Saturday, November 29, 2014

A nice little site in Westminster. Flat but not level

It has been a few weeks since I found a straight, plain-vanilla rock pile site - with simple layout and no question about whether or not it is "really" ceremonial. So I was happy to find this beautiful spot, adjacent to where water was coming out of the hill. I don't know how to describe the location, it is an unnamed hill just north of the intersection of Rt 140 and Rt 2, in Westminster. A continuation of explorations around Overlook Rd and High Ridge Wildlife Management Area.
I want to point out three things about this site:
  • A short section of stone wall comes down diagonally, to cross the top of the water breakout zone
  • A collection of marker piles near one end of the wall, some with white quartz "blazes", lying on even ground - flat but not level. 
  • The messy structure at the far end of the wall - all piles are visible from there
Let's have a look at the site layout:
Seen from a bit higher, note how flat the ground is between us and the structures visible in background.
Here are three evenly spaced piles, well buried, on the slope:
Closeup of a "blaze":
Now let's walk up towards the upper end of the wall. Looking back, again note how flat the ground is on this slope (the wall is to the left):
Let's have a look at the messy upper end of the wall:
I do not think this is where the wall builders got lazy. On the contrary, I think this is the central reason for the site being here. Compare with the "a messy bit of wall in one place by itself." from the other day.