Explore an enduring mystery of Massachusetts history at Dighton Rock State Park
Written: Jun 23 '08
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Pros: Nice scenery along Taunton River, Dighton Rock, Museum info, Nice picnic area
Cons: Museum has to be open to see rock
The Bottom Line: If you live nearby or are traveling through and have a hankering for ancient mysteries, a stop at Dighton Rock State Park is well worth it
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| jps246's Full Review: Dighton Rock State Park |
Interested in some of the mysteries of Massachusetts?
Found in the bed of the Taunton River, Dighton Rock is one of those mysteries. One side of the boulder is full of carved markings of an unknown origin. Was it ancient Phoenicians, maybe the Vikings, Portuguese explorers or was it Native Americans? No one really knows and no one knows what all the strange markings really mean.
Dighton Rock State Park is a small state park located in Southeastern Massachusetts and is home to Dighton Rock. It’s been removed from the riverbed and placed in a small museum. In addition to the rock and the museum, the park offers a large, grassy picnic area along the river and some walking trails in the acres surrounding the picnic area.
How do I get to Dighton Rock?
Dighton Rock State Park is located off of Exit 10 on Route 24. It’s about 2 miles west of the Route 24 and is fairly easy to reach. There are plenty of signs from the highway to the park entrance.
From the entrance, the access road winds down to the Taunton River for about a mile through the woods. When you reach the parking area, there’s no fee to park and there are plenty of parking spaces.
What’s there?
From the parking area you walk about a hundred yards or so down through the open, grassy picnic area to the banks of the Taunton River. There’s a small caretakers cabin there along with the museum for Dighton Rock, which is right on the shoreline.
The park itself is open seven days a week, but the museum is only open when the caretaker is there. We were there on a Saturday at about 4 in the afternoon and the museum was open, there’s no specific hours posted so I guess it’s a bit hit or miss on whether the museum will be open.
Dighton Rock?
Inside the museum are some exhibits on the history and theories behind Dighton Rock along with Dighton Rock itself, which is in its own glass enclosure to protect it. I found it to be interesting. I made my way through each of the exhibits learning about the physical history of the rock and how it made its way to the museum (the museum is basically just on shore of where the rock was located and it was hoisted in). I also liked the exhibits on the various theories of what all the carving on the rock means. They present four theories, that it was the Phoenicians, the Vikings, Native Americans or the Portuguese explorers.
They don’t really give you an answer since there isn’t one. Instead you are left to ponder all the possibilities as you make your way into the room where the rock is.
The rock is surrounded by a glass enclosure so it can’t be damaged. It’s lit from below to highlight the carvings. Only one side of the rock is carved up. At first it was hard for me to see them, but the longer I looked, the more I could make out. I thought it was really cool to see them in person and considering all the information I had learned from the exhibits, it was even neater to see the rock in person.
What else can I do?
There are plenty of picnic tables and bbq pits available in the grassy area surrounding the museum and along the bank of the river. There’s also a small boat launch where you can launch canoes and kayaks into the Taunton River.
There’s also a hiking/walking trail that makes a circuit around the park. It’s not very long and it seemed quite overgrown from what we saw, but it would probably be a nice walk along the river and then up and through the woods.
Final Thoughts
After having read about Dighton Rock, I thought it was really cool to finally get to see it. The rock is one of Massachusetts enduring mysteries and while I didn’t discover anything shocking, it was neat to see up close.
If you live in the area or are traveling through and have a hankering for ancient mysteries, I’d say that a stop at Dighton Rock State Park is well worth it.
If you like to canoe and/or kayak or just want a nice picnic area, the park is a great option too, with some beautiful scenery along the Taunton River.
Overall I really enjoyed my stop at Dighton Rock State Park.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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