Profile Rock
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Profile Rock (also known as the Old Man of Joshua's Mountain) was a granite rock formation located in
Freetown, Massachusetts Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,206 at the 2020 census. Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the l ...
, just outside Assonet village and near the Freetown State Forest. In 2019, a large section of the formation broke off.


History

Local
Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...
s believed the rock to be the image of Chief
Massasoit Massasoit Sachem ( ) or Ousamequin (1661)"Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section),''MayflowerFamilies.com'', web pag was the sachem or leader of the Wampanoag confederacy. ''Massasoit'' means ''Great Sachem''. Although ...
. The Wampanoags occupied the region of
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
and Massachusetts bounded by
Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. S ...
to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Chief Massasoit was a close friend to the early
Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
settlers. Joshua's Mountain was named after Joshua Tisdale, who was the first to settle near the site. It was privately owned for several years by former Freetown selectman Ben Evans, who sold it to the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
to be used as a state park tourist attraction. On June 19, 2019, at approximately 9:22 a.m., the Freetown Police Department, along with the Freetown Fire Department, responded to the Freetown State Forest “Profile Rock” Park for a report of recent damages to the historic rock formation. First responders and park officials discovered that a large portion of the rock formation had broken off. State forest officials closed the park due to the unsafe environment. The public was encouraged to stay away from the area. Since at least 2016, the site has been frequently vandalized with graffiti, despite an aggressive cleanup effort by the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. As of July 31, 2023, access to the park was allowed, but the area was unkempt and marred with graffiti.


See also

* List of rock formations that resemble human beings *
Pareidolia Pareidolia (; ) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus (physiology), stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a specific bu ...
* Cydonia, location of the "Face on Mars" *
Old Man of the Lake The Old Man of the Lake is a tall tree trunk, most likely a hemlock, that has been bobbing vertically in Crater Lake in Oregon, United States since at least 1896. The trunk is about in diameter at the waterline and stands approximately above ...
*
Old Man of the Mountain The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face when ...
*
Mount Pemigewasset Mount Pemigewasset, or Indian Head, is a mountain in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It lies near the town of Lincoln. The mountain is known for the distinctive cliff along the southern s ...


References


Further reading

*{{cite web , url = http://wingstv.com/ProfileRock.htm , title = Profile Rock , date = April 27, 2013 , first = Frank W. , last = Wing , website = wingstv.com


External links


Map of Freetown/Fall River State Forest
at mass.gov Rock formations of Massachusetts Landmarks in Massachusetts Landforms of Bristol County, Massachusetts Freetown, Massachusetts Native American history of Massachusetts