# Talk:Glen Rock (boulder)

What defines which dimension is deemed length or width? Is a front or back defined? · · · Peter Southwood (talk): 07:35, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

The dimensions are taken from this report. — Ⓜ️hawk10 (talk) 12:00, 9 May 2022 (UTC)
Also, where did it get the name? · · · Peter Southwood (talk): 07:39, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

Unclear. The Glen Rock, New Jersey page indicates that the boulder was in a glen, but the sources cited in the page don't actually say that. I likewise can't find reliable sources that say that this is the reason for the rock's name. — Ⓜ️hawk10 (talk) 03:27, 10 May 2022 (UTC)
I'm unable to find any example of a local source that calls the rock itself the Glen Rock. The local history website, and seemingly all other local sources, exclusively refer to it as "The Rock" or "The Great Rock." The historical plaque next to the rock (not the one on the base) also calls it the Great Rock. Is it possible that this is a common misconception, and not the correct name? Magicalus (talk) 14:07, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

I was wondering if anyone can find the source of the claim the rock is 570 tons. I added a NYT article from 1985 that notes the rock is 570 tons, which was echoed in the more recent 2015 NYT article about Glen Rock. However, the origin of this estimation beyond that seems to be difficult to pin down, and I can't find the primary source for it. I am interested because it seems relatively precise, and the fact it is mentioned so often makes me want to confirm where this number even came from. --Cerebral726 (talk) 18:00, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

It appears to be a general consensus estimate, though I can't find the original source. There are a large number of sources pre-1985 that estimate the rock as weighing greater than 500 tons, though sources seem to have settled for 570 tons over time. For what it's worth, here's a 1969 source that gives the weight of the rock as 570 tons, so the NY Times is not the original source. — Ⓜ️hawk10 (talk) 19:25, 13 May 2022 (UTC)
Interesting. I looked through the sources present and I agree that that seems to be the oldest using the exact value. I'll see if I can find anything before that. --Cerebral726 (talk) 19:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

The redirect Glen Rock (boulder has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 February 11 § Glen Rock (boulder until a consensus is reached.  Utopes (talk / cont) 04:38, 11 February 2024 (UTC)

I responded to an above comment with this line of thinking, but I think it's worth having a separate discussion on. Local sources such as the local history museum seem to exclusively refer to it as "the Rock" or "the Great Rock," as does the plaque next to (but not on) the rock. The claim is dubious, since the origins of the town's name are somewhat unknown. If there's no source stating Glen Rock to be the name of the rock itself, I would propose that this page be renamed to Pamackapuka, the Lenape name for the rock, and the current title be set as a redirect to this page instead. Magicalus (talk) 14:15, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

It appears I was incorrect about the plaque next to the rock, which both states the rock to be called Glen Rock, and the town to have taken its name from it, though once again the local historical society throws doubt on this version of the story. Magicalus (talk) 18:53, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

I've done some research (looking at other sources, not primary research of course,) and there are some serious factual issues in this page. Primarily, there's no firm source stating that the rock is called the "Glen Rock"; the numerous local papers cited (a separate issue already flagged) all refer to it as "the rock" or "the great rock," if they're not using the indigenous name. The current article states that the town was named for the rock, but the actual origins of the town's name are somewhat unknown. The NJ Historic Preservation Office has it in their database (not as a landmark though, this will be mentioned later) as "Big Rock." There are alternate names from various sources, but none of them state the name to be "Glen Rock." It's commonly stated that the town was named for/after the rock, but this does not necessitate that the rock itself held that title. From the above, we can glean that "Glen Rock" is neither a local nor offical name for the boulder, and I would argue this makes it an inaccurate name for the article.
The Landmark Designation section is fundamentally incorrect; the section about the sign theft seems to be accurate, but the rock does not have historic landmark designation. The NYT article cited (https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/05/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-glen-rock.html) is the only source. While Glen Rock does have historic sites, the rock is not one of them. This is further substantiated by the NJ Historic Preservation Office's Lucy Map Viewer, which labels the rock as "identified," and not a recognized landmark by the borough, state, or federal government. This also brings the origin of the sign (not the WWI plaque) into question. The historical society has labeled an original photo of the original sign as being unveiled by "Mabel Hubschmitt and Mayor Allan Murray." Upon further research, I was somewhat incorrect here. The original sign in 1964 was indeed provided by the State of New Jersey. However, it did not come with landmark designation. This sign was then stolen, and replaced in 1985 by the citizens of the town, which is when the rock was identified in a Bergen county cultural survey 
As one last odd inaccuracy: this page refers to the "New Jersey State Office of Historic Sites" multiple times. No department with such a name has ever existed. The only place this name exists is in the cited New York Times article (citation 4 on the main page.) It's possible that the NYT article was referencing some form of the NJHPO, but at no point did it hold said title.The office of historic sites DOES exist as it turns out. I was only able to find the above webpage by searching for "office of historic sites," not "state office of historic sites," and the provided link is the singular search result.
This is my first time creating a dispute, so I'm unsure of how to proceed from here; I'll hold off on making any major edits for now, though given that the title of the article itself is being called into question, I'm not sure how much I could actually *do*. I await further input, and thank you for your time.
Magicalus (talk) 00:02, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
After further thought, my recommendation that the page be renamed to Pamackapuka, the indigenous name, after being rewritten to remove uses of the name "the Glen Rock." As before though, I'd rather wait and get a more experienced editor's thoughts. Magicalus (talk) 03:46, 25 August 2025 (UTC)

If the name needs to be changed, I think the more WP:COMMONNAME by far would just be the "Glen Rock boulder" without parentheses. The indigenous name is only ever mentioned as a factoid in all the reporting. However,  you raise a very interesting point. I am going to work on verifying what the regional name to refer to the rock is.  Cerebral726 (talk) 12:52, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
@Red-tailed hawk and Mujinga: pinging  Cerebral726 (talk) 12:57, 25 August 2025 (UTC)