No, this is not some magical rock that will get you a date for tonight's dance.  The dating rock is a large boulder that was excavated during the contruction of Mayham Pond.   It was hand chisled with the names of 4 individuals with ties to this property, each dated like a time capsule signifying their presence here.  The stone is now located in nearby Stamford, NY. but the names have been washed away by the elements over time.

     PIF member Dion was doing work on the Mayham Pond dam to sure

it up after a hard rain season revealed attention was needed.  Large fill

stone was dumped into the spillway to prevent further erosion. 

    While Dion was working he noticed a large boulder near the edge of

the spillway and figured this could be used in addtion to the fill stone

and decided to flip it over the edge with his backhoe.  As he approached

the boulder he all of a sudden noticed what he thought was lettering

on the surface.   After further inspection, his findings found to be true. 

  There were names on the surface with dates.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                       Intrigued by Dion's email of his finding, curiosity got the                                                                                                                                      best of me and I had to go see it.  So I drove up that                                                                                                                                                  weekend so I could get some photos.  Always interested in                                                                                                                                      the local history, I thought this would be good to share on                                                                                                                                      our website. 

  

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                     I found there were 3 names and dates on the surface.

                                                                                         

                                                                                           William Monfort
                                                                                                      1812
                                                                                           William Mayham
                                                                                                     1824
                                                                                              B.S. Mayham
                                                                                                     1848

​

​

​

​

​

​

  I wasn't familiar with the Monfort name but Mayham was obviously whom our lake was name after.   I shared the pictures via email and Dion had came back and told be there were 4 names not 3 on the rock.  He said the fourth name was the oldest and located on the left side of the rock.  Oh great, I knew what that meant.  It meant that curiosity would force me to make another trip up there sooner than later.   I eventually made it back up.   I got out of my truck and walked up to the rock.   I couldn't see the name.  I looked a bit harder, changing my angle of view to try to visually see it but nothing.  I thought for a second......went back to the truck and grabbed a bottle of water.  I poured the water over the rock and bam !  Like it was there all along.    The fourth name or should I say the first name.

 

     

 

     Abraham Monfort
                 1782

   

   Wow, that was exciting.  I clicked away

with my camera to document it.
    After some research online I was able

to find out much more about the names on

the rock and after contacting the Gilboa

Historical Society, that this was a smaller

sister rock to the larger boulder in Stamford.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​