a glimpse of part of it from the road
Located less than three miles from our home in Calvander is a sacred monument nestled beside a large field, created by a housing developer for nearby residents to use for contemplation and connecting to nature. It was built 30 years ago, and even though it is on private property, belonging to a homeowner’s association, respectful visitors are welcome.
The reason people compare Stone Knoll to Stonehenge is because the spacious outdoor monument — like the one in England — is composed of giant boulders and stone slabs that spark curiosity about how they got there and what their significance is. At Stone Knoll, the stones are arranged in a spiraling pattern that is, by design, soothingly mesmerizing. Large, monolithic slabs mark the four compass points — north, south, east, and west — each adorned with animal footprints and thought-provoking poems by the likes of Maya Angelou and Carl Sandburg.
~ Jimmy Tomlin
(Our State: Celebrating North Carolina, November 2024, “Sacred Respite”)
The stones closer to the center of the spiral were progressively smaller and more closely spaced than the stones father out from the center. I climbed up the step seen on the center rock (above) in order to get the picture of the flat plaque in the picture below.
We had the place to ourselves and appreciated very much the quiet moments spent there.
That poem has become my favorite for now – thanks a lot for posting it
I’m happy the Wendell Berry poem resonated with you, Leelah. You might enjoy reading a book of his poetry. I read mine over and over again.
Quiet sights in nature are special – including those we create. Nice find, Barbara.
It’s inspiring to find a human creation that harmonizes with and honors the land where it is located.
What a wonderful, quiet place to go and be with nature. Lovely, Barbara!
Thank you, Donna! We even heard a couple of birds but they stayed hidden in the woods.
A beautiful place to visit. Thanks for taking us there with you. I’m not familiar with that poem, but it is profound.
You’re welcome, Ally. I’m glad to know you appreciated the poem, Wendell Berry is one of my favorite poets.
What a wonderful idea (and that poem is delightful). I’m not sure I’d get much done if I lived near this stone spiral, for the desire to immerse myself in its wisdom is quite a heady thing!
It’s funny, my daughter lived even closer to the stone spiral for years and never knew it was there until one of her friends told her about it. I do wonder how often the local residents come by for a respite.
Created in a meditative spirit, like an outdoor church of sorts, celebrating our connection to earth and all our relations. Very nice.
It is rather like an outdoor church, one can’t help feeling the connection between nature and spirit while walking along the spiral.
Did you drive into the woods to the housing development in there, hidden from the main road? There’s this funny practice here of hiding housing developments behind fields, farms and trees, so that from the main road, it looks like you’re out in the country.
Yes, we did! It’s such a lovely wooded neighborhood with so many trees and very long driveways to barely seen houses and no thru traffic. I almost felt like we were trespassing…
I like this Barbara – it is so very peaceful and soul stirring and I also like the Wendell Berry poem. How nice that it is private property and yet people are invited to go there, a small respite from your busy life and civilization to just be still.
Thank you, Linda. It was so peaceful and like a sanctuary. There was no litter to be found there, which I found quite remarkable. I heard birds singing in the nearby woods but they didn’t come out for a photo shoot. 😉 And I loved the purple hued grasses in the field.
Peaceful is good Barbara, especially in these trying times.