Etowah Georgia Giants with Flat Heads
Gadsden
Times, ( Gadsen, Alabama) July 16, 1886
On April 12, 1886, James
R. Henry, the colonel’s son, went down to the farm and found nearly
the entire river bottom land had been washed away by the flood. The
top soil had been swept away to a depth of 3 or4 feet, and of the
entire 250 acres, only about 40 or 50 acres were then capable of
producing a crop. Upon closer examination, a startling discovery was
made. Henry discovered a large portion of the land had once been used
as a burial place for the dead of an unusual race of people. The
burial ground covered about 40 acres, and many curious things were
found that had been buried with the dead. At the head of every grave,
a pot of earthenware was found, and many contained the ornaments and
weapons of war worn by the departed in his lifetime. Knives,
tomahawks, pipes and other items were found and collected by
Henry,who also found a skeleton that would prove to be the most
startling find of the day. The skeleton appeared to be that of a
giant. Henry could easily place his head in its skull, and the bone
was a half-inch thick. The thigh bone was almost 22 inches in length,
and the bone from the shoulder to the elbow measured 20 inches. When
all the bones were placed in their proper positions, they showed the
owner must have been close to 12 feet tall from the top of his head
to the bottom of his feet. Two or three of these enormous skeletons
were found in this strange burial site. Many of these people buried
here were from a prehistoric race. The skulls found here were of
solid bone, flat on the top with no seam, as found in modern man.
This lead many to believe Etowha County was once inhabited by an
entirely different race of people. The unearthing of this burial
ground caused considerable excitement. Henry preserved many of these
artifacts for people to see.
