Friday, November 11, 2011

Tom Warrups' Rock

"Tom (Warrups) had a house on the high ridge back of Captain Isaac Hamilton's, now owned by William Sherwood. It was built, it is said, in primitive Indian style, of poles set firmly in the ground, then bent and fastened together at the top. This framework was covered with bark, and roofed with reeds and rushes. Its furniture consisted of framework bedsteads, with bedding of skins, wooden bowls fashioned from pepperage knots, huge wooden spoons, baskets made of rushes or long grass, pails of birch bark, and an iron pot and skillet begged or borrowed from the settlers. His sister Eunice was his housekeeper...Except in war he was a worthless, shiftless fellow, and lived chiefly by begging; hunting and trapping were his recreations. He would often absent himself from his hut for weeks at a time, sleeping in barns or in the forest. A huge overhanging rock about a mile north of Georgetown often sheltered him on these occasions, and is still known as Warrup's rock."
http://www.historyofredding.com/HRearlysettlers.htm#Chicken Warrup

It may be what became known as Sarah Bishop's Cave. Some of the images I found say it was in Redding CT, others, North Salem NY. The cave appears to have a rock wall in front of it, much like two sweat lodges I've posted about (that are known as "caves")... 

Image source: http://www.ridgefielddiscovery.org/ContentPage.php?page=SarahBishop

5 comments :

pwax said...

At what date was this fellow alive?

Tim MacSweeney said...

The pice linked to says: "Capt Thomas Chicken Warrups, son of old Chicken passed away at Schagticoke in 1769. Thomas Warrups #2, (Chicken Warrups grandson) is noted as a (Gen. Putnam's favorite)scout in the Revolutionary War but his death and residence at the time of his death is not known."

Tim MacSweeney said...

It also mentions a deed in which hunting rights were retained by Chickens and his ancestors. I'd exspect to find stone rows and stone piles related to hunting.

Tim MacSweeney said...

From a staddle to a heaps of stones: "Mr. John Meredith, surveyor of land in the county of Fairfield, on the 8th day of April, 1709, did survey and lay out the said 200 acres of land, in one entire piece, adjoining onto or very near the northern bounds of the said town of Fairfield (Cross Highway).

Described as follows: Beginning at a small staddle (Staddle being: a base or support, especially a platform on which hay or straw is stacked.) at the southwest corner of Mr. Joseph Webb's land in the rear line of Fairfield bounds, and thence running west by south, half south, along said rear line (Fairfield Bounds), one hundred rods (16.5 ft. is a rod), to a heaps of stones, thence running north by west, half west, one mile (with 4 rods more allowed for a highway between this 200 acres and rear line of Fairfield boundary) thence east by north, half north, one hundred rods, to the northwest corner of Mr. Webb's land, and thence south by east, half east, one mile and 4 rods, along said Mr. Webb's land, onto the said staddle first mentioned."

pwax said...

Joking: so the surveyor used pre-existing "heaps of stones" thereby reducing them to mere boundary location markers. It is a relief that the heaps were not there for some other purpose:)