Have you ever heard of the Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone? Learn more about this historic object, one of a handful of mysterious stone eggs found throughout the world.
Where Was the Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone Found?
In 1872, in the town of Meredith, New Hampshire, on Lake Winnipesaukee, construction workers hired by Seneca A. Ladd, a local businessman, unearthed a mysterious, egg-shaped stone. What could it possibly be? The stone stumped everyone. Seneca Ladd believed it to be an “Indian relic.” He kept it in his possession for many years. After his death, his daughter donated it to the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1927. Due to its discovery near the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, the Ladd family dubbed it the “Mystery Stone of Lake Winnipesaukee.”
What is the Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone?
The stone measures four inches in length and two and a half inches at the widest part of its base. The creator of the stone used quartzite, a smooth rock that was formed by shifting rock layers. This type of rock is not native to New Hampshire. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it wasn’t made in the state. The sculptor of the black stone covered its surface in pictographs. The symbols include carvings of arrows, a moon, spirals, an ear of corn, a face, and a tepee. These symbols have led many to believe it is in fact a Native American artifact. However, other researchers claim it may be of Celtic or Inuit origins. In other parts of the world, people have found stones of a similar shape (often referred to as “stone eggs”), but the Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone is the first of its kind in the United States.
Legends & Lore 