College Rock

Early last month, when there was still snow on the ground, on a whim I took a walk out to College Rock in the southern part of Hopkinton MA.  This is near the headwaters of the Charles River, and the general area is known for having lots of stone sites:

It wasn’t easy to see much on the ground due to the snow, but when I climbed to the top of the hill I found a few split wedged boulders and also evidence of quarrying.  On my way out, I passed between 2 very nice rock piles (marked as MA 1197 on the map).  I made a mental note to come back again once the snow had cleared.

I returned in late April, and to my surprise there were rock piles everywhere!  I counted 27 of them, plus a stone row, and a stone which had been marked.  Here are some pix:

On the rise to the southeast, labeled MA1216 on the map, there were more – I counted another 27, plus what looked like a prayer seat:

And further south, there was an enormous balanced rock, labeled MA1217 on the map – this is actually over the town line in Holliston:

I’ve asked the folks at the Hopkinton Historical Commission if they can tell me why this location is called College Rock, but they don’t seem to know.  The north face of the formation is pretty sheer, so maybe it’s a location for college students to do some climbing?  Or does it refer rather to a gathering place, maybe for Native people?