Strange Rock Carving

Thats amazing. Hope you find out more about it!

Just from the picture I venture the guess that this is a very modern carving. I think what you have are some youngsters trying to carve their version of The Tree of Life. The carving itself isn't, from what I can tell a typical location for a native american carving. And as you said, lots of flooding. That could have washed away any human evidence if it is recent. But I tend to thing you have young wiccans carving it into the ground for some sort of ritualistic purpose.

reply to post by prof-rabbit


A peaceful group use this rock to mark their secret meeting place? I guess I'm not understanding who or what you are referring to. Why are you being so cryptic?

On the other hand, may I suggest buying a camouflaged 'trail-camera' that can be hung on a nearby tree and that will snap pictures when it's motion sensor is triggered. So cover your tracks, and leave no trace of yourself or your discovery, and appoach the situation that way...

Is it my imagination or does the circle look like a ship's porthole?

You also might do well to research the history of this location and see if there was anything unusual - legends of buried treasure, lost treasure, a secret tribe, etc. You never know, this could be the location of someone's time capsule.

If you look at the carved areas themselves, and it's linf of hard to tell from the pix, but the 1st thing that crossed my mind was it was varved with a modern chisel. There are cuts in the rock which would lend credence to that. And the fact that some of the minor chinks in the rock haven't been dulled over time mae me think this is very modern... Stylisticly it isn't native american. Which leads me towards my previous thoughts of the wiccan group etching their version of the tree of life.

Try calling you State's Historical Preservation/Museum folks. In PA, they will drive out etc and evaluate.

Sounds like this is what is needed. You either found an old carving or a new one.

May as well get an experts opinion. Not like you are going to take the rock, right? Maybe that is a clue they are looking for, or need, to justify a dig and/or additional research.

Don't underestimate them-the ones we have at least-know there stuff.

I know a person who discovered a Ram Heads carving a few years back-in the middle of nowhere and nothing ever was there. The folks came out-and kept it secret what they thought. I heard they have since been in the area-most likely old indians doing though. I will try to get that photograph and put on here-come to think about it.

Thanks for sharing.

reply to post by sos37


Wow, I never even considered the time capsule angle. It very well could be a marker of some sort, perhaps marking their life savings or something. If it great depression era, it may very well mark buried cans of coins or something....Yes, time to break out the metal detector (someone already said that).

reply to post by wylekat


Yes, I was thinking an ancient Spanish map. Or more recently the KGC, who buried treasure all over the place.

reply to post by groingrinder


Yeah, and if I'm not mistaken the KGC used symbols and markings to mark many different things. Supposedly the KGC were actively operating behind enemy lines during the Civil War. I'm not a Civil War historian and I'm not sure what side West Virginia fought on...but who knows, great idea.

reply to post by nenothtu


Get over there soon!
The leaves are still off the trees, and get to the higghest spot...that is above or near the carving...

But 1st stand in front of the carving and take a compass reading so when you are a little higher in altitude, you can postion the markings on the outer rings...
Just a thought!

But yues like many have said by the patiena sp? its not over 100 years old...more like 75 give or take, unless it was covered and protected...then it could be very old, and be linked/related to, early christian, and foreighn ppls moving into the natives land...say ohhh..the late 1600's up to the early 1800's...although the USA was then based on freedom of religion, there was many pagans killed, and they had to keep to themselves..

I would have a good topo mape and orientation, of that piece and know for myself befor....going public..is all I'm saying.

Great find!

Might I sudgest, go down hill, "is there a spring or water source near" always wet! year round?

find the shelf, from your OP I'd say you know what a shelf is from yer huntin...I'm "Apaleachian American" too or hillbilly..

The shelf just above said water source, would have been "homebase" and a gret place to look for evidence, most likely a fertile river bottom that get plowed?.....seeing what I'm getting at here......
and it is planting season, its most likely recently had the ground busted up, or will be soon!

But hey I'm just an ole red neck with 5 gal. buckets of evidence.

again ty...great find...keep it hid!


you might find something as good as this...





ETA pic and a name....google Jim Redfern....if anyone would know..he will and he won't pressure you for a location!
and could most likely tell you the xact..meaning ..if there is one.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by Doc Holiday]

Is it just me or does the ring around the tree slightly resemble a weathered Ouroboros? I am probably way off but want to hear from you guys as I am curious...

Hey, Op

This is a unique discovery. It reminds of me Track Rock in Blairsville, GA. It's not that far away from where you are in WV in terms of the world. It's only a few states away, anyway, considering petroglyphs are a rare find, so please take a look at this about Track Rock:

"Once covered by the waters of a great ocean, Track Rock Gap is now dry land. Georgia's Cherokee Indians simply called it "printed place" and it is the only remaining in situ set of petroglyphs in north Georgia. These beautiful, albeit worn, examples of the pre-historic Indian occupation were probably carved sometime during the Woodland Indian era (1,000 BC to 1,000 AD in Georgia."

roadsidegeorgia.com...

ancient/old land or property marker.


kind of like "City of San Francisco city limits" or "welcome to san francisco".

Cool find man. The instant I saw that picture I thought tree of life. The branches are kind of straight, but resembles one for sure. I have a very similar tattoo...
About the outer ring, the right side does kinda look like a snakes head, but I don't know of any uroboros that has that sort of square thing on the other side (left side). I have found some strange things while hiking, too and I am looking forward to seeing more after you go out there again.

Whether old or new, it is a wonderful find. I will be watching this thread as it progresses and hope you can solve the mystery.

It would be great if this were excavated, all surfaces carefully photographed and documented, some areas tested, and looked at under a black light. I'd also like a truckload of hundred dollar bills tax free.

reply to post by Kandinsky


He gave dimensions;

The circle is 22 inches wide at the inside edge of the circle, and 21 1/2 inches tall at the inside edge of the circle. The depth that the circle is cut to is between 5/8 and 3/4 of an inch. The orientation of the stem of the central "tree" is east by north-east.

OP, could your hunter friends have not noticed it before because it had been covered with dirt/debris for a long time?

You said that the stream was mostly dry, and only recently you've had some heavy rains?

I was thinking it looked awful recent myself. Reminded me of something from childhood...like I had seen it before...don't laugh, but this is all I could come up with:


the Forestry Merit Badge from Boy Scouts. One I started, but never earned.

"The circle is 22 inches wide at the inside edge of the circle, and 21 1/2 inches tall at the inside edge of the circle. The depth that the circle is cut to is between 5/8 and 3/4 of an inch. The orientation of the stem of the central "tree" is east by north-east"

from dimensions given.


So, ya'll , my two cents here. That tree is facing east by north east. The OP is in WV so doesn't that mean it's facing east/northeast literally? I think it does in which case it's pointing toward the UK.
It looks celtic; so if it's ancient and it's pointing toward England then that would be the best ATS member found archeological event ever

I could agree with the idea that it is a wiccan meeting spot but I do have one other idea if it is in fact a very old site.

I live in northeast alabama in the foothills of the appalachian mountains. It is a very little known fact that columbus was NOT the first european group to discover the americas, much less explore them.

In the 1300s prince madoc of wales landed in mobile bay and began an expedition northward through alabama. Little is recorded in history on this but a trail of sorts was left. In my area in the canyons of lookout mountains is a place known as the welsh caves. This is an interconnected series of rooms in a cave 300 feet up a sheer cliff above a 90 foot waterfall. This is accessible only by a thin ledge wide enough for only one person. The site was discovered by surveyors in 1799. At that time there were set stone walls and ramparts, the remnants of six bodies wearing bronze welsh armor, and it was determined that the caves were additionally carved out by tools.

There are at least 2 more known welsh ruins further north in tennessee and georgia. It is also spevulated that the welsh set up colonies further north in the appalachians. I wonder if this could be of welsh origin?