Early 19th century recollections of Drum Rock
While the Drum Rock remains much the same as it was for centuries, modern developments have changed the area considerably. Much of the site where Oliver Wilbur and Dorothy Mayor once picked blueberries and played as children is now part of the Cowesett Hills apartment complex |
For much of Warwick's history, the "Drum Rock" at Apponaug
has been an important part of the village's identity. Not everyone
agrees as to what part the rock played in pre-historic times. Some,
such as John Brown of the Narragansett tribe, believe it had no
significance while others insist it was an important signaling device
for the Indians.
The Plaque
Local historian Dorothy Mayor concluded that the Brown objections
were caused by the deceiving appearance of a plaque that was placed
upon the stone. She explained that the plaque, which was made by
the state and dated 1908, had been removed in the 1930's by Daniel
Lambert, former owner of the land. Mrs. Mayor noted, "The plaque
was being destroyed by vandals, so he (Lambert) took it off to save
it. It (the plaque) was damaged from the effort to remove it, and
was turning green. When Lambert's survivors sold the land after
he died in1982, they sent the plaque back to Gorham Manufacturing
Company where it had been made. They cleaned it up and fixed the
dents." She concluded saying, "Brown was probably disturbed
that the plaque looked as good as new, and thought it may have been
phony...."
The booming sound
No one disputes the fact that the large rock made a deep, booming
sound. A number of early residents have testified to that and, during
the early 19th century, geologists investigated the Apponaug Drum
Rock and came to the conclusion that the rocking stone was composed
of "indurated ferruginous clay" and was once united to
the rock upon which it rests. They said the separation occurred
through the action of "frost and by decomposition affected
through the medium of a natural fissure." Geologist Charles
T. Jackson indicated that it gave off four distinct pulsations when
it was rocked and the sound was much like that of a drum or of a
horse cantering, only much louder.
When, in the 1930's, the National Geographic Magazine traced an
underground river from Canada through New Hampshire and Massachusetts
into Rhode Island, many speculated that Gorton's Pond was fed by
this river and that the bubbling brook at Drum Rock was part of
the subterranean system. This led to the belief that the underground
river was the cause of the echo given off by the rocking action
of the stone.
While no 17th century literature is available, there are oral accounts
of the use of Drum Rock as early as 1800. Mrs. Vaughn, a very elderly
lady who lived in the Cowesett section in the 19th century, is reported
to have told residents of the Godfrey farm that she could remember
Indians in the woods around the Drum Rock and that these Indians
drummed on the rock.
The commercial aspect of Drum Rock
It was during the 1930's that a number of businesses took advantage
of the Drum Rock to use the name for their enterprises. The Warwick
City Times, a very short lived newspaper (July 13 to Oct. 20, 1932),
edited by Arthur W. Paine, carried ads for a Drum Rock Filling Station
on Post Road and a Drum Rock Diner on the East Greenwich Road. During
the early 20th century it was not uncommon for a float depicting
the Drum Rock to be used in parades as it was considered an important
part of Apponaug's heritage.
Dot Mayor remembers the fun times
Dot Mayor, in her recollection of Apponaug during the early part
of the 20th century, recalled playing on Drum Rock. She said, "Drum
Rock was so much a part of my life...it was so distinctive a landmark.
It was private land and there were only cows around it." She
recalled that the rock was not easy to move and, "It took four
or five little kids to rock it."
The rock apparently had its greatest popularity during the 19th
century. Oliver Wilbur, a native of Apponaug, or "Fulling Mills"
as it was known then, wrote about the rock in 1846. Over a period
of a number of weeks, Oliver Wilbur wrote his brother a series of
letters he called "Recollections of Fulling Mills." Fulling
Mills was the common name used by villagers for Apponaug in the
early 19th century. Henry L. Greene, who was a son in law of Oliver
Wilbur, sent the Wilbur letters to the editor of the Pawtuxet Valley
Gleaner in 1882. Greene noted it was "a picture of Apponaug
and its vicinity, eighty years ago, it seems to me to be exquisitely
delineated." Wilbur's stories tell us not only of the rock,
but of life in Apponaug as it was nearly two centuries ago.
Reflections of "Fulling Mills" Village
According to Henry Lehre Greene, a kinsman of Oliver Wilbur, the
Wilbur house was on the east side of the street (now Post Road)
leading toward East Greenwich. Greene tells us, "…the
Wilburs had a store in Apponaug which traded in dry and West India
goods, and in one part was kept the usual supply of New England
rum."
In his fond recollections of his home town, Oliver Wilbur refers
to Drum Rock in a number of instances. In his letters, he recalled
the days when his family would go south of Apponaug to pick "whortle
berries" or "blueberries." He wrote, "Leaving
this spot we will start toward the south, and soon, taking the path,
we approach Drum Rock. Hark; do you hear it boom? Some persons are
already there to give it a few rocks, for as they pass they esteem
it a duty to do this. Nearly all that go to and come from these
fields must make the pasture resound with its rumbling sounds."
Wilbur tells of filling his basket with the whortle berries and
then, "Our dinners were eaten on the rocks under the shade
of the oaks and towards the close of the day all the company start
for home in high spirits, not neglecting to give the Drum Rock a
visit, as each party came along, and thus they would keep it rumbling
for hours."
A nostalgic 20th century view
Nearly a century later, Dorothy Mayor in her memories of Apponaug
recalls similar experiences near the Drum Rock. She remembers going
to the same area for blueberries and, like Wilbur, played among
the rocks in the vicinity. Mrs. Mayor vividly described the rocks
that attracted her and other children at the time. One, she said,
resembled a pig and was called "Hog rock." Others were
called Indian rocks and it was "a daring feat for the little
kids to scale them.” She recalled, "It was great fun
to climb to the top of the hill to a rock called Indian Seat. From
here, in those days, you could see all the way to Providence and
out into the Bay."
The best fun of all, according to Dot Mayor, was playing on the
Drum Rock. In her memory, the rock wasn't so
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easy to move. She recalled, "It took four or
five little kids to rock it." Dot agreed with Wilbur's comments
on the fascination of the rock and remembered that nearly everyone
took turns at rocking it as they passed. She remembered a loud "boom
boom" noise rather than the four beats described by early writers.
In her recall, the sound didn't seem to bother anyone during the
day, but in the still of the night, it could be a nuisance.
Rocky Point's bid for the Rock
In 1980, Conrad Ferla, then president of Rocky Point Park, offered
to have the Drum Rock moved to the Warwick Neck amusement center.
Because of the value of Drum Rock to Apponaug's heritage, Dot Mayor
and the Apponaug Improvement Association felt it should not be moved.
They hoped to have the city set aside an area around the rock so
that residents would be able to see the rock in its natural setting.
During the early 1980's, members of the Apponaug group cleared the
area of brambles to show that the rock was nestled in a charming
natural glen, and while it would be impossible to return the area
to open meadows and high bush blueberries, at least a small part
of the 19th century beauty might be retained.
Today, the stone is again marked with a plaque as it was in the
1930's. The general feeling among the area's historians is that
Drum Rock serves as one of the few reminders that long before Roger
Williams and Samuel Gorton came to the old Pequot trail, there was
a thriving Indian community. The devastation of the Narragansett
Indians as a result of King Philip's War, along with the ever-increasing
English population, destroyed much of the native civilization. Therefore,
when in 1696 John Micarter was given permission to erect a "fulling
mill" at Kekamewit Brook, the Indian influence in Apponaug
ceased to exist. The mill would mark the beginning of the village
that is today the administrative seat of Warwick.