Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1933-08-11
OF Ancient Wall In Rowan Still Unsolved
iBY MAX CHAMBERS\

ADI MfAA Of1AMBERS\
Recently a great deal of interest
has centered around an ancient
hidden subteranean wall about
which many legends and stories,
have sprung. The earliest known
record describes this wall as being
200 miles from the ocean and 20
miles from the mountains in Row
an county. This count was
given in Mooses geography when
Rowan county included all of west
ern North Carolina and Tennessee
and as some say "even 10 the
South Seas" And then in 1895
the Rev. James Hall wrote an ac-
count of this strange phenomenon
and-but let the Rev. James Hall
speak:
Near the confluence of the
South Yadkin and 5rd creek about
"A miles from Salisbury in North
Carolina a phenomenon of great
antiquity has been discovered which
has engaged the attention, of the
curious in that part of the state
and which | have endeavored to
explore. During the heavy rains
which fell~in the summer of 1894
a cavern was formed in the side of
a hill, near a small stream of wa
ter, by TIE successive torrents of
rainwater which issued from an
adjacent field. The hill is between
w and three poles in surface where
the cavern is formed about the mid
die of which stands a subteranean
wall, composed of small stones laid
In white cement resembling lime
of a very fine texture.
The cement l have examined
in not less than 40 different
places in the wall, and could not
find among it any appearance of
sand, Or common earth, except
where there has been an opPortu-
nifty of the earth mingling with
it from the top of the wall. Both
sides of the wall are plastered with
cement so that not a stone has ap-
peared when the wall was complet-
ed, supposing it to be a work of
art and that this Ease is in my
opinion evident from this circum-
STAGE. And from the opponent ma
ture and situation of the materials
1t appears probable ito me, that
when the wall was dry and above
the ground it was nearly as firm
as a solid rock of the same dimen-
sions."
Norv O.uned By Burton
Present day directions would To-
cate the wall in a ravine, on a
small stream on the Hillard farm
an Pot Neck, near St. Andrews
church, which is about 10 miles
from Salisbury. 1t is now owned
by John Burton. All of the old
local histories and biographies
mention the wall as a natural curl
osity, but make no explanation of
its origin other than to say it was
"built by nobody knows who, when
or what for
At late as 1915 children waded
in the branch and played on a part
of the wall which projected out
of the side of the hill about three
feet high and several yards long.
About every IS years there is a
revival of interest in this unusual
structure. Exploration during the
summer of 1882 exposed several
feet of the wall and bears out the
findings of the Rev. Nj. Hall.
Lack Of proper implements prevent
ed exposition Of any great length.
The construction of the wall is
peculiar in that the stones are laid
in courses with precision and we'll
fitted in the joints and even on
the side walls. The stones very in
size and shape from "a of an inch
square to 5" across the end to
Is" long. Some are long and slim
while others are broad and thick
but all seem to fit into the wall
with equal alacrity. The whole is
apparently fastened together with
a sort of putty like cement, brown,
white and black in color. The
ends of the stones form the sides
of the wall, the outside stones. ap-
pear to have been placed and the
stones in the middle seem to have
been thrown in. 1t has been ex-
plored for a distance of about 800
LADY Took cardui