Traces in the Woods

Another berm

2012-01-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

This one is off of Central St in Acton, Ma, at the edge of a swamp known as the Monson Land.

Harold Phelan’s “History of Acton” claims this has Native American origins.

An esker? A man-made mound?

2011-12-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

I don’t believe this is an esker, though there are a number of eskers in town (Acton, MA).

It is not made of small stones or pebbles, but seems to be made entirely of dirt.

It is uniformly 5 1/2 feet in height, 3 yards wide at it’s base and about 30 yards long with a stream cutting through it.

Photos below:

- Drawing of the mound.

- 1930’s aerial photo of it’s location

- A few photos of it, with my daughter in one to show the scale

Looks like human work to my untrained eye

2011-10-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

This was in a small stream about 10 inches wide and 3 inches deep, setting there on the sandy bottom as if someone had just put it down.

Difficult to believe a glacier placed these stones.

2011-10-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

I'm in the woods nearly every day but I rarely bring a camera.

Yesterday I brought a camera.

This first series shows some kind of marker stones, similar to what I called a Stone Axe in this entry:

http://tracesinthewoods.blogspot.com/2011/06/stone-axe.html

About 8” showing above ground:

Another one, also about 8” showing above ground:

Another one, about 12” showing above ground:

A 1930s aerial photo

2011-09-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

I haven’t had a chance to update my blog in a while, but I have been out in the woods almost every day.

This morning I figured I’d see if I could get some input on something on an aerial photo from the 1930s.

It looks like there are either some poles lined up in this field, or someone has written on this aerial photo.

I’ve seen other photos from that era of the same field, though the poles (or the writing?) are not on there.

What do you think?

I’ve included the 1930s photo, and one from 1971 and 2005 of the same area.

A Sachem's Mark

2011-08-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Squaw Sachem’s mark on a deed from the 1600s, held by the Peabody Essex Museum.

Marks found on a rock in the Merrimack River during an archeological survey in the 1930s.

Stone circle as part of a larger ceremonial wheel.

2011-08-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is just a theory. Humor me for a minute if you will…

Last month I posted a 1900s photo and a Google Earth view of a stone circle.

I believe this stone circle is part of a much larger structure.

There is a prominent quartz outcrop 590 meters from the center of the stone circle.

There was also a placed quartz stone about the size and shape of a large loaf of bread at _another_ location 590 meters from the center of the stone circle. (this quartz stone was stolen last fall. It was hard to find, with only a flat 4” x 4” edge of it visible, and it was there for the 20 years I’ve hiked these woods, but last fall someone dug it up removed it. The way I found it was when hiking with my daughter - she was 3 at the time – we stopped there to rest and I saw it under some leaves).

Using 3 points (the center of the stone circle and the 2 quartz boundaries), I can draw a large wheel of 11 spokes, about ¾ mile across. In the photo below I show the wheel, on a current Google map with a 1930s map overlaying part of it.

If I can find a 3rd or 4th quartz relic near one of the wheel spoke boundaries, I will be convinced.

Native American Grinding Stones

2011-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

All three are within a ½ mile of each other.
All are in South Acton, MA.
Size ranges from 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

Shell midden in Western Mass

2011-07-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

On a narrow rocky stream, 150 miles inland.

And at the top of the hill where these shells were tossed:

Boulders lined up with the winter solstice

2011-07-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

There’s a place in the woods where a row of large boulders lines up nicely with the winter solstice.
Arranged around this row of boulders are a number of small rock piles. The 3rd photo shows a style (a pointer stone in the middle of a ring) which I see a lot in these woods.

Also, next week I’m going to a place in western Nipmuc country to photograph a shell midden I discovered a couple years ago.
I’ve seen no mention anywhere of this midden, which is near a small rocky river.

White/gray material, and charcoal?

2011-07-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is a follow-up to my post on 5-July titled Small Traces.
In all of my travels I’ve only found stuff like this in one place. It is on a trail which crosses a dry stream bed.
There is a ton of this material.
Is it pottery? Is it the by-product of some activity?

An interesting rock.

2011-07-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

This interesting rock rests in a stone wall. It looks to be from an underground cavern, and the ‘pillar’ of it has been shaped by flowing water. The section of woods where it sits is close to an ancient road (Harvard Turnpike) and there is a stream between this site and the road. I think a few blog entries can be devoted to this site.

Here are some shots of the rock.

Here’s a shot of the stone wall, looking west. Notice the trench and mound to the right of the wall.

Here’s a shot of the stone wall, looking east. Notice the trench and mound to the left of the wall.
I’ve got to do a better job with my photos...

Why I believe Nanepashemet’s wife (Squaw Sachem) and her children hid in the Concord/Acton/Littleton, MA area

2011-07-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Nanepashemet lived in the early 1600s and ruled over Northern and Central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
He had a wife (Squaw Sachem) and 4 children (3 sons and a daughter).

Nanepashemet's people were at war with the Tarrantines (Abenaki from costal Maine) and during this time (1615-1619) he moved inland to Medford and sent his family "far inland" for their protection.

In my opinion, that place "far inland" was Musketaquid (Concord, Acton, Littleton, MA). My reasons for believing this:

1) Musketaquid was part of Nanepashemet's domain.
2) Webbacowet, Nanepashemet's "Pow Wow" or "Shaman" or "Medicine Man" was from Musketaquid.
3) The people of Musketaquid were one of only 4 tribes remaining loyal to Nanepashemet’s domain after his death.
4) Webbacowet married Squaw Sachem after Nanepashemet's death and they had a lodge in Musketaquid at Nashawtuck Hill. (it was common for the shaman to marry the sachem’s wife in the event of the death of the sachem)
5) Histories of Concord mention that the First People who lived there had strong connections to people in Medford.

Rock Hill in Medford, MA, where Nanepashemet was killed:

Nashawtuck Hill in Concord, MA

Another small Trace

2011-07-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

I’m going to do one more photo, for now, of stuff I have not left in the woods.

This is a piece of worked quartz which showed up after a heavy rain on one of Acton’s wonderfully-maintained trails.

Next up: My theory that Nanapashemet’s spouse, Squaw Sachem, hid in this area with her 4 children (Concord, Acton, Littleton, MA) for three years during the Tarrantine wars.

I encourage comments. If you feel I’m going in the wrong direction, I’d like to know.

Small Traces

2011-07-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Most Traces of what I find, I leave.
I visit them yearly, or by the moon, or daily.
A few others, mostly the small things, I bring home.
Pottery is abundant.

"Praying Villages" in Massachusetts in the 1600s.

2011-07-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

A link to a set of interactive maps I made of some of the major “Praying Villages” of Eastern Massachusetts.
Basically, this is where the First People were forced to live if they wanted to continue to stay on their ancestral lands.

Praying Villages

There are 2 maps for each village.
One map is from the late 1800s and allows you to zoom in to particular areas.
The other map shows aerial photos from the 1930s and today, and uses a slider to allow a comparison of the two eras of aerial photos.

Stone circle from circa 1900 photo

2011-07-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Years ago at the local Historical society in my town I saw a photograph from around 1880 which showed some people standing around a circle of stones about 30 feet in diameter. The caption said it was on some guy’s field, had been there for as long as anyone could remember and was built by Native Americans (not the term they used in the caption). I had forgotten about this photo until I started doing this research. So far I have not been able to find that photograph again, but I found a similar one, and using Google Earth have found what I believe is the location. It is now a jumbled pile of rocks between someone’s back yard and the rear property line of a local business.
Two photos below:
Photo circa 1900 and Google Earth topography:

Rock used for cutting limbs.

2011-06-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

The semicircle cutting surface is about 2" across. This is sitting in a stone wall..

Stone Axe.

2011-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

About 2 feet long.
I came across this in early spring. It was near a large boulder, well off of any trail. It has some small stones placed in a circle around it. At first I thought it was a large stick, stuck in the middle of the small stones, but I noticed it was made of stone.
Today I found it again and took some pictures.

Area of stone circles.

2011-06-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is a 1 acre area with at least 5 stone circles.
Each stone circle is about 7 feet in diameter.

Pointing Stones, in the area of stone circles.

2011-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

These stones point to the Southwest.

Pointing Stones, in the area of stone circles.

2011-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

These stones point to the Southwest.

Manitou Stone, in the area of stone circles.

2011-06-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

About a foot high.

Grooved Stone

2011-06-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

The groove is not from quarrying in my opinion.

It is wider and rougher than the quarry 'feather and pin' drill holes we find in these woods.

I’d like to believe it was used to smooth arrow and dart shafts.

Stone Seat

2011-06-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Faces East. A perfect chair