cairns. I have often wondered about the significance of these three
stacked limestone rocks at The Manor. My youngest son told me
yesterday that he remembers playing a game with them when he
and his sister were small. They would take turns sitting on top with
their eyes closed, waiting for the other one to push them off! He said
they enjoyed the thrill of the scare. Good thing they hid their little
game from me. And thank goodness there weren't any injuries, at
least that I knew of. The sillies.
So, what do you think? Are the rocks a cairn of some sort? Were
they left here by the Wyandot Indians to mark the location of the
Scioto River or burial ground? Could they possibly mark the location
of the execution of Chief Leatherlips on June 1, 1810? Or are they
simply a natural geological occurrence?
Aren't cairns used to mark burial grounds? Maybe you should do some digging! :)
ReplyDeleteCould be a cairn. They have historically been used for a variety of purposes. Headstones, Path markers, Astronomical markers, etc.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, I love a good mystery! Isn't it interesting how many different people groups have erected cairns over the ions?
ReplyDeleteThis post has set me thinking.....In the Old Testament God instructed the Israelites to set up "stones of remembering" so that they would not forget what God had done for them at those particular sites.
My guess would be that they are a cairn of some sort. Is there any way to look up information about your property that might give you clues to its former life? Interesting!
ReplyDeleteYou once said your area has many limestone fences. Quite possibly when the area was cleared by early settlers they pulled these over sized rocks out of the ground and piled them out of the way of their planting-homestead areas. This was a common practice.
ReplyDeleteHard to tell from the photos but they don't look connected to below ground rock formations.
Betsy, okay, I'm getting my little garden shovel. It will take me a while, though. I'll have to blog on my excavations, especially if I find anything exciting like Indian artifacts or the remains of Leatherlips. ;)
ReplyDeleteBill, that is a good possibility. I hadn't thought of that explanation. They are not at all connected below the ground. Yes, lots of old limestone fences around the property. Maybe when the fences were being constructed, those were left behind. But odd that they are stacked in that manner.
It does look like a cairn to me!
ReplyDeleteHi, I spotted your site through Dave at Osage + Orange. I really enjoy your posts. P.S. Emily Carr's artwork is beautiful and really reminds me of another artist, Charles Burchfield (1893-1967). He is my favorite!!!
Thanks!
Chris
Charles Burchfield is great! I should blog on him sometime soon. Thanks for your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteI just today happened upon your blog; I found the link via julie king art, a close personal friend of mine. I love your site design and the artisan look and feel of your entries. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that all piles of stones are cairns: some are formed naturally. Perhaps an archeologist or a geologist can tell the difference. I can’t, except for the cairns I’ve encountered that have been so marked.
ReplyDelete"Louis" had a cairn post a few weeks back. Read the comments, particularly the first few, for a chuckle....
ReplyDelete"Louis" posted an update to his comments about the dipsticks in Washington.
OK. I know what I'm getting you for a birthday gift this year. An excavation kit ...complete with stakes and twine, little shovels and brushes, labels for bags and bottles and some sifter pans! You'll need some sunscreen and a neat, official looking hat, too! :)
ReplyDeleteThe leftover stones for fencing is an idea. But it doesn't seem to be in the right location for that. And why take the time to stack them? Given the history of the area, I bet it is a marker of some kind.
The stacked formation of those limestones definitely looks like it was done for a purpose. I think in North America most cairns were used to mark trails. It would be interesting to visit to your citie's record bureau and see if you can find old maps of your property, as perhaps that would give you a clue.
ReplyDeleteIn NE Pennsylvania there are very unusual rock formations that were left naturally as a result of the movement of the Laurentide Continental Glacier. Do you know if your area was once effected by this?
Happy sleuthing!
Betsy, oh goody, that's perfect! I always wanted to be an archeologist. All I need is the kit! I agree with you on the location of the stones. They really are not near the house or any fencing.
ReplyDeletePat, city records might give me a clue. Good idea. I'm not sure about the glacier idea. Possibly, but the layers in the stones don't match. I think they were humanly placed on top of each other.
Willow: I would have to think that was made by man. The question is what was the reason.
ReplyDeleteLaura, welcome to Willow Manor. Thanks for your nice comments. Hope you pop back in sometime soon!
ReplyDeleteFishing Guy, I tend to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI think they were definitely placed there and I am sure there was significance to their placement.
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating to have this in your garden. LOL at the kids confession!
Glad you received the book Willow - I knew would love the old photos - and wait 'til you read the acoounts - I found myself in awe of those strong, adventurous women.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness your children survived falls from this 'cairn'.
I have backpacked some of the mountains in the west, and rock cairins were used to mark trails that can't easily be followed. They may be over rocky ground or up steep slopes where passages are, but trails can't be discerned. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI do visit and I do comment and I was here. I did look at your picture(s) and I did read what you wrote about them. I could say how great you are and how beautiful your work is but alas I would soon run out of things to say on the next blog I visited, so I just left this to prove I stopped and said a few words on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...very interesting question
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit. Hopped over from Abe's blog. The rocks are interesting. Isn't it funny when our children grow up and tell us the things they did, that we are now just finding out about;)
ReplyDeleteBurial grounds, I would guess. Amazing that they have remained untouched all these years. I also had the same idea as steviewren about a kind of primitive memorial. And they provided the young Willowites with lots of forbidden fun! Warm regards as always Eleanor
ReplyDeleteThe romantic in me says it's a cairn.
ReplyDeleteThe mama in me agrees, there are some things we don't need to know about.
Well whatever they are I would give my eye teeth to have them in my garden. Sighhhhh!
ReplyDeleteOr maybe they cover a burial spot or a buried treasure .. nice to think about and imagine .. you should write a story!
ReplyDelete:-Daryl
Your cairn is very cool. It might be interesting to try and research their history. Every so often I'll see a large, out of place rock and wonder if it was a glacial erratic.
ReplyDeleteI had never noticed cairns too much until I started hiking out west with my brother. They're a common feature along hiking trails, and I have photographed them, and now build them on occasion.
In modern times I think they're a pleasant way to say "this way" or "I was here" using found materials. It beats grafitti!
Your cairn may hold some interesting secrets. Thanks for mentioning my blog!
It's a wonderful landmark, however it occured. What treasures Willow Manor possesses!
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me of a photograph I have of me on Dartmoor, when I jumped down into a cairn and all you see is my head sticking above the ground. Hee hee.
ReplyDeletelooks like they've been placed there to me. but for what reason?
ReplyDeletei really like what you've done with your blogs i read every day section. very nice! you've updated a lot of things on your blog. way to go!
Hi Willow...I've been catching up with your most recent post, enjoying all the comments on the "mystery cairn"....I do think the mannor worthy of a bit of excavating. I too hear childhood stories from my children such as.... "remember the black widow spider nest we found around the water meter?" :)
ReplyDeleteI like your second theory - and agree this is definitely a cairn! It's really lovely.
ReplyDeleteyou know, the comments here are so interesting. How fascinating it would be to go back in time and see what these intriguing rocks were here for.
ReplyDeleteYou know, the comments here are so interesting. How fascinating it would be to go back in time and see what these intriguing rocks were here for.
ReplyDelete