Coffin Rock

Coffin Rock, sometimes called Coffin Hill, was a large flat rock located in the Black Hills Forest in Maryland about twenty minutes from Burkittsville. It was easily accessible by an old logging trail. The name was a common term coined by trappers.

History

Long before humanity came to be, it was said that a dark powerful force resided in the area of the forest. A Native American tribe which was the first to enter the area, came to encounter the force. The force abducted a young boy from the tribe and sacrificed him atop a dark path on Coffin Rock, opening the boy's belly and letting it flow on the rocks of the place. The force supposedly managed to sustain the boy's life indefinitely, feeding on his pain over and over again in a never-ending ritual that refused to let him die. The boy's tribe attempted to send multiple warriors and shaman to rescue him but they were all taken by the force instead. Eventually, the entire tribe vanished without a trace.

Drawing of the 1886 victims at Coffin Rock, from McClory's Illustrated.

In March of 1886, eight-year-old Robin Weaver was reported missing and search parties were dispatched. Although Weaver returned, one of the search parties did not. Their bodies were found weeks later by a second search party at Coffin Rock, tied together at the arms and legs and completely disemboweled. The men went to Burkittsville to find help, but when they returned the corpses mysteriously disappeared.

In November 1994, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams hiked into the woods, headed to Coffin Rock, but were never seen again.

The 5 Men discovered at Coffin Rock

• Parson Vance
• Tom Lang
• Jeb Q. Pierpoint
• Andy F. Fiennes
• Travis P. Creed

Gallery

See Also

• Blair Witch
• Robin Weaver
• Kelly Shaw