Mound Designs of Eastern MA

 Thought this might be of interest, from an old rejected article:

Variations in outline design of rectangular mounds with hollows. Styles A-D may be tall and up to 40 feet across; styles E-H are usually low to the ground and less than ~15 feet across. Style I is a crescent shape, usually ~20 feet across.

Index

Type A (typical variations in size of rocks used, wall height, and overall size)
See figures 2, 3, 4
Blood Hill, Ashburnham
Top of Falulah Brook, Fitchburg
Western slope of Alpine Hill, Fitchburg
Southern end of Mount Elam Road, Leominster
Behind Oakmont High School in Ashburnham
Warren Brook, Upton
Peppercorn Hill, Upton
North Brook, Berlin
Gumpass Pond, Pelham, N.H.
Doeskin Hill, Framingham
Fortune Drive, Billerica

Type B (no known variations, ~25 feet across)
See figure 5
Where West Ashby Road crosses Falulah Brook, Fitchburg
East of water tower in Franklin

Type C (usually large, with typical variation in internal structure, height, wall thickness, and squareness)
See figure 6
Top of Falulah Brook, Ashby
Estabrook Woods, Concord
South end of Mount Elam Road, Leominster
Hopping Brook Development, Hopkinton

Type D (three subtypes: (a) waist high and 15 feet long; (b) as a large outline on the ground; (c) as a small outline on the ground)
See figures 7, 8
Callahan State Park, Framingham (a)
Maxant Land, Harvard (a)
Estabrook Woods, Concord (a)
South end of Mt Elam Road, Leominster (b)
Horse Hill, Groton (b)
West of Route 2, at top of Hobbs Brook, Lincoln (c)

Type E (no variation, ~8 feet across)
See figures 9, 10
Where West Ashby Road crosses Falulah Brook, Fitchburg
Where Richardson Road crosses the brook between Wright Ponds, Ashby

Types F, G, and H (found as outlines or pavements on the ground. They are ~8 feet across, hard to make out and the types blend into each other.)
See figure 13
Nashoba Brook trail off Braeside Ave, Acton
East of Rt 2 at top of Hobbs Brook, Lincoln
Scott Reservoir, Fitchburg
Where West Ashby Road crosses Falulah Brook, Fitchburg
Top of Elizabeth Brook, Harvard
Top of Hobbs Brook, Lincoln

Larger forms of type F
See figures 11, 12
Woodbridge Road, Carlisle
The brook between the Wright Ponds, Ashby
Apron Hill, Boylston

Type I (typical variations in size 10-30 feet, made from small rocks)
See figures 14, 15
Scott Road, Fitchburg
Ballard Hill, Lancaster
Nod Brook, Groton
Horse Hill, Groton

Figures

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15 (view downhill)

Woods Hole Golf Club Driveway

You see the darnedest things. These bumps have credibility because there is a more undisturbed site in the woods fifty yards away.

But if you wanted to tell me these are just debris, I wouldn't argue the point. You can see a common design feature suggested by the two larger rocks at each end of the bump.

Newark Earthwork - from Brad Lepper

From Lepper: Fort Ancient similar but different from the Newark Earthwork (newarkadvocate.com)

Thought I'd show this because - of course! - these were the people who built our rock piles. They used soil because they did not have rocks and, for some reason, they went big.

'It's Been Erased': Stockbridge Mohicans Retell, Reclaim Their Story In Berkshires

 By NANCY EVE COHEN • JAN 11, 2021

 

A cairn on Monument Mountain, where the Stockbridge Mohicans left stones in the 1700s. It was looted in 1840 and later reconfigured.

“The Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians today are based in Wisconsin. But their homeland spanned the Housatonic and Hudson river valleys, and stretched from Manhattan to northern Vermont.

Over the decades, members of the tribe have come back to the Berkshires to protect cultural sites…Hiking up Monument Mountain, in Great Barrington, I come across Chris Graham, and his dog Sophie. I asked if he knows why it’s called Monument Mountain.

"I don’t," said Graham, who hikes here often. "I know that there’s the monument at the top of it, the inscribed rock."

That inscription describes the donation of the land to The Trustees. But the name — "monument" — refers to something left behind by the native people, explained retired Stockbridge police chief and local historian Rick Wilcox.

"There is an actual pile of stones or a cairn on the far side of the mountain. It was along the Indian trail between Great Barrington, Sheffield and Stockbridge. They would travel by that path and when they went by it, they would drop a rock on the pile," said Wilcox, on a walk up the mountain.

It’s considered a sacred site. But treasure-hunting vandals looted the pile in 1840. It was later reconfigured, but it’s not well-marked. Before we found it, Wilcox took me to the wind-swept summit.

"They call this part Squaw Peak," Wison said.

But "squaw" is now considered a derogatory slur. The Stockbridge Mohicans have asked the Trustees to change the name to “Peeskawso,” meaning virtuous woman. The Trustees is doing that, as well as renaming a trail and adding signage to better reflect tribal culture.

As we descended, Wilcox pointed out the monument — the stone pile, around 5 or 6 feet tall.

"It’s wonderful to be able to see it. And it’s unfortunate that it was desecrated," Wilcox said. "You know, so much of their history has been hidden or wiped out, and so this I guess is in some ways an example of a piece of their history that was kind of brought back to life."

https://www.nepm.org/post/its-been-erased-stockbridge-mohicans-retell-reclaim-their-story-berkshires

Hawaii's "First Ones"

 They manage to find rock piles in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest for comparison. Too bad they did not look in the east.

Sidestep: Rock piles (wixsite.com)

Upside down Manitou Stone

 The sister of a friend writes:

These were taken [In Northhampton MA] around 11:45 am, so the sun is in the south.  The front of the stone faces due north (I used my compass).

It's on the north side of a hill, facing downhill toward a wetland area, about .25 miles at the bottom of the hill (See last photo).

Above to the SW is the top of a rocky knoll.  And there are many large and small boulders  all the  around and down the hill -- which is why this whole area is sometimes called "The rocks."
Ruff was kind enough to be my model, for perspective.

As you can see there are now that obvious human-made markings on the face of the stone,but the shape is suspiciously symmetrical.

42°21'49.5"N 72°39'08.5"W.

Experiencing Stone Rows and Stone Piles at Gates Pond in Hudson, Massachusetts

 

“Check out possible Native American stone rows and stone piles in a quick visit to the north end of this beautiful public area and reservoir in Hudson, Massachusetts. Head into the woods with Mike Luoma and discover some of the elaborate stonework hiding amongst the trees and along the wetlands.

Probably the best time to experience a stone row that runs alongside a swamp is during the winter. The water is low, it's too cold for insects to be flying around, and the poison ivy isn't so much of a problem. Mike's suspicions he's found an ancient indigenous stone effigy row are rewarded by the elaborate work he finds at the end of the row's first length.

Mike believes he's also found an indigenous stone pile, as described on the blog Rock Piles run by Peter Waksman (rockpiles.blogspot.com). Mike credits Peter and the blog with early discoveries in stone - and a map of stone works at Gates Pond Mike memorized for the day's excursion.”

https://youtu.be/wQooyDb8bJ0

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ancientstonemysteries

Year in Review - 2020

January: 

Invisible mounds in Woods Hole. Here is one. Can you see it? 

More Mounds at Sippewisett (Biggest mounds found (with the help of Johannes Raatz) yet on Cape Cod:

February. 

Tributaries of the Three Mile River, Taunton. Little piles in the woods.

Ash Brook Swamp, North Cumberland RI. Little piles in the snow:

[Somewhere around here a PANDEMIC STARTED!]

March

No new sites

April

Revisiting the Kibbe (Kibby) Cellar Hole. Plenty of mystery.

Revisiting Manitou's "Boulder Ridge":

May

No new sites but continuing the argument for publicizing sites rather than keeping them secret.

[No one talks about the downside of keeping sites a secret. It means you are being anti social and are not pursuing science. Vandals are kept out but those holding the secret become the vandals - to all practical purposes.]

June

No new sites

July

I was told about a site in Mendon Town Forest. Hollows of different ages. (Note the quartz "window")

August

No new sites

September

Seems the only news was the casting down of Holliston's George Washington Stone

October

No new sites

November

A few minor sites and the ongoing discussion of turtle shaped rocks and piles.

December

Tommy Hudson reports on the Mountain View II site.

I found a little site in Canton, driving down Rt 24

So that was the year. Things are winding down and the pandemic didn't help - although it can't be blamed for my not getting out in the woods more. 

It is sort of sad how, with or without a pandemic, the excitement of discovery and a world in which new sites are actively pursued may already be passing on. The subject cannot be new forever.

Happy NEW year.

Concord Mound? X marks the spot

This is a stretch of Rt 62 in Concord, with the Great Meadows to the left and Hanscom Airfield to the right. About at the location of the crosshair, there is a mound of dirt. It is about 12 feet tall above the surrounding ground.

At the time, when I looked at the top of this bump, I thought someone had already been there and dug a hole in the top of it. Now I am not so sure of that interpretation. So for the record: there is a mound in Concord at about that spot. Perhaps someone will go check it out.

Year in Review?

 Later, I promise,

A Familiar Rock at the Gumpas

Reader Herb writes:

This is a post I just made on my facebook page referencing some of your work

 

"Back around 1956 I used to walk through the woods near Gumpas Pond. I had a rock I always used to sit on because it had a concave spot for my butt and a backrest. I had moved a rock next to it for a place to put up my feet. Once in the early spring I fell asleep in the sun, woke up and found the only bobcat I've ever seen in the wild walking by. He/she didn't know I was there and went straight up in the air when I moved. The bobcat was moving before it ever hit the ground. I was searching around today for pictures of Pelham when I came upon this website. The last picture in the series is my rock. What are the chances of a picture showing up on the internet of an odd rock a person used to sit on in the woods 64 years ago?"

https://rockpiles.blogspot.com/2013/05/northwest-of-gumpas-pond-pelham-nh.html?fbclid=IwAR2tgduREMnuXbk8j5k9x3lMcDoSBLTYs2inS87fq6LipRpoZ672zBIj1XA

Mountain View II

Tommy Hudson writes [please click on photos to see captions]:

Mountain View II is just one of many petroforms in the area. It’s on private property and I’ve wanted to see it for many years, so when I got permission, I was out there within a few days with a couple of friends and some students from Kennesaw State University (Thanks to Professor J.B. Tate (ret) and Bill Phillips). Its just four miles down the Etowah River from the Etowah Archaeological Site.

Ladd’s Mountain, which can be seen from the hilltop next to the site, was the home of a huge stone wall approximately a quarter mile long, 8’ to 12’ wide, and 4’ to 8’ tall. It was destroyed by the State of Georgia DOT and used for road fill over 60 years ago.

The Leake site is nearby and it is home to a Woodland (1000 BC to 1000 AD) village that was on a trade route connecting the Gulf to the Midwest. The Hightower, New Echota, and Tugaloo trails pass by this site.

The Shaw Mound is also nearby. It is a soil and stone mound covered in 4” to 12” quartz stones. It was approximately 100’ in diameter and 25’ high. It was looted and the stones sold for fill.

Also, there is Ladd’s Cave, which was looted, then destroyed by mining. It contained Woodland artifacts and at least one burial. It’s been reported that some of the artifacts were copper.

On a recent trip to the site I tried some drone video, but it was too sunny and even with the leaves off the trees the cover was a little thick. I’m talking with a contractor/client who has a Total Station and I’m asking him to survey this site and a couple of others. We’ll see.

Please see the attached photos with captions for info on the site.

Hey its the soltsice!

 To my friends and readers: congratulations on a new year. 

Old rock pile site in eastern Canton

 I drove north to Boston along Rt 24 and saw some interesting looking rocky woods next to the highway around exit #20, so on the way back south I planned to exit there. Before the exit, heading south, I saw a different bit of rocky woods, so I switched my plan, exited, took the access road, and parked behind an empty Xerox building. 

I walked up and around the outcrops, impatient to see rock piles. After perhaps 5 minutes, "There they are!"

These visible piles, drew attention to a bit of uneven ground that, on inspection was all old, leaf-covered piles:

Thinking about it later, I wish I had tried to photograph the low linear structure that runs along the back in these last two pictures. Here is more uneven ground:

Note the moss covered rocks on the pile in the foreground. Maybe the air is particularly wet in this place, near a brook, but the pile looks old to me. Note also the stonework in the outcrop behind.

There were a few dozen pile scattered around several acres. They are not easy to see and it is easy to believe they have been overlooked:     

I should have payed more attention to the brook that was flowing bye at the foot of these outcrops. It might have been headed west. towards "Pequit Brook" and the Nemaskett River. Otherwise it was headed east into a network of swamps and marshes - so it is a little hard to determine which watershed the site was in. It felt old to me, especially the low-down linear structures I ignored at the beginning.

Perched boulders from Framingham

 A friend of a friend sends this:

Tim MacSweeney suggested I send you these pics of perched boulders I spotted today in Framingham along Salem end Rd.

Richard Thornton's book on Georgia History

I know some of my readers think the author is too far out but I am sort-of rooting for the guy. He sends the following:

Recently published is my last comprehensive book on Native American history, the Native American Encyclopedia of Georgia.  It is the result of 16 years of research and learning how to translate 28 different languages.  Through linguistics, it proves that peoples from several parts of the Americas, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Iberia settled in Georgia - particularly in the gold-mining region - then mixed to become the Creek Indians.  Henceforth,  most of my energies will be put into the study of individual archaeological sites and the output will be animated films, showing what these towns looked like when occupied.   I have recently obtained state-of-the-art virtual reality software from France (Artlantis) plus professional quality video and acoustical software from companies in the United States.

Coming in 2021 is an annotated transliteration  of Cherokee Principal Chief Hicks'  History of the Cherokee People.  Handwritten in 1826,  Chief Charles Hicks planned for it to be printed by the Cherokee Phoenix, but he died in January 1827.  For unknown reasons, Phoenix editor,  Elias Boudinot never got around to printing it.  The original manuscript was stolen last year, so this book will be the only public source. 

In the past two years, my archaeological research has absolutely proven that during the Bronze Age, bands of people from northwestern Europe settled in the Georgia Gold Belt.  I am documenting their town sites right now.  The Itza and Soque Maya colonists built mounds and towns on top of the earlier European settlements.

I will be on the cast of a History Channel documentary to be broadcast in 2021.  It was filmed in late October.   Lost Worlds documents my discovery of a large Maya-like town in the northern corner of this county.  Its founders were the Soque from southern Mexico, who were first associated with the Olmec Civilization before associating with the Maya Civilization . 

Wishing you the best in the coming year, despite this terrible pandemic.  Like a lot of other people in the Nacoochee Valley, I had Covid19 last December.

Sincerely yours, 

Richard Thornton

Mavor's Missing Manitou stone

In Bebe ("Beebee") Woods, Falmouth you come across signs of ceremonialism any time you cross from A to B and pass through a new piece of woods. Parking at the end of Two Ponds Rd and stepping onto the hard-to-see path, head into the woods and take the first left. This brings you to a famous crossroads, mentioned in Manitou, in the chapter A Tract in Falmouth. We took another left at the crossroads and saw this split wedged rock, to the left after a few steps:

We continued cross country and saw this. I am showing a young friend how to spot these things.

Heading back, at the cross roads, I noticed this "manitou stone" leaning against the stone wall.

In Manitou they mention a quartz manitou stone at this same cross roads. I vaguely remember reading that Mavor considered taking that quartz stone home, since he thought it would not be long before it got noticed and stolen. But he decided to leave it in place - maybe figuring that stealing it was a poor way to prevent it being stolen. Anyway, the quartz manitou sounded like a nice artifact. I know I looked for it in the past and did not see it; but I cannot recall if Mavor noticed it was gone. 

I find it curious that there is, in fact, a nicely shaped manitou stone at exactly the same spot. Granite not quartz. Were there two different Manitou stones there? Also, I cannot find mention of the quartz manitou - maybe it was written about in some other Mavor publication. Maybe it was all a dream?

San Diego Bones and Stones - new evaluation of 100K year old Cerutti site

 [Not rock pile related.  About peopling of the Americas.]

See here:

Two stones fuel debate over when America’s first settlers arrived | Science News

[George Carter was right!]

Cape Cod footpath?

 Reader Diane sends these pictures and writes:

Hello, 

I'm looking for any info regarding this raised linear foot path.  Its located in a cedar swamp / forest in South Yarmouth Ma.  The water table here is very low so the swamp appears dried up for now.  This area is a few yards away from a pond.