I can’t remember the full details about how I first discovered this place, but I’m certain that Marky Mark must have had something to do with it. As I recall, the rapper-turned-actor now known as Mark Wahlberg had starred alongside George Clooney in “The Perfect Storm”, a 1991 film about a group of tuna fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts. I’d snagged the dusty DVD out of a Redbox kiosk while staying only a short drive away from that legendary seaport town, so of course I dutifully set about researching a day trip. And so, when it finally came time for my visit, after cruising the main drag and paying my respects at the Fisherman’s Memorial, I was right back off in search of a much more obscure, remote destination:
The Babson Boulders.
See, once upon a time during the Great Depression, a businessman named Roger Babson decided that one way to spend some of his millions would be to have inspirational engravings carved onto rocks in the woods near his home. I’ve got no idea why he might have thought this was a good idea— apparently even after establishing his own private liberal arts college, Babson must have still felt like he hadn’t done enough to shape the minds of impressionable young people. Whatever the reason behind his work, it endured. Today, anyone adventurous enough to take a tramp through Gloucester’s spooky, lost city of Dogtown can still seek out the Babson Boulders:
If you’re headed out this way, I’d suggest packing bug spray and an adequate supply of water. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, since the walk can get pretty rough in some places. And if spotting one or two of these inspirational carvings isn’t enough to satisfy you, and for some reason you’re bound and determined to read every last pearl of wisdom handed down from the last century, here’s a handy map with the locations of all the Babson Boulders.
Happy hunting!