Dighton Rock
|
Dighton Rock
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Location | Berkley, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Dighton, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 41°48′45.92″N 71°6′38″W / 41.8127556°N 71.11056°WCoordinates: 41°48′45.92″N 71°6′38″W / 41.8127556°N 71.11056°W |
| Built | 1964 |
| NRHP Reference # | 80000438 |
| Added to NRHP | July 1, 1980 |
The Dighton Rock is a 40-ton boulder, originally located in the riverbed of the Taunton River at Berkley, Massachusetts (formerly part of the town of Dighton). The rock is noted for its petroglyphs ("primarily lines, geometric shapes, and schematic drawings of people, along with writing, both verified and not."), carved designs of ancient and uncertain origin, and the controversy about their creators. In 1963, during construction of a coffer dam, state officials removed the rock from the river for preservation. It was installed in a museum in a nearby park, Dighton Rock State Park. In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The boulder has the form of a slanted, six-sided block, approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high, 9.5 feet (2.9 m) wide, and 11 feet (3.4 m) long. It is gray-brown crystalline sandstone of medium to coarse texture. The surface with the inscriptions has a trapezoidal face and is inclined 70 degrees to the northwest. It was found facing the water of the bay.
In 1912 Edmund B. Delabarre wrote that markings on the Dighton Rock in Massachusetts suggest that Miguel Corte-Real reached New England. Delabarre stated that the markings were abbreviated Latin, and the message, translated into English, read as follows: "I, Miguel Cortereal, 1511. In this place, by the will of God, I became a chief of the Indians."
In 1680, the English colonist Rev. John Danforth made a drawing of the petroglyphs, which has been preserved in the British Museum. His drawing conflicts with the reports of others and the current markings on the rock. In 1690 Rev. Cotton Mather described the rock in his book, The Wonderful Works of God Commemorated:
...
Wikipedia