The Rollstone Boulder
Artifact in the Collection
- Piece of the Rollstone Boulder, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
History
Plaque
The plaque attached to the boulder today reads:
Rollstone Boulder This boulder, carried by the last glacier from Mt. Monadnock, New Hampshire to the summit of the hill whose name commemorates it, was for centuries a land mark to Indian and Settler. Threatened with destruction by quarrying operations, it was saved by popular subscription, and reassembled here, 1929-1930. Weight 110 tons...Porphyritic granite. Fitchburg Historical Society. 1937
Souvenirs
Rollstone Boulder bookends.
Testimonials
"I AM THE BOULDER"
I survived the ice age. From my perch on the hill, I held early pilgrims on my shoulders and listened to wild stories of past, I conversed with the Mohawk Indian tribes, and observed the creation of Fitchburg and it's surrounding communities. I survived a very serious injury during a blast, and what seems like an eternity where I was displaced and pieced together to my current resting place, a whole new episode of my life began, for I AM THE BOULDER, the indestructible icon of Fitchburg and local high school class-books. I am the recipient of curious visitors and photo opts, the observer of local government successes and failures, the catch all for mild and terrifying weather conditions, the observer of concerts, and the placement of local noted safety and sports figures monuments, all of which I have been able to withstand and proudly observe over the generations for I AM THE BOULDER, the pillar of my community, and the model of strength in perseverance.
—Story above by Mr. Robert (Bob) Boucher of California, an Ex Fitchburg Resident.
“The spectacle of a large rock at the head of the Common, on a pocket handkerhief of green known as Litchfield Park, would seem ludicrous anywhere but in Fitchburg. Once perched on the summit of Rollstone Hill, scarred Rollstone Boulder now rests serenly in the midst of hte ebb and flow of rushing traffic. Commercial interests once sought destruction of the boulder but Fitchburgers would have none of it. Today an object of pleasantries adn on occaision vandalism from juvenile paint jobs, the boulder inspires little attention. Yet Fitchburgers know it is still there and they intend to keep it there. —Doris Kirkpatrick
References
- Doris Kirkpatrick
- http://home.iprimus.com.au/metzke/rollstoneboulder.html
A further reference to the Rollstone Boulder is made in his last two pages of
- Atherton P. Mason, M. D., "Fitchburg in 1885," The Bay State Monthly. Volume 2, Issue 6, March 1885, 357-358.
- http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=bays;cc=bays;rgn=full%20text;idno=bays0002-6;didno=bays0002-6;view=image;seq=369;node=bays0002-6%3A1;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset;
- The Fitchburg Historical Society's Page
