Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1909-04-01
STATE WILL BUY
HISTORIC MOUND
Noted Monument Of Antiquity at
MoundsviIle. West Virginia 10 b.
Preserved from RayageS OF
Modern COmmercialism.
Was Tomb Of An
clients
MOUNDSVIII.E. " "a -Special =

MOI Nil>A ll-l.r.. ". kA.-SpeCtal -
Standing Ga feet high 600 feet IN
circumference. Vith trees growing on
70 200 years cd. the mammoth mound
az MCuudsyille "a Va located on
the Grave Creek flats near the Ohio
river-the greatest monument OF an
tiQuity la the Ohio VALLEY and tire
mendous memorial OF the aboriginal
life OF a prehistoric people will b.
bought by the State % West Virginia
Al the session OF the legislature just
ended. following unCeasinE activity for
twenty years. the State appropriated
$1,000 with which 90 save the mound
from The rayagss OF modern CONNER
Cialism. This sum. together with a
gift Of 5000 from the McFadden heirs.
the owners OF the property. and sim
liar gift from the school children OF
the State. IL sufficient 20 secure the
mound for the State.
A quarter Of century ago the late
G.. s. McFRdden bought the mound 20
prevent 10 being sold 90 a German who
knew the value 81 the spot for pop
ular resort and intended placing a
saloon on the summit. Several months
ago the heirs OF McFadden served no
tice that they had held the mound as
long as possible and 10 would De- sold
az once The State officials secured
an option ora the property and finally
appropriated sufficient sum 90 buy
the mound
The mound is the largest in America
and Vas discovered bs Joseph Tom
linsOn la 1870. the trst pioneer settler
IN that section OF the country stand
ing la a valley OF 5000 acres. IL affords
view of the surrounding country
for several miles. Relative % the age
% the mound little Is known. Tom
linson. the disCoyerer. stated that when
az discovered % and first mounted its
summit. then SD feet high. the timber
on the mound WAS as large and dense
As any OF the surrounding forest A.
that time some OF the trees bore
names and dates. one of the latter
being 1881 4 gigantic oak tree. felled
some years afterWard on The sum
NIT OF the mound. was ascertained 90
be more than six centuries old
Even conjecture cannot poinf 20 the
time when the mammoth mound MAS
erected By a bygone people To MAY
have been old when the Pyramids were
being built BY half a million men or
when Cieopetra's Needle vas being
fashioned Certain IL Is that the mound
vas erected hy prehistoric race Who
were very similar 20 the Egyptians.
ruled by some one monarch who had
sufficient control 20 combine vast
numbers of them IN huge undertak-
ing
In 1888 the mound vas opened by
It's owner BY eNcavating q passagevg way
from the north side OF the mound to-
ward the centre. AT distance OF 100
feet from the entrance two skeletons
were uneaTthed in a vault crudely con
49, 80 - A
loose stones common IN that neigh
0Orhood. One OF the skeletons vas
surrounded by $50 ivory beads and an
inyory ornament six inches IN length.
A SHAFT VAS sunk from the summit
OF the mound 20 meet the drift. and
az a point thirty -four feet above the
vault hrst discovered was another
containing q skeleton which had been
ornamented with copper rings. plates
OF mica and bone beads. History does
not record whose silent tomb this Was.
and IL remains for another Champol-
lion 20 exercise his ingenuity and the
uses of these monuments
Probably the most interesting curiO
or antiQuRry taken from the mound IN
1888 vac a stone engraved IN unknown
characters resembling those used by
the Scandinavian priests before the In
Of the Roman alphabet. II
has attracted more attention from
scientists and antiQuarians az home
and abroad than any other relic OF the :
vanished race found Ia America
The mound occupies one block in /
he City Of MoDndsville. and In the pur- !
chase Of the property the State will !
improve IL and transform Il into a /
park for the use OF the city.