Cool Things

If my readers recall, Lana and I visited Scotland for our 30^th anniversary and we had a blast. We visited St. Andrews, Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburg Castle (complete with tea), and much more. I even got a picture of me wearing a kilt standing next the River Ness in Inverness! Great memories, indeed. One of our favorite spots was Loch Ness. We drove around much of the loch (which is quite a trip given the loch is about 24 miles long). Unfortunately, we didn’t see Nessie, the most famous of water creatures, but it was still an amazing visit.

American Water Creatures:

Chessie:

Why am I bring up Nessie and Loch Ness? Did you know in the United States, we have sightings of our American versions of Nessie! Probably the most famous of the American unknown water creatures is Chessie. Said to reside in the Chesapeake Bay, Chessie was first sighted in 1936 by a military helicopter. Since then, there have been more sightings, including one that turned out to be a manatee! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses Chessie in their efforts to raise awareness of the Chesapeake Bay area and the need to protect its resources. I couldn’t find a picture of Chessie.

Champ:

 Similarly, Lake Champlain on the New York – Vermont border (and extending into Quebec, CA) has Champ or Champy. Champ was first sighted in 1819, when a Captain Crum claimed to see a sea serpent and the account made the local newspaper. Other sightings were reported and prompted P. T. Barnum to offer a reward for anyone who could bring him the monster. Apparently, he never had to pay the reward. Like Chessie, I couldn’t find a good picture of Champ to share.

Altamaha-ha:

My favorite of the American creatures is Altamaha-ha! This creature lives in the Altamaha River in Southeast Georgia near Darien. The river, which empties into the Atlantic near Brunswick, GA, is the third largest fresh water source feeding into the Atlantic. According to local legend, Altamaha-ha is 20-30 feet long, with the head of a snake. Others describe it as a mix between an alligator, a sturgeon, and a seal.

I’m sure there are legends of other water creatures in the U. S. and around the world. Please forgive me if I didn’t mention your favorite. While Nessie remains the most famous of them, I thought these others deserved a mention.

What do you think? Are these just myths or are they real? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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While doing a bit of research recently, I ran across an article about the “cursed” town of Jacksonboro (or Jacksonborough), Georgia. Interest piqued, I delved deeper into the story. I found a fascinating tale of a traveling preacher, whiskey, and mysterious events that may continue to this day! Given that I like mysterious things, I had to write a post about it. Follow along to find out what I discovered.

First I have to give a little background and history on both the preacher and the town. Let’s start with the town.

Jacksonboro:

Jacksonboro was originally the county seat of Screven County and lies on Hwy 301 roughly halfway between Augusta and Savannah in southeast Georgia. Wikipedia tells us Jacksonboro was the Screven County seat from 1795 – 1847 and home to Seaborn Goodall. Mr. Goodall was the Mason, Clerk of the Superior Court, pioneer in establishing the Methodist faith, and a prominent citizen. His house, built in 1815, is the only remaining building in Jacksonboro. The county seat moved from Jacksonboro to Sylvania in 1847. I mention Mr. Goodall because he plays an important role in the story, so bear with me.

The Preacher:

Lorenzo Dow is the preacher. If you aren’t familiar with Dow, he was quite the character. The Wikipedia description, quoted below, doesn’t paint a flattering picture:

Lorenzo Dow was personally unkempt. He did not practice personal hygiene and his long hair and beard were described as “never having met a comb.” He usually owned one set of clothes: those that were on his back.

Dow was also a fierce abolitionist, which made him unpopular in the Southern States. More on that later. He allegedly traveled over 200,000 miles preaching his fire and brimstone sermons. It’s said that crowds of 10,000 spectators attended his open-air sermons. His preaching style was different than most in those days. He screamed, shouted, insulted, begged, and challenged people’s beliefs. It’s believed he preached to more people than any other preacher of that time.

Another interesting fact about Mr. Dow is that his autobiography was second only to the Bible as the bestselling book in the country.

The Curse:

So, what is the intersection between, Lorenzo Dow, Seaborn Goodall, and Jacksonboro and how does whiskey play a role? How did this lead to a curse? As the legend goes, Lorenzo Dow arrived in Jacksonboro around 1820 and scheduled one of his signature fire and brimstone sermons at the Methodist Church. Jacksonboro, known for its rowdy nature, numerous saloons, and general lawlessness, didn’t take kindly to Dow comments.

During his sermon, they threw bricks and stones through the church windows. Incensed, the preacher went to a local saloon, grabbed and iron tool, and broke open a barrel of whisky, spilling its content on the floor. This, in turn, incensed the citizens, who then attacked Dow. Luckily for Dow, Seaborn Goodall pulled him out of the saloon and sheltered him in his house. The next morning, Dow departed Jacksonboro to a barrage of tomatoes and eggs, all the while calling for the citizens to repent.

The story says Dow reached the bridge leading away from Jacksonboro and cursed the town – except for Seaborn Goodall. The townspeople laughed it off and returned to their ways.

Soon, though, winds came and blew roofs off houses. Mysterious fires claimed other dwellings, and the local creek, not known for flooding, became prone to flash flooding, and swept houses away. Over time, the town, with the exception of Seaborn Goodall’s house, disappeared.

Jacksonboro today:

Seaborn Goodall’s house (also known as the Dell Goodall House), still stands today. Despite being abandoned for years, it remained where the other buildings didn’t. A DAR chapter restored the house and tours are available on Saturdays.

In case you wondered, over the years, businesses have tried to establish themselves, but none have flourished – despite being on a well-traveled road. Cursed or not, it is odd!

What do you think? Was Jacksonboro cursed by Lorenzo Dow? Was the destruction of Jacksonboro’s buildings natural or supernatural? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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Most people know about the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the mystery surrounding it. But, did you know the story has a Georgia connection?

What we know about Roanoke

Let’s recap what we know. A group of English settlers landed at Roanoke Island North Carolina in 1587 in an attempt to establish the first permanent English settlement in North America. John White led the expedition.

In 1587, White returned to England to procure more supplies for the colony and planned to return in 1588. However, the Anglo-Spanish War delayed his return until 1590. When he returned, he found the fortified settlement abandoned and the word Croatoan carved into the palisade. He assumed that meant the colonists abandoned Roanoke for nearby Croatoan Island. However, as the ship attempted to visit Croatoan Island, a storm forced the vessel to return the England.

The Dare Stones

One of the few clues about the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke is tied to the Dare Stones. The Dare Stones are inscribed pieces of stone found in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The first stone (known as the Chowan River Stone) was found by Louis Hammond in 1937. Hammond brought the stone to Emory University and asked for help interpreting words on the rock he claimed to find by the Chowan River in North Carolina. Thanks to our friends at Wikipedia, here are the inscriptions on the stone (both sides are inscribed):

ANANIAS DARE &
VIRGINIA WENT HENCE
VNTO HEAVEN 1591

ANYE ENGLISHMAN SHEW
JOHN WHITE GOVR VIA

The opposite side reads:

FATHER SOONE AFTER YOV
GOE FOR ENGLANDE WEE CAM 
HITHER ONLIE MISARIE & WARRE 
TOW YEERE ABOVE HALFE DEADE ERE TOW
YEERE MORE FROM SICKNES BEINE FOVRE & TWENTIE
SALVAGE WITH MESSAGE OF SHIPP VNTO US SMAL
SPACE OF TIME THEY AFFRITE OF REVENGE RANN
AL AWAYE WEE BLEEVE YT NOTT YOV SOONE AFTER
YE SALVAGES FAINE SPIRTS ANGRIE SVDDIANE 
MVRTHER AL SAVE SEAVEN MINE CHILDE
ANANIAS TO SLAINE WTH MVCH MISARIE
BVRIE AL NEERE FOVRE MYLES EASTE THIS RIVER
VPPON SMAL HILL NAMES WRIT AL THER 
ON ROCKE PVTT THIS THEIR ALSOE SALVAGE 
SHEW THIS VNTO YOV & HITHER WEE 
PROMISE YOV TO GIVE GREATE 
PLENTIE PRESENTS
EWD

While the authenticity of the Chowan River Stone has never been established, Hammond tried to sell it to Emory University. The institution declined, so Hammond sold it to Emory Porfessor Haywood Pearce, Jr. with backing from Brenau University (owned by Pearce’s father)

The Dare Stones and Georgia

The connection doesn’t stop with the Chowan River Stone, however. After Brenau acquired the stone, they offered a reward for additional stones. And they got them! Many of the stones were provided by a stonecutter named Bill Eberhardt. Eberhardt claimed to have found stones in Greenville County, SC (13 of them). With the Chowan River Stone regarded as Dare Stone #1, the Eberhardt stones were numbered 2-14. Isaac Turner of Atlanta found Stone #15 in Hall County, GA.

Eberhardt continued to uncover stones and added stones #16-24 in 1939. This group was allegedly found in Habersham County, GA. I could detail other finds in Fulton County, Ga (near Eberhardt’s home) but you get the drift. Stone #36 was found by William Bruce of Atlanta (also found near his home). All told, Haywood Pearce received 48 Dare Stones.

Scientific Consideration

In 1940, a conference looked into the stones’ authenticity. The conclusion seemed to support the claims, but the report also said that it was still under investigation.

Haywood Pearce sent an article to The Saturday Evening Post, but the article triggered an expose article challenging the Dare Stones’ authenticity. The expose uncovered the fact that Eberhardt, Isaac Turner (Stone #15), and William Bruce (Stone #36) had known each other for years. After these facts and many others surfaced, Dare Stones 2-48 were considered fakes.

The Dare Stones Today

All 48 Dare Stones remain in Brenau’s possession, though only Dare Stone #1 (Chowan River Stone) is on display. Louis Hammond remains an enigma since researchers couldn’t find any information on him.

The debate continues on the original Dare Stone. Scholars weigh in on both sides of the argument, so unless additional information surfaces, we’ll likely never know the truth. You can see the stone with permission from the President’s Office at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA, but as I understand it, Brenau owns all rights to any photos or videos of the stones.

So there you have it. The Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Dare Stones, and the Georgia connection. There is much more to the story, so I encourage you to do your own research. If you do, find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest and let me know what you find out.

Laird of Dunans Castle?

I’ve been interested in my genealogy for some time now and have gotten pretty far back on part of the family. I’ve discovered I have deep roots in Virginia (perhaps as far back as Jamestown but I have to verify that story) and, according to my DNA test, my ancestors are mostly from England, Scotland, and Ireland (with just a touch of Scandinavian). Not much of a surprise there.

One of the big mysteries in the family tree, though, is where my Stuart ancestors originated. That was one of the reasons why Lana and I went to Scotland in September 2018. I wanted to see the lands from which my ancestors may have hailed. I didn’t do any genealogy research while I was there but it was a little surreal to sit in Edinburgh Castle having tea with Lana while surrounded by the names of the Stuart Kings and Queens.

Am I a Laird?

This post is not about my genealogy, though. It is about a Christmas present Lana gave me. How she found it, I don’t know, but she purchased a square foot of the grounds of a castle in my name. According to my understanding, since I am now a Scottish landowner, I am entitled to be referred to as a Laird!

What? Me a Laird? Well, yes and no. The title is decorative, meaning that while I may use it, it holds no true legal recognition. A Laird (or Lord) recognized by the Court of Lord Lyon would legal have standing, but buying a square foot of land doesn’t make me a qualify me as a Laird (I’m not sure the Scottish Land Register would even recognize a square foot of land as property). Regardless, as noted in the photo below, if I’m ever in Scotland again, I’ll have to visit Dunans Castle and see my plot of land. I doubt I’ll ask them to use the title, though.

Do I look the part?

I couldn’t leave this post without a picture of me taken while I was in Scotland (Inverness to be exact). Lana convinced me to rent a kilt and have my picture taken while in full regalia. While Lana was taking my picture, three women from Germany and two from Alabama wanted to have their picture made with me. From my picture below, I guess I look the part!

Dunans Castle

The purchase of the plot of land at Dunans Castle helps restore the property, which burned in a fire in 2001. Originally owned by Clan Fletcher, it now belongs to Charles and Sadie Dixon-Spain. This picture, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, shows the castle. Pretty impressive!

What do you think? Do I look like a Scottish Laird? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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Want to talk about Dunans Castle or your own possible title? Find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. I look forward to hearing your comments!

Some time ago, I wrote blog posts about the Georgia Gold Rush, the 1832 Gold Lottery, and The Calhoun Mine. While researching those posts, I ran across the story of the Franklin-Creighton Mine and found it fascinating. I’d like to share it with you!

Background:

First, a little background. In 1832, Georgia held a land lottery and a gold lottery. As noted in the Gold Lottery post, the lottery parcels included Cherokee lands confiscated by the government. Wikipedia tells us the eligible lottery participants included the following:

• bachelors over 18 who were 3 years residents of Georgia and US citizen
• widows who were 3 year residents of Georgia
• families of orphans who were 3 year residents of Georgia and US citizens.
• married men (or male heads of family) who were 3 year residents of Georgia and US citizens. The residency requirement for the last category was waived for officers of the navy or army.

Similarly, the ineligible list kept many out of the lottery. Ineligible persons included:

• anyone who had previously been successful in a land lottery (the 1832 Lottery was the 7th land lottery)
• a resident of Cherokee territory
• anyone convicted of a felony in a Georgia court
• anyone who mined or caused to be mined gold, silver, or any metal in Cherokee territory since 1830.

The lottery excluded a very specific group. Members of the band of thieves known as the Pony Club couldn’t participate. I may have to do a post on the Pony Club…

Mary Franklin:

Whoever won the lottery paid a grant fee of $10 per lot for a 40 acre parcel. That works out to be about $270 today. Among the many winners was Mary Franklin, a widow. According to www.cherokeega.com, Mrs. Franklin received over a dozen offers for her lot in the first week after the lottery. The interest intrigued her and she went to the property. There she found about 20 men shoveling dirt and panning. She had the men removed and she and her family worked the claim. Mrs. Franklin proved to have excellent business sense and she became quite wealthy. She built a large home, bought additional lots, and made sure her children were well-educated. Mary Franklin died in 1858 and a group of northern investors bought the property.

While there isn’t any definite record of the mine’s yield, estimates run as high as $1,000,000 after 1880. That’s about $23M in today’s dollars. In 1883, the mine became known as the Creighton-Franklin (or just Creighton) Mine after J.M. Creighton bought out the other investors. It continued production until 1913 when a shaft collapsed and flooded the mine. Today only one building (the Shingle House) remains standing at the site.

Gemstones:

In keeping with the theme of The Gemstone Chronicles, I had to see what gemstones might be around the site, too. The best information I found indicated quartz, pyrite, and a few others, though no mention of rubies, emeralds, or sapphires. Still, it would be fun to look around!

Since the property is privately owned, chances are I won’t get to dig on it. I plan on taking a drive up that way (it’s only about 25 miles from my house) and at least snap pictures of the Shingle House. If I’m lucky, I’ll see the owner, strike up a conversation, and get invited to dig around on the property!

Do you have gold mines near your home? If so, have you ever tried to mine there? In Georgia, there were once 600 or so gold mines, so if you live in North Georgia chances are there’s one near you! Do some research and, if you need someone to go panning with you, let me know!

Connect with me:

If you want to talk more about this or my books (or submarines, writing, gemstones, etc.), drop me an email at bill@williamlstuart.com or leave me a comment. If you want to connect on social media, I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. I love meeting new friends!

June often means vacation time for Lana, the grandchildren, and me. This year, we decided to do something different and go west for Vacation 2017. Not all the way to the West Coast, but to Arizona and the Grand Canyon! We started at Meteor Crater and Winslow Arizona!

For those who don’t know, I was born in New Mexico and spent my first 13 years in New Mexico and Colorado before moving to South Georgia. Thus, I had some experience with the Southwestern US. Lana, Aidan, and Maggie didn’t, and they didn’t know what to expect from the different landscape and climate. When we landed in Phoenix, it was 113F and went up to 118F. Now, I know what you’re thinking – it was dry heat. True enough, but it was still HOT. Think of the humid southern climate as a sauna. Phoenix was like an oven! So, we got our rental car and headed to Flagstaff (our base of operations) and started our adventures. Thank goodness it was only in the mid-80’s and low 90’s in Flagstaff!

In upcoming posts, I’ll tell you more of what we saw and visited, but today, I wanted to talk about Meteor Crater. You all know I’m a big geek about space stuff, so this was right in my wheelhouse.

Meteor Crater:

Scientists call the impact site the Barringer Crater (named for John Barringer who was the first to suggest it was made by a meteor), according to what we learned at the site. Canyon Diablo Crater is another name (the nearby town of Canyon Diablo inspired the name though it is a ghost town now). Scientists estimate the meteor that struck was moving somewhere between 28,000 mph and 42,300 mph. The crater formed in about 10 seconds and was ~700 feet deep initially. It’s now about 550 feet deep due to sediment buildup over the last 50,000 years.

Here is a picture of the crater!

I know the picture can’t do justice to the actual site, but maybe it gives an idea of how big the crater is. One of the other things I found on display during our visit was tektite! If readers of The Gemstone Chronicles recall, tektite was one of the stones in the books. In Book Two: The Amethyst, Beebop buys a tektite necklace that turns out to be a telepathy stone. Now, I didn’t intercept any communications, but to see pieces of tektite up close was very cool! You can read the tektite post here! Sorry the picture isn’t so good…

In case you can’t read the text in the photo, the samples shown are Indochinites. If you look at the map, you can see the Georgia strewnfield mentioned in my book.

We also learned the astronauts trained here for the moon missions in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Maybe that was the beginning of the conspiracy theory of the fake moon landing. Maybe I’ll explore that in another post!

Winslow AZ:

We left the Meteor Crater and continued on to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert (that will be another post), but stopped in Winslow Arizona. And yes, we took a picture standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona!

Just in case you missed it, in the window behind us is a girl in a flatbed Ford! We also had some great hot dogs and milk shakes at Sipp Shoppe before pushing on to the Petrified Forest.

There you have a small taste of our Arizona adventures. More to come!

Have you been to Arizona? Took a picture in Winslow? Leave me a comment and let me know. Connect with me on the socials, too! I love meeting new friends! I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest! As always, I appreciate any and all shares and subscribers to the blog!!