Francis Farm Petroglyphs
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Francis Farm Petroglyphs Site (36FA35)
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Overview of the site
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| Location | Off Perry Road in Jefferson Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the junction of Pennsylvania Routes 51 and 201 |
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| Nearest city | Perryopolis |
| Coordinates | 40°3′0″N 79°47′30″W / 40.05000°N 79.79167°WCoordinates: 40°3′0″N 79°47′30″W / 40.05000°N 79.79167°W |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # | 84003370 |
| Added to NRHP | May 10, 1984 |
The Francis Farm Petroglyphs are a group of petroglyphs in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on a boulder in Jefferson Township in the northwestern portion of Fayette County, it has been known to archaeologists since at least the middle of the nineteenth century. Despite damage in the 1930s, it remains an important archaeological site, and accordingly, it has been designated a historic site.
Although it is certain that the Francis Farm site was produced by Native Americans, a more precise identification is believed to be impossible. Archaeologists have proposed that the creators were such peoples as the Monongahela or the ancestors of the Shawnee, both of whom are known to have inhabited southwestern Pennsylvania during the latter portions of the Woodland period.
The petroglyph site is located on a large outcrop in Jefferson Township, approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) west of Perryopolis and 5.2 miles (8.4 km) north of Brownsville; its elevation is 1,140 feet (350 m). This outcrop is a roughly rectangular piece of Dunkard-series sandstone, measuring 6.3 metres (21 ft) from north to south and 5.7 metres (19 ft) from east to west. Its upper surface, upon which the petroglyphs are carven, slants toward the ground; the western end rises 3.2 metres (10 ft) above the surface, while the eastern edge is level with the surface of the ground. Several similar boulders lie in the petroglyph's immediate vicinity, although none feature Native American petroglyphs. The site lies in the middle of woodlands; trees and brush grow up to the stone's edge.
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