Thursday, May 18, 2006

Visit Rhode Island description of Parker Woodland

by pwax
Here is a nice description. It shows that awareness of rock piles is becoming more main stream.

[Click here for original]

map key George B. Parker Woodland
751-acre property owned and maintained by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. Open year round, this impeccable area of woodlands is also famous for its collection of more than 100 mysterious rock cairns. These beehive-shaped stone piles range from two to four feet in height and are spread throughout a tract of land surrounding the Paul Cook Memorial Trail. Many theories surrounding the origins of the rock cairns have surfaced, including theories that they were built by the Narragansett Indians, Celtic settlers or Colonial farmers.

Hikers can marvel at the caretaker’s house, built in the 1700s and now on the National Register of Historic Places, old stone quarries, the Isaac Bowen House and the foundation of an eighteenth-century farm house. Maple Valley Rd., Coventry, 401-949-5454, www.asri.org

2 comments :

JimP said...

I have a lot personal connection to Parker Woodland. For starters, my father grew up in that area and fished at Turkey Meadow Brook as a boy. His father also grew up nearby.

Next, my brother and his wife rented the upstairs portion of the caretaker's house that's mentioned in that description. They lived there for several years back in the 1990's. My connection to that land spans generations.

I have extensive knowledge of the history of the site if anyone is interested. I have led numerous tours across that landscape. I showed groups of people the wonders that are some of the best constructed cairns in Southern New England.

JimP said...

Oh, and I should mention that the description you posted originated from the Audobon Society who owns the property. It's been the description on the brochure for many years.