The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-26

down in the wilds of Southwest Mis-
sissippi, will give antiquarians and
archaeologists new problem to solve,
the answer to which may knock into
cooked hat all preconccivcd notions
and theories as to the aboriginal in
habitants of this country, or those In
the lower part Of the Mississippi Val
ley.
At the present moment an cxpedi-
tion is being fitted out, amply pro
vidcd with funds, and u'd der the
direction of distinguished a.chacoio-
gists and antiquarians, who will give
the "Brandywinc Wall in lower Mis-
sissippi thorough investigation in
the light Of science and experience in
such matters. This expedition is cx
pccted to reach Copiah and Claiborne
counties sorle time in the present
month, and excavations will at once
begin. The results Of the work will
be watched by students all over the
world with intense interest.
Some twenty years ago a few of the
inhabitants Of the southeast corner Of
Claiborne County, Mississippi, needed
somc stones for building purposes, to
make foundations and chimneys for
their dwellings. Some of the people
remembered, SO it is alleged, seeing
some very nice, regular looking stones
in the woods in pile, from which the
accumulated loan of ages had been
washed by the rains. To this
place the people repaired. They
priced somo of the blocks, which were
conveniently cut, from their resting
place, and then the quarry became
famous. People for miles and miles
around came to get some of the stones
whenever their uses demanded stone
for any purpose. 1t was found that
the quarry" extended east and west.
Tons of sandstone were taken away.
Some Of it was in blocks hcwed into
squares, and some Of tho blocks were
longer than others, but they were all
trimmed with almost mathematical ex-
actness.
There was sort of cement, also,
which filled the cracks where the
stones were laid. 1t is hard, and Of
grayish color. In the upper layers of
the stone, the cement has disintegra-
ted, but down in the middle Of the
wall it was clearly defined and well
preserved.
The discovery was made that few
miles from the quarry branch Of
Bayou Pierre had broken through the
quarry On either side Of the
stream good idea of the quarry
could be obtained, there was the same
sandstone; it was cut in the same REQ
tangular blocks, and the "quarry"
seemed to be about twelve or fifteen
feet in width and the same in height,
probably little wider at the bottom
than at the top. Along its top grew
great live oaks, slow-growing scrub
oaks and long-]eaf pines lerge enough
to furnish masts for the biggest yes
sci that ever breasted waters. 1t was
noticed that there was long ridge
extending over the country, and that
in various places where the dirt had
been washed away, the blocks of the
wall were shown.
Along about 1856, reports Of the
quarry, or the "Brandywine Wall" as
it had become to be known in the
community, owing to it's proximity to
Brandywine, little country settle
ment and post Office near whore the
first stone was taken out, got beyond
the immediate neighborhood. The
first person to take cognizanco of them
was Miss Lou Jones, o resident Of
Hazlehurst, Copiah County. She was
scholarly woman, and moreover, an
enthusiastic amateur photographer,
and she proposed to get up an ex-
pedition to go out in the Brandywino
neighborhood and make excavations
and take pictures of the curiosity, but
for some reason the expedition fell
through, and the pictures were never
taken.
However, the talk Of it stimulated
local interest, and few years later
more definite reports were obtained.
It was then discovered that the wall
could be traced for several miles by
the mound of earth which covered it.
In some places it was almost level
with the ground, in other places it
lowered number Of feet above the
level of the surrounding country, and
at various places along the narrow
ridge the stones were exposed, showing