142 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL, 92 
also to Mr. Powell for his spirit of cooperation, as well as for the 
manner in which he handled the removal of the meteorite. 
Location and discovery.—The Sardis meteorite was recovered near 
Beaverdam Creek in the northern part of Jenkins County about 200 
yards from the Burke County line. The nearest town is Sardis; there- 
fore, it is proposed that this fall should bear its name. Sardis is in 
Burke County, but the specimen was found just over the line in 
Jenkins County. The place of discovery is 614 miles west-southwest 
of Sardis and 11 miles north-northeast of Millen, in latitude 32°56’56’” 
N. and longitude 80°51’54”” W. as given on the U. S. Geological Survey 
map of the Millen quadrangle. 
Though the cottonfield in which this discovery was made has been 
under constant cultivation for about 50 years, the meteorite was not 
found until 1940, when a boy fouled his plow in such a manner as to 
cause him to investigate the obstruction. There was either something 
different in the manner in which the plow snagged that day or else 
the boy’s interests had been freshly aroused by the frequent rumors 
of buried treasures often reported to be in this part of the country. 
When General Sherman made his famous march to the sea he passed 
through this area, and rumor still has it that the treasures of many 
families were buried to protect them from the invading army and 
have never been relocated. The plowman knew there were no rocks 
in this vicinity, so that anything causing his plow to snag was rather 
unusual and perhaps a hidden treasure. He probably guessed that 
his “pot of gold” lay right here. 
He uncovered the object, undercut one side, and then assisted by 
neighbors dug a deep cavity under one side and turned it over into 
the new hole. Fortunately in the struggle to overturn it a few frag- 
ments were broken off. Because of the unusual weight of these pieces 
the finders’ curiosity was aroused, and so they sought Mr. Powell’s 
advice as to the nature of this rock. 
The treasure hunt was perhaps a disappointment to these men be- 
cause, after all their struggle, they found under it only orange-red 
sandy clay. After reburial the meteorite remained there for nearly 
a year until Mr. Powell by the assistance of a wrecking truck removed 
it from the field, crated it, and shipped it to the United States National 
Museum. Little did they realize that this heavy rock was not only a 
treasure but one of the five largest masses of meteoritic material ever 
to be found in this country. Its arrival on this earth probably pre- 
ceded that of white man to this continent by countless centuries. 
Description of the Sardis meteorite—The over-all measurements 
taken in three directions at right angles to one another are 33 by 28 
by 16 inches. The general shape is that of a flattened ellipsoid, but 
its present shape and dimensions are of little importance because an 
