Dighton Rock State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve located on the eastern shore of the
Taunton River
The Taunton River (historically also called the "Taunton Great River"), is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater. From the ...
in the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
Berkley,
. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
is the site of a small museum that houses the
Dighton Rock
The Dighton Rock is a 40-ton boulder, originally located in the riverbed of the Taunton River at Berkley, Massachusetts (formerly part of the town of Dighton). The rock is noted for its petroglyphs ("primarily lines, geometric shapes, and schema ...
, an
glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
, covered with
petroglyphs
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 ...
, that once sat on the banks of the river. It is managed by the
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...
.
[
]
Park history
From 1889 to 1955, the park was owned and managed by the Old Colony Historical Society
The Old Colony History Museum (OCHM) is located at 66 Church Green in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States.
Since 1926, the museum has occupied the historic former Bristol Academy school building. The building was designed in 1 ...
. It was acquired by the state in 1955.[
]
Activities and amenities
In addition to the museum, which is only open by appointment, the park features non-motorized boating, fishing, picnicking, and trails that are used for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.[
]
References
External links
Dighton Rock State Park
Department of Conservation and Recreation
*
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State parks of Massachusetts
Parks in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Museums in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Berkley, Massachusetts
1955 establishments in Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 1955