Roxbury Puddingstone

Outcrops of this conglomerate are the rox of Roxbury. While Boston has many churches made of Roxbury, New Old South for example, Trinity isn't one of them and HH Richardson never used it to my knowledge. It is hard (a quartzite) with flat joint faces that gave builders a smooth exterior face in the days before rock saws became common.The brown rock of Trinity Church is a sandstone (brownstone) from Longmeadow south of Springfield. It was commonly used for detail work in buildings because it is easily carved but some zones are so weakly cemented that many details are rotted away.

would like to find out if there are still sources of puddingstone in the Boston area. Would like to use some stones for a park project.Thank you.

The Brattle Square Church is made of Roxbury puddingstone. Trinity Church is made of granite and (as Dan Lynch pointed out) Longmeadow sandstone.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on Tremont St. in Mission Hill (Boston) is most assuredly of puddingstone (and definitely not brown, for that matter). The nearby Puddingstone Park, recently completed, even has a historical marker pointing this out, as well as large chunks of the rock itself. A person standing in the park can even notice the likeness in color of the rocks in the park to the churches towers, which rise in the view from the park.

I went to the Theodore Roosevelt School in Roxbury and my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Pow (Pough?) told us that puddingstone was unique to Roxbury, she also told us that crocodiles really shed tears when they eat people. Sooo, I never believed either!! Until today...40 odd years later! My humblest apologies Mrs. Pow, please forgive me for ever doubting you. You were my strictest teacher ever, but also one of my best.

For those of you who are unsure what Puddingstone looks like, please go to this link. It is NOT brownstone.(copy/paste)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxbury_puddingstone

It is also the State Rock of Massachusetts.

Although I haven't lived in Boston for many years I remember a path that ran off the south end of Forrest Hills St. in J.P. up to the tennis courts behind the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital about half way down the path on the left side was a natural outcropping of puddingstone that was called the King's chair. I looked like a huge throne.

the roxburry puding stone is a great beautiful stone and it is great to see