(PCM) The Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone
Where:
Found in New Hampshire, USA
What:
An carved egg-shaped stone made of a type of quartzite, about 4 inches long and 2 1/2 inches thick, with many symbols in it. It was found in 1872 in Lake Winnipesaukee while digging a hole for a fence post, and its age is unknown. Adding to the mystery is the stone’s overall regular shape and two uneven holes drilled into each end, which is inconsistent with something that is apparently hundreds of years old.
Mystery:
No other stone like it has been found, and the rock used is not common to the area, so no one knows who made it or why. The smoothness of the stone makes some think it is a ‘Thunderstone” – a stone that fell from the sky, or was erupted from deep in the earth.
The symbols carved into it – including a face, an ear of corn, a teepee, and a moon shape – indicate that the stone represents a treaty between two Native American tribes, as was reported shortly after its discovery. The hole through the stone is bored from both ends with different size bits – 1/8 inch at top and 3/8 inch at bottom. In 2006, archaeologist Richard Boisvert suggested the holes were drilled by power tools from the 19th or 20th century.
Most Outrageous Theory:
It could be a Thunderstone, an item of supernatural origin hurled from the sky. Also, one archaeologist pointed out that the holes drilled into the ends look like they were made with modern power tools, which is highly implausible, unless the finder (and keeper) , Seneca Ladd did it. His family donated the stone to the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1927.
The probable theories:
It was an carefully crafted honored agreement between two tribes, or possibly a memorial to a great native American leader.
