Twenty-eight years ago, the initials carved into the rocks were barely visible.
âTo find a set of inscriptions that has not been vandalized is especially rare and unusual,â Noel Harrison said in May 1992. âThereâs every indication itâs the real thing.â
Harrison, who still serves with the National Park Service, was referring to a tall outcrop of rocks located deep within the woods on the north side of Centreport Parkway, about a half-mile northeast of Mountain View Road. Old-timers who grew up in the area call the desolate landmark Buzzardsâ Roost.
While hiking with Boy Scouts in 1957, Clarence Snellings also came upon the rocks and the same patch of Civil War-era inscriptions.