The Old Hopkinton Beehive Stone Mound + More

The Old Hopkinton Beehive Stone Mound

Hopkinton and the surrounding area is a very rich area for stone-works.  And no wonder with the headwaters of Echo Lake in the area (the confluence headwaters of the Charles, Blackstone & Sudbury Rivers), as well as mineral springs and an abundance of "good land" that would have been workable planting fields, fishing sites and village sites over many thousands of years, as well as abundant natural resources.

Below I represent one of the more significant and mysterious stoneworks that was observed by researchers into modern times.  Sadly as you can see from the picture the structure is now destroyed, having been taken apart at some date.  Here is the old Hopkinton Beehive.  What is neat is that there was room for somebody to enter the structure, and perhaps meditate or used as a sweat lodge.  The way this structure accomodates somebody sitting down against the back boulders reminds me of the back of the Echo Lake Stone Lodge structure, also located in Hopkinton ( http://www.nativenewenglandstones.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-echo-lake-stone-lodge-chamber.html).  Although the structures appear to be different, with Echo Lake structure a more classic "Chamber" look, the way these structures accomodate someone sitting down in back of the structure against boulders seems similar.  Here is the Hopkinton Beehive in all it's glory-

Presented here is the modern re-production of the Hopkinton Beehive, at the incentive and foresight of the landowner, although this newer reproduction is not located on the same spot-

Some nearby cairns and stoneworks I noted near to the original Beehive Structure are here- ( http://www.nativenewenglandstones.blogspot.com/2014/12/cairns-stonework-near-lake-whitehall.html).  These stone-works, as well as the original Beehive and modern replica are located around the Lake Whitehall area of Hopkinton, MA.

In downtown Hopkinton by the town offices, what is today Rte. 135 is this sign, indicating that this road has it's pre-historic origins as an Native route.  In colonial times Native people used this trail to go between the Native Praying Villages, such as between Megunkoquag (located by what is now the Ashland train station) and Hassanamesitt in Grafton, MA.  This already existing Native route was used by later colonists heading west, as this trail, the Great Trail known in the Native way, is from Boston to Connecticut and who knows how far beyond, this wasn't just one single trail, but a network of many trails, such as the smaller Pout Lane branch of the trail, also Native in origin which goes through Holliston, Milford and Mendon to get to Grafton.  

Anyway, this sign begs the question.  What else is out there.  For that we should turn to the stone-works, capable in the natural sense of withstanding the test of time-