Cellar Walls
Click here to see my photos of old stone sites in New England (or click on the links below)
Here you will find my photos of a number of different sites in New England. If you have any information to share about any of these places or if you know of any sites not on this list that I could visit please e-mail me.
Stone Chambers
There are literally hundreds of stone chambers in New England. Some of these chambers are very similar to ancient sites in Europe and some believe that they were built by European explorers before Columbus or by Native Americans who had contact with seafaring Europeans. Others believe that these were built by Native Americans for their own religious and ceremonial purposes. Some claim that all of these structures were built as root cellars or for other agricultural purposes by colonial and postcolonial farmers. Carbon dating of charcoal recovered at excavations at some sites has yielded dates from thousands of years ago. I believe that some of these were very likely built in precolonial times and that some may be among the oldest structures in the New World.
Bridgewater MA This is a fairly large stone chamber near Lake Nippenicket in Bridgewater that appears to have been either built or modified in historic times, possibly for use as an ice house.
Burlington MA A small chamber built into a massive stone wall. For more detailed information and interpretation of this site please visit Stone Structures.
Danbury NH structure A small chamber-like structure near a road in Danbury NH.
Easton MA Chamber A small chamber near a lake in Borderland State Park.
Foster RI Three small chambers, stone piles and other interesting features at an abandoned farm site.
N. Grosvenordale CT A unique chamber on private property with two rooms inside.
Leicester MA "Potato Cellar" A small round chamber on private property. A town history refers to this chamber as a "potato cellar."
Leicester MA "Airport Chamber" A small rectangular chamber near old foundations on an abandoned road near the Worcester Airport.
Littleton MA forest chamber A small chamber and other stonework on conservation land.
Montville CT Chamber Montville Connecticut is a town rich with interesting stone structures and ruins. This small chamber is on private property. The landowner told me that the land has been in his family for centuries and that as far as he knows, the chamber has always been there.
Montville CT Chamber- Gardner Lake Stone chamber and historic stonework near the shore of Gardner Lake in Montville.
Montville CT "Soutterain" Chamber This chamber is a narrow tunnel that extends 38 feet into a hillside. The chamber was discovered in 1938 when a hurricane uprooted an old tree that collapsed part of the tunnel near the entrance. This structure bears strong similarities to some prehistoric structures in Europe.
Norton MA A stone chamber and terrace built into a walled enclosure in a hillside.
Norwich VT A collapsed stone chamber asociated with walls and other ruins in the woods.
Petersham MA A partially ruined stone chamber of unknown origin.
S. Royalton VT There are a number of stone chambers in the South Royalton VT area. This is a locally well-known underground chamber not far from the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial.
Spencer MA A large rectangular chamber.
E. Thompson CT The "Hermit Cave" is a small corbeled stone chamber.
Webster MA This well-preserved stone chamber on private property in Webster is located near a stream bed and a former Indian trail. Members of the Nipmuc tribe today believe that this chamber was built by their ancestors.
Wendell MA Two small "twin chambers" located near a road and house foundation. Offerings found inside may indicate recent Native American use of this site. For more detailed information and interpretation of this site please visit Stone Structures.
Upton MA "Cave" This is a very well-known and impressive man-made stone chamber which many have argued was built in prehistoric times. At present this site can only be visited if accompanied by a member of the Upton Historical Commission.
Stone Piles
There are likely many thousands of stone piles in New England in a wide variety of locations. Similar sites can be found throughout the area where Algonquin-speaking Indians lived. Some of these piles have been shown through excavation to be prehistoric and many believe that some of these piles are Native American ceremonial structures. Peter Waksman has a fantastic blog with information about these sites at Rock Piles.
Chesterfield NH Stone piles, walls and other features I spotted near a mountaintop in Pisgah State Park.
Douglas MA A variety of features in the Douglas State Forest.
Glocester RI I was thrilled to stumble upon this site with many well-built stone piles, the chamber-like "Shepherd Hut" and many other interesting features.
Lakeville MA Stone piles and other features near a historic "Indian Burial Ground" close to Long Pond.
Montville CT Well-built stone piles and other features near the "Souterrain" chamber.
Montville CT Rock Shelter Site A site on private property in Montville CT with rock outcrops with shelters and caves rising above a wetland with stone rows and piles.
Wyoming RI Stone piles aligned in rows near a swamp in the woods of Wyoming RI.
Other Sites
Other historic and prehistoric lithic sites.
Bellows Falls VT Prehistoric native American petroglyphs.
Franklin MA "Indian Fort" A complex of walls, earthworks, balanced boulders and other features near a wetland. Some of these walls may have been built in modern times but there are possible indications of a Native American presence here as well.
Lakeville MA "Indian Burial Ground" A very small cemetery with headstones (mostly unmarked fieldstones), near Long Pond.
Leicester MA Historic stonework in the woods of Leicester.
Pomfret CT Cellar holes, walls, and more unusual stone features at the abandoned settlement of Bara-Hack.
Waterford CT Farm Erratics and walls on an old farm site.
Wrentham MA - Birchwold Farm Stone walls and ruins on an abandoned dairy farm.
Latest Updates
Last update: 19 August 2010