IBERVILLE+STONE+SCRIPT

IBERVILLE STONE SCRIPT

This stone was purportedly used by French- Canadian explorer Pierr LE Moyne, sieur d’Iberville in 1699 to mark France’s claim to the Lower Mississippi Valley. When Louis XIV decided to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi, Iberville was given command. In 1699 he established Ft. Maurepas in Biloxi Bay, and on his return to France he was awarded the Cross of the Order of St. Louis

The stone was recovered in 1910 by the caretaker of an estate in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. While early twentieth century historians were positive in their identifying the stone as the original French marker, a team of forensics experts and scholars analyzed the stone and were unable to confirm its authenticity. The group concluded that the Italian marble material was likely appropriate to this use in 1699. However, the engraved words were more associated with language from the 1710s and 1720s, and may indicate that the stone was placed at that time to mark the original founding in Biloxi Bay.

Regardless of the unknown provenance of the stone, the story makes an intriguing historical puzzle, and reminds us of the power of artifacts to raise important questions.