12G; An Unknown Vertebra,
Late Eocene Tivola Limestone,
From 1928
And Basilosaurus vertebrae from 1976
By Thomas Thurman
08/July/2026
The Perry Area Historical Museum (perryhistoricalmuseum.org) has a large, unknown, undescribed vertebra collected from the local Tivola Limestone quarries sometime before May 1928. The path which brought it to Perry is a little murky, but the fossil’s origins are well established. It’s publicly displayed.
The museum’s Ms. Ellie Loudermilk explains that they received the vertebra from the Houston County Library in Perry 15 years ago. How it came into the library’s possession, and how long they had it, is unknown.
All the articles surrounding this history are referenced and attached at the base of this page.
The museum’s Ms. Ellie Loudermilk explains that they received the vertebra from the Houston County Library in Perry 15 years ago. How it came into the library’s possession, and how long they had it, is unknown.
All the articles surrounding this history are referenced and attached at the base of this page.
Here’s what we know
Georgia State Geologist Samuel W. McCallie added this vertebra to the State Geological Collection. McCallie stood as State Geologist from 1908-1933. A brief 24/May/1928 article in the Houston Home Journal (see inset) reports that the vertebrae came from Perry area quarries and describes how W. A. Adcock of Atlanta lent it to the museum. This author assumes it was the Capitol Museum where there are other Georgia fossils on display.
Here’s what we know
Georgia State Geologist Samuel W. McCallie added this vertebra to the State Geological Collection. McCallie stood as State Geologist from 1908-1933. A brief 24/May/1928 article in the Houston Home Journal (see inset) reports that the vertebrae came from Perry area quarries and describes how W. A. Adcock of Atlanta lent it to the museum. This author assumes it was the Capitol Museum where there are other Georgia fossils on display.
How W. A. Adcock came to possess it remains unknown. How long he held it, remains unknown. There are many gaps in the chain of custody for this vertebra. We don’t even know when it was recovered from the quarries. Bear in mind that a 1911 USGS/Georgia Geological Survey joint report on Georgia’s Coastal Plain mentions old limestone quarries south of Perry. Limestone has been quarried in Houston County for a long time. There are still active limestone quarries just south of Perry.
McCallie identified the vertebra as belonging to a Zeuglodon, an old name for Basilosaurus cetoides. It would seem McCallie made a mistake, in McCallie’s defense, his identification was reasonable at the time. Basilosaurus cetoides remains the largest known mammal which occurs in the Tivola Limestone, and this great whale is well represented.
McCallie identified the vertebra as belonging to a Zeuglodon, an old name for Basilosaurus cetoides. It would seem McCallie made a mistake, in McCallie’s defense, his identification was reasonable at the time. Basilosaurus cetoides remains the largest known mammal which occurs in the Tivola Limestone, and this great whale is well represented.
The Museum
On 30/June/2026 I visited the museum and spoke to Ms. Loudermilk and Mr. Wayne Chapman; they’d assisted in my Tivola Whale research (see page 12F of this website) and I wanted to say hello. I’d also heard that they had some fossils on hand and thought I’d look them over. Ms. Loudermilk and Mr. Chapman are deep wells of information over the history of Perry and Houston County.
On 30/June/2026 I visited the museum and spoke to Ms. Loudermilk and Mr. Wayne Chapman; they’d assisted in my Tivola Whale research (see page 12F of this website) and I wanted to say hello. I’d also heard that they had some fossils on hand and thought I’d look them over. Ms. Loudermilk and Mr. Chapman are deep wells of information over the history of Perry and Houston County.
Admittedly I wasn’t expecting a large vertebra. To my knowledge, and up to my visit to this museum, there are 5 basilosaurids in Houston County’s geologic literature, at least 3 of these are Basilosaurus cetoides, one is likely a Durodon serratus (reported by Sam Pickering in 1970 as a porpoise or small whale.) Lastlyn in 2008 Boy Scouts found an end of tail vertebra from a basilosaurid in Oaky Woods, but it isn’t clear if it came from a Basilosaurus or a Cynthiacetus.
Cynthiacetus maxwelli fossils, a mid-sized whale smaller than Basilosaurus, has been confirmed from Crisp County in the same time-frame, 35 million years ago.
Cynthiacetus maxwelli fossils, a mid-sized whale smaller than Basilosaurus, has been confirmed from Crisp County in the same time-frame, 35 million years ago.
A large vertebra. Since the Tivola Limestone was formed by high energy currents large fossils are invariably damaged. Some damage may have been caused by predation. Some damage may have been caused by transport, by the bones being rolled along the bottom.
Size Matters
As seen in the pics, the maximum width of the fossil is about 18” (457mm). This isn’t so unusual and there is certainly damage to the flanges of the vertebra, so in life it was longer. The centrum, or central column of the vertebra reaches a maximum of 8.5” (216mm). It is damaged, and may have been a bit larger, but 8.5” was the largest I could confidently measure.
As seen in the pics, the maximum width of the fossil is about 18” (457mm). This isn’t so unusual and there is certainly damage to the flanges of the vertebra, so in life it was longer. The centrum, or central column of the vertebra reaches a maximum of 8.5” (216mm). It is damaged, and may have been a bit larger, but 8.5” was the largest I could confidently measure.
When I first posted some pics on Facebook and mentioned that McCallie had identified it was a Basilosaurus, a friend quickly objected, reporting that it was too large from a Basilosaurus. Up to that moment it hadn’t occurred to me that McCallie had been wrong, a mistake on my part.
Sadly, I took the post down for further research and failed to note who’d objected. I offer an apology to them. I can’t give credit where credit is due.
In 1936 Remington Kellogg, the Director of the Smithsonian, published an exhaustive, and highly respected, report on whale fossils entitled A Review of Archaeoceti. At the time Kellogg was the leading expert on whales. Houston County’s own Tivola Whale was included in that report. Kellogg carefully measured the vertebra of every Basilosaurus in the Smithsonian’s large collection. The largest vertical diameter he reported for a vertebra was 159mm (6.25”).
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The centrum of the vertebra in the Perry Historical Museum is 2.25” (57.2mm) larger than any known basilosaurid vertebra. Hmm. It seemed my friend was right.
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I emailed Dr. Mark Uhen, Professor of Geology at Georgia Mason University. Uhen is a leading expert on fossils, he’s reviewed and been published over most southeastern whale fossils and worked, for a time, at the Smithsonian on the same fossils Kellogg had known, plus some more recent additions. |
His reply was most interesting…
Thursday, 2/July/2026
Thomas,
Thanks for sharing this with me.
There are definitely vertebrae out there, mostly from Florida, that are larger in diameter than those of Basilosaurus or Cynthiacetus. The problem is they are usually specimens like this, so we don't know much about the animals. I'm hoping to spend some time in the UF (University of Florida, Florida Natural History Museum) collections to see if I can make anything of them soon!
Thanks,
Mark
--
Mark D. Uhen
Professor & Chair
George Mason University
AOES Geology
So yes, it seems the vertebra at the Perry Historical Museum, misidentified since at least 1928, possibly belongs to an unknown species.
Science is a process and Houston County keeps contributing! Hopefully, Dr. Uhen can resolve this problem in the near future and classify this fossil and its brethren in Florida.
Science is a process and Houston County keeps contributing! Hopefully, Dr. Uhen can resolve this problem in the near future and classify this fossil and its brethren in Florida.
Houston County Vertebrae, 1976
Of course, I advised Ms. Loudermilk & Mr. Chapman of Dr. Uhen’s comments and Miss Ellie shared a bit more information with me in the form of a 1976 article also from the Houston Home Journal.
On January 27, 1976, the Houston Home Journal carried a story entitled; “Perry’s Gound Shook With Dinosaur’s Tread”.
Of course, no. It didn’t. Sorry, but Perry’s ground never shook beneath the feet of dinosaurs, but if you dig deep enough, thousands of feet down, you might find marine fossils from the Cretaceous when dinosaurs are known to have walked Georgia.
Of course, I advised Ms. Loudermilk & Mr. Chapman of Dr. Uhen’s comments and Miss Ellie shared a bit more information with me in the form of a 1976 article also from the Houston Home Journal.
On January 27, 1976, the Houston Home Journal carried a story entitled; “Perry’s Gound Shook With Dinosaur’s Tread”.
Of course, no. It didn’t. Sorry, but Perry’s ground never shook beneath the feet of dinosaurs, but if you dig deep enough, thousands of feet down, you might find marine fossils from the Cretaceous when dinosaurs are known to have walked Georgia.
Dinosaurs, as we think of them, went extinct 65 million years ago with the close of the Cretaceous Period. While dinosaurs certainly walked North Georgia during this period Houston County was submerged beneath a warm sea. The Tivola Limestone reported in this article is from the Late Eocene Epoch and was deposited only about 35 million years ago.
Dinosaurs were in the distant past when the Tivola Limestone formed.
These fossils are from the first great whales. They too are scientifically important. Whales, with great shearing teeth, hunted the sea which covered Perry. You can see that a Basilosaurus cetoide tooth is one of the most fearsome ever produced by nature.
Dinosaurs were in the distant past when the Tivola Limestone formed.
These fossils are from the first great whales. They too are scientifically important. Whales, with great shearing teeth, hunted the sea which covered Perry. You can see that a Basilosaurus cetoide tooth is one of the most fearsome ever produced by nature.
As early as 1911 the Tivola Limestone around Perry was shown to be Late Eocene by geologists Otto Veatch and Lloyd William Stephenson, placing it about 35 million years old. This has been repeated confirmed by other ressearchers.
Despite the errors in the newspaper article (no author is credited) there are two images. The first shows Paul Hardy with the Tivola Limestone. (Known as the Ocala Limestone in 1976.) The article reports that Mr. Hardy was the manager of Georgia Limerock Company (& later Dixie Lime & Stone) for 24 years, retiring in 1968. Harvey reported that over several years quarry operations revealed two vertebrae, several ribs, and other bones embedded in the quarry walls. “Most were found while digging out one wall of limestone.” The article states. “While the rest were found in another area…”
The other image shows two vertebrae and several hard to identify bones on a picnic table, material Hardy had recovered from the mine. We’ll discuss these momentarily.
In the body of the article, it seems clear that Hardy understands the limestone is a marine deposit, it is full of sand dollars, scallop shells, and bryozoans. It would be difficult to decsribe the Tivola any other way.
The article’s speculation that these were triceratops or brontotherid fossils is just pure fantasy likely created for dramatic effect by the article’s uncredited author.
While exchanging emails with Dr. Uhen I sent him the 1976 pictures. He was reasonably confidence that the two vertebrae were Basilosaurus cetoides, they looked too long to belong to the unnamed species we’ve discussed, or the other well-established Eocene whales Durodon, Zygorhiza, or Cynthiacetus.
Sadly, the fate of these fossils is unknown, and no known decedents of Paul Hardy are still in the Perry area.
Sadly, the fate of these fossils is unknown, and no known decedents of Paul Hardy are still in the Perry area.
Seeing as the vertebrae came from two different locations in the quarry, it seems likely that two more individual whales are represented. Yet, since we don’t have the vertebrae to inspect, we can’t rule out the possibility that both belong to the same animal. A living Basilosaurus cetoides possessed 58 vertebrae.
Tivola Limestone Quarry 2026
Limestone is still actively mined in Houston County, it’s my hope that the quarry will alert researchers to vertebrate material they encounter and offer an opportunity for recovery and study. Beyond hosts of Periarchus pileussinensis sand dollars and other common fossils, the Tivola Limestone has produced fossils from whales, large sharks, terminator pigs (entelodonts) and (most recently) ancestors to prong horn sheep. Even after a century of research there is still science to do in the Tivola Limestone. There is great educational and scientific value in these fossils and sharing them cost little to the business of mining.
Limestone is still actively mined in Houston County, it’s my hope that the quarry will alert researchers to vertebrate material they encounter and offer an opportunity for recovery and study. Beyond hosts of Periarchus pileussinensis sand dollars and other common fossils, the Tivola Limestone has produced fossils from whales, large sharks, terminator pigs (entelodonts) and (most recently) ancestors to prong horn sheep. Even after a century of research there is still science to do in the Tivola Limestone. There is great educational and scientific value in these fossils and sharing them cost little to the business of mining.
Road Construction Fossils, 1915
Miss Ellie and Mr. Wayne are diligent Houston County historians and in their research they encountered other tales of fossils from the county which they shared with me, I’m passing this one on to you. Sadly, no images or confirmation accompanies this report so it must be taken at face value.
Headline
Hayneville, Prehistoric Bones Found in Cutting Road in Houston County
Atlanta Constitution,
Sunday, August 29, 1915
Thomas S. Chapman, superintendent of Houston County chain gang, has completed the road from Big Indian Creek across the Limestone Creek ridge in the southeastern portion of the county to the Pulaski County line, a distance of eight miles, thus completing a link in a road highway from Fitzgerald via Hawkinsville and Perry to Macon.
While grading across the Limestone ridge at a depth of twenty feet, Mr. Chapman found a number of relics, among which were shells, petrified bones and two large fish teeth, the largest of which is three inches in length, tapering from a width of two inches to a fine point, with edges resembling a fine-tooth saw. Part of the jawbone of the fish is attached to these teeth, which are well preserved. The teeth are very sharp, and the edges resemble coarse pointed needles, though shorter.
A quantity of black substance resembling phosphates was also found
Hayneville, Prehistoric Bones Found in Cutting Road in Houston County
Atlanta Constitution,
Sunday, August 29, 1915
Thomas S. Chapman, superintendent of Houston County chain gang, has completed the road from Big Indian Creek across the Limestone Creek ridge in the southeastern portion of the county to the Pulaski County line, a distance of eight miles, thus completing a link in a road highway from Fitzgerald via Hawkinsville and Perry to Macon.
While grading across the Limestone ridge at a depth of twenty feet, Mr. Chapman found a number of relics, among which were shells, petrified bones and two large fish teeth, the largest of which is three inches in length, tapering from a width of two inches to a fine point, with edges resembling a fine-tooth saw. Part of the jawbone of the fish is attached to these teeth, which are well preserved. The teeth are very sharp, and the edges resemble coarse pointed needles, though shorter.
A quantity of black substance resembling phosphates was also found
To my ears, "coarse pointed needles" with part of the jawbone attached sounds like whale teeth. The occurance of shark teeth with any jaw material still attached is extremely rare, but well known among whales, even Houston County basilosaurids. Of course this is pure speculation since the observed fossils aren't known to have been saved.
Go Say Hi
Swing by the Perry Historical Museum and say hello to Miss Ellie Loudermilk & Mr. Wayne Chapman, ask to see the vertebra, they have it on display. They have many interesting things on display and both Miss Ellie and Mr. Wayne are wonderful historians and conversationalist, so take a moment to chat. The Museum is next door to the Perry Library. The address is below.
Perry Historical Museum
901 Northside Dr
Perry, GA 31069
Ph# 478-224-4442
perryhistoricalmuseum.org
Open
Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday
10am-12pm/2pm-4pm
Swing by the Perry Historical Museum and say hello to Miss Ellie Loudermilk & Mr. Wayne Chapman, ask to see the vertebra, they have it on display. They have many interesting things on display and both Miss Ellie and Mr. Wayne are wonderful historians and conversationalist, so take a moment to chat. The Museum is next door to the Perry Library. The address is below.
Perry Historical Museum
901 Northside Dr
Perry, GA 31069
Ph# 478-224-4442
perryhistoricalmuseum.org
Open
Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday
10am-12pm/2pm-4pm
Keep an eye open on this website for updates on the mystery vertebra, as soon as there is sometringnew to report I will update this page.
Below are references and the original 1976 article from the Houston Home Journal.
Below are references and the original 1976 article from the Houston Home Journal.
References
- Veatch, Otto, & Stephenson, Lloyd William; Geology of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, Geological Survey of Georgia, Bulletin 26, 1911
- Kellogg, Remington; A Review of the Archaeoceti, Carnegie Institution, Pub. 20, Published 1936
- Pickering, Sam M.; Stratigraphy, Paleontology, and Economic Geology of Portions of Perry and Cochran Quadrangles. The Geological Survey of Georgia, Department of Mines, Mining and Geology, Bulletin 81. 1970.
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