Billington State Forest
Northwest of town
Just west of the town dump off of the Aylesbury Pike is Billington State Forest. Once hundreds of acres of privately owned woodland, this dark looming forest, much of it untouched by axe or saw, was in the Billington family since colonial times, though none of the family had lived on the property since 1821. The Billington family ceded the land to the Commonwealth sometime in the early 1950s. The state declared the area protected forest, and it joined the state park system as Billington State Forest in early 1955. The area has no campgrounds or other visitor amenities, merely barely discernable “hiking trails” winding through the dark pines and oaks. In the heart of the forest is a large clearing with the remains of a large house – Billington’s Mansion – that burned down decades ago. All that is left now are a sizeable foundation nearly filled with rainwater, blackened, rotting timbers, and junk thrown into the hole over the years.The Tower
Several hundred yards to the west of the foundation pit, across swampy ground and past a thick copse of trees, stands a lonesome stone-built tower. On a rise of ground in a gully, which becomes a stream with the spring thaws yet dries up by mid-summer, the tower is built of stones fifteen inches thick. It stands twenty feet tall and some twelve feet wide at its base. Though it looks to have once had a roof, that component has long since fallen away into the hollow interior of the tower. A single arched stone doorway yawns in shadow, providing access to the interior. A narrow flight of stone steps set into the interior of the tower spirals upward to a small platform. Along the stair route, chiseled into the stones, is a primitive but impressive bas-relief design that repeats itself from the base to the platform. This bas-relief defies academic understanding with reference to any conventional symbol system; the glyphs are not Native American, nor do they belong to any symbols used by early European settlers. From the topside platform, with the roof gone, one gets a nice view of the surrounding territory. Although the base of the tower is covered in leaves one discerns the hardness of stone or concrete beneath the soles of one's shoes. Clearing away several inches of wet, rotting leaves reveals that the tower’s floor is packed and earthen, yet there is a large, flat block of limestone that is set into the floor. Although it could be mistaken for a trap door to a lower chamber or tunnel, the stone, if overturned, reveals only more packed earth. However, the underside of the flat limestone also features a large, carven symbol of a star with hooked points. Another odd fact is that visitors never hear any bird or other forest sounds manifest near the tower; the place is as silent as a tomb. Anyone with the slightest degree of psychic sensitivity will find the place dark and disturbing. Local teens initially find the tower a good location for partying, as attested to by an assortment of empty beer cans, bottles, and condom wrappers half-buried in the forest detritus. However, the atmosphere of the place is subtly but powerfully oppressive, and people find themselves depressed if spending any length of time at the place. Thus, it is usually abandoned, though on occasion a visitor might stumble on a drinking party in progress or a young amorous couple looking for a little privacy.Maps
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Billington's Woods
Alternative Name(s)
Billington's Woods
Type
Forest
Location under
Owning Organization
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