Solstice Rock


"Solstice Rock" is an unusual stone formation in Boxborough, Massachusetts. About 100 yards from this formation, is an old, human-made, stone viewing platform. Standing on the platform during the Winter Solstice sunrise, the sun rises clearly through a notch at the top of Solstice Rock.

Winter Solstice Sunrise at Solstice Rock
December 22, 2001: View from the platform towards the notch in the Solstice Rock's "neck".


7:30 AM


7:31AM


7:32AM


7:33AM
Site Description - Solstice Rock
With a little imagination, Solstice Rock appears to be a giant creature of some kind perhaps a sleeping bear or a turtle. 


View 1


View 2

The head lies to the left.  Underneath are two arms or "paws". The solstice sunrise viewing notch separates the head from the rest of the body.

It is about 10 feet tall at the highest point and about 25 feet long. The rock itself shows extensive signs of being worked with simple tools.

Site Description - Viewing Platform

The viewing platform is part of a rock wall across the field from the solstice rock. The platform itself is made of a huge flat rock approximately 4 feet in diameter and 1 foot thick.  It is supported by a number of large rocks.

It is striking because of the enormity of the rocks. Nowhere else in the area have I found such immense rocks used in stone wall construction.
Site Description - Summer Solstice Marker

Up in the woods north of the Solstice Rock are two rock mounds. The mounds form a "turtle" shape which is commonly seen in the area. The larger of the mounds appears to mark the Summer Solstice sunrise.  The trees have recently been cleared from this area to make the viewing easier.
Background
Little is known about the site's origin.  The site was discovered in the late eighties by Byron Dix and others. Byron and his co-author, James Mavor (ref. below), surmise that similar sites in the area date from at least the time of the Nashoba Indian Praying Village which was centered nearby in the 18th century.

There are numerous other human-made sites in the area which are likely prehistoric. Sadly, a number of have been destroyed by recent development. More are waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, these sites have received relatively little academic attention. The number and diversity of these sites have a lot to teach us about the early inhabitants of this land. The New England Antiquities Research Association works to collect and disseminate research on these topics.

The Solstice Rock property was purchased for conservation in the 1990s by the Sudbury Valley Trustees.
More Information
To visit the site at the Winter Solstice, I'd recommend taking one of the Sudbury Valley Trustee tours led by George Krusen. George lives nearby, has been instrumental in preserving the site, and is a fount of information.

I highly recommend reading Manitou: The Sacred Landscape of New England's Native Civilization, by James Mavor and Dix, Byron Dix.  It's a wonderful compendium of Native American sites in New England including several in the Boxborough area.  While I don't agree with all of their conclusions, in sum they make a substantial case for further research of these sites and others.  You can buy it here.

There are many other potentially prehistoric features in the area.   On-line descriptions of similar sites in the immediate include:
   New England Antiquities Research Association 
   Concord Lithics
   Acton Rock Stacks Array

Good books about the pre-historic and early colonial history of this area:
   Ceremonial Time: Fifteen Thousand Years on One Square Mile by John Hansen Mitchell
   Changes in the Land: Indians Colonists and the Ecology of New England by William Cronon

GPS (WGS-84) coordinates for the Solstice Rock and environs are:
   Solstice Rock: N 42° 30.23'  W 71° 29.25'
   Platform: N 42° 30.25'  W 71° 29.30' (these coordinate are about 30' off)
   Summer Solstice Mounds: N 42° 30.29  W 71° 29.21'

Author of this Page: Jim Salem 
Credits: Many thanks to George Krusen and Norm   ??   for leading a delightful exploration of this site.