Seven Wonders

Hidden deep in the forest is an outcrop of granite that to most, would appear to be no different than any other in the northeast. It stands almost 100 feet tall, 300 feet long and has had a long and interesting history. Recently Jim Moore and I rediscovered this amazing location.

Excited by our discovery, Jim began to examine top of the ledge, and soon stumbled onto another interesting fracture. It penetrated downward into the ledge and opened into a chamber. This chamber was about 20 feet long, five feet high and six feet wide. Spying around the chamber we noticed a low passage at the base of the north wall.  Following it, I found it zigzagged downward for another 30 feet into the ledge, ending at a long narrow fracture tall enough to stand in. Short on time, we headed back to the Jeep and started toward our next destination.

A few days later, Jim surprised me with The Graphic, an 1895 publication he had dug up. Inside was a very detailed article about this location and several caves that can be found there. The article mentioned that this was a popular picnic spot from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. It was said to be, “amongst the most interesting of nature’s curiosities in New England.”  The locals believed it was so fantastic, it was also known as The Seven Wonders. Tradition claims that the Nipmuck tribe used the ledge and large talus as a summer resort, and during war, as a hiding place for women and children. Until 1892, remnants of the camps could still be found and arrow heads were frequently discovered by picnickers.

The article described four caves the locals visited frequently at The Seven Wonders. The first two mentioned were The Old Lady’s Kitchen and The Well. The last two had no names, but based on their descriptions, I will call them the Unknown Cave and Two-Way Cave. We had already found all but The Old Lady’s Kitchen. The Graphic placed The Old Lady’s Kitchen near the Devil’s Coffin, a 20 foot long geological feature that can be found at the highest point of the ledge. A few feet below this, you can find the entrance to the cave, but it was described as being difficult and almost impossible to find.