<< Our Photo Pages >> America's Stonehenge - Ancient Village or Settlement in United States in New England
Submitted by stewart on Sunday, 13 December 2009 Page Views: 35038
Multi-periodSite Name: America's Stonehenge Alternative Name: Mystery HillCountry: United States
NOTE: This site is 34.734 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: New England Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Salem, NH Nearest Village: North Salem
Latitude: 42.843000N Longitude: 71.21W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
Michelledubois lichen rrmoser would like to visit
DebbieElliott visited on 1st Jan 2016 - their rating: Access: 3 Had this place more or less to myself, it is quite hidden away and not many folk know about it. The access is through the visitor's centre. Who built it or what it was for is still unknown but a four of the stones are set up to equinox and solstice.
MartinJEley visited on 6th Jul 2012 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3 Understanding that this Stonehenge was unlikely to have the grandeur of the more famous cousin in Wiltshire, England we chose to arrange a visit anyway. The remaining building structures and stones clearly show a long history and knowledge of significant solar events during the year. The fact that much of the site is tree covered makes it harder to appreciate the setting the context of the surrounding landscape. It was worth the visit.
TheCaptain visited on 15th Apr 1990 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
sitedowser turtlex have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 3.33
"America's Stonehenge", formerly called Mystery Hill, is a site that has puzzled archaeologists for almost a century. Running across the 30 acres of hillside are a series of low walls, cave-like primitive buildings, and tunnels that are spread about with, according to one archaeologist, "gigantic confusion and childish disorder, deep cunning and rude naivety." While the hill is compared to the English Stonehenge circle, it is, at first glance, physically quite different. Stonehenge is located on a plain, not a hill, and is arranged neatly as a series of concentric circles, horseshoes and squares. Mystery Hill seems a jumble in comparison. The stones involved in Stonehenge are larger, up to 45 tons. The stones at Mystery Hill are smaller (the largest is about 11 tons) and the construction less intricate.
Both sites do have some common points, though. Firstly, they served as observatories. Each has been found to have astronomical alignments including summer solstice. Secondly, we know almost nothing about the builders of either location. While we don't know the type of ceremonies that may have gone on at Stonehenge, we do know something about the apparent activity on the hill. One of the main features of the site is an enormous flat stone, like a great table, resting above the ground on four legs. Around the edge of the table runs a groove that leads to a spout. This great slab has been named the "Sacrificial Stone" and certainly may have served such a function. The gutter probably allowed the blood of the sacrifice to drain off the top.
Underneath the Sacrificial Stone is a shaft eight feet long leading to an underground chamber. It seems reasonable that this allowed a priest concealed in the chamber to speak as the voice of an oracle. To a crowd gathered around the altar the sound would appear to float up from the Sacrificial Stone like the voice of some disembodied spirit. In addition to the oracle chamber and the Sacrificial Stone the site has a number of other artificial caves and passages. At least one was constructed with a drain to keep them from being flooded. The purpose of the rest of these structures, except one which appears to be a water well, are unknown. Courtesy Unmuseum web site.
Note: An article on America’s Stonehenge in the New York Times, see latest comment
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