Thanks Red Badger.
Posted on 01/12/2024 8:31:12 PM PST by Libloather
A small town lawyer from West Virginia was in for an extraordinary surprise when he discovered a 253-year-old pre-Revolutionary War fort hidden inside the walls of his Monroe County plantation home.
John Bryan, 43, a self-described history buff and amateur archeologist, purchased the property in 2019 with a hunch that the large white clapboard farmhouse was built around an old log fort known as Byrnside's Fort.
'We had to buy the property first before being able to take a crowbar to it to see if the logs were inside the walls.'
It was originally built in 1770 by an early settler of Virginia named James Byrnside after his cabin was burned to the ground by Shawnee Indians on the same site in 1763.
The fort - which never came under attack during the Revolutionary War - has been occupied ever since by three families until 2019, when the last descendant passed away.
It is believed to be the only one left of its kind along the original Virginia frontier. 'Most, if not all, are nothing but stains in the ground (if archaeologists can even find them),' Bryan says.
'This one, you can see and touch all the original architectural features that nobody living has ever seen.'
After purchasing the home, Bryan began the painstaking process of removing the 1850s plaster to reveal the solid hand-hewn white oak logs of the fort.
In the process, he unearthed a priceless trove of artifacts belonging to the previous owners from a Civil War-era mourning dress, to 18th century Spanish silver coins, brass buttons from colonial coats, inscribed books from a Revolutionary War soldier garrisoned at the fort, World War I mementos, and hundreds of family photos and daguerreotypes.
Bryan's passion for pre-Revolutionary War history in the Greenbriar Valley of West Virginia is...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Kool, thanks for posting.
That’s very interesting.
PING!....................
What a brilliant job of historical preservation and organization of the articles he and his wife discovered!
How cool! Since he went to the trouble and cost to undercover the treasure, I’m sure it will be preserved. What a find!
Sadly, we live in a zero trust environment, and can’t trust anything, at any time, from anyone, anymore, especially if published in the Daily Mail. While impressive, this story is too on the nose, and may be a work of art. This could all be a master craftsman’s version of: flip this house!
Great article....a very interesting read! Thank you for posting!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrnside-Beirne-Johnson_House
Wiki suggests either the Daily Mail or Mr. Bryan has embellished the story. The place has been on the National Register for 30 years. Perhaps the lawyer can claim new discoveries within the existing site.
“Cornstalk’s Raid on the Greenbrier - 1763”
The curse of Cornstalk needs to be noted.
https://www.angelfire.com/fl2/sandrag/clend.html
Will Rogers placed a marker once.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2445378/welsh-cemetery#view-photo=58471746
Bttt
Cool!
Wow...can’t even imagine...
Thanks Red Badger.
Well I’m envious!
My neighbor found a log cabin under his plaster. After a winter’s heating bill, he plastered the walls back up!
Very interesting article and pics. I usually find my old nails by driving over them.
Totally fascinating
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