Field index

Massachusetts Oddities

Unusual destinations, curious landmarks, and worthwhile detours across Massachusetts.

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16 documented oddities Highest curiosity first

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Roadside Attractions

Jumbo at Tufts

Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University's life-size bronze elephant marks a bizarre mascot history involving the real Jumbo, a preserved hide destroyed by fire, a saved tail, and ashes kept…

Historic Oddities

Dighton Rock

Berkley, Massachusetts

A 40-ton boulder covered in carved symbols was removed from the Taunton River and placed inside its own museum after centuries of argument over who made…

Giant Objects

Clyde II

Winchendon, Massachusetts

A fifteen-foot wooden rocking horse stands beneath a pavilion in Winchendon, carrying on the Massachusetts town's century-old identity as Toy Town.

Historic Oddities

Babson’s Boulders

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Deep in Gloucester's abandoned Dogtown landscape, massive glacial boulders carry blunt carved commands such as COURAGE, WORK, TRUTH, and USE YOUR HEAD.