This week, we keep it in the family as Gina sits down with new About South co-producer Jessica Parker. Jessica grew up in Fayette County, GA, home of the Line Creek Petroglyph, a large, engraved rock with a complicated history. Jessica first learned about the petroglyph when it became the subject of national news -- because someone had stolen it. Years later, she and Gina attempt to solve the mystery of the Line Creek Petroglyph.
The Line Creek Petroglyph
The petroglyph at Line Creek Nature Center in middle Georgia entered the modern public record when local historian Eddie Lanham was conducting surveys of other historically significant sites in the area. The large boulder appeared to have a sunburst pattern carved into it.
Found in the homelands of Muscogee Creek peoples, it seemed likely that the petroglyph was an Indigenous artifact with significant historical value. But in 2013, like numerous Indigenous artifacts before and after it, the Line Creek Petroglyph was stolen.
Local Fayette County historian Eddie Lanham saw the petroglyph when conducting research related to Alexander Ware.
Moving the boulder would not have been an easy task, Jessica says. The job would likely require more than one person and would involve a literal uphill battle deep in the woods.
As a Potawatomi person, Jessica can think of similar things happening to other Indigenous objects of importance. “For some reason, people feel entitled to take Native American artifacts in a way that they don’t necessarily feel entitled to take other kinds of artifacts,” she explains.
Just a week or so later, the thieves quietly returned the petroglyph. But shortly after it was returned, it was moved again.
Jessica tried to track it down but hit a dead end: the Department of Natural Resources said it’s “in a safe place” with them. Jessica and Gina travel to Fayette County and sit down with Eddie Lanham for a conversation about the petroglyph’s history and its present home.
Together, Jessica and Gina attempt to unravel the mystery of who took the Line Creek Petroglyph and why. And they look to find its location today.