Shelter Rock is a landmarked

rock shelter A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

Manhasset Manhasset is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States, from Shelter Rock Road, near the border with the Incorporated Village of North Hills.Town of North Hempstead landmark sign, Shelter Rock Road.

Description

The rock is a

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

estimated to weigh and has a overhang. It is high and wide. It was deposited by glacial action between 20,000 and 11,000 years ago. Members of the

Matinecock Matinecock is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 810 at the 2010 census. History Matinecock incorporated as a village on April 2, 1928, in order t ...

had a settlement nearby and a number of legends about the rock arose among both the Native Americans and the European colonists.Aronson, Harvey, ed. ''Home Town Long Island''. (Newsday, 1999). . Native Americans used the rock as shelter from the elements, possibly as early as 1000 B.C. The boulder is located on

Greentree Greentree is a estate in Manhasset, on Long Island, New York. The estate was constructed for businessman Payne Whitney in 1904 and was owned by members of the Whitney family for much of the 20th century. It is currently owned by the Greentree ...

, a private estate once owned by the

Whitney family The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from non-Norman English immigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elm ...

. The top of the boulder is just visible from Shelter Rock Road, more so in the colder parts of the year when the vegetation recedes. While it is not publicly accessible, the Greentree Foundation does arrange special tours for scouts, school and other small groups from time to time. On March 27, 2007, Shelter Rock was declared a Town of North Hempstead Designated Landmark by the Town of North Hempstead Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission.

References

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External links

Shelter Rock - Article by The Suffolk Gem & Mineral Club
Manhasset, New York Landforms of Nassau County, New York Glacial erratics of New York (state) Rock shelters in the United States Landmarks in New York (state)

Description

See also

References

External links