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Stiles Hill Boylston, MA
I was at a curious site this weekend on a hill with a tall radio tower that you can see to the north as you drive on Rt 290 between Northborough and Boylston on the way to Worcester. I could not figure out if the site was ceremonial or random rock disposal; or when it had come about as a site. At first I walked up the gradual western slope below the radio tower and I saw what looked like loose dumped lines of rocks:
There was also what looked like a terrace or a road bed. Then, as I continued to try to dismiss the material I came to one rock pile that did look kind of deliberate. 
Notice the white item towards the center of the pile. Here is a detail: 
This is the neck portion of a porcelain vase with a raised pattern of blue on a white background. The word "Victorian" comes to mind but, of course, I have no idea when it was from or when it was used in a rock pile. It seems deliberate to me and, if it is, then the pile is at least as young as the pot. As I looked around for more piles, there were a few indistinct traces: 
And some other, quite distinctly well built piles, at least this one: 
And then another similar curved elongated rock pile, that looked like it might have somehow been dumped, like the piles I saw at first (left side of the first picture above). But this one looked slightly more compact and more like a pile: 
Still, I could not convince myself this was a ceremonial site. I started to think it was a mixture of different things. Then I came across the footings to the radio tower: 
And then the radio tower itself, towering so high over head I had to look straight up to see it. 
There was a good deal of soil disturbance and loose rocks on the surface along the sides of the path of the tower's cables. All of the loose rocks I had been seeing could be accounted for the result of the tower construction. But somehow I felt that the better piles I was seeing would have been older than the tower. Then I saw this pile with a recent (beer?) bottle inserted into it 
This was close the the path of the tower cables and I imagined a workman taking a picnic break here and, for some reason interacting with an existing rock pile. But then also the radio tower by itself makes this a special location. Was the tower here before the rock piles? Hard to say and all with that bit of broken vase. I try to put this all together but a simple answer eludes me.
I was at a curious site this weekend on a hill with a tall radio tower that you can see to the north as you drive on Rt 290 between Northborough and Boylston on the way to Worcester. I could not figure out if the site was ceremonial or random rock disposal; or when it had come about as a site. At first I walked up the gradual western slope below the radio tower and I saw what looked like loose dumped lines of rocks:
There was also what looked like a terrace or a road bed. Then, as I continued to try to dismiss the material I came to one rock pile that did look kind of deliberate. 
Notice the white item towards the center of the pile. Here is a detail: 
This is the neck portion of a porcelain vase with a raised pattern of blue on a white background. The word "Victorian" comes to mind but, of course, I have no idea when it was from or when it was used in a rock pile. It seems deliberate to me and, if it is, then the pile is at least as young as the pot. As I looked around for more piles, there were a few indistinct traces: 
And some other, quite distinctly well built piles, at least this one: 
And then another similar curved elongated rock pile, that looked like it might have somehow been dumped, like the piles I saw at first (left side of the first picture above). But this one looked slightly more compact and more like a pile: 
Still, I could not convince myself this was a ceremonial site. I started to think it was a mixture of different things. Then I came across the footings to the radio tower: 
And then the radio tower itself, towering so high over head I had to look straight up to see it. 
There was a good deal of soil disturbance and loose rocks on the surface along the sides of the path of the tower's cables. All of the loose rocks I had been seeing could be accounted for the result of the tower construction. But somehow I felt that the better piles I was seeing would have been older than the tower. Then I saw this pile with a recent (beer?) bottle inserted into it 
This was close the the path of the tower cables and I imagined a workman taking a picnic break here and, for some reason interacting with an existing rock pile. But then also the radio tower by itself makes this a special location. Was the tower here before the rock piles? Hard to say and all with that bit of broken vase. I try to put this all together but a simple answer eludes me.
2 comments :
If I could have a sharper and more detailed image of that vase fragment, I could probably have it identified for you.
Norman
Why would the pile be as young as the pot fragment? The fragment is placed on top, and that could have been done long after the pile was constructed.
Norman
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