Another place I've passed by so many times,
I finally stopped just a minute,
To take a picture or two as the sun was setting
On my way home from my Mom and Dad's house,
Headed north up Horse Hill Road in Westbrook CT...
Sun setting, I go no farther
Than this decorated boulder on the bedrock out crop,
But I catch a glimpse of another row of stones,
Heading off into the distance...
"History" began here
At the close of the Puritan/Pequot War
And any talk about who made these stone walls
Usually only involves Colonial farmers,
Property lines, sheep and cows,
and there are so many that it hardly matters
If some go away without a second thought.
But I see something else in these stones,
A landscape where everything in every way is
Something Else, Something Sacred,
Far older, from further back in the Human History,
Signs of an Indigenous Cultural Landscape
That has somehow escaped destruction,
Not to mention detection,
On the edge of the modern,
Maybe about to disappear,
Just like so many others all around have...
A short distance up the road,
Not all that far,
A real estate sign,
Another Wonderland for Sale,
Open for development...
I'll give the placement
Since it is threatened
In some captures of aerial views of various sorts
To show how much remains,
Unexplored as far as I know,
On the odd chance that someone might see this
As something to be saved and protected,
Something that once it's gone is gone forever,
Photos of dubious quality
On the Edge of a Wonderland.
(Above: Looking East where the sun rises.Below: a wider view)
(Above: Looking South where the sun travels during the day, seeing all we do. Below: a wider view)
(Above: Looking West where the sun sets.Below: a wider view)
(Below: views with North at the top; 1934, 1965 and fairly recently.)
On the ground:
You can find my email address below this post...
Nearest Federally Recognized Tribe:
Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut
James Quinn, THPO
13 Crow Hill Road
Uncasville, CT 06382
Tel: 860.862.6893
Fax: 860.862.6395
Email: jquinn@moheganmail.com
James Quinn, THPO
13 Crow Hill Road
Uncasville, CT 06382
Tel: 860.862.6893
Fax: 860.862.6395
Email: jquinn@moheganmail.com
Amazing. And near where I was raised in Niantic. I resent that I grew up not knowing the significance of what was all around me. Up the hill was an Indian burial, an elongated oval covered in white beach stones. Our school bus stopped every morning at a house with a balanced rock (which is still there) right there on the edge of the road. Interesting that these stayed with me although no one handed the insight to me. Very powerful. Thanks for your good works and incredible photos. Diane
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