Last weekend I decided to explore in XXXXX, thinking that this confluence of brooks (left of center in the map fragment) was a likely spot to find something. I arrived from the north, down between the brooks and saw a small knoll with another little brook draining down its side, sparkling. The place is circled on the map. Coming up to it, it looked something like this:
In this picture the main brook is crossing left to right and the smaller brook is draining down the left side of the knoll. To the right side of the knoll is an old road, and there are indistinct stone walls around. I figured I should check out the top of the knoll, ~15 feet higher that the surrounding wetland. At the top there was a small rock pile site, surrounded by stone walls on all sides, with two openings in the walls, one to the east and one to the west. At first I barely realized there was something there: 
In the foreground there is an inconspicuous pile built on the ground. In the background a large rock with a bit more rock pile on it. Here is a closeup:
Behind that, the wet place draining into the small brook beside the knoll. As I looked around I saw that there were other ground piles: 
And you can imagine I was wondering if any of the piles had a piece of white quartz in them. At perhaps the highest point of the knoll, one pile did have a piece of quartz: 
Not only is there piece of quartz (you may have to click on photo to see it better) but the largest rock in the pile is shaped like a manitou stone. Recently it has been said several times that rocks shaped like this are special in the context of rock piles. I have told you before that I think these piles mark burials. Here is a view back towards the north from the back of the knoll:
The rich colors were pretty: 
The site is flanked by stone walls and there are openings in the walls that would allow a cart to enter. Here is the eastern entrance: 
Here is the western entrance: 
I have been told it is a European tradition for graveyards to have two entrances. But there is a lot about the site that fits my idea of a contact period Native American graveyard - perhaps a plague burial. There was water to every side and ground piles scattered randomly over the knoll. I counted about 12 or 13 piles and imagine a small family group laid to rest here; or is it something else with the number 13 being significant? I vote for a simple graveyard. About 50 yards away, a large boulder with stone walls emanating from it.
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