Friday, November 10, 2023

Ceremonial Stones from Honey Hollow VT

[From reader Hazel over several emails]

I'm including for fun, some of my favorite images of the stones I have 'discovered' in Honey Hollow, VT. I have also seen the impressive sites at Wolfrun/West Bolton(noted by N Muller and NEARA) and I think these sites are related, being directly north/south of each other, with the Winooski River between them. I shared my findings with Mike Luoma, who recently visited and feels these findings are genuine. I am working on a map - not counting stone rows, I have over 20 + different stone formations noted. Everything from 'typical' stone prayers, to prominent directionals, niches and 'stone spells' as you call them - which I agree seem different then the prayer-type piles. I read Manitou for the first time this summer and now suddenly, I cannot seem to go ANYWHERE in the woods without finding things.




This perched boulder points directly 0* north and is within a few degrees of the biscuit cairns at Wolfrun. I have found several perfectly north directionals at Honey Hollow but this one was most compelling and is very large. I love the way it seems to mimic the opposite ridge. 

Some more from Honey Hollow…




And this I found high above the colonial clutter, on the western ridge of Honey Hollow. I couldn’t ignore the 315* NW orientation, as if aligned with summer solstice sunset or winter sunrise. I know my boyfriend can’t wait for me to drag him up there again on 12/21 at 6 am LOL 


And these are some of the cairns at Wolfrun, directly north of Honey Hollow…




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I've always noticed them but only recently did I learn that they may have some significance.  State archaeologist Nick Bellantoni came to this area 22 years ago because of an Indian burying ground in the area.  I had him come to this area on my property and he said it was probably an area of Indian settlement:  A terrace with an adjacent steep-ish slope.  There is a circle of large flat stones, and there is a spring and a small wetland very nearby.




This last one is very large, maybe 15ft or more, on a hillside. The cairn is on adjoining land trust land.

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I took more pictures today, sent to you as files, of the large mound which, lol, I over-estimated to be too tall.  I'd say it's only about 7-8 ft or a bit taller.  The mound is at the bottom of a steep-ish slope (elevation drop of 50 feet over 300 feet on a hill which is like a symmetrical bowl, on an upland terraced site, the bowl being a large extended triangular mound at the base of it).  Included is a small "cave" on the mound which extends in a couple of feet.  



This mound is in a straight line with the humanoid-fish-turtle like structure that is roughly 300 feet away due around 10-15 degrees degrees west of north, so I guess true magnetic north.

If you could guess, I'm interested in the possible date of these structures.  I always thought the mound was colonial and the low effigy was a place where someone buried a pet, but every time I passed I thought it was way too elaborate for that.

3 comments :

pwax said...

Picture #5 is quite interesting. Note the symmetry of the pattern of cobbles, sitting in an old spilt rock, which looks a bit like a hand holding something.

What is curious is the two long rocks in front of the pattern. They have the same shape: a scallop taken out of the end. That shape may be familiar to stone tool enthusiasts.

Mike Luoma said...

That feature in #5 looks to be a split-filled boulder, it's at the base of the site. The larger boulders making up the feature have a similar orientation.

Curtiss Hoffman said...

I'd be very interested to see the map! Also, if Hazel or Mike can (privately if that's a concern) send me GPS coordinates I will be able to add this site to my inventory.