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Our Stone Chambers are Being Wantonly Destroyed
To the Editor:
Recently I had a chance to compare the many ancient stone chambers in Putnam County, alligned with the solstice and equinox sunrise, with the ones located in the famous archeological site called Gungywamp in New Hampshire and was amazed to see how few and puny they were compared to the ones in Putnam, probably due to the greater availability of stone in our rocky hills than at that site. However, ours are being wantonly destroyed and dismissed as "root cellars", a convenient excuse for our politicians in league with developers, for free or fee.
Because the stones were dragged along ancient trails to the construction site and many of these trails have now become our widening roads, the roadside chambers are being casually destroyed when a slight shift of the road could have saved them.
Fortunately a group of researchers recorded and photographed many of Putnam's chambers, and due to the generous efforts of George Whipple, Chairman of Preserve Putnam County, the results were printed and distributed to Putnam's politicians and libraries in a book entitled Stone Chambers of Putnam County New York, but to little avail.
At age 81, I am making what may be my last plea to care enough about these monuments to our prehistoric past, when the solstice and equinox had greater significance, to preserve whatever is left. (Incidentally we did locate Christmas and Easter at those times, perhaps to 'steal the pagan thunder'- but is this enough reverence for the magnificent cycles of God's world?)
Signing this "Sadly sincerely and barely hopeful,"
Martin Brech,
Former Hudson Valley
Coordinator, New England Antiquities
Research Assoc.
Mahopac
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