Click on the heading for the link. It is the very last paragraph that piqued my interest. Jay Gould wrote "There is, near Margaretville, an ancient graveyard; supposed to have been used either by the early Dutch settlers before the revolution, or by the half-breeds who preceded them. It has long been abandoned, and the spot and even the graves of many of them are overgrown with trees and underwood, and little or nothing is now known of its history save its existence. Near the mouth of the Mill brook, and on the banks of the Delaware, are certain remains, which bear strong resemblance to works of art. Many suppose them to have been ancient fortifications or works of defense, but when or by whom they were erected is mere conjecture. I am informed by Mr. Dickinson, who resides near them, that in that vicinity were once found what was supposed to have been a stone battle-ax and that arrow-heads exist in great abundance in that immediate locality, which strengthens the opinion that they were of Indian occupation. They are two in number, each of a circular form, and have been surrounded by a high embankment, protected by a deep ditch.4 The one on the east side of the river has been passed over many times with the plow, but much of its original symmetry and form are still visible. The other, on the opposite side, further down the stream, is still surrounded by a deep ditch filled with growing trees and underwood, but has less regularity, and will not so soon attract the attention of the antiquarian." (Gould, Jay 1856 Chapter III).
Footnote 4 is the Gould Map and the link is broken, so I have not been able to view that.
When I first read this, I was sure Mr. Gould was writing about stones. However, coming back to it several times, I realized he never uses the word stone or rock in his writing and only calls them "certain remains". Reading this over, I still believe he is speaking of stone, due to the fact that he starts the paragraph talking about a graveyard near Margaretville and, after referring to the "certain remains", he states that they have "been passed over many times with the plow".
I was compelled to go out and have a look in the area where these remains are located. I found the Mill Brook on my map - a day trip from here - not too far away! But my excitement turned to disappointment, even sorrow, when I realized I would need diving gear to find this site. In 1955 the flooding to form the Pepacton reservoir was completed and these "certain remains, which bear strong resemblance to works of art" were submerged.
My next thought was that the reservoirs do run low at times, and we have not had much rain over the last few months. With water levels low, would rock piles start to show themselves around the rim of the reservoir? Roads and foundations have been known to come up. I questioned how much any rock pile would retain it's original form with the action of the water, and land erosion under water, after all these years, but I still had to have a look.
I only made it to the Cannonsville, which is lower than the Pepacton right now. So far, I haven't seen anything in the reservoir that looks interesting. I did get some nice photos of the old road and bridge that have shown themselves due to the low water level. I also found the rock piles made by row boat owners interesting.
Here are some photos:
Looking down toward the dam.
Looking up to where the river enters the reservoir.
The Rock Royal bridge (I'll bet some big trout hide under there when the water level is at 100%!).
Looking up toward where Dry Brook enters the Cannonsville (Dry Brook is just to the left, not in the photo). The old road is visible if you click on the photo to enlarge it.
Stone piles on the horizon were made by fishermen, to tie their boats up as the water level was receding.
Bibliography
Gould, Jay 1856 History of Delaware County Delaware County, NY Genealogy and History Site.
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