Local Mysteries

This weekend I went to
America's Stonehenge and to the Westford Knight memorial Both sights are part of a theory that pre-Columbian Europeans made their way to the states and left a mark. The Newport Tower is another bit of evidence, which I saw last winter. I’d say that America’s Stonehenge was the most mysterious of them all. It consists of a series of stone caves that were assembled from large, flat stones. The main chamber had several small rooms and passageways. Around the main chamber is a path that is indicated by a stone wall. Along the path, large, flat stones were erected, and from the main chamber they line up with the sun on particular days, like summer solstice. The layout of the main chamber suggests a spiritual purpose for the space. The “oracle room” is a little closet that fits one person lying down. That person could see out, but the entrance is hidden so that they would be unobserved. 13C dating of ashes from the site suggests human presence as early as 2000 BC.

Theories on the originators of the site range from Irish Monks, Native Americans, or 18th century farmers. Irrespective of the origin, the site has been modified, and probably more than once. The site creator eventually abandoned it, and someone discovered the site, and transformed it to fit their spiritual sensibilities. One visitor builds up the site, and another removes portions of it. Now there are families taking their pictures next to the “sacrificial stone” and kids crawling around in the caves. Spiritual traditions change with the times and are modified beyond recognition. It doesn’t really matter who created the structures and for what purpose. It is worth experiencing and wondering about. The site has spiritual significance because New Age folk go out there and purchase crystals. Visitors get to believe what they want about the site because nobody really knows how it got there.

There is a stone in Westford that has a punch-hole marking which appears to be a sword. The stone was discovered in the 19th century by a farmer as he was clearing a field, but may have been modified later in the century by some kids. The theory is that the marking is a memorial to a Templar Knight that explored the area in 1398. This site is far from overwhelming in significance. The result seems to be a bit of town pride and another little mystery to keep the imagination alive. Each of these places is a part of our history and the way that we treat these sites will be part of history. A hundred years from now there will be a display depicting New-Age people worshiping the stones and kids crawling over them.