FIRST AMERICAN COLONY IS HONOURED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17890, 5 July 1926, Page 13

FIRST AMERICAN COLONY IS HONOURED.

FORT WAS BUILT BY HUGUENOTS IN 1362. (Special to the “Star.") NEW YORK, June 2. A monument to connnemmorate the first definitely located settlement of white men on the American continent has been unveiled on the site of old Charles Fort, Parris Island, S. C. French Huguenots, sent out by Admiral Coligny, and under the leadership of Jean Ribaut, founded a colony on this spot in 1562, and the exercises today were under the direction of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, with representatives of the French and American Governments participating, Hugenots from all over tho United States attended the ceremony. Among the speakers were Curtis D. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy; Major-General John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps; Jules Henry, First Secretary of the Fernch Embassy at Washington; and Thomas G. M’Leod, Governor of South Carolina. Practically the only knowledge of Ribaut’s is contained in the account b\- Rene Laudonniere, one of the colonists, as given in “Hakluyt’s Voyages.” Among the settlers was a cartographer named Le Moyne, whose map indicates clearl}’- that Charles Fort was located on what is now known as Parris Island, a part of Beaufort Count}’.

For many j-ears it was supposed that Charles Fort, while on Port Royal Sound, was not on Parris Is-

land. During the World War, Colonel John Millis, of the Engineers’ Corps, became much interested in the subject, and began investigations, which led to the definite location and identification of the settlement. Excavations revealed the butt ends of rows of cedar posts some feet under the ground, and eventually complete outline of the stockade was disclosed. Digging also disclosed pieces of old pottery, many hand-wrought spikes, a cannon ball, gun barrel and other articles. Dimensions of the stockade correlated exactly with those given by Hakluyt for the original fort.

With the exception of the old tower at Newport, Charles Fort is regarded as the oldest structure, or -which any trace remains, erected by the white race within the present limits of the United States.