Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 - (Page 67)

Until recently, the museum’s interpretive label claimed simply that the stone was “recovered from the site of Fort Maurepas, the first permanent settlement established by Iberville in the Mississippi Valley.” However, that seemingly clear and simple interpretation of this chiseled tablet belies the stone’s mysterious and intriguing history. According to historical record, the stone was discovered buried on private property in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, around 1910. Those who support its authenticity argue that Iberville used the stone to mark French occupation of the Mississippi coast in 1699. Yet, over the years, historians have questioned its authenticity, and many experts have attempted to set the record straight. And even beyond the stone’s provenance, residents of Ocean Springs, where the stone was discovered, have at times alleged that the Louisiana State Museum was not authorized to assume possession of the Iberville Stone in 1937. Given the questions and historical drama that surround the stone, the Louisiana State Museum has made efforts since the 1930s to authenticate and prove valid ownership. Even with these efforts, much of the stone’s historical mystery remains, and its existence still calls for historical detective work. Part of the mystery of the marble plaque known as the Iberville Stone surrounds the discovery and location of the relic. According to a Louisiana State Museum report from 1937, the stone, along with several handmade bricks, was found by Captain Frederick A. Schreiber on the estate of W.B. Schmidt at Old Biloxi, which is present-day Ocean Springs. Since that time, however, it became clear that in fact Robert Rupp, listed as the caretaker of the Schmidt estate, actually dug up the stone, but kept it a secret for many years. Eventually, his son- LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM Given the questions and historical drama that surround the stone, the Louisiana State Museum has made efforts since the 1930s to authenticate and prove valid ownership. in-law Frederick A. Schreiber, who was the Austrian lighthouse keeper on Chandeleur Island, acquired the stone and bricks, which he kept safe and out of public view until the mid-1930s. Originally, the stone appeared dark from being buried for so long. But when Schreiber was stationed as a keeper for the lighthouse at Madisonville, Louisiana, for some years, he placed the stone beneath the overflow pipe of an artesian well to wash away the discoloration gently and reveal the pale marbled hue. Eventually, two Ocean Springs residents, Dr. O.L. Bailey and Mrs. O.D. Davidson, sought to publicize the stone’s significance, and in the mid-1930s the weeklong Jackson County Fair in Pascagoula displayed the relics in a special exhibit. Dr. Bailey then displayed the stone and bricks in the window next door to his drugstore in Ocean Springs, where they continued to incite questions about their authenticity. Finally, in 1937, Mrs. Davidson hoped to garner greater publicity for the artifacts by notifying the New Orleans Item newspaper and James A. Fortier, Louisiana State Museum curator and president. Fortier persuaded Schreiber to transport the artifacts to New Orleans, where they could be authenticated more precisely. After an examination at the Louisiana State Museum using available resources, Fortier claimed that the stone was authentic. In a report, he argued that the stone matched the description of other similar stones from the same period and that the inscription also matched those of the era. The bricks found with the stone were the type used in French buildings in the late 1600s, and the location where they were found matched historical accounts of the location of Fort Maurepas in 1699. However, Fortier’s claims have failed to satisfy historians and curators since that above: The Iberville Stone was discovered near the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) railway bridge that crossed the Back Bay in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, seen in this circa-1910 postcard. below: Captain Frederick A. Schreiber, the donor of the Iberville Stone, points to the spot on the Schmidt estate where he found the Iberville Stone in 1910. Is the Stone Authentic? LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM Fall 2008/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 67

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities New Orleans Immortelle The Historic New Orleans Collection Highland-Fairfield: The Historic Heart of Shreveport The Ogden Museum of Southern Art Perils of the Mississippi River Louisiana Foodways Harvest of Life King Oliver: The Forgotten King of Jazz Louisiana Architecture Jazz Notes Louisiana State Museum Eye of the Storm Louisiana Association of Museums Soul Resin Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

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