Endicott Rock is a

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 ...

located on the shore of

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

in the Weirs Beach village of

Laconia, New Hampshire Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. La ...

. Its principal attraction is a large rock originally in the lake that was incised with lettering in 1652 by surveyors for the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

. The rock provides definitive evidence of one of the earliest incursions of Europeans into the area. For many years the rock's existence was unknown, until it was rediscovered in the 19th century when the Weirs Channel was dredged. The state then undertook to protect the rock from the elements, building a pavilion over it and stabilizing cracks in the rock with iron fittings. The markings on the rock include "IOHN ENDICUT GOV", a reference to

John Endecott John Endecott (also spelled Endicott; before 1600 – 15 March 1664/1665), regarded as one of the Fathers of New England, was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He serv ...

, who was then governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the initials of the surveyors. The colony's boundaries, according to its charter, were north of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

, and the rock was incorrectly believed by the English party to mark the northernmost head of the river (the headwaters of the Merrimack's main tributary, the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

, are significantly further north, but the survey party was misled by its Indian guides). Admission to the small park is free and offers picnic facilities. (The parking fee in the immediate vicinity is $10.) Materials from the

New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the management of state parks within New Hampshire, the Cannon Mountain Ski Area, the Bureau of Trails, the Bureau of Historic Sites, and various community programs. Philip A. ...

sometimes identify the site as a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

, and sometimes as a

. A rectangular area surrounding the rock and its sheltering pavilion were 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 1980.

References

External links

Endicott Rock Historic Site
New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources {{authority control State parks of New Hampshire Parks in Belknap County, New Hampshire Laconia, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Belknap County, New Hampshire

See also

References

External links