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The Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site (designated Site VT-WD-8) is an archaeological site containing panels of precontact Native American
discovered in 2015
along the banks of the West River in Brattleboro. The southern panel, about long, has eight figures, and the northern panel, about long, has sixteen. Other archaeological sites are located in the general area, but their association to this site is not known. It is known that additional panels may be protected by
The Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site (designated Site VT-WD-8) is an archaeological site containing panels of precontact Native American petroglyph
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s in Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; th ...
. Located near the Vilas Bridge
The Charles N. Vilas Bridge is a two-span concrete deck arch bridge over the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls, Vermont, and North Walpole, New Hampshire. It was built in 1930 and has been closed since March 19, 2009. The state of New Hamp ...
on bedrock west of and above the Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
, adjacent to Great Falls, they depict a rarely-seen assemblage of anthropomorphic figures that is believed to be unique in New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, and uncommon even in surrounding geographic areas. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1990.
Description
The petroglyph site is located on the east side of the Bellows Falls Island, south of the Vilas Bridge, which connects Bellows Falls andWalpole, New Hampshire
Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census.
The town's central village, where 573 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place (CDP) a ...
, across the Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
. There are two rock panels, located and south of the bridge, and adjacent to Great Falls. Each panel contains a series of figures interpreted as human heads, with mouths, eyes, and radiating projections. The abstract features of these heads are consistent with the traditional corn husk masks of the Abenaki and Iroquois peoples, and a similar inscription wadiscovered in 2015
along the banks of the West River in Brattleboro. The southern panel, about long, has eight figures, and the northern panel, about long, has sixteen. Other archaeological sites are located in the general area, but their association to this site is not known. It is known that additional panels may be protected by
riprap
Riprap (in North American English), also known as rip rap, rip-rap, shot rock, rock armour (in British English) or rubble, is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. ...
laid along the river bank; these panels are also sometimes protected from occasional vandalism by silt deposited by the river.
The existence of these figures has been known and commented on since the late 18th century. Similar figures are rare in New England, but instances of similar figures have been identified in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and Canada from the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
east. Because of their rarity, they provide an unusual opportunity to establish prehistoric cultural connections between relatively disparate regions.
See also
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Vermont
__NOTOC__
The National Register of Historic Places is a United States federal official list of places and sites considered worthy of preservation. In Windham County, Vermont, there are 100 properties and districts listed on the National Regist ...
References
External links
* {{NRHP in Windham County, Vermont Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Bellows Falls, Vermont Petroglyphs in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Vermont Native American history of Vermont