Print, Photographic

Description

Located along an old road that once ran down the side of Lebanon Mountain there is an unusually large stone standing higher than any around it. Although now inaccessible in the forest, it was a feature that was well known to those, Shakers and non-Shakers, who traveled the old road. The photograph presented here, was titled the “Giants’ Mile-Stone (Shaker Road)” by its creator. The early American traveler was accustomed to seeing pieces of stone erected along major roads carved with letters and numerals to indicate the number of miles to or from a particular location. While the old Shaker Road would not have had such markers, it did have this one extraordinary marker. The Shakers, while we have never seen it referenced in their records, must have shared some sense that this stone was unusual and that it was reminiscent of the common mile markers. When they constructed a stone wall along the south side of the road and easily could have saved considerable labor by incorporating the giant stone into their wall, they chose instead to make a niche leaving the stone standing between the wall and the roadbed for all to see. While the roadbed has totally eroded and trees have reclaimed the land, the stone and wall remain. While the stone may have been left in its current position by glacial action it is also possible that it was moved to stand tall by human interaction. There is a strong tradition throughout New England of Native Americans having erected standing stones as trail markers or as part of sacred sites. This stone has been documented and its location recorded by a preservation officer of the Narragansett Tribe.