Chelsea's 100 Layers of History

By Taiyler Stanfield, STN Writer

From promposals to “Happy Birthdays,” holiday wishes to “Welcome Homes,” and school celebrations to public announcements, the rock at Pierce Park located in Chelsea has captivated community members and visitors for years with its vibrant displays of artwork and messages sure to catch anybody’s eye driving through town. But how exactly did the rock get at Pierce Park in the first place?

First discovered on the old high school property in 1926, the large boulder, now known as the Pierce Park Rock, was unearthed when the school began to build a new gymnasium located on the street corner of East and Harrison.

The boulder was originally painted by the class of 1957, and it quickly became a yearly tradition for each year’s graduating class to paint their graduation year onto the rock even after the high school closed in 1971 and students were moved to another location.

After there was talk about the boulder being reburied, a Save-the-Rock committee was formed in hopes of saving it. One of the Save-the-Rock committee members, John Klink, moved the rock to Piere Park in 1989.

Since being painted throughout the years, the rock has become a symbol of Chelsea’s community and history.

Jan Bernath, President of the CAHS, explained why it’s so important for community members to participate in creating art pieces such as the Pierce Park rock.

“Keeping connections to our heritage creates a dynamic landscape. Knowing stories of what happened, where it happened, and who has involved links to the past,” Bernath said.

Well over 100 layers of paint have been added onto the rock over the 67 years it was originally painted. The Pierce Park rock is available to paint for anybody on a first come first serve basis as it is a public art space, though it does get repainted a lot - sometimes twice in one day.

However, it is important to note that art that has profanity or is deemed inappropriate will be removed by Chelsea’s Public Works department.

The Pierce Park rock will surely never be forgotten anytime soon and continues to serve the community with its fun artwork and drawings from members around the area.