Elements from One Monroe County Stone Work Site

By Geophile

I took these photos at an amazing site in the Poconos which I understand is now partially destroyed. It consisted of a variety of elements in a small area. Either one zig-zagging wall or three smaller walls ran crosswise on the hill, then, from the top of that two parallel walls ran to the top of the hill where they met a long wall running along the top. On either side of the walls running up the hill there were rock piles of several kinds. In one of the parallel walls there was a niche. And, of course, there were constructions that seemed to be effigies. It's possible, even, that the whole construction was a large effigy. This site contained one of the only standing stones I've seen in PA.

The pictures show the very nice and relatively large niche in one of the larger walls, the standing stone, the low wall or walls running cross-wise on the hill, and the turtle or possibly snake-head effigy. I'll show some of the interesting rock piles from that site in a future post. What a shame that some elements of this site are now gone. Its compactness and variety were unusual and might have helped to shed light on other constructions. But of course the greatest loss is to any who may have used this site for ceremony or known it as a memorial site to their ancestors.

Before I do any more posts, I want to thank Fred Werkheiser and Donald Repsher, who introduced me to this fascinating subject and showed me the sites. Not only did they take time to point out and explain things I would otherwise never have noticed and alert me to the delicate nature of the information, but they were jovial and intelligent company while doing so. Thanks to Peter, too, for inviting me to guest.

Please excuse any irregularities. I'm learning to do this as I go.