Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site
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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; the ...
. 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. History Colonel Enoch ...
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 at Long Island ...
, adjacent to
Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
, they depict a rarely-seen assemblage of anthropomorphic figures that is believed to be unique in
New England New England is a region comprising 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 to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
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 and
Walpole, 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) and ...
, 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 at Long Island ...
. There are two rock panels, located and south of the bridge, and adjacent to
Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
. 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 wa
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
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 (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
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 in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
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__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Vermont. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Verm ...


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