I’m looking for locations in the New England that has been lost and forgotten. Have been researching old ruins, King Phillips Caves and Haunted locations to visit. A few of my recent reference books have been by Scott Walter, Robert CaHill and local maps for my research. I’m currently trying to find a Dolmen stone in Westport MA with no luck and a Alter Stone in Dartmouth. I’m looking for idea’s to investigate. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Hello and welcome to the Dope. Most of the other posters are much nicer than me.
I do have to ask if you understand that most places that are lost and forgotten are actually lost and forgotten?
This place really strikes you.
There are lots of Mysterious Stone Constructions. Go to Mystery Hill in Salem, New Hamposhire, now called America’s Stonehenge. It’s a construction of massive stones (sand lots of little ones) that has a mysterious past. True Believers think that it’s aligned with important calendar events, like midsummer sunrise or midwintersunset, and the owners of the site have gone so far as to cut broad avenues through the surrounding woods so that you can go there are see for yourself. There aren’t huge trilithons at Stonehenge, but simple smallish boulders marking these points, forming a rather meandering stone loop (if not a circle) Other stones form a set of underground chambers and an “altar” (that skeptics say is a colonial lye-extracting stone). The orthodox view is that much of this is the work of earely settler named Pattee (who admittedly did live on the site), aided by amateur archaeologist Goodwin. Goodwin throught these were the work of a bunch of medieval Irish monks who colonized New England. It didn’t help that he “reconstructed” many of the supposed ruins himself.
Personally, I think there’s more here than Pattee could or would have done, and there are supposedly photos of the pre-Goodwin site showing monumental structures already in place. It’s good for a nice walk in the country on a spring or fall day.
Some people think that this may have helped inspire H. P. Lovec raft’s The Dunwich Horror, but Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi says he didn’t visit the site until after he wrote that story. Nevertgheless, it’s intereting to lookl at the depiction of "THe Devil’s Hop Yard* as shown in the 1970 foilm of The Dunwich Horror, and look at the signbificant differenbce between fiction and reality.
Even if Lovecraft didn’t visit Salem, there were other such places he knew of. Have a look at Gungywamp. in Groton, Connecticut.
And, even though they’re all-natural, Polar Caves in Rumney NH:
The Flume in the White Mountains:
and Lost River Gorge in Kinsman’s Notch NH
http://www.findlostriver.com/about.php
If you want more mysterious Work of Manm, have a look at Dighton Rock
Well, in Rhode Island, there’s the Newport Tower, which has a number of theories regarding its origin (although, as is usually the case, the most likely is also the least interesting). You could also check out Abandoned Rhode Island(disclaimer: A lot of these places may be illegal to enter).
Atlas Obscura has some neat stuff.