The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-02-26
The Ringing Rocks.


A few days ago a representative OF
this paper, says the Reading pa. }
Times and Dispatch, paid visit to the
geological wonder knosn as the Ring
ing Rocks in Montgomery County. Ring
ing Hill, as the people there call the
eminence OH which the celebrated rocks
are found, is on the farm of Abraham
Mench, in Pottsgrove Township, three
miles northeast of Pottstown. The ring
ing rocks cover space of about three
quarters of an acre. In this tract bowl
ders are piled upon powders of all
shapes and forms, and so promiscuous.
" arranged that considerable agility is
required to walk over them without fall
ing. As one steps from rock to rock a
ringing sound, produced by the nails in
the boot-heels, is plainly heard. On rap
ping the stones with a hammer, quite
remarkable acoustic properties are re-
vealed. Some of them give forth a rich,
full tone which would probably vie with
the best bell metal if the stones were
fashioned into bells. One of them in
particular, from its depth of tone, is
known as the State-house bell. This was
at one time among the largest of the
rocks. 1t has been broken off, however,
but still has preserved its strong, full
tone. The general sound pro-
duced by striking the smaller
stones resembles that of a black
sruith's anvil, some having little
clearer ring than others, and no two
sounding just alike. In passing from
one to another of the larger rocks one is
reminded of the tapping of car-wheels
by the train-inspectors. Thousands of
people visit this natural phenomenon
every summer. The rocks themselves
bear evidence of this, the edges being
battered off by hammer-strokes, and the
sides of many having names carved up
on them, some parties who were unwill-
ing to take the time or trouble to chisel
their names upon the rocks having re-
sorted to paint, and considerable daub-
ing has been done in various colors.
The advertising fiend has not failed to
put in his appearance; and we are made
aware of the merits of patent medicines,
of the place to buy carpet and the like
upon every hand. We have not heard
any satisfactory explanation of the cause
of the ringing or bell-hke sounds of these
rocks. Some say it is owing to there
being a cavern under them. This, how
ever can have nothing to do with Is, as
when the rocks are removed they still
have the same sound. One large and
sonorous bowlder was taken to the
Centennial and attracted a great deal
of attention there. Another was
sent to England year or two ago.
There is probably metallic substance
in this group of powders to which the
ringing sound may be attributed. We
have not heard, however, of any
geological analysis being made. Half
a mile east of the Ringing Rocks, and
in the same range of hills, there is
another group of powders which are
much visited. Here lofty pile of rocks
surn1ounts a cavity of considerable
depth, the whole being known as the
"Stone House, Near by the stone
house is huge bowlder, some fifteen or
twenty feet high, which, from its pecu-
liar contour, is called the 90 Hay Stack
Besides their acoustic qualities there is
another singular circumstance about the
Ringing Rocks which visitors rarely fail
to notice. Many of them have very
strange marks, or indentations. At
some points these resemble the
tracks of a horses hoof. Others
are like the track of a wagon. Some
of the larger lamentations are said
to resemble an elephants foot, and
fac-similes of the human foot are
claimed to be found among the smaller
ones.