54 



fied. Formerly, a large one, fourteen feet long and two feet 

 in diameter, lay on the hill nearly southwest from the arched 

 bridge over Ipswich River, and some forty rods from the 

 turnpike. It was egg-shaped and almost wholly buried in 

 the earth. This rock was worked into stones for the above 

 bridge in 1853. It is a peculiar rock, with no other like it 

 in the region. It may have been one of the " lost rocks" of 

 which we sometimes hear ; but as it had lain there some 

 time and no owner called, it was worked into the bridge. 



In building the railroad, on the north side of the river, 

 an excavation was made through a hill and ledge near the 

 bridge. Here the cut was actually carried down through 

 the rock, which was found to rest on sand. It is only a 

 mass of compacted, reddish gravel ; and on exposure to the 

 atmosphere, crumbles to dust. It seems very retentive of 

 water, and is considerably used for grading. A hill of the 

 like quality is found on the easterly side of the Common ; 

 and here, also, the rock rests on the sand. Hillocks and 

 rock of the same kind occur in a pasture north of the Com- 

 mon, formerly belonging to the parsonage ; l3ut whether 

 they rest on the sand is not yet known. 



At the house of Mr. Small, a well was sunk eighteen or 

 twenty feet into a ledge, and receives its water through a 

 seam. A ledge appears on the east side of the Academy 

 Hill, and into it a Avell has been sunk some eighteen feet. 

 Kjrreen quartz was found near the bottom, but no spring ; 

 .the water is supplied from seams. 



There are three traditionary accounts of gold and silver 

 ;iiaving been found and mined for here. 



On the eastern side of Rea's Hill is a spring, near the Dan- 

 rvers road. It is said that as Joseph Porter was once clear- 

 ing it out, he found a lump of gold, or a stone containing 

 .that metal, worth from twenty to forty dollars. Nothing 

 more is known of it. The ground at the place shows signs 

 of the action of water, multitudes of bowlders being strewed 

 in all directions around. 



About filteen rods south of the house of Ephraim Perkins, 

 „and four rods or more east of an angle in the road, is the 

 appearance of an old excavation, now filled up and over- 

 grown with grass. It is said that one Moses Perkins, then 

 .owning the land, mined there for. silver, assisted by Buntin. 



