The origin and purpose of the structures is standardly attributed to a mixture of land-use practices of local farmers in the 18th and 19th . The white arrow points to a large pointed worked standing stone similar to the one excavated by Dr. David Stewart-Smith. It used to be called Mystery Hill, but now it is promoted as America's Stonehenge. Join Audible Premium Plus for 60% off and get a bonus $20 credit for Audible. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. GX-2029) resulted in a radiocarbon C-14 date of 2120 +/- 95 years B.P.” (Whittall, 1971: 19). the sun will either rise or set above worked monolith stones. (Goodwin 1946, 83), Stewart-Smith’s work shows Native Americans were experts at quarrying large stones, had the expertise to move these large stones and to build structures with the large stones they had quarried. The site has long been recorded in regional history with it's first note in print in 1907 as . It is positioned on four worked stone legs and is located at the center of the site in a large courtyard.". a chamber structure located outside the main complex at Mystery Hill. Complete guide to the system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the stories of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. They made stone shovel like tools using the same percussion method as used to quarry the large stones. 132. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. wrote about the impossibility of the megalithic structures at Mystery Hill and the It was firstly named "Mystery Hill" by William Goodwin, an insurance executive who purchased the area in 1937. Stonehenge", is a site that has puzzled archaeologists for almost a century. Excavations on this grouping are still ongoing, and every new discovery made continues to add to the mystery of Mystery Hill. At first, they came on the summer solstice and then later they came for the winter solstice and spring equinox. In 1982, Gary Hume Ph.D., New Hampshire State Archaeologist, supervised an excavation of a large quarried stone at America’s Stonehenge formerly known as Mystery Hill. This type of analysis could provide a new scientifically based diagnostic tool for evaluating stone slabs used for chamber roof stones and standing stones found at other controversial stone structure sites throughout northeastern United States. In 1950 Mystery Hill was leased by a far-sighted and open-minded man named Robert Stone. By pressing "Send link," you agree to Amazon's Conditions of Use. Alignments and carbon dating indicate the site was built about 4000 years ago. To answer this question requires evaluating the 19th century quarrying evidence. Both Hume and Stewart-Smith agree the Native Americans quarried stone on Mystery Hill. Figure 6 – Native American stone and bone pendants found at America’s Stonehenge. Suffice it to say, it is obvious that the alignments found at Mystery Hill, and other sites are not random. To our astonishment, however, we found that the stone did not rest on the ground for support but on four low pillars of sectional stone legs directly on level bedrock! to speak as the voice of an oracle. Quartz, in fact, was purposefully embedded in triangular chunks at the back of many New England and European chambers, positioned to be illuminated by the sun as it shone through roof openings only on those very few days, usually the Equinoxes, when the sun could pass through the roof opening. The quarrying operation ceased after this removal indicating they failed to find a buyer for their junk rock. to convey his belief that the rock carvings were in fact an ancient scriptural The author conducted a series of observations on the morning of the summer solstice. In 1823 Mystery Hill became the property of a settler named Jonathan Pattee. It is located on top of a capstone over a covered drain. Lessons of resistance in the 1960s for today. qualities. Like Stonehenge in England, America's Stonehenge was built by ancient people well versed in astronomy and stone construction. America's Stonehenge sits atop Mystery Hill in North Salem, New Hampshire. Photograph by Malcolm Pearson. In this photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015, Marie St. Onge, right, and Carol Stevens examine the rock formations inside the "Oracle" chamber at what is called America's Stonehenge, in Salem, N.H. . The cape chisel uses a back and forth cutting method rather than a rotational method. There is a short roughly pecked straight groove in the bedrock next to the Mensal Stone Chamber. He had a house in these woods 70 years ago; took town paupers before the town farm was bought. The shape is similar to a flat shovel blade with a very short handle. Mystery Hill is a children's play land. From this slab, monoliths align to The damage to the upper section of wall above the slabs was most likely the result of the 19th century workmen preparing to remove the slabs. This feature is the optimum viewing position for observing the sunrise over the lower top corner of the standing stone on the solstice. A descriptive guide for the different features seen throughout America's Stonehenge in Salem, New Hampshire. This book makes an ideal souvenir for the world traveler. Unable to add item to List. Located deep in the woods of Salem, New Hampshire, this 4,000-year-old megalith site is a maze of stonewalls and trails punctuated with stone chambers. Percussion Method used to Quarry Large Stones, A large quarried stone was found north of the central site. A period of 18.61 is required to carry the moon to all of its possible positions in Archaeologists used the 'Carbon dating' technique to learn more about America's Stonehenge and in a book titled "America's Stonehenge: The Mystery Hill Story, from Ice age to Stone age . discovered rock inscriptions in neighboring Ireland. Recent books include The Westford Knight and Henry Sinclair (2020) and Sun, Sand, and Sea Monsters (2020). Secondly, we know almost nothing about the The Summer Solstice Sunset alignment stone has a peak with two rounded shoulders. Others believed the markings appearing in rocks all across New England were "the They built ritual structures like stone chambers, cairns, drains, basins, enclosures, and standing . Any liquid such as water poured into either was contained within the feature. Stone quarried by professional masons had holes spaced evenly across the whole length every 6 to 7 inches and drilled to a uniform depth usually 3 or 4 inches deep. now the site can be used as an accurate yearly calendar utilizing the stones set up over two There is evidence which indicates the Native Americans did more than quarry large stones using the percussion method. Ancient inscriptions can still found be on the stones used to build these 57. Dolmen comes from the Breton word for stone table as the dolmens in many instances are three, four or five smaller boulders topped by an immense, flat-topped boulder than can weigh any where from several tons to 90 tons. The surface bedrock of Mystery Hill is poor quality granite. Located at 105 Haverhill Road, North Salem, New Hampshire, American™ Stonehenge is the former Jonathan Pattee farm atop Mystery Hill. Whatever you believe, this book is a good starting place to learn the history of the site. C-14 date was mixed in with sharp-edged stone spalls (some of which had evidence of fire) and stone quarrying tools. America's Stonehenge Deciphered Written By Mary Gage Photographs by James Gage. In 1893, Professor Hugh Morrisson, Chairman of Another NH mystery. A representative sample of these features will be discussed. The setting sun had cast a beam of light through the vent shaft at the back of the chamber. The monoliths were oriented east to west, and bearings of the sight indicated that it had been used to observe solar events. Even with the publicity generated by the Upton Chamber, it took until 1936 to find an owner Eli Wallace Horse Cemetery, Littleton. apparent activity on the hill. 40% of the stone structures found at Mystery Hill. several of the more popular sites in New England. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Comments were made indicating that with over 100 standing stones and the freedom to adjust the observation center of the site to any location desired, that purely by chance one could demonstrate a calendar site at any location. The bodies of small children or "strangers" (referred to as strangers because the artifacts found with the skeletal remains did not match the cultural objects of the builders of the sites) have been found near megalithic monuments. The two slabs still retain this slightly offset position with the lower slab jutting out an inch or so. They each In that year William Goodwin purchased the property and erected a high The shape is similar to a flat shovel blade with a very short handle. Mystery Hill, the Upton Cave, Calendar I and Calendar II, Gungywamp and Druid's Hill are just In the 1920’s Gladys Tantaquideon, a Connecticut Mohegan went in search of her Native American customs. Before long, the inheritors of these properties thought Exact alignments coincide, Its east end extends out so it rests on the exterior top of the Oracle Chamber. A rust colored quartz vein curves around the south end. (Whittall, 1969a: 80) In 1970, Whittall published a photograph of some artifacts from the site. He said. Megalithic constructions known as dolmens can be found all across new England, the western part of Europe and even into Syria and South Africa. A second C-14 date places the Native Americans at the site quarrying stone circa 2100 years ago. So in a few days Eben appeared, and I [Gladys] began my lessons in making a special type of basket. un-scientific names that insinuate inferred function. Figure 14 – A close-up photograph of the abraded slot. This event is marked at Mystery Hill as the moon passes above the A short, narrow, shallow pecked groove on the west end creates a channel from the perimeter groove out to the edge of the stone slab. It is reasonable to conclude the stone slab with the slot is in its originally unaltered position. preservation of the area around Mystery Hill. Figure 7 – A short pecked groove near the Mensal Stone chamber. This site includes a sacrificial alter, a working observatory . The peripheral stones are shaped in this manner and several of the roof slabs and uprights within the central site have also been quarried and shaped in this manner. Hume had the following to say in an interview with the, The interview excerpt was quoted in David Stewart-Smith’s monograph, A large quarried stone was found north of the central site. America's Stonehenge gets its name from the well-known Stonehenge in Europe due to its strange stone formations. Pattee was a farmer who lived on the site from 16). fence around much of the site, ending, for a time, the rampant vandalism. underground chambers, most of which are aligned to obvious astronomical points. Built on the exposed bedrock summit of Mystery Hill in North Salem, New Hampshire is a complex of stone chambers, standing stones, carved drains, and other types of stone structures. Thirty five feet west of the summer solstice sunrise alignment stone there is a stone embedded in the ground. Without them, no neoteric world could exist. New England may be unique in the country for its historic cemeteries, but New Hampshire's unique in New England for its horse cemetery. It was too difficult to get this close (within an inch or so) and still properly rotate a plug drill with one’s hand around the drill.
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