"Their name, their years, spelt by th' unletter'd muse   
 The place of fame and elegy supply:"   
                                       - - Thomas Gray   

Hider:   Tom Cooch 
Clues:   Moderate
Terrain: Easy 
Hidden:  09/26/98 

Rolling Rock is listed as the first of Braintree's "curiosities" in the town history published in 1883. It has a circumference of 49 feet and weighs upwards of 50 tons. At one time it was so perfectly poised that it could be rocked by hand. 

The surrounding land was purchased in the 1950's by the Randolph Fish and Game Club. Rolling Rock now commemorates the little-known Battles of Braintree. 
 

DIRECTIONS

The towns of Randolph and Braintree are situated in the center of Vermont. Randolph has roughly 5,000 habitants, about half of whom live in Randolph village. Braintree has about 1,000 inhabitants, with no real population center. 

The major access route is I-89. Take Exit 4 and turn downhill (west) on VT Route 66. It is two miles from the exit to the village. 

From the village of Randolph, drive north on Route 12A. After 0.9 miles, turn right onto the Braintree Hill Road. At the top of Braintree Hill there are many fine views of the Green and White Mountains. Turn left at the Meetinghouse (2.8 miles from 12A) and proceed another 0.7 miles to Rolling Rock Road. From there it is 0.4 miles to the site entrance on your left. The last hundred yards of driving are quite rough, and drivers of low-slung cars may choose to park and walk. 

Click here for a map.
 

CLUES

Get two bearings at the plot: 
The first is prime, the second not. 
The feet that first you forward tred 
Equal the years till man is dead. 
Take aim a second time with care, 
Then backwards forty paces bear. 
In a piney copse you'll see 
Beneath a rock they buried me. 
 

NOTES

A pace is taken to be the average distance an adult will advance by moving one foot forward - approximately three feet. 

All bearings are magnetic. 

Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.

This letterbox is #1 placed by The Orient Express.