Rolling Rock - Fall River, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 41.603 W 071° 07.816
19T E 322727 N 4617926
Rolling Rock is a 140 ton erratic rock sitting on a different rock base, located along US Route 6 in an urban neighborhood.
Waymark Code: WMEFT1
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/23/2012
Views: 20
In Fall River, and at a green traffic island along US Route 6, is Rolling Rock, an erratic rounded rock set on a rock base of a different type of rock.
The rock is located at the intersection of US Route 6 (Eastern Ave) and County Street, on the left side as you go south, or straight ahead if you are traveling on County Street from Fall River Center (west). Also at this intersection is a statue of General Lafayette on a horse on the right side as you proceed south. Park on Eastern Ave.
The rock is about 140 tons in weight. It is a conglomerate stone, probably originating in the nearby town of Dighton, set on a base of granite. Legend has it that Native American Indians had tortured or punished people by placing limbs under the rock and rolling the rock over them. From the 1840s, geologist Hithcock was concerned that activity at a local quarry might affect the balance. The quarry man shimmed the rock to stabilize the rock (but it doesn't rock anymore). At the turn of the 20th century, the rock was further threatened by a project to widen the road. After 25 years, the rock was preserved by the city in 1930.
Source:
New England Antiquities Research Association (Balanced Rocks):
(
visit link)
Roadside America (Rolling Rock):
(
visit link)