Boilegh Led Field Trip to Raven Rocks
On July 9, the Belmont County Historical Society invited the community to take a field trip to Raven Rocks. John Boilegh led the participants through the first ravine and discussed its historical significance.
John Boilegh, a 1997 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, is an archeologist for the Division of Mineral Resources Management, part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Previously, Boilegh has led a tour to Track Rocks and given lectures on prehistoric Ohio for our community.
Raven Rocks was at the heart of the largest hardwood forest in North America when the Northwest Territory was opened to settlers. Archaeologists believe that human activity began during the Late Woodland period (CE 860 to 1000). For 200 years, Indians regularly used the Raven Rock for ceremonial purposes.
In the early 1900s, author Elsa Harper wrote in her book, An Enchanted Childhood at Raven Rocks, which is available at the Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library, that Raven Rocks was a favorite spot for people on Sundays to picnic and hike. The tradition was to prepare a picnic lunch and head to the ravine after church services.
When asked what makes him love places like Raven Rocks, Boilegh responded, “It’s so unique and just like these little snapshots of what the world looked like 1000 to 8000 years ago.” He continued, “When you look around and see the beauty, then why not protect these places.”
In 1970, nineteen people, with an average age of 25, purchased the 843-acre Raven Rocks property from Paul Warfield. These young people felt that the ravines, streams, rock formations and woodlands deserved protection from the coal mining that threatened them. The Raven Rocks, Inc, became the legal owner to provide long-term protection for the area.
When the preservation effort began, much of the Raven Rocks land was becoming wooded due to the favored soil and climate conditions for forest restoration.
Raven Rocks, Inc, has purchased adjacent properties to the original acreage, increasing the total to 1,268 acres with 1,015 in the wilderness conservation easement.
The public is welcome to enjoy Raven Rocks free of charge. There is a place to park a motorized vehicle or a horse. The property’s rules include:
- Open from sunrise to sunset
- Respect natural areas, do not alter or remove plants or wildlife
- All refuse carried in must be carried out
- Dogs must be under control, and owners must pick up after their dogs
- No motorized vehicles or recreational horseback riding
- No camping or open fires
- No firearms or hunting
The trailhead parking area at Raven Rocks is located at 54099 Crum Road, Beallsville, Ohio. The map illustrates the two miles of established out-and-back hiking trails to the third ravine. Signs from the third ravine trail point the way to balancing rocks about an additional .5 miles down the trail.
Visit the Raven Rock’s website for more historical information about this site and the continued projects of this group.
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