Glen Rock (boulder)

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans used the Glen Rock as a trail marker as well a place to build signal fires.[6][9] Natives of the region referred to the boulder as "Pamackapuka" (also transliterated "Pammackapuka").[10][11] The meaning of the name is disputed; some translate the name of the rock as "stone from heaven" or "stone from the sky",[12] while others translate the name of the rock as "sweat house".[13] The large rock was also used by indigenous chieftains as a throne when presiding over meetings with members of their tribe[14] and served as the location of several inter-tribal meetings among natives.[15]

After the arrival of colonists to the region, the rock was used as a landmark on colonial trails.[6] The rock, referred to as "Big Rock at Small Lots" by early colonists, began serving as a landmark used in the division of land in West Jersey as early as 1687.[16] The rock served as a key marker for all colonial-era land deeds, composing one of the points used in the eighteenth-century survey of the Ramapo Tract.[14] The rock was used as a reference point in Native American land deeds that were still on the books as late as 1912.[17] As of 1928, the rock was the only remaining fixed marker that had been used to delineate the colonial boundary dividing East Jersey from West Jersey.[18]

As late as 1910, about half of the rock remained submerged under soil.[14] In order to properly grade streets near the rock, soil was gradually excavated, revealing the Glen Rock's massive size.[14]

In 1912, the Glen Rock was threatened with destruction due to the ongoing roadwork in the borough. Developers initially desired to destroy the boulder, though they faced public outcry from borough residents who felt that the rock had substantial historical value.[14] Later, they decided to construct the road to go around the landmark rock and to transfer the deed for the land on which the rock resides to the borough.[9][14] In October of that year, work was undertaken to support the base of the Glen Rock with additional stonework and wide cement walkway was added to improve the quality of the area.[15][19] The Paterson Morning Call described the rock as having "considerable historic value" and commented approvingly on the renovations.[17]

The Glen Rock during the unveiling of the memorial plaque on May 30, 1921

In 1921, the Borough Council of Glen Rock created a committee to raise funds to place a memorial plaque on the Glen Rock to honor the veterans of the United States military who had died during World War I.[20] The council had initially attempted to allocate $500 towards the project that February, but turned to fundraising efforts in March after they discovered that there were no contingency funds available to spend.[20][21] The committee, with the help of the local Boy Scouts, successfully raised enough funds for the project to be completed;[22][23] the bronze plaque was subsequently installed and was unveiled at a ceremony held on May 30 of that year.[24][25][6]

The plaque fixed on the rock bears the names of four individuals from the borough who died during the First World War, as well as the names of eighty-nine others who honorably served in combat.[14] The Glen Rock is located across from the home of Peter Ebbert, the first resident of the borough to have been killed-in-action during the conflict.[15]

In 1964, the New Jersey State Office of Historic Sites designated the Glen Rock as a historical landmark.[6][26]