Ringing Rocks

In a place known as Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania – just a short distance from the Delaware River in Bucks County (Philadelphia’s neighbor to the north) – there is a forest surrounding a mysterious 7-acre open field of giant boulders. Nobody knows how they got there, which is freaky enough, but get this – if you tap a boulder with a hammer, there’s a good chance it will clang and vibrate just like a bell!

Ringing Rocks Park has attracted scientists, who have tried to explain what makes the rocks ring, and why only some ring and others do not, even though they all have the same mineral composition. It has also attracted musicians, such as a certain hammer-wielding Dr. J. J. Ott – who in June of 1890 treated the Buckwampum Historical Society to a “rock concert”, accompanied by a brass band. And not surprisingly, it has attracted New Age spiritualists – some of whom claim the park was once a sacred Lenape Indian gathering place, and that it is located at a convergence point of “earth energy” lines.

But the truth is that you do not need a background in science, music or spirituality to enjoy Ringing Rocks Park. All you really need is two hours, a pair of comfortable sneakers and a hammer.

SON OF SWOOP: “Once I was up in the 700 Level at an Eagles game at the Vet, and I smashed a Giants fan in the head with a beer bottle. His skull made a clanging, vibrating sound, just like a bell. It was an unexplained phenomenon. I am in awe of nature’s wonders.”