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| One of the 12 "mystery stones" of Pine Orchard. |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Pine Orchard’s mystery stones”
was originally published in the June 17, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal in
Monroeville, Ala. This story, which was accompanied by photos made by Aaron
White, was actually one of two Singleton stories published in this edition of
The Journal.)
Embedded in a hillside near the Pine Orchard community, 12
mystery stones went unnoticed for many years. A few people knew the stones existed,
but no one bothered to call anyone’s attention to them. Within the past year,
these strange stones have been moved from where they rested for centuries to
the front yard and rock garden of two friends near the Lone Star Church.
The size and weight of the stones vary, the largest measuring
40 inches in diameter and weighing about 1,500 pounds. The smallest of the 12
stones measures 18 inches in diameter and weighs about 30 pounds. In each stone
there is a hole, not necessarily in the exact center. The smallest stone is the
only one of the 12 that does not have a hole in it. In one of the larger ones,
the hole looks as though it was started from each side, meeting in the middle.
The hole is offset about an inch and a half as though someone erred in his
measurements.
There are many fossils embedded in each of these stone discs
or “wheels” (I call them wheels only because that is what they resemble.) The
fossils are the type found all over the Monroe County area.
The stones are made of limestone, which is too soft to be used
as a grindstone or any device that is to be moved or rolled. It is my belief
that these stones were never intended to be used as a wheel as we know it.
The immediate vicinity around Lone Star Church is believed
to have been a huge prehistoric Indian village complex. Traces of several small
villages have been found on almost all the high ground in the area. A great
number of arrow heads and stone axes have been found along with several other
relics.
Taking all this into consideration, it is my belief that the
discs are part of some type of calendar used by these prehistoric people to
measure time, or the seasons, or maybe the lunar month. I also believe a study
of these stones and the vicinity in which they were found would open a new
chapter in the history of the early prehistoric Indian in Monroe County.
For instance, the discs and the huge mound (thought to be a
burial mound) in the Perdue Hill area could be directly connected, such as the villages
and mounds that are found in the Moundville area near Tuscaloosa. All evidence
indicates a tribe of great number occupied the vicinity which is now Pine Orchard.
Maybe it was the place of council for tribal leaders.
Could it be that this was one of the seven cities that
DeSoto sought in his journey from the coast? The answer is probably locked in
the limestone discs or wheels. Who knows? One can only guess.
[The story above was accompanied by four photos taken by
Aaron White. The captions to those photos read as follows. Photo One – “The
smallest of the wheel-like stones is 17-1/2 inches in diameter and weighs
approximately 30 pounds.” Photo Two – “Largest of the 12 mystery stones (foreground)
is 10 inches in diameter and weighs and estimated 1,500 pounds. Although the
turned-up side is relatively flat, the other is not.” Photo Three – “Closeup
shows fossils in the aged texture of limestone disc.” Photo Four – “Three of
the strange old discs at Pine Orchard. They range from 24 inches (the fourth
largest to the left) to 19 inches (the second smallest to the right.)”]
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born during a late-night thunderstorm on Dec.
14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946,
served as a U.S. Marine in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand,
lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964
and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from
June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled
“Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The
Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County
that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column
appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in
Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s
other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the
Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented
here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort
to keep his work and memory alive.)
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