Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Split Rock (Bronx, New York)
Split Rock is a large spherical granite boulder measuring approximately 25 feet across and located in the borough of The Bronx in New York City, at the southeast corner of the New York State Thruway and the Hutchinson River Parkway near the border of the Bronx and Westchester County and the town of Pelham Manor .
In addition to its imposing size, it has historical significance as it is the location where in 1642, Anne Hutchinson and her followers were massacred by Native Americans of the Siwanoy Tribe. It is possible that Hutchinson's group was mistaken for Dutch colonists who were enemies of the Siwanoy.
The rock itself is located in the confines of Pelham Bay Park, and appears to be a glacial erratic that may have originated as far north as Canada. It derives its name from a large crevice dividing the stone into two half domes. According to her son, Anne Hutchinson attempted to hide in this crevice during the attack.
The boulder is of enough historic importance that in the 1950's officials were persuaded by The Bronx Historical Society to move the planned Interstate 95 New York State Thruway 50 feet north to save Split Rock from being dynamited. It was saved by Dr Theodore Kazimiroff, the societies founder.
Today the Split Rock may be in danger of falling off a man made cliff onto the Hutchinson River Parkway 30 feet below.
The nearby Split Rock Golf Course was named after it, and a nearby steet in Pelham Manor, Split Rock Drive, is north of it.
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