On the east side of the site, some 200 m (670 ft.) away, is another wall over a
stream, indicated as point H on the map (Fig. 9). This one is in much poorer
condition, with little vertical definition, and the nature of what is underneath
to contain the brook, has not been determined. It can best be described as a
leaf covered stone berm. It is not known whether this wall was always less
impressive, if the builders simply started this wall and never finished it, or
if the stones were removed to construct other features nearby. In any event,
it is not much more than 91 m (300 ft.) long.
Fig 9
Fig 10
One accent that has not yet
been commented on is the curious drill marks that are found at several locations
on boulders along the wall and at one other feature at the site. Figure 10
shows one of these drill marks from one of the boulders comprising the
wall-over-the-stream. These drill marks are found only at this site and not at
any of the others in Rochester. The holes average approximately 3cm in diameter
and a centimeter or two deep, and are rounded, cup-like, at the bottom. They
appear to be randomly distributed, and are not found in locations where they
could have served to attach a hook to lift the boulders. Drill marks will be
interpreted by some as evidence that the holes were made by colonial iron drills
and cannot be attributed to American Indian manufacture. Unfortunately, such a
statement is misleading. Randall White (2003: 200) illustrates rock art in
Agua Hondo, Baja California, Mexico which consists of deep engravings and drill
marks. Drill marks are also found on boulders not far from Rochester, Vermont,
in Barnard, where a large and impressive standing stone 1.6 m tall (Fig. 11) has
five drill marks in the smooth face, each measuring 1.5 cm in diameter (Fig.
12); this boulder leans against another boulder with a substantial quartz chock
stone placed between them. And on another boulder at the same site, one finds
eroded, elliptically shaped drill holes that measure from 1.5 to 2.0 cm in
diameter (Fig. 13); along the ridge of this boulder, on the other side, are
shallow, rounded grooves that appear to be “banana” depressions often associated
with rock art.
Fig 11
Fig 12
Fig 13
And in South Pomfret, some eight miles south of Barnard,
near the summit of Breakneck Hill, is a boulder with five holes drilled in it
(Fig. 14). Four or these are aligned more or less vertically, with the fifth
off to the left, making an “L”. Four of the holes are about 1.5cm across, with
the fifth being 2cm (Fig. 15). Breakneck Hill overlooks the Suicide Six ski
area, and is about 121 meters (400 feet) above the little hamlet of South
Pomfret. This hill can be accessed via the Appalachian Trail, which was cut
through a gap between Totman Hill to the north and Breakneck Hill about ten
years ago. There is ample evidence of pre-colonial activity on the hill,
consisting of unusual uses of quartz, such as a quartz circle, a quartz berm,
and four small standing stones near a quartz cairn. Except for evidence of tree
harvesting on the hill (a 1943 USGS map of Woodstock, shows most of Breakneck
Hill denuded except for the very summit), there is no sign of colonial activity
or rock splitting.
Fig 14
Fig 15
Drill marks in stone have not been the subject of any investigation that I am
aware of, but there is ample evidence that this was part of a ritualistic
activity, often associated with grooving. Professor Emeritus Charles Faulkner
of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has observed drill marks in
association with rock art at several rock art sites in the South; the one he is
most familiar with is the DeRosssett rock shelter in White County, Tennessee
(Faulkner 1996:114). The presentation of this evidence is simply to show that
drill marks are not necessarily a sign of colonial rock splitting. There are
other possible explanations, and we must be careful in searching for an answer
before assigning this to one cultural group or another.
