Q: I was doing a quick Google search on the Cheshire Bridge Road psychic "Madam Bell" (her TV commercial that pondered "Troubled by your nature?" always made me laugh). I ran across an unattributed article that said she had died. Did this happen? If so, how long ago?
-- Parris R. Hughes, Atlanta
A: You'll need another psychic to talk to Madam Bell these days. Her body was found in a 5-foot deep reflecting pool behind the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead on June 22, 1999, in what investigators ruled was an accidental drowning. Police and family members couldn't explain what Bell, who was 54 years old, was doing at the hotel at that time, but her daughter, told the AJC then that Bell "loved to be around water." Bell's purse, shoes and a large sum of cash were found at the scene and Bell's new black Mercedes was parked in a lot on Peachtree Road. "What you see for others you cannot always see for yourself," fellow psychic Mother Margaret told the AJC at the time. Bell built an extremely successful business, thanks in part to her TV commercials and a large neon sign on her building that proclaimed, "Tells past, present, and future," but her predictions didn't always ring true. Bell, who also was known as Judy Marks and Dina Adams, had foreseen a victory for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, when contacted by the AJC before the big game. Instead, Denver defeated Atlanta 34-19 on Jan. 31, 1999. And she said President Clinton would not be elected to a second term in 1996. Guess she didn't know about Monica Lewinsky, either.
Q: I’ve heard about the Rock Eagle effigy. What is it?
A: That's Rock Eagle, not War Eagle, to all you Auburn fans. The namesake of the Rock Eagle 4-H Center near Eatonton is a pile of stones that was made into the shape of a bird, perhaps an eagle. The history is a sketchy, but it appears the effigy was built by Native Americans around 2,000 years ago, before the Creek and Cherokee, who later lived in the area. The "eagle" is 120 feet long, from head to tail, spans 102 feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other and is 8 to 10 feet tall. Rock Hawk, another mound, also is near Eatonton, about 13 miles, as the crow flies, from Rock Eagle.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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