The discovery and return of the rock was initiated by the
Attorney General’s Environmental Unit and DEM’s Criminal Investigation Unit
after they were notified by the Coastal Resources Management Council that the
rock had been removed from the tidal waters off of Pojac Point in North
Kingstown between July and August 2012.
The rock is a Rhode Island formation meta-sandstone that is 7 feet long, 5 feet high and 2 feet high and is inscribed with two rows of symbols, which some have indicated resemble ancient Runic characters.
The state has asked the University of Rhode Island to assist
with further examination and analysis of the rock in order to determine the
origin of the inscriptions on it.
Amy Kempe, of the Attorney General's office, said the state
would not be bringing any charges in connection with the stone's
disappearance.
"The state felt it was best to have the stone returned
versus engaging in a potentially protracted legal battle with an unknown
outcome," Kempe said Friday afternoon. "An individual provided
assistance in identifying the location and the return of the stone. The
location was never disclosed, although the individual facilitated the return of
the stone."
The Narragansett Rune Stone – also known as the Quidnessett Rock
– was first reported to the Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (HPHC) in the 1980s, according to the
AG's press release.
The New England Antiquities Research Association published several articles in the mid
1980s/early 1990s about the rock. According to the HPHC, there are a number of
marked or inscribed rocks along the shores of the Narragansett Bay Region, the
most famous being Dighton
Rock, which have been the
object of study and speculation since Colonial times.
The HPHC has been unable to find any mention of the Quidnessett
Rock in any previous inventories of the Narragansett Bay but this may be due to
the fact that as early as 1939 the rock was located upland and may have been
buried.
More recently, due to the dramatic erosion of the shoreline at Pojac
Point, the rock’s last location prior to its removal was 20 feet from the
extreme low tide line making the inscriptions only visible for a short period
of time between the shifting tides. Although the rock’s significance as a
cultural resource has yet to be resolved, the HPHC recognizes the importance of
protecting the rock.
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin and DEM Director Janet Coit
thanked the many individuals who assisted in the return of the rock to the
State, including Detective Captain Jack McIlmail and Detective Sheila Paquette,
DEM Criminal Investigative Unit; Special Assistant Attorney General Christian
F. Capizzo, Attorney General’s Environmental Unit; Professor Dennis Nixon,
Associate Dean and the staff at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate
School of Oceanography; Janet Freedman, Coastal Geologist and Dave Beutel,
Aquaculture Coordinator, the Coastal Resources Management Council, the Rhode
Island Department of Transportation; and Fine Arts Express, a private
professional rigging company.
The stone is not going to be returned to Pojac Point at this
time, but rather to be tested by URI. The AG's Kempe said there are not yet
permanent plans for the stone.
