Chambers:  There are hundreds of underground manmade stone chambers in Massachusetts of unknown origin and conjectured purpose.  There is much debate and controversy over this.  Everything from Irish Culdee Monks to Colonial's root cellars to Native American construction has been proposed.  From inside, some of these chambers view significant celestial events, and most are tall enough to stand up in.

Corn Grinding Stone: Native Americans ground corn in stone and wood mortars.  The stone ones were often a boulder that had a shallow hollow worked into its top.  These worked hollows are to be occasionally seen on boulders in the woods.

Devil's Den: These are typically small talus caves (jumbled boulders).  There are dozens in New England that have been specifically known since Colonial times by the name Devil's Den.

Ditches: The Native people often used ditches to regulate water flow in aquatic areas as flood control works.  Ditches of this sort usually have a corresponding berm or row running its length.

Dolmen: A large boulder resting, typically, on three smaller stones.  These boulders can range from one ton to many ton monstrosities.  These constructions are manmade, but who or when is unclear.  A second style of dolman is glacier created, and is more correctly called a perched rock to differentiate it from a human construction.  Both, however, often have colored stones placed underneath them like an offering or donation.

Donation Stone: These are a stone construction most often seen in stone rows, but occasionally on their own.  A large slab will be placed with smaller stones such that there is a cove beneath it.  In this cove will be found an old bottle or two.  Interestingly, it was post-contact Native tradition in New England to place bottles in such places as an offering – or donation – to the spirits.

Earthen Circles: A very rare but fascinating structure in New England is the Earthen Circle.  These are a raised circle of earth, about 14 feet across, and several inches high.  There is usually a shallow ditch around the circle.  These are conjectured to be of ritual significance to the pre-contact Native peoples.  Where these are found, there are typically a large assortment of other lithic features.

Earthworks: New England has quite a few old earthworks of unknown origin.  Berms, ditches, trenches etc.

Effigy: A large boulder with several smaller rocks arranged on it.  Often these rock arrangements seem to form a symbol or animal shape.  These are interpretative as to what they might be representing, but there is no doubt that they exist, and by the hundreds.  They appear to be rock-arrangement petroglyphs.

Embrasure: A u-shaped indentation into a stone row.  These may well be a variation on the Prayer Seat, or possibly used as hunting blinds.  (see Prayer Seat for details)

King Philip: A powerful Indian Sachem of Mount Hope Rhode Island that out of frustration with the English treatment of his people began a war that nearly drove the English out of New England.  There are dozens of King Philip place names such as King Philip’s Caves and King Philip’s Rocks.  His actual name was Metacom.

Ledge Shrine: There are natural stone ledges on rocky hillsides.  Some of the smaller ones will typically have a small white stone placed in the cove under the ledge.  This is conjectured to be a Native American offering of some sort.  I have seen some that appear to be quite old, while others are only a few years old.

Manitou Stone: Manitou is a word used by the Algonquin speaking peoples of New England to mean “spirit”, as in having spiritual power.  These stones are shaped similarly to an old fashioned Colonial headstone, and placed in places that were felt to have great spiritual power, and often in conjunction with other lithic features.  For example, in one of the Praying Indian Villages I found a stone row that ran up out of a river and up a hill to terminate in a beautiful Manitou stone.

Perched Rock: These are boulders that are perched on smaller boulders, similar to a dolman, or perched on top of another large boulder.  Many of these appear to be glacier-placed, while others are such that it is a wonder how they occurred.  In any event, it is known that the Natives were attracted to the spiritual power of large stones, especially oddly placed ones, and held their meeting in such places.

Prayer Seat: This is a u-shaped enclosure of rocks large enough to sit in.  These often face the rising or setting of the sun on an equinox or solstice, or the arc of the big dipper.  These are considered to be of Native American origin, and are still being constructed today.  It is thought they are were originally for observing significant celestial turning points, and that the newer ones may possibly have been intended rather for contemplation and possibly vision quest.

Praying Indian Villages: In the 1650’s John Eliot preached to the Massachusetts Indians, encouraging them to live in European-style villages and wear European-style clothes.  As part of this arrangement, the sites of these Indian-owned villages were chosen by the Indian Shaman’s, and they typically chose their last remaining sacred places as the sites for these villages.

Rock Piles: There are thousands and thousands of small rock piles in the Massachusetts woodlands.  Many of these are in rocky and swampy areas that would not have been worth the time and effort of a colonial farmer to clear the stones into piles.  Often, these piles are on the east side of hills overlooking water.  It is considered by some that these piles have Native American significance.  Indeed, I have seen a good few that appear to be made to represent a turtle, a creature whose spirit was sacred to the Native Americas of New England.

Rocking Stones: This is a large stone, usually of at least a ton, that rocks when pushed with the hand.  Often these stones are larger than a car, and some are enormous.  Both glaciers and human activity are responsible for their placements.  These stones rock easily, and even a slight earth tremor sets them wobbling.  This seismic movement was considered by the Indians to be a sign of their god Hobomock, and much revered as such.

Scallops: Scallops are shallow scoops taken from hillsides.  They are approximately five feet wide and somewhat deeper.  These are often places where specific celestial events may be observed.  In this interpretation, they would function similar to Prayer Seats and Embrasures.  Often in significant Native sites, it is not unusual to see Scallops, Embrasures, and Prayer Seats all in one area.

Standing Stones: These are tall stones set upright in the earth by human activity.  It is not completely understood why this was done, but the stones are definitely here and are occasionally to encountered in the woods.

Stone Circles: This conjures up a European megalithic image like Stonehenge.  However, nothing so grand is to be found in New England.  Rather, there are occasionally small rings of stone to be found in the woods.  It is unclear as to the origin of these structures, but it may be noted that the more impressive ones I have seen have all been of recent neo-pagan construction.

Stone Rows: New England has thousands of miles of stone rows.  Most of these were constructed by Colonials as part of field clearing and boundary making.  However, there is a significant number of rows that do not conform to known Colonial practices both in construction and purpose.  These rows meander through the woods, wandering right and left to connect large boulders with bedrock outcrops etc.  Other seem concerned with connecting hill tops with rivers, swamps, and ponds.  Some do a little of both.  Some of these rows mark the suns setting or rising on solstice and equinox days.  It is conjectured that this style of row may be of pre-Colonial Native construction and reflect a concern with connecting the landscape in a sacred way.
 

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