Bellows Falls Petroglyphs

A panel of pecked-out human faces, some with horns or rays radiating from their heads, sits on a rock ledge directly above the falls. The carvings are pre-contact, attributed to the Abenaki and probably several centuries old. There are around two dozen figures in all, ranging from a few inches across to over a foot.

The site is reached by a short paved path from the Bridge Street viewing platform; the carvings are in plain view, though weathered. Spring and autumn light is best for picking them out. An interpretation panel gives the basic history but does not pretend that anyone is sure exactly what the figures meant.

things to do sight
A story
The faces were sharpened with paint by an Army Corps of Engineers project in the 1930s, in an attempt to make them visible — a misguided act of preservation that altered the original carvings. The faint outlines of the originals can still be made out around the painted contours.