Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Georgia Gainesville Dare Stones

Dare Stones

A mysterious inscription may hold a clue about the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.

Gainesville, Georgia

Added By
meltingknight
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Original Dare Stone   Brenau University/used with permission
One of Eberhardt’s hoax stones.   public domain
An artistic depiction of one of the Dare Stones.   Nesnad/cc by 4.0
Brenau University.   Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD/cc by-sa 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1937, a California man found something unusual on his vacation. L.E. Hammond had been driving through a North Carolina swamp near the Chowan River when he saw a strange rock with peculiar inscriptions on it. They were signed by Eleanor White Dare, mother of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World.

On one side, the stone describes how Eleanor's husband and daughter Elizabeth were killed in 1591. On the other, it tells how the colonists had moved inland and slowly died off until only seven were left. The inscription also hinted that more information would come on further stones. The message was a shocking potential clue about the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Island, North Carolina, the first English settlers in the United States, who were last seen in 1587 and whose fate has remained a mystery ever since.

After reading it, Hammond took the stone to Georgia's Emory University where he was sent to Haywood Pearce Jr., a history professor who was also vice president of Brenau University. Pearce Jr. was convinced the message was real, but Emory University was not. Pearce persuaded his father, the president of Brenau University, to buy the rock from Hammond for $1,000. The junior Pearce led the charge to find the other stones, offering a $500 reward, but came up empty-handed.

Then in 1940, a farmer in Georgia named Bill Eberhardt claimed to find the second stone, along with 13 other inscribed rocks. Over the years, he produced 42 stones in all, and was paid $2,000 for his finds. In 1941, a reporter named Boyden Sparkes working for the Saturday Evening Post published an expose proving why the Georgia stones found by Eberhardt were fake. The original stone from Chowan River, however, was never proven fake.

After the embarrassment of the expose, the Dare Stones were hidden in the basement for decades. Today, a few of the stones, including the original, are on display in the library at Brenau University.

Related Tags

History Colonial America Mystery Colonialism Rocks Hoaxes Universities Archaeology Geology

Know Before You Go

A number of the Eberhardt stones are kept in the archive section of the library. Viewing the Chowan River stone requires a special appointment with the university president's office.

Community Contributors

Added By

meltingknight

Edited By

jessemiers, Meg

  • jessemiers
  • Meg

Published

November 21, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.ncpedia.org/dare-stones
  • https://window.brenau.edu/articles/dare-stones/
Dare Stones
625 Academy St NE
Gainesville, Georgia
United States
34.304962, -83.82269
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The School Bus Graveyard

Alto, Georgia

miles away

Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory

Silver City, Georgia

miles away

Babyland General Hospital: Cabbage Patch Kids

Cleveland, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Georgia

Georgia

United States

Places 219
Stories 15

Nearby Places

The School Bus Graveyard

Alto, Georgia

miles away

Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory

Silver City, Georgia

miles away

Babyland General Hospital: Cabbage Patch Kids

Cleveland, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Georgia

Georgia

United States

Places 219
Stories 15

Related Stories and Lists

The Lingering Mystery of the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke

abandoned

By Colin Dickey

Related Places

  • Narragansett Rune Stone

    North Kingstown, Rhode Island

    Narragansett Rune Stone

    It's said that this stone with its mysterious runic inscription is evidence of the Norse visiting Narragansett.

  • Shorakkopoch Rock.

    New York, New York

    Shorakkopoch Rock

    A large boulder marks the place where the island of Manhattan was purportedly "sold" to the Dutch.

  • Inyo County, California

    Coso Rock Art District

    A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

  • A pictograph at Bear Gulch.

    Forest Grove, Montana

    Bear Gulch Pictographs

    A scenic ravine with an astounding collection of rock art created by the Indigenous people of the Great Plains.

  • The circular structure of houses.

    Alaior, Spain

    Torre d'en Galmes

    This remarkable prehistoric town is full of watchtowers and houses that have withstood thousands of years.

  • The “map” petroglyph

    San Martín, Peru

    Petroglyphs of Polish

    This set of mysterious petroglyphs in the Peruvian jungle could shed light on centuries-old activities in the region.

  • Framingham, Massachusetts

    The Old Field of 1800

    Two stone markers honor the Nipmuc people who first settled here millennia ago.

  • Zempoala, Mexico

    Zona Arqueológica Cempoala

    Palace, temple, and pyramid ruins mark the ancient Mesoamerican capital of Totonacapan.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.