There is much that the many old stones in Northfield could say. Some memorial stones do have inscriptions on them and tell briefly of past events. Some can be seen at http://www.northfieldpubliclibrary.org/historic-monuments. Gravestones scattered throughout Northfield document many people who are buried here. Find these on Find a Grave.
But other stones are silent and some have even disappeared altogether. One such stone is Council Rock. According to Temple & Sheldon’s 1875 History of Northfield “it was a huge mass of pudding stone that cropped out in the middle of the town street just against the south Warwick road” (now Maple St). It was about three feet high, 20 x 30’ and nearly flat on top. “The old men were accustomed to gather on summer evenings to hear the news, discuss politics and tell stories; and the boys were on hand to listen to the stories, or have a game of gaol,” which seems to have been a game also called prisoner’s base, where one team attempts to tag and imprison members from the other team.
compiled by NHS President, Joel Fowler, 2024
Northfield Historical Society 