Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1933-08-11

Y ISSe 1HSll ~dIu luIllililS LII d
southeast direction.
T. Nor is this the only wall, for a
short distance away there are two
other similar walls but they have
not been so extensively explored.
The wall is made of rock known
locally as BLACK Whin" which
can be found on the surface in the
surrounding country. Nor is any
; other kind of stone to be found in
the wall.
Origin UhknoWn
What is left of the wall is stand
ing today just where it was count
less years ago and the answer as
to its origin among the natives IS
still divided as between the handi-
work of God and the precision of
some ancient and unknown arts
ans. Many stories have been told
explaining its presence but none of
them satisfy all.
:, Rev. Mr.. Halls account covered
, the subject thoroughly and the in
tegrity of the Rev. Explorer must
. have been we'll established, for
Fcote in his history saws:
There is not perhaps another
instance of a man, a licensed
!, preacher of the gospel that took
:, part in military expeditions, and
commanded companies and still
retained character and dignity and
! office of a minister of the gospel
:, besides that OF James Hall,
preacher, educator and soldier; cap
tain OF the regiment-founder OF
Clos NurJery School ON Snow
: Creek at the headwaters of the
: South Yadkin river about l778.'
Ibis school had an interesting
life and preached its teach'~
as many boys who otherwise would
. have been lost to the great causes
, which they afterwards promoted.
Later he was the sole professor
of his Academy of Sciences which
: he continued for many years. 1t
was considered the best scientific
school in the state of North Caro-
lima previous to the opening of the
University and some of the South
great men passed out through the
humble portals of this one-man
University, which, by the way,
must have been the fore-runner of
the present fine Institution. Ger
tainly, it made the way easier.
For a long time nothing was
heard of or no mention made of
the wall until about SO years ago,
when Franklin Hillard, while plow-
ing in the field on top of the hill
a few yards from the caven, un-
l covered an earthenware pot made
:, of baked blue clay. 1t was about
ten inches in diameter, twelve
& inches high and SO hard that when
: hit, it would ring like a bell. 1t
was of perfect shape with a flared
top, showed the upward finger
marks and handiwork of its maker
. and was buried bottom up with
' some small stones like the one
. found in the wall arranged in
symetrical fashion around the pot.
: The Oldest residents and several
|, old Indians had never seen crock
. cry of this type. 1t appears that
; no further effort was made to To-
cate the source of this unusual
find or to dig deeper. There was
a certain noun of superstition
about the. "bottomless pit" (cav-
ern) in the ground at the point
where the wall passes through the
small declivity.
Indian LEGEND
There is an Indian legend about
the wall and "bottomless" pit
which has just recently filled up
or been covered over by the roots
of nearby trees. The depression in
the earth is clearly visible as we'll
as the line of the wall which is
now covered except for the north
west end which is exposed. One
old native recalls the story told
in his boyhood about the Indian
city and temple and the annual
religious festivities when the bowels
of the earth to be digested that
crops might prosper and game be
abundant.
At other times 'possum hunters
have heard strange sounds coming
from the direction of the wall and