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[article provided by Lona. Thanks!]

Hikers Discover Ancient Arborglyphs Near Bankhead National Forest
AP 20/25/2000

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) _ Carved into a beech tree in a patch of forest in the
northwestern part of the state is the image of a British flag and the year
1773. With it is the name Winford Minor and what may be an American Indian
sign for fish bones.

The etchings south of the Bankhead National Forest near Townley, 42 miles
northwest of Birmingham, comprise possibly the oldest arborglyph in the
state. It is an important historical artifact in any case, said Lamar
Marshall, publisher of Wild Alabama magazine.

Marshall is writing a book on Alabama arborglyphs, the signs and words
carved into trees by Indians, Civil War soldiers and others over the years.

"It's what I call the king of all we've ever found," he said of the
engravings.

Hikers Linda Shipman and Betsy Dill found the tree in a grove of beeches
near a stream.

Alabama was settled in 1702 and became a state in 1819. The area was still a
territory in 1773 claimed by England, Marshall said. The Union Jack was
possibly cut into the tree by a soldier resting after drinking from the
stream, he said.

Marshall and other enthusiasts point out details of the markings they say
are evidence of their authenticity: the figures are stretched wide and flat,
showing that the tree has since thickened.

A larger tree nearby has carvings showing the date 1828 and the name J.L.
Frost. Dill, the hiker, is an area resident and she traced the marks to her
family.

A third tree has a carving believed to be a relic from a Civil War skirmish.
It has the year 1863 carved into its trunk along with a cannon, crossed
sabers, initials and a heart with an arrow shot through it.

Shipman, the other hiker, said she never passes a beech tree without
checking its bark for a message. Beech trees, with their smooth, gray bark
and hard wood, are known to live for 400 years.

"They're the easiest to carve on," she said. "They're the smoothest."

After the discovery, the women contacted the property owner to tell him of
the historical treasures on his land. He promised to protect them from
logging that has felled trees all over the area.

"We just always thought the less said about it the better," said Lawson
Murphy of Jasper, whose father bought the land at auction 30 years ago.
 
 

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