.gif)
Split Rock (Bronx, New York)
Encyclopedia
Split Rock is a large dome-shaped granite
boulder
measuring approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) from north to south and 15 feet (4.6 m) from east to west. It is located in the borough
of The Bronx
in New York City
, at the southeast corner of the intersection of the New England Thruway
(I-95) and the Hutchinson River Parkway
, near the border of the Bronx and Westchester County
, and near the village of Pelham Manor
. The rock is located just outside Pelham Bay Park
in an island formed by the two mentioned highways and the off ramp from northbound Hutchinson Parkway to eastbound I-95. Because of its location, it is only accessible by crossing a usually busy thoroughfare. A park trail, called the Split Rock Trail, at one time led from Bartow traffic circle to the rock, but the paved trail is now mostly buried underground or in inaccessible growth, and only remnants of it are visible.
In addition to its imposing size, Split Rock has historical significance as being the location near where, in 1643, Anne Hutchinson
and members of her family were massacred by Native Americans of the Siwanoy
Tribe. It is possible that Hutchinson's group was mistaken for Dutch
colonists who had violent conflicts with the Siwanoy. According to her son, Anne Hutchinson attempted to hide in this crevice during the attack, but a more likely scenario is that her daughter, Susanna
, the only member of the family to survive the massacre, was at the rock during the time of the attack, which took place at the house, a distance away.
The rock appears to be a glacial erratic
that may have originated as far north as Canada
. It derives its name from a large crevice dividing the stone into two half domes. The huge rock broke in half about 10,000 years ago under the stress of glacial movements. The boulder is of enough historic importance that in the 1950s officials were persuaded by the Bronx Historical Society to move the planned Interstate 95
New York State Thruway a few feet north to save Split Rock from being dynamited. It was saved by Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff, the society's co-founder.
In 1911, the Colonial Dames of the State of New York placed a bronze tablet on Split Rock in honor of Anne Hutchinson. The plaque is now gone, probably due to vandalism. It read:
ANNE HUTCHINSON
Banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638
Because of her Devotion to Religious Liberty This Courageous Woman
Sought Freedom from Persecution in New Netherland
Near this Rock in 1643 She and her Household
were Massacred by Indians
This Tablet is placed here by the Colonial Dames of the State of New York
ANNO DOMINI MCMXI Virtutes Majorurn Filiae Conservant
Today the Split Rock may be in danger of falling off a man-made cliff onto the Hutchinson River Parkway 30 feet (9.1 m) below. The nearby Split Rock Golf Course was named after it, and a nearby street in Pelham Manor, Split Rock Drive, is north of it.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
measuring approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) from north to south and 15 feet (4.6 m) from east to west. It is located in the borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at the southeast corner of the intersection of the New England Thruway
New England Thruway
The New England Thruway is a portion of the U.S. Interstate highway system and of the New York State Thruway, within and operated by the New York State Thruway Authority, linking New York City with New England, specifically with southwestern Connecticut...
(I-95) and the Hutchinson River Parkway
Hutchinson River Parkway
The Hutchinson River Parkway is a north–south parkway in southern New York, United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York – Connecticut state line at Rye Brook...
, near the border of the Bronx and Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, and near the village of Pelham Manor
Pelham Manor, New York
Pelham Manor is a village located in Westchester County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 5,486. It is located in the town of Pelham.- Demographics :...
. The rock is located just outside Pelham Bay Park
Pelham Bay Park
Pelham Bay Park, located in the northeast corner of the New York City borough of The Bronx and extending partially into Westchester County, is at the largest public park in New York City. The section of the park within New York City's borders is more than three times the size of Manhattan's...
in an island formed by the two mentioned highways and the off ramp from northbound Hutchinson Parkway to eastbound I-95. Because of its location, it is only accessible by crossing a usually busy thoroughfare. A park trail, called the Split Rock Trail, at one time led from Bartow traffic circle to the rock, but the paved trail is now mostly buried underground or in inaccessible growth, and only remnants of it are visible.
In addition to its imposing size, Split Rock has historical significance as being the location near where, in 1643, Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
and members of her family were massacred by Native Americans of the Siwanoy
Siwanoy
The Native American Siwanoy or Sinanoy were a band of Algonquian-speaking people, the Wappinger, in what is now the New York City area. By the mid-17th century, when their territory became hotly contested between Dutch and English colonial interests, the Siwanoy were settled along the East River...
Tribe. It is possible that Hutchinson's group was mistaken for Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
colonists who had violent conflicts with the Siwanoy. According to her son, Anne Hutchinson attempted to hide in this crevice during the attack, but a more likely scenario is that her daughter, Susanna
Susanna Cole
Susanna Cole, born Susanna Hutchinson , was the only survivor of an Indian attack in which many of her siblings, her famed mother, Anne Hutchinson, and other household members were killed...
, the only member of the family to survive the massacre, was at the rock during the time of the attack, which took place at the house, a distance away.
The rock appears to be a glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
that may have originated as far north as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It derives its name from a large crevice dividing the stone into two half domes. The huge rock broke in half about 10,000 years ago under the stress of glacial movements. The boulder is of enough historic importance that in the 1950s officials were persuaded by the Bronx Historical Society to move the planned Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in New York
Interstate 95 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canada – United States border near Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, I-95 extends from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the Connecticut state line at Port Chester...
New York State Thruway a few feet north to save Split Rock from being dynamited. It was saved by Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff, the society's co-founder.
In 1911, the Colonial Dames of the State of New York placed a bronze tablet on Split Rock in honor of Anne Hutchinson. The plaque is now gone, probably due to vandalism. It read:
ANNE HUTCHINSON
Banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638
Because of her Devotion to Religious Liberty This Courageous Woman
Sought Freedom from Persecution in New Netherland
Near this Rock in 1643 She and her Household
were Massacred by Indians
This Tablet is placed here by the Colonial Dames of the State of New York
ANNO DOMINI MCMXI Virtutes Majorurn Filiae Conservant
Today the Split Rock may be in danger of falling off a man-made cliff onto the Hutchinson River Parkway 30 feet (9.1 m) below. The nearby Split Rock Golf Course was named after it, and a nearby street in Pelham Manor, Split Rock Drive, is north of it.