Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1914-06-11
DANIEL DooNE's BRASS KETTLE.
historic Relic Diseovsrsdi IN Sullivan
Coulty IOanesee.'

|
County 1saasses.'
Among the names of the pio-
neers who penetrated the wilder
ness to prepare the way for the
advance of civilization, there is
not one with which the present
generation is more familiar than
that of Daniel Boone. More than
a hundred and fifty years ago,
Iwhile on a hunting expedition in
the wilds of that wilderness that
afterwards became Watauga, this
fearless pioneer left indisputable
evidence of his visit. In Wash
ington County, Tennessee there is
q beech tree bearing his name;
it is in Sullivan County that we
the name Of Boone carved in i'm.
nperishable brass. The ancient
kettle which bears this name un-
der the date 1850, will forevern.
main as one of the most interest
lug relics of heearly adventures
west of the Alleghanies. The po-
sition in which this relic was found
the location; the testimony
of the men who, unearthed it;
nthe testimony of the men VINO
saw it Immediately after the dis
covery OF the inscription, togeth-
er with the character OF the in
scription, establish beyond the
disputation Of doubt, that twas
once theproperty Of Daniel Boone
and was hidden III a hollow tree
during one of his expeditions to
is now Tennessee.
This relic wasdicoveed on b.
W. Webb's farm which lies among
the hills that border the west side
of the Indian Creek valley near
the line that separates the coun-
ties ofSullivan and Carter. While
engaged in clearing the forest
growth from a fertile dell Mr. Webb
Aand some laborers made two in
teresting discoveries-though at
the time they were not conscious
of the interest attaching itself to
them. Previous to the unearth-
ing of the kettle they found a cir
cnlar pile or rather a circular lay
er Of extremely hard sandstones
which evidently had been brought
Afrom the east side of the high hill,
a distance of a half-mile, since
there is no surface rock OF any klno
in the dell. Nearand among these
stones were found q number o
thin steel plates, each about tn
size and shape OF a small pony
shoe. The presence Of this mater
ial, together with evidence o
4 charcoal, could not be accounted
for, since it was known positive
ly that no one had lived in thi
locality or even on these land
previous to their occupation b.
MIR. Webb. "'
But q greater surprise was il
store for them, They had pre-
ceeded but q short distance ful
nther with their work, when on
of the laborers by the name {
Scalf, announced that there wa
"something peculiar under tn
sapling" which he was trying t
grub. A hurried investigatio
revealed the fact that it was
buried kettle. The first though
of these men was that they ha
Alocated a hidde treasure-an
seizing the sapling, with the
strength born Of excitement the
tore it from the earth. Ges
was their disappointment on fin
ing that instead of being file
il with silver and gold, the kett
contained only q mass OF matte
roots from the young trees.
\ BY examining the surroundil
soil they found that a large tr
whose decayed form was plain
outlined against the earth, hi
stood there. 1t had broken I
at the base leaving a shell-li
stump reaching the surface, viii
~ could be traced by the circle
c%&o,, s,,h;o1, ,>ovoo