Here’s a little woodland mystery for you.
Reader Larry Mulligan has been investigating stone chambers in Putnam County, New York. This picture shows one of about 12 chambers on this particular property. Apparently they predate historical records in that area, so nobody knows for sure what they were used for. What’s your guess? Since we don’t know the answer either, we’ll select a winner based on the most creative answer.
Answer
Some said this stone structure had ceremonial significance to the Abenaki or for Druids, perhaps used to observe eclipses or used as a sweat lodge. Some went more practical, and said it was a root cellar for storing food before refrigeration was available, or maybe a lime kiln. And still others said various creatures of questionable existence once inhabited the stone home, from a “bad breath’d troll” to the eastern mini-sasquatch. Many found it to be a good hiding place for any number of things, from stashing moonshine to hiding oneself to “scare the pants off” approaching friends.
Kyle Garcia guessed that perhaps the mound of stones was once a temporary shelter for corpses in winter, when the ground was too hard to dig.
We thought his answer was creative and practical, so he’s this week’s winner.
This week’s contest winner was Kyle Garcia of White River Junction, VT