I have always felt that there was more to Pennsylvania than what is in the history books, and as I continue my research into my state, I thought I should share this find. A stone snake, described as a petrified snake, was dug up in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.
A Petrified Snake
Near the Cascade, three miles from Susquehanna, Pa., a party of bluestone quarrymen found a round stone projecting from the ground. It was in the way of teams hauling stones, and the men attempted to pull it up.
The foreman instructed his men to dig up the stone and get it out of the way.
They dug down a few feet, but did not reach the end of it. Another effort was made to pull it out, and it broke off.
They continued to throw up the earth, and, as a result, three long pieces were broken off.
At last the foreman concluded to see where it ended. After several hours were consumed in the work, the end was reached. The men were surprised to find, when they finished their work, a perfectly formed serpent’s head and neck.
The foreman at once concluded that they had unearthed a petrified serpent. The pieces were placed together and formed a perfect snake fourteen feet long. The eyes, nostrils and mouth are distinct and unmistakably marked, as are the dark and lighter spots upon the sides.
The head is about six inches wide, and decreases one-third in thickness from the top down.
The neck gradually grows smaller, and then the body increases in size until the middle is reached, where the diameter is six inches. From that point it declines to the tail.
One piece is missing, evidently about one foot in length. The petrification of what are supposed to have been the fleshy parts of the monster has a color corresponding to red sandstone, while that of the vertebrae is several shades lighter and softer.
Source: The age-herald. (Birmingham, Ala.), 01 Jan. 1898.
