Shelter Rock (North Hills, New York)
Encyclopedia
Shelter Rock is a rock shelter
made of granite on the border of Manhasset, New York
and North Hills, New York
, 10 feet away from Shelter Rock Road. The rock is a glacial erratic
estimated to weigh 1,800 tons and has a 30 foot overhang. It is 55 feet high and 35 feet wide. It was deposited by glacial action between 20,000 and 11,000 years ago. Members of the Matinecock
had a settlement nearby and there were a number of legends about the rock that arose among both the native Americans and the European colonists. Native Americans once used the rock as shelter from the elements, possibly as early as 1000 B.C.
The boulder is located on Greentree
, a private estate once owned by the Whitneys. The top of the boulder is just visible from Shelter Rock Road, more so in the colder parts of the year when the vegetation recedes. While it is not publicly accessible, the Greentree Foundation does arrange special tours for scouts, school and other small groups from time to time.
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
made of granite on the border of Manhasset, New York
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
and North Hills, New York
North Hills, New York
North Hills is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,075 at the 2010 census.The Village of North Hills is located in the Town of North Hempstead.-Geography:North Hills is located at ....
, 10 feet away from Shelter Rock Road. The rock is a glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
estimated to weigh 1,800 tons and has a 30 foot overhang. It is 55 feet high and 35 feet wide. It was deposited by glacial action between 20,000 and 11,000 years ago. Members of the Matinecock
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
had a settlement nearby and there were a number of legends about the rock that arose among both the native Americans and the European colonists. Native Americans once used the rock as shelter from the elements, possibly as early as 1000 B.C.
The boulder is located on Greentree
Greentree
Greentree is a estate in Manhasset, New York on Long Island. Payne Whitney purchased the estate for his bride, Helen Julia Hay, in 1904. Later, John Hay Whitney and his second wife, Betsey, occupied the main house, where Mrs...
, a private estate once owned by the Whitneys. The top of the boulder is just visible from Shelter Rock Road, more so in the colder parts of the year when the vegetation recedes. While it is not publicly accessible, the Greentree Foundation does arrange special tours for scouts, school and other small groups from time to time.
Places and Institutions Named After Shelter Rock
- Shelter Rock Road
- Shelter Rock Public Library
- Shelter Rock Jewish Center
- Shelter Rock Elementary School