Friday, May 01, 2009

Muddy Pond - Westminster, MA (3)

Upon leaving the site I have been describing (part 1 here and part 2 here) I walked out via a clearcut bit of woods directly north of the pond. There were some more rock piles over here, scarred by the tread marks of the logging machines. Then I got back to my car and drove away to the south via a road that runs along the west side of Muddy Pond. I kept my eyes on the woods to the left thinking that, if there were sites along the northern and northeastern sides of the pond, there might be more along the northwestern side of the pond. What I saw was the remnants of some kind of small community. First a big rock pile:Then something like a foundation hole. What kind of foundation fills with water in the spring?There were little roadways:And other smaller, shallower, foundation holes:This was a small ruin in the woods. Looked like a small farm; but no older or younger than the ruins we saw pictures of the other day from Calendar I. In any case this seems of the same nature and age as the other site across the pond.
at

2 comments :

  1. pwax4:57 PM

    Compare with the Manoosnocs and with the Callahan State Forest site:
    http://rockpiles.blogspot.com/2009/01/structured-site-in-southern-callahan.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. JimP6:44 AM

    Those foundations that fill with water are considered by some historians as cisterns. There are many examples of them in Rhode Island. According to an old firefighter friend of mine, many cisterns were built near farm buildings to supply quick water in case of a fire. I heard that story long before becoming interested in other kinds of stonework in the woods.

    ReplyDelete