Glen Rock (boulder)
Glen Rock | |
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Native names English: Glen Rock Lenape: Pamackapuka | |
Location | Glen Rock, New Jersey, United States |
Coordinates | 40°57′46″N 74°08′06″W / 40.96276°N 74.13487°W |
Height | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
The Glen Rock is a 570-ton boulder located in
The cultural history of the Glen Rock predates the settlement of New Jersey by European colonists. The
Geology and natural history
The Glen Rock is composed of gneiss,[1][2] though the rock has granitic aspects.[3] The Glen Rock measures forty-four feet wide, twenty-two feet high, and twelve feet long.[1] The boulder weights 570 tons and is the largest glacial erratic found atop Triassic bedrock in the state of New Jersey.[1][3]
The boulder, a large glacial erratic, is not native to the
Cultural history
Indigenous, colonial, and early American use
Prior to the arrival of European settlers,
Later, as colonists arrived to the region, they used the rock as a landmark for their trails.[4] The rock, referred to as "Big Rock at Small Lots" by early colonists, began serving as a landmark used in the division of land in West Jersey as early as 1687.[12] The rock served as a key marker for all colonial-era land deeds, composing one of the points used in the eighteenth-century survey of the Ramapo Tract.[10] In 1894, a group of Ridgewood, New Jersey residents seceded from the then-township to form a new municipality, calling it the "Borough of Glen Rock" after the glacial erratic within its newly formed borders.[4] The rock was used as a reference point in Native American land deeds that were still on the books as late as 1912.[13] As of 1928, the rock was the only remaining fixed marker that had been used to delineate the colonial boundary dividing East Jersey from West Jersey.[14]
1910–1912 excavation and construction
About half of the Glen Rock remained submerged under soil until 1910, when soil was gradually excavated to properly
World War I memorial
In 1921, the Borough Council of Glen Rock created a committee to raise funds to place a memorial plaque on the Glen Rock to honor the town's
The plaque fixed on the rock bears the names of five individuals from the borough who died during the First World War, as well as the names of eighty-nine others who honorably served in combat.[10] The Glen Rock is located across from the home of Peter Ebbert, the first resident of the borough to have been killed-in-action during the conflict.[11]
Landmark designation
Over time, the Glen Rock became a symbol of the Borough of Glen Rock.[22] In 1964, the New Jersey State Office of Historic Sites designated the Glen Rock as a historical landmark and placed a commemorative sign beside the war memorial.[4][23][24] In 1969, on the 75th anniversary of the Borough of Glen Rock's founding, a time capsule to be opened in 2044 was buried in the ground beside the Glen Rock.[25]
By the mid-1970s, the sign provided by the Office of Historic Sites had disappeared, having been stolen from its location next to the glacial erratic.[26][27] A replica of the original sign, which contained information on the boulder's history, was created and screwed onto a seven-foot-tall pole constructed to deter vandals in 1985.[27][28] The replacement sign was stolen in April 1986, recovered by Glen Rock police in October 1986, and subsequently welded to the pole to discourage future sign thieves.[27][28]
References
- ^ a b c d Lucey, Carol S. (December 1971). Geology of Bergen County in Brief (PDF) (Report). Vol. New Jersey Geological Survey. New Jersey: New Jersey Bureau of Geology and Topography. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Salisbury, Rollin D.; Kümmel, Henry D; Peet, Charles E; Knapp, George N (1902). The Glacial Geology of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). Vol. 5. Trenton, New Jersey: MacCrellish & Quigley. p. 550.
- ^ a b c d e Gamorra, Naomi; Hall, Candy; Dill, Robert; Fenz, Robert; Mehallow, Cinty; Jon, Osborne; Leslie, Kameny; Michael, Pessolano; Jessica, Giorgiani (July 14, 2009). Glen Rock Environmental Resources Inventory (PDF) (Report). Borough of Glen Rock. pp. 36–37, 123. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Elder, Janet (May 5, 1985). "If you're thinking of living in: Glen Rock". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ The Record. Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ The Daily Voice. Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ISBN 9780813533254.
- ISBN 9780738510460.
- Newspapers.com.
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- ^ Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey: Past and Present. Ridgewood, New Jersey: Citizens semi-centennial association. December 31, 1916. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
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- The Paterson Morning Call. May 31, 1921. p. 8.
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