Petroglyphs along the Connecticut River in Vermont have mystified people for centuries–but not 
the Abenaki, who carved them.
The word “petroglyph” comes from the Greek “petra,” meaning stone, and “glypho,” meaning carve. The engravings usually depict people, faces and animals and are often of a spiritual nature. In New England they are often found near water, as waterways were major transportation routes for Native Americans.
Bellows Falls Petroglyphs
The Abenaki people for thousands of years used the Great Falls at Bellows Falls, in Rockingham, Vt., as a spiritual gathering place. Salmon and shad spawned in the upper Connecticut River and Falls along with trout, herring and bass.
The mysterious faces carved into rock are located on the east side of Bellows Falls Island, south of the Vilas Bridge. The bridge spans the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls and Walpole, N.H. The carvings consist of two groupings of rocks with about 24 faces next to the falls. Some faces have what look like horns on top of the face.
Great Falls (Bellows Falls) at high flow under the Vilas Bridge.
But why are they there and what do they mean? Those questions have puzzled scientists, archeologists and the public for years. The Rev. David McClure of Dartmouth first noted them in 1789. He attributed them to the Abenaki peoples. He thought the faces indicated the location of evil spirits, or they were a waypoint for the dead. Perhaps they guided souls to the afterlife, as there are ancient burial grounds nearby.
Sacred Scriptures
William Haviland, then anthropology professor at the University of Vermont, explained at a 1995 symposium that shamans would contact supernatural forces. Then they would depict their visions in stone. Horned figures denoted superior powers, often of the shaman himself, Haviland said.
At the same symposium, Donna Charlebois from the Abenaki Nation discussed the spiritual aspect of the site. She described the carvings as sacred scriptures, and explained that Native Americans think in circular time, rather than linear time.
In her words, “The circle has no beginning and no end, and connects everything, future and past, no matter how long ago.”
Rich Holschuh, Abenaki historical preservation officer, also explained the carvings in the publication VtDigger in 2021. “What the carvings are is evidence of the medicine people exercising their responsibilities to their people to balance the power, the spirits, the energies that are there,” he said.
Bellows Falls. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.
The Town of Rockingham, including the village of Bellows Falls, received a National Park Service grant in 2022 to study the carvings in collaboration with the Elnu Abenaki. They hope to increase awareness, appreciation and preservation.
Brattleboro Petroglyphs
The carvings at Brattleboro were at the confluence of the Connecticut and West rivers. However, they’ve been submerged for over a century due to construction of the Vernon hydroelectric dam in 1909.
The West River at the mouth of the Connecticut in Brattleboro
Samuel Williams first recorded them in 1794 in the “Natural and Civil History of Vermont.”
Diver Annette Spaulding of Rockingham has looked for the rock carvings underwater for over 30 years. She had seen an 1860s drawing of “Indian Rock” by Larkin G. Mead at the Brattleboro Historical Society, which showed carvings of six birds, three snakes and a dog or wolf. Finally, while diving in 2015, Spaulding saw a face. Later, in 2017, she found an eagle figure on an underwater rock ledge, and she knew she had found the images in the drawing. (See a photo of them here.)
Rich Holschuh commented on Spaulding’s dives in a 2019 Vtdigger article. He said the Abenaki people have never forgotten the carvings, as they are a message from the ancestors that still resonates today. Spiritual messages were also left on pottery, trees and leather, but the most important were carved into rock.
Wnatstique
Holschuh explained why the Elnu Abenaki are trying to educate the public about the Brattleboro site. “We bring knowledge and respect for indigenous people,” he told the Commons newspaper. “We say that this place is known as Wnatstique which is an affirmation of the [West] river where it meets the Connecticut.” Wan means “at the river where something is lost.” “Wnatstique is a place where people returned to be buried with their ancestors. It’s about place and the relationship to place.” And thanks to Annette Spaulding’s persistence, the “lost” carvings have now been rediscovered.
An Abenaki couple
The Abenaki people continue to gather at these sites for ceremonies and stewardship. They currently work with the Vermont Land Trust to conserve the land near the petroglyph site. Perhaps this will help to preserve their spiritual belief of the oneness of time and place, the circle of past, present and future.
End Notes
Two books of interest for further reading include:
“Picture Rocks: American Indian Rock Art in the Northeast Woodlands.” by Edward J Lenik, 2002 (partly available on google books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Picture_Rocks/yIQfxjbeZ50C?hl=en&gbpv=1).
Also:
“The Petroglyph Sites of Bellows Falls and Brattleboro VT,” Dissertation by Thomas Earl Larose, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1994.
Rebecca Rector of Troy, N.Y., is a history and genealogy researcher, and retired librarian from Siena College. She has been transcribing letters and diaries for Newberry Library and National Archives for the past three years.
Images: By Pbergstrom – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47206134. Bellows Falls petroglyphs By Pbergstrom – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33394252. Elnu Abenaki chief By Indigenous girl – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83637370. West River By WIKI GUY CT – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147440148
