STONEWATCH

NEWSLETTER of the GUNGYWAMP SOCIETY

 P.O. Box 592, Colchester, CT  06415-0592

Written & Edited by the Board Members of the Gungywamp Society      

Vol. 19, No. 2                          ISSN 0892-1741                                Summer 2002

 

GUNGYWAMP ARTIFACTS

Last summer, a group of active Society members and a few volunteers from the Office of the State Archaeologist spent time cataloging artifacts that belong to the Gungywamp collection. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but a start has been made and work will continue as time permits, and volunteers are available.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG IN EAST LYME

In May of 2001, Carol Hallas and Jack Rajotte of the Gungywamp Society, and Ken and Bonnie Beatrice, experienced excavators and associates of the Society, conducted an archaeological dig in East Lyme. The dig crew are all veterans of the Salem African Burial dig site and wanted to determine if the site in East Lyme might also have been inhabited by African-Americans.

A number of years ago Hallas had come across a peculiar dugout construction located nearly a half mile from the nearest road or house site, present or past. Neighborhood lore described this construction as a "slave hut." Someone had excavated into a bank just below a large, flat glacial erratic. The 2-½ foot entry is approached by a six-foot ramp. The "front" south-facing side of the dugout has an 18"-thick dry laid stone retaining wall. None of the other three sides show any signs of walling. An old cart path, nearly obscured now, runs past the entry about 40 feet from the dugout. Located across the cart path, another 24 feet to the south, is an opening in a stone wall. Straight ahead of the opening and running parallel to the stone wall is a vigorous stream.

Six 2-foot test pits were excavated. The area around the dugout was scanned with a metal detector to a radius of 30-40 feet. The lack of artifacts was remarkable. Only a few bits of barbed wire, some ribs of an ancient tractor seat and a baby oxen shoe were found outside the dugout.

Within the interior of the dugout, two more pieces of old tractor seat were found. The dig team expected to find some sort of human personal effects - a penny, button, perhaps a piece of pipe or a bit of glass from a broken bottle. None was found. The only thing that that showed up with regularity was pieces of quartz: one large square-foot chunk, pieces, flakes and a stack of quartz rocks. Other than the quartz and iron, only two small pieces of what appeared to be clay pottery and two pieces of hematite were found in the interior of the dugout.

One piece of quartz in particular caught the attention of Hallas. It was a cobble in nearly the center of the dugout. It was larger than a fist and shaped a bit like a small iron. As with all the other rocks found inside the dugout, it was made of white quartz. But this piece showed signs of wear. Its shape fit the hand nicely, with a wide, flat bottom that was blackened and polished smooth from use. It was not until the dig team was nearly finished and ready to close the dig that this stone's possible use was suggested.

As Hallas cleaned out and squared off the last corner to be excavated, she noticed suddenly a seam of gray clay. This suggested that the dugout was actually a clay pit. The iron-shaped, smooth and blackened quartz cobble may have been used to "work" the clay on site, while the large amount of quartz was used for temper. When the clay was exhausted from the site, it is possible the dugout area was then used as a shed or animal pen with some stone walling added.

It might be interesting to re-open the dig at the dugout site to check if any post holes are extant around the exterior of this dugout, or if any signs of work appear around the large, table-like glacial erratic just above the dugout.

The dig team wishes to thank the landowner for allowing access to the dugout so that this unusual site could be documented. Hallas also personally thanks all who lent a hand in this dig.

ANOTHER STONE CHAMBER DISAPPEARS

By Carol Hallas

On my way home from an archaeological dig in Portland, CT, I decided to swing by an area where a housing development had been proposed. Several years before, I had documented and photographed a very large and well-made stone chamber in this area, and I was curious to see if it had been impacted by development.

This chamber had a rather interesting story attached to it. It was located on a now abandoned road, but that road had once been the main highway between New London and Hartford in the 1700s. The chamber was reputed to be a stage stop on the old highway.

As I arrived where I had last photographed the chamber, I became absolutely heartsick at the sight before me. The chamber was completely gone, a victim to modern development.

Upon further investigation in the following days, I discovered that no one had even had the sense to at least have an archaeological survey done before destroying this wonderful old chamber. So far, I have heard three stories as to why the chamber was destroyed and who was responsible. But it doesn't matter now. The chamber is gone and a lot of potential history and information is gone with it.

But why preach to the choir? If anyone knows of a threat to such a site, please report it. And even if a site cannot be saved, at least we can pursue the opportunity to excavate, document and learn from the site before it is lost forever.

UNUSUAL STONE TUNNEL

By Carol Hallas

Scott Seaton, Lt., USN, wrote to the Gungywamp Society and asked about a stone tunnel in Preston, CT that he remembered from his childhood. Lt. Seaton, originally from Ledyard, CT, described the stone tunnel as being east of Green Falls Pond. Luckily, an associate of mine who often accompanies me on field trips recalled the site from his years of working with the Boy Scouts. We chose a lovely mid-February day to go to Preston to have a look at the stone tunnel site.

The tunnel is entirely stone-slab built, about three feet square and a hundred feet long. It is also slightly S-shaped. The tunnel is part of a millrace, with the remains of the mill evident just below the tunnel. Water was rushing through the tunnel the day we were there, but in drier times of the year I was told a youngster can safely crawl through the tunnel.

The stone tunnel is located at "Pegmill Falls" so it was apparently a pegmill (a wood turning mill). Lt. Seaton, in his research, also found it known as "The Thomas Mill." Our thoughts upon viewing this site were that the tunnel was constructed to lower the water level or better control the flow of water for the mill. The stone tunnel is located in Pachaug State Forest, about a half-mile or so hike up a dirt road.

INSCRIBED ROCK, WESTFORD, MA

By Carol Hallas

Longtime Gungywamp Society member Harry Neilsen and I were chatting about a number of topics one day last winter when he called to arrange a tour for the New London Maritime Society. When I happened to mention the "184 Stone" associated with the Westford Knight carving, he immediately offered to stop by on his way north to photograph it. Many thanks to Neilsen for sharing these photos with us!

A BRIEF HISTORY of the WESTFORD KNIGHT

The unique punch-hole stone portrait of a medieval knight with shield was reported to the Eastern States Archaeological Federation in 1956. Frank Glynn, an important and productive avocational archaeologist of southern Connecticut, studied extensively the portrait-in-stone. He consulted with T.C. Lethbridge of Great Britain, who was archaeologist and curator of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Cambridge. After further investigation, the punch-hole carving of the shield revealed an arms design that belongs to the Gunn family of northern Scotland.

A second stone was found in Westford, 2-½ miles from the stone punch-hole portrait of the knight. This stone was inscribed with a "184" in the same punch-hole technique as used to make the knight's portrait. This second stone, the 184 Stone, was located at the junction of two Indian trails, and was eventually removed and placed in the Westford Public Library.

Lethbridge suggested that this second stone's "184" inscription was a directional message - that 184 paces away would be the knight's headquarters. Lethbridge advised Glynn to examine the area in a radius of 184 paces around the original location of the 184 Stone. In 1966, in the fourth and last quadrant searched, Glynn found a 32' x 40' stone enclosure, about three feet high, with a former spring in the SE corner and a collapsed stone structure inside the enclosure. Excitedly, Glynn planned an excavation of this structure for the 1967 season.

But such was not to be. Before the site could be excavated the following year, housing developers destroyed the structure. Another potentially important site was destroyed, leaving a lot of questions unanswered.

MORE on the WESTFORD KNIGHT

By Paulette Buchanan

Two websites offer a pro and con look at the Westford Knight:

Pro: The Westford Knight A Memorial To Sir James Gunn

Con: A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON A SURVEY OF THE 'WESTFORD KNIGHT'

The Gungywamp Society lists links to various websites. These sites may or may not represent or agree with all of our goals and beliefs. We list these links as a help to those who wish to do further research on articles of interest associated with the Gungywamp Society's research.

IN MEMORIAM

By Paulette Buchanan

Carl Vogt, 86, of SE Connecticut, passed away March 23 of this year. Carl Vogt owned a good-sized portion of the Gungywamp complex, and the Vogt family remains dedicated to preserving this land and the archaeological sites found therein.

Carl and the Gungywamp Society's late president, David P. Barron, were longtime friends who shared a great love of the outdoors and of sites of archaeological interest. In the 1950s, after a hurricane came through Connecticut, Carl discovered an intact stone chamber revealed by an uprooted tree that had been blown down in the storm. This small stone chamber, Chamber Site 2, is located and kept preserved on the YMCA property that abuts the Vogt property.

Carl stayed active in his retirement years, preserving his land and sharing the wonders of his land with family and friends. When he was 76, Carl suffered a stroke, and yet, to the best of his ability, he remained keenly interested in Gungywamp Society meetings and our general goings-on in the Gungywamp Complex.

Carl's active support of the Gungywamp Society and his wonderful personality will be sadly missed by those who had the honor to know him. We are most appreciative for the Vogt family's ongoing support of the Gungywamp Society's work of discovery, education and preservation of the sites in the Gungywamp complex.

We dedicate this issue of Stonewatch to Carl Vogt, Sr.



Our Apologies: "Our mailed newsletter contained a picture which mistakenly identified the man at the opening of Chamber Site 2 as Carl Vogt. The photograph in the mailed newsletter is not a picture of Carl Vogt. We apologize for any confusion we may have caused!"

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Are you the outdoorsy type? Do you have an interest in Gungywamp history? Do you feel comfortable discussing what you know about the Gungywamp with groups of people? How about becoming a volunteer trail-clearer or tour guide!

We need conscientious folks to help us clear and maintain the Gungywamp trails. And we sure would like to train a few people to be tour guides. Just email us or write us and tell us how you'd like to help. We'll find the right niche for you!