
Stone House
The Stone House, located in the center of the Black Rock Forest, was originally built in 1834 and remains as the sole surviving structure from this period. The Chatfield and Babcock families, who made their livings from the Forest, lived here at different times in the past. The stones used to build the Stone House, including its “beehive” baking oven, were quarried locally from the granite gneiss bedrock. The 3000-square-foot structure is 2 miles from the Science and Education Center and has become a focal point for educational visits and occasional overnight use. It has no electricity or running water but contains artifacts and displays inside, and thus visiting the Stone House provides a real feeling for what it was like to live in the Forest in the middle 1800s. A variety of classes in subjects such as tree identification, map and compass, and forest mammals use this as a logical starting location. Busses can access and turn around here, there is a hand-operated pump for water, and two portable toilets are located nearby. |