A Chapter from My Book – A Page from the Past

Relics and Treasures Reported in Old Newspapers

These stories unless otherwise indicated were published in various issues of The Pulaski Citizen. This is a chapter (Relics) of my book, a page from the past...

Claudia Johnson

An Old Relic

Thurston Griffin and some others were in Richland Creek swimming Sunday afternoon. Just below the site of the Old Second Street bridge, now removed, Mr. Griffin dived to the bottom, and his hand came in contact with something, which he brought up to the surface. It was an old Colt’s cap and ball revolver, all chambers loaded and the hammer on safety. The pistol may have been at the creek bottom since Civil War days, or possibly it may have been thrown into the creek at a later date. Its rusted condition indicated that it had been in the creek a long time. Mr. Griffin loans the pistol to the Museum. May never call for or may at some time want to make another disposition of it.

- CITIZEN, July 21, 1937

The Museum

The little Giles County Museum has been moved into one of the class rooms arranged for the school last spring in the Dormitory Building of the old Massey School Building. While not quite accessible for the general public, the new location is more accessible to High School boys and girls who are the greatest beneficiaries. The room is larger and the light much better in the new location and tourists who go up on the hill to see the museum will get a magnificent view of the hills surrounding Pulaski.

Many of the smaller articles were packed in boxes for removal and have not been unpacked and arranged for observation. Indeed, while work is in progress on the new High School Building the auditorium and gymnasium it will probably be best to let the museum remain closed. That will permit sufficient time without undue haste to arrange articles for observation.

- Aug. 25, 1937

Saber Found in Creek

Some boys diving for scrap iron in Richland Creek near the old bridge at the south end of second creek Thursday afternoon found an officer’s saber, probably a relic of the Civil War.

- CITIZEN, Aug. 25, 1937

A Relic of the Storm

Mrs. Jesse Fitzgerald who lives on Sam Davis Avenue found half of an old copy of the Citizen in the backyard at her home Saturday afternoon, probably carried from the wrecked home by the storm and dropped there. Mrs. Fitzgerald had not heard of the storm when she found the paper, but when she did hear of homes being wrecked, the thought occurred to her that it might have come from one of these. The sheet found is the inside pages of the Citizen of Aug. 11, 1898. As the first page was not with it, the subscriber’s name does not appear. So the paper gives no indication of where it came from.

There are many interesting items in the old paper.

Mrs. Yeaman, wife of the architect in charge of improvements at Martin College, was here for the corner stone ceremony. Among them are”

Rivers Carter, Civil Engineer, was here to make a survey of the town preparatory to putting in a sewer system.

Thomas H. Peebles, principal, has an advertisement of West Hill Training School.

- April 28,1937

A Land Mark

Before the picture show people start work on the new theater at the north-west corner of the Square, it might be interesting to notice the door to the basement room at the north-west corner of the original two-story part of the building.

The jail occupied that lot before, and at the time of the Civil War. It was in the jail that stood one that lot where Sam Davis and Capt. Shaw were imprisoned. It was from that jail that Sam Davis went to his execution on East Hill.

There is a story, probably true, to the effect that sometime after the execution of Sam Davis, a local citizen was held in the jail for some violation of military regulations, and that the jail was badly infested with bed bugs, fleas, lice and possibly other vermin. The citizen was released after a few days but was outraged that a man should be imprisoned in such a place. A few days after he was released, the jail count on fire one night and burned down – bedbugs, fleas and all. Whiles here were no clues as to the sourced of the fire, many people had their suspicions, but generally kept them to themselves.

The lot was bought and Bannister Hall, the present house, was erected there very soon after the war.

J.D. Lewis was a soldier under Gen. Harrison, who became interested in some timber land in the Aspen Hill community, and when mustered out of service, young Lewis was given employment in the office of the lumber yard by Gen. Harrison. He proved himself competent and when the new Postmaster was to be appointed for Pulaski on recommendation of Gen. Harrison, Lewis was appointed.

He secured the basement room at the west end of the building facing Jefferson Street for the post office, and a slot was cut in the door so letters could be slipped through when the office was locked up. The old door with the slot for letters is still there. Before it is torn away, if it is to be removed when time comes for overhauling the old building, you might find it interesting to look over it over and compare what e had sixty years ago with the handsome post office we now have.

-April 28, 1937

Bones of Prehistoric People Washed Up by Flood

After noticing the more material destruction wrought by the recent flood there is interest and fascination in studying some of its freaks which appeal more to sentiment and the student. Ancient graves were washed up in several places. The editor visited one of these Monday. On Dave Wade’s farm between his residence and Richland Mill, the flood washed up what is called an “old Indian graveyard.” The burying place was located on a knoll rising greatly from the creek and evidently supposed to be above high water by the prehistoric people who buried their dead there with such care. But all trace of a graveyard had long since disappeared and not even a tradition remained among the old Negroes in the neighborhood.

The field was worth $60 an acre before the flood and last year 16 acres including the old graveyard produced 14 bales of cotton. The land had been in cultivation long before it come into possession of Mr. Wade and as stated there was neither trace nor tradition of a graveyard.

But when the creek spread over the bottoms as never before this knoll extending down into the bend of the creek land suffered great destruction by the swift current flowing across it. The soil was swept away and when the flood receded the graves were exposed. We cannot tell how deep the bodies were originally buried nor how many were swept away leaving no trace.

About a dozen graves were left exposed. Some of these are graves of small children. The vaults were formed somewhat similar to vaults in graves today. Thin slabs of limestone evidently brought from some distance perhaps across the creek are placed edgeways along the sides and ends. The graves are about 2 feet to 6 feet in wide indicating that the bodies were buried on the side as they are too narrow to permit a body to lie on the back as we bury and persons who first looked into the graves say the skeletons were laying on the side. The body had been placed in the vault which was covered by other flat rocks and thus it was expected by the mourners and loved ones who placed it there that the body would rest undisturbed to the end of time. But when the flood exposed these carefully prepared vaults, they were soon opened and in the absence of other souvenirs the tones of these ancient people were carried away.

A seashell was found in one grave, but the others contained nothing but decayed bones.

The Indians who occupied this country up to about one hundred years ago did not usually bury their dead with such care. They simply opened a grave, wrapped a blanket around the dead body, laid it in the shallow grave and filled in the earth.

Students of ethnology claim this county was inhabited by a race of idol worshipping people, commonly called the “Mound Builders,” who were driven out by the Indians. These mound builders are believed to have been superior to the Indian in many respects, but they worshipped idols while the Indian worshipped the “Great Spirit,” and some students account for the complete annihilation of the Mound Builders by an inferior people on this hypothesis.

The graves recently washed up on the Wade farm may have some connection with a discovery made about 30 years ago in the bluff on the opposite side of the creek. Dave Inman, who lived at the Mrs. Hays place, went to some dogs that had chased a rabbit into the rocks on the bluff. Among the rubbish he found to small clay figures, one the form of a man, the other a woman. They were in sitting posture, perhaps 4 or 5 inches high, the familiar clay idols of the Aztecs. Dr. Grant at that time took a good deal of interest in such matters and Joe Lindsey secured the figures for him. Later Dr. Grant, Joe Lindsey, Ben Epperson and Tully Brown made some excavations and found a number of bones near where the idols were found.

- April 24, 1902

Buried Money (?)

Recently the local Junior Order Lodge leased the first floor of its lodge building to the Swift Co., and it is being used as an exchange depot for trucks hauling Swift products.

One day recently a hole approximately square and about big enough for a man to crawl through was discovered in the floor. An iron rod was sticking up out of the ground under the hole. And the men who tried it were unable to pull the rod out of the ground. And nobody was able to solve the mystery. The Swift people knew nothing about it. Neither did members of the Junior Order. The question was who had cut the hold in the floor and why? And what connection is any had the iron rod?

Somebody suggested a “mineral rod.” And that behaved in a way supposed to indicate the presence of money, near by. Then the party became excited. Imagination supplied all lacking details. It was evident that John Long had buried money under the store. And that somebody who knew something about it was planning to get it. But the Junior Order men, having discovered his plans, decided to beat him to it. So they set to work to dig a hole, following the iron rod to the pit of gold. As some would dig, others would plan what use they would make of the money. There was no question of ownership. Long is dead. And the lodge owned the place in fee simple. So they worked in relays making a hole just big enough for a man to work in.

After several hours they reached the end of the rod, but found no pot of gold there. And if you find out who they were, better not try to sell on of them a “mineral rod” at least for a few weeks. And the hole in the floor remains a mystery. Our guess would be that it was cut from below by somebody who thought he might find in the building something to steal.

- June 22, 1937

Drillers Now 854 Feet Below Surface; Splendid Progress

Company is Averaging About 150 Feet per Day on Beeler Farm

Drilling for oil on the E.W. Beeler farm in the Campbellsville community of Giles County had reached a depth of 854 feet as of Thursday morning, April 24, two weeks after the start of operations, according to W.L. Folsom, representative of the California Oil Company.

In comparison of distances the announced depth of 854 feet starting with the Sharp Garage and extending across the public square down South Second Street to the Post office approximately.

The progress of the drilling represents an average of 150 feet per day at the present time, a figure that is three times as great as the 50 feet overall average expected to be realized during the drilling of the well, according to a previous estimate by officials.

A more comprehensive idea of the extent of the drilling operations may be obtained by comparing the 854-foot depth with the average of the 50 to 100-foot depth of wells drilled for water in this county.

In the belief that Giles Countians are entitled to the information on the progress of this drilling, the company representative stated Thursday that a release setting forth the figure will be issued each week through the medium of this paper.

- April 23, 1947

Relics

John Abernathy brought in one day last week a brass key tag which was plowed up by a negro man the in the Brick Church community. This is a large brass plate about three inches across and scalloped around the edge with the inscription “Linden Hotel, Pulaski, Tennessee, J.A.P. Skillern, Prop.” This type of key tag is designed to be so large that the hotel guest cannot forget it, and carry it away in his pocket. But somebody evidently forgot this one and then threw it away instead of returning it.

Mr. Skillern conducted a hotel on South First Street, where Mr. and mrs. C.B. Patterson ow live and called it the Linden House. Later, he leased the hotel on the west side of the Square, now the Richland, and when he moved in, he brought his name “Linden House” with him. This key tag probably belonged to room 15 in one of these hotels. It has been about 40 years since Mr. Skillern gave up the management of the hotel on the west side of the Square, according to Ollie Doud. You may guess how long since the key tag was thrown out into the field where it was plowed up.

- May 26, 1937

Old Land Marks

By a treaty between commissioners representing the United States and Indian tribes entered into July 23, 1805, the Indians ceded to the United States the lands lying east of a line extending generally northward from the Tennessee River to the Duck River. This old Indian treaty line passed through (what is now) GilesCounty.

Later by an Act of Congress the Congressional Reservation Line was established and still later was surveyed and marked. It became the base for nearly all the early surveys in Giles County.

Congress granted the State of Tennessee the right to issue land grants and deal with titles to land eastward of this line, but reserved to the Federal Government the right to issue grants west of this line. Hence, the name Congressional Reservation Line.

Thus it was that the original grant of land for the Town of Pulaski, which lies west of the Congressional Reservation Line, came from the General Land Office under President Madison, Nov. 11, 1812, and not from the State of Tennessee.

The original town site was one mile square. Commissioner were appointed to have charge of the survey of the town, location of Public Square, sale of lots, etc. But if these commissioners ever filed a report of their work, the report has been lost. However, by the authority of someone, probably the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and perhaps in the year 1841, the four corners of the original town site were marked.

Beginning on the Congressional Reservation Line (Sam Davis Avenue) at the point where the white and colored cemeteries join, thence due west one mile along Cemetery Street, crossing Richland Creek just above the bridge to a point in Mr. and Mrs. B.F. McGrew’s lawn near where the Bethel Road leaves the Vale Mill Pike (now vicinity of St. Andrew Church). Thence north one mile to a set stone about one hundred and fifty yards west of the McKissack home (the antebellum home of the late Judge Thomas on the south side of Rocky Road, which was destroyed by fire in recent years). Thence east with the line of R.H. Harris’ pasture passing south of Fort Hill near the colored school alone the south side of an alley and the south side of the Brick Church Pike to the north-east corner of J.N. Speer’s grass lot (corner of Hwy. 31 North and Hwy. 31A). Thence to the Congressional Reservation Line to the beginning.

These four corners are all marked with large cut stones of same pattern each bearing the date 1841.

- May 7, 1924

NOTE: The NE and SE stones are clearly visible and easily accessible in 2004. Former CITIZEN editor W.B. Romine wrote that he was “probably the only living man who has seen all four” and “a good deal of patient, persistent effort was necessary to locate them.” Claudia

Sphinx Uncovered

Cairo, June 25, 1926  For the first time in 2,200 years the Sphinx is now entirely visible. No less than 200 boys and girls and a large corps of skilled masons have been employed for months in the excavation and renovation of the Sphinx. The Sphinx faces due east and since he was first cut from virgin rock has greeted the rising sun 2,000,000 times. In Egyptian the name is Abu Hol, “the father of Fear.”

- excerpt from an Associated Press article in the CITIZEN, July 1926

Ancient Wood Water Line is Uncovered at Village Square

An underground water line possibly a part of Pulaski’s pre-Civil War water system was unearthed last week by contractor Bobby Lee (The Old Dirt Dobber) and some of his employees in the process of preparing the site along Pleasant Run Creek for the location of Village Square Shopping Center.

Discovery of the almost perfectly preserved line built of hollowed out cedar longs along with a number of buried yellow poplar troughs and foot-deep layers of sawdust several feel below ground level has proved interesting speculation as to the extent of the water line and what it served and whether or not there may have been in some distant past a sawmill or similar type industry on the site.

The cedar pipes running parallel to the creek north and south were apparently hollowed out by use of red-hot metal rods one end tapered to fit into the other and fastened with hammered iron bands. They varied in size from about six inches in diameter to 10 to 12 inches in the open centers measuring some three inches. Wood samples taken from the interior still retain the red color and distinctive aroma of cedar. Most of the pipes are 8 to 9 feet.

Another discovery made in the earth-moving process was a second water line constructed of cast iron and showing excessive deterioration running parallel to the wooden line and only about 14 inches away from it.

The troughs made of 2 by 12-inch poplar plans were found after Lee’s heavy equipment had uncovered a spring. They were laid so as to lead from the spring to the creek and when last Saturday’s heavy rains washed off the dirt with which they were covered a plank covering beneath them wa revealed – so the mystery grows.

The CITIZEN will be interested in pursuing the historical background of these findings and anyone having any knowledge of such is requested to contact this office.

- Sept. 13, 1967

NOTE: The 1878 DG Beers map of Pulaski shows that J.H. Jackson owned a huge operation covering the entire block between from North First Street to the west, Jefferson Street to the south, Washington Street to the north, and (what is now) Sam Davis Ave, to the east. Later, there was an ice house, owned by Basil Dobrey, and water-pumping station, manned by Robert Gordon, a Black resident of Pulaski, near East Washington Street, which reportedly pumped water from a large spring at that location to the city reservoir. Irwin McGrew’s flour mill stood where Davis and Eslick now operates, and Patterson Lumber’s buildings were across from the fire hall. Claudia

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ANTIQUITIES

On the lands lately owned by the heirs of James Patterson one and one-half miles east of Pulaski and now owned by Governor John C. Brown, near his western boundary and near what was the boundary line or dividing line between the old Patterson tract and the Bernard M. Patterson tract, about 300 yards south of the Fayetteville road there were two Indian mounds; one 40 feet at the base and eight feet high, the other about 30 feet at the base and six feet high. Human bones were found in these mounds. No appearance where the earth thrown up was taken from. Large forest trees are growing on them and around the base.

On the lands owned by L. D. Suttle eight miles southeast of Pulaski on the place known as the Biles tract, on the East side of Richland Creek there was the remains of an ancient fortification. It was on high ground, might be called a hill, with a commanding view of all directions. On the side next to the creek it was steep; about 30 acres were enclosed, with an embankment five or six feet high, which, in 1826, before the land was cleared, was too high and steep to ride over it except in places. The forest growth was large poplar, beech, etc., and trees three and four feet through were growing on the embankment and at the base of it. It was laid off with angles at particular places, had the appearance of been planned by persons acquainted with military defenses and must have been laid off by a people further advanced in civilization than the Aborigines of this country. On the lands lately owned by Dr. Ben Carter adjoining the town of Pulaski, about 100 yards south of the well where the Negro quarters were, was a mound about thirty feet at the base and six or seven feet high. Between the well and the mound is a branch, the bottom of which is a hard limestone rock, on one side is a rock ten or fifteen feet long and several feet wide, in which was the well defined track of a large oxen and a man with a moccasin on. The track of the oxen is two or three inches deep, and that of the man one and a half or two inches. Both tracks plain and distinct, as if made in soft clay. The mound is southwest of the railroad and near to it. The tracks are 50 or 100 yards northeast of the mound.

CANNON BALL

In 1812 or 1813 a cannon ball was found by one of the Negroes that belonged to Wm. Marr, in a dense cane-brake, at what is known as the panther spring, three-quarters of a mile northwest of Mars Hill Church, and about four and a half miles northwest of Cornersville. At the same time they found in a hollow tree at the spring a large number of rock arrow points. The old McCutcheon trace passed near the spring. The cannon ball is in my possession and weighs 11 and a half pounds and is doubtless what was called a 12 pounder. When Mr. Marr moved from the county in 1818, he left the ball with Ephraim Patrick, who was a neighbor, and it has remained in his family ever since, and was sent to me by his daughter, Mrs. Moffitt.

The inquiry naturally arises, how did the cannon ball come there? It may have been taken there by the Indians traveling from the settlements on the Cumberland, or the Commissioners who went out to Latitude Hill in 1783 may have had artillery with them and left it there. They had a guard of soldiers and traveled the McCutcheon trace which was near where the ball was found. Or if DeSoto crossed the Tennessee River as is insisted by some and is more than probable, that he did, it may have been left there by him.

Ancient Fortification

On the east side of Richland Creek opposite the shoals, on a high bluff were the remains of an ancient fortification. About four acres were enclosed within the embankment, oblong in form and evidently designed for defense. The earth was thrown up and although beaten down considerably, was since the settlement about three feet high, and had the appearance of having had four entrances at unequal distances, one toward a spring in the bank of the creek. There were Indian graves within the enclosure. Kirk’s house, where the first courts were held, was in the enclosure. In a cave at the spring known as Anderson’s spring in the northern part of the town, the bones of a remarkably large human were found. The jawbone would go over an ordinary man’s jaw, and the thigh bone was a good deal larger than that of a very tall man. Some pieces of pottery were also found. The pottery was a composition of shells; some flint pikes were occasionally seen. High up in the cave a human body was discovered in a remarkable state of preservation, surrounded with a cloth in which feathers had been interwoven. Numerous mounds and burying places exist in various parts of the County, which from the trees growing on and about them must have been made hundreds of years before the white people settled the country. A remarkable feature in some of those mounds is that they are built up of shells and pebbles, which must have been transported from a considerable distance from river or creek. Another remarkable feature in those burying places is the wonderful state of preservation in which the bones were found when first exhumed.

- James McCallum, Early History of Giles County, published by PULASKI CITIZEN, 1928; first presented as a speech July 4, 1876, at the U.S. Centennial celebration at Wales.