhmest
scenery in the State is in Union
district. For example there is
Hanging Cliff, ON Cheat river, from
which the eye can take in a radius
of 80 miles. 1t is famous all over
the country, and attracts hundreds
of visitors every summer. And then
there is Brooks View, named for the
late DIR. H. Brock, also on Cheat,
and is almost or quite equal in
beauty to Hanging Cliff.
Eagle cave, on Cheat, was so
named because of stalagmitic ac-
emulation in it which resembles
somewhat the outspread wings of an
eagle. 1t has been explored for sew
eral hundred yards, and number
of expansive rooms have been found,
but it has never been fully explored.
The formation of the mountain is in
every way favorable to a great cav
ern, and daring party of adyentur-
ers might be able to add another to
the already famous list of Virginia
caverns.
The famous Pictured Rocks are on
the Evansville pike about four miles
from Morgantown, and for hundred
years have attracted the attention of
visitors They are covered with
rude figures of panthers, snakes,
wolves, DC, DC, evidently the work
of the Indians. They are now much
worn and hard to decipher, but are
still full of interest. Howe's history
of Virginia says, speaking of these
rocks:
"On the plantation of Henry Ham
ilton there is large fiat rock, about
$50 feet long and so feet wide, with
numerous engravings of animals,
well executed-such as panthers of
full size, buffalo tracks, horse tracks,
deer tracks, turkey tracks, cells, fish,
women large as life, human tracks,
offers, beavers, snakes, crows, eagles,
wild cats, foxes, wolves, raccoons,
opossums, bears, elks, ETC."
Buffalo Pond is in the name of
a long, narrow hollow in the neigh
borhood of Stewartstown. The peo-
pie of that vicinity have tradition
that the Indians used this as trap
for buffalo They would drive the
shaggy monsters up this hollow and
there surround and shoot them.
There is very pretty little cavern
in Clinton district, not far from
Booths creek. So far as explored
only two rooms have been found.
There is also a small cone shaped
cave above Clinton Furnace.
The most widely known haunted"
spot in Grant district is, perhaps, an
old fill in the road leading through
the Potter farm, and is situated not
more than a quarter of a mile above
the new dwelling house recently
erected by John Potter, ESQ. Many
are the tales told about the unearth-
ly denizens of that dark hollow, and
many lad has felt the hair of his
head gradually rising as he listened
to descriptions of horses without
riders, men without heads, dogs as
large as calves and sundry and di-
vers other objects indescribable and
full of terror, which were said to
wander up and down that bit of road
when nightfall came.
just on the hill not far from this
fill stands very old and large dou-
BILE house built of logs. In that
house an unseen cooper used to ply
his trade in the dark hours of the
night, and his pounding could be
distinctly heard as he drove the hoop
down over the barrel and fastened it
there, but neither the owner of the
house nor the excited neighbors
could catch him at his work. Per-
haps he crawled into the bunghole
of the barrel he was mending.
In Clay district, on the lands of
Isaac Shriver, is the site of an old
fort. 1t was on slight elevation,
and was used by the settlers as a
protection from the Indians.
Mill Rock, in Grant district, is
thus described by S. L. Wiley:
son the waters of Stewards run,
on the farm of S. c. Stewart, is a
large rock in which there are several
holes about 6 inches in diameter,
varying in depth from II inches to
p feet. They were said, by the
early settlers, to have been used by