The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1891-12-03
TIE OLD INDIAN GRAVEYARD.
a Historic Spot Eear Bstfabara or Cid
Town. This County.
PRETTY DESCa.PFIo 81 IL S.EHHsN
The Writer Waited It's. Place this
Month. the Occasion zs5-ing the
Seniors etn5 ANNA .7tczsic.


Month. the Occasion <s5-ing the
Seniors dn5 ANNA re &c.
The Novea,ber uuli. = f The
Academy, which appya saturday,
contains beau ,iu an:, IL Written
description CT tie Old "a. Grave
yard" near Old 20 II. /. b. .. II
of Miss E A L~i. mali. ne MS hiy
cultured instructor in the SENIOR
department at tae Salem Female
Academy.
The description is SO interesting
that we take pleasure in publishing
the following extracts from it:
"Bethebara or Old Town as it is
Familiarity called, is interesting to MS
for being the first settl amert of the
Moravian's in North Caroline, toun-
ded by little band of coloniats from
Pennsylvania in 1853. Lord Gran
Vile one of the original eight pro-
prietors OF North Carolina, granted
100000 acres to our iorefaf hers,
which they located here. a little
group of Moravian vii ages SPIRAL 2
up: Bethania, three miles to tae
northward of Old Towr, was begun
in 1859; Salem. six niles to the
southwark in 1766; Ffedlana and
Friedlandburg little later. A mem
oral stone at the southeast Corner of
the Old Town church bears tie in
scription: "Wachovia settlement
begun November II, 1882 Cd
n los
as Salem became the central aid
governing power.
On our homeward way. we drove
past the Old Indian Graveyard, a
little west of the place. Crossing the
bridge over the creek We turned to-
the left, and soon re-crossed the
stream at ford some distanc below,
where the Old Dutch Fort, the Pals
des stood. that protected the infant
settlement from the Indians, the
Cherokees and Creeks, and furnished
a place of refuge for the scattered
settlers in the vicinity from 1853 on.
There is nothing to mark its site any
more; huge boulders lie all about,
and the creek dashes over them with
bustling, brawling sound, as if it
would fain call attention to the place
once SO noted.
Later, when the Indians had be
come friendly. they told how they
had ar different times been conceal
ed about the Fort, and hearing the
ringing of the church bell or tae
SOUND of the tromhones. announcing
death from the old heifry, they
thought they had been discovered e,
and 81 went away, without nolest
ing any one.
We alighted at tbs base Of the hili,
and directed ny MIR. Fogie, made our
way through the tangled under
growth of the Old Tad,an Grave
yard. We founi many grave st"nes,
some more rec. ut ones of marbIa
were dated rs late IS Is Or II.
Others of soapsrone or IA {. with
"Uncouth rhH mes and zap, ess sculpture
decked,''
by the unlettered a;use. we're dat d
17S8, 1891, 1890. -tc Or stone was
numbered .'6D,'' bat th,.t did not
represent the fu,i numt-r by any
means. AS we ciearaG away the
leaves and moss. we saw the famli
lar names of Reich. Holder, Mickey,
Volk. Noll Fiddler, vita the ''natus"
and "delunctus" of tbs Latin, in
stead of our ID lrn,'' and died
From Mr.. Fogls's We'll stored mem
DRY we gathered the following facts
about the place.
During the Revolutionary War,
Old Gown and the Moravian settle
ments generally, were visited by va
rlous bodies of troops: Pulaski s
Legion, companies of militia from
Virginia, detached bands OF Chero
KEGS and Creeks; after the battle of
Kings Mountain 800 English pris-
oners were kept here under guard ny
militia; in the memorable chase Of
CORVALLIS and Greene tiirougl the
Cardinals, both armies passed here
on their way to Gu'lsord Court
House where battle vas fought
here. Sick and wounded soldiers
were left by all these troops; occa-
sionally deserters and st aggleIs and
robbers also came, and all who died
of them were buried on this hill
side. Other persons from the vicin-
ity were also buried here, for the
Moravian rules excluded all frou
their graveyard at Old Town who
were not members of their churcn.
Naturally this so-cai,ed Indian
Graveyard filed up rapidly; the In
dams or soldiers who had none to
care for them, had no memorial
stones or tablets to mark their lowly
graves. They passed away, like the
leaves of autumn, to be succeeded
by the aggressive, energetic Teuton-
ic people, who seemed destined to
subdue the whole world.
Stories of the long ago came troop
ing up like restless ghosts; many an
unwritten tragedy vas, no doubt,
enacted here, and unnamed, un no.
ted heroes may sleep here, after their
'''Iife's fitful-fever," whose circum-
scribed lot forbade them to rise to
any eminence. The bears, wolves,
deer, wildcats and partners that
once prowled around here have de-
parted with them.n
Luxuries Come High.