Stark's Knob

Stark's Knob formed in the Connecticut River Valley during the Taconic orogeny, when the shrinking Iapetus Ocean caused marine sediments to accrete onto the coast of the North American continent.

The pillow lava that eventually formed Stark's Knob flowed out of these cracks and onto the sea floor.

Fossils of snails found in sedimentary rock sandwiched between the pillows indicate that the lava formed during the early, or more likely, Middle Ordovician age.

Accounts differ to what happened next, but either Stark's forces placed cannons on the knob or, more likely, placed them at the base of it, blocking the only avenue of escape for the surrounded British.

After many years of virtual neglect and a number of proposals to sell the property, the state finally decided to take action to prevent the site's further decay as well as curb vandalism and maintain trails.