Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-11-02
Fort seybert,
CONTINUED FROM LAST wEEK)

circular. Instead Of occupying tw'
acres it covered less than LILO Of al
acre l figure that the space en-
closed within the palisades va
1850 square feet. The facts fol
exact calculations are too fragmen
tary for ABSOLUTE certainty, but b,
constructing the circle on the
greatest diameter that the remain
ing arc will give the size was 4,05(
square feet. twas probablya lit.
tie smaller for I do not think tina
the palisades formed quite q true
circle.
The fine lawn in Mr.. Miller.
| yard yet shows the trench where
the logs we're set on end in ditcl
| to form ewall. The entire circle
cannot lie traced, only about 14(
degrees of it. But from that it il
easy to find the center and con.
struct the remainder OF. the cirle
When this ia done, il shows thai
palisades of Fort Seybert stood in
The form Of circle about 90 feet
in diameter.
Within this circle stood the block
house in which the inhabitants
crowded for shelter. They often
lived there the greater part of the
summer.
When it Is borne in mind that the
Indians burned everything that
could be burned, it is surprising to-
day after lapse Of l4S years,
enough of the 5lock>.bouss remains
to furnish a. .tolerahly accurate
working plan for its reconstruc-
ton. Two corner stones remain
They would not burn, and Mr..
Miller has preserved them with the
greatest-care. Surprising that the
block house was square, the re-
naming corner stone shownt that 1t
stood almost, if not exactly in
center Of the circle formed by the
palisades. The building was q
feet square. @ E.:s
That was smaH baiiding to fur
n,sh. :ising rooms for 40 or so per-
sons. 1t was probably two stories
high. Il concluded that such was
the case from the fact that young
Seybert from his station in the top
Of the block house was able to
shoot the Indian spy who was lying
behind rock 20 steps from the
palisades. The building must have
been two stories to have enabled
the young man to shoot over the
top Of the palisades and kill the
savage where he crouched.
Back to the fort the hill slopes
gradually for several hundred
yards. About 400 yards above the
site Of the fort. in what is now a
pasture field is the grave OF the VIC
Tins of the massacre. Two oaks
spread their branches over the spot
where men, women and children
rest, who fell that day beneath the
blows of the tomahawks of the say.
ages, In the distance the river
flows through its and beautiful
valley.
Recorded history is silent as to
the exact spot where the people
were murdered. The reading of the
accel ted accounts conveys the i'm.
preston that the massacre took
place at the fort immediately after
the Indians were admitted, and be-
fore the torch was applied.
lido not think that such was the
case. From all the circumstances,
| believe that the Indians rlunder-
ed the fort, then set it on FIRE, and
afterwards marched them mp the
hill to the spot where the grave is
now seen, aud there murdered them
The unfortunate people supposed,
no doubt, that they were to be car
ri-dsinto captivity rs they were Or
dered to take up the line Of march.
We are dependent somewhat upon
circum, tantiaI evidence for the con-
clusion that when they had gone
about 400 yards the Indians halted
and tomaliawking began. 1t was
then that the boy, who became the
sole white witnes of the occurrence
made his run for life and almost