| Millstone
Quarry Tour (Page 1 of 4) (Page 1) (Page 2) (Page 3) (Page 4) |
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| A Mysterious Place | ||||||||||
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| Chestnut Tree Crown | Chestnut Burrs | |||||||||
 Chestnut Tree Trunk |
The Dunbar Hills have many ghosts and legends. One of the most intriguing ones is the Millstone Quarry, on the headwaters of Big Piney Run. This is one you will never find without the aid of someone who knows where it is! Jim Rankin, a Dunbar native, took me to the site on a beautiful autumn day in 2003. Because the area had been clear cut and because it had been many years since he had last visited the area, he wasn't sure he would be able to lead me to our desired destination. We paused for a spell, to locate a reproducing American chestnut tree, just off the trail that had prolifically covered the trail with burrs, now emptied by hungry turkey, squirrel, chipmunk and deer. He indicated that we were walking along the border of Dunbar's original "Game Refuge Area", which had been set aside in the early 1900s for improving the wildlife population of the Dunbar area. We turned off of the border trail for a couple of short side jaunts so Jim could gain his bearings on the mountain, and then Jim said, "Just a little further up the trail, then it's on the right. Sure enough, there, on the mountain top, in the middle of the woods was a common looking rock outcrop, not unlike those one frequently sees along Pennsylvania's ridges. However, as we approached this outcrop, something was different. Instead of rounded boulders, we encountered stones shaped into equilateral triangles and pentagons, with perfectly straight sides. A few step further and our primary quest was in view. A number of large stones, cut into flat faced circles with round holes in the middle were scattered around the landscape. | |||||||||
 Twelve Inch Trunk |
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 Stone In Cutting Position |
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| Scattered Stones | A Row Of Pieces | More Stones | ||||||||
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