![]() ![]() Most believe that the structures were built by early colonists for use as root cellars, settlers’ quarters, smokehouses, shepherds’ shelters, animal pens, whiskey storage facilities, and hunting or trapping enclosures. The debate focuses on the two theories of historic origin or ancient origin. However, Fell, who utilized his tenure at Harvard to pursue his hobby of alternative history, is not well respected by archeologists, which immediately led to controversy. Further, the beehive-shaped stone chambers look very much like ancient chambers built by monks in Ireland. Fell and others who support the idea of the ancient European settlement, also cite further evidence such as the use of stone circles, carved deities and animal figures, symbolic markings, Celtic place names, cairns, and chamber features that align with the sunset and sunrise during solar solstices and equinoxes. Further, he asserted that these structures, built along rivers in secluded valleys and on hilltops were erected by the priests (or Druids) for use as temples. The professor believed that these many megalithic chambers were built by the Celts who welcomed Phoenician mariners from the Mediterranean Sea. carved in stone by “Celts from the Iberian Peninsula” located in the southwest corner of Europe in what is today’s Spain and Portugal. Fell stated that he had identified inscriptions in an early form of Ogam script dating from 1000 B.C. Intense public interest began after Professor Barry Fell, a retired marine biologist from Harvard University, undertook an examination of several areas in Vermont in the 1970s. Though many historians and archeologists believe these structures were built by early colonists as root cellars, or perhaps by Native Americans before them, others believe that some of these chambers are ancient, built by European travelers during the Bronze Age. These chambers have been found in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. But, they differ from other colonial structures including stone burial vaults, charcoal and lime kilns, potash burners, and iron furnaces. Though the structures exhibit a number of common features, their construction details vary widely. Stone chamber on Rattlesnake Gutter Road, Levett, Massachusetts, courtesy Wikipedia ![]()
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