Podcast Summary: "The Pompey Stone Hoax"

Podcast: Stuff You Missed in History Class
Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson, Holly Fry
Date: April 1, 2026
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode, airing on April Fool’s Day, explores the curious case of the Pompey Stone—an archaeological "find" in 19th-century New York that fooled scholars, became enshrined in local lore, and was revealed to be a hoax. Tracy and Holly trace the stone’s discovery, the evolving speculation about its origins, and how its true story finally came to light. The tone is light-hearted, skeptical, and curious, befitting the spirit of historical pranks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Why a Hoax?

• Tracy opens with the goal of picking a historical hoax without harmful impact, distinguishing the Pompey Stone from infamous cases like the Piltdown Man ([02:38], Tracy).
• The Pompey Stone was chosen for being a localized, relatively benign prank.

Discovery and Early Accounts

• The stone was unearthed by Philo Cleveland (Watervale, Onondaga County, New York) around 1820–21 ([03:42], Holly).
• At first, Cleveland barely noticed the stone’s odd markings; rain later revealed its carved inscription ([04:24], Tracy & Holly).
• Description: Stone size approx. 14 x 12 x 8 inches; a snake climbing a tree, letters resembling "Leo de El on" (possibly "Leon"), Roman numeral VI, year 1520, cross, and other symbols ([05:10], Holly).
• Cleveland shared the find with locals, and it was examined at the nearby blacksmith’s shop ([06:20], Tracy).
  • Quote: “It was not uncommon for some of them to take a horse nail or old file and scrape the cracks, seams and carvings till all the parts of the inscription were freed from dirt.” – Henry Rowe Schoolcraft ([06:57], Holly quoting Schoolcraft).
• After a year, the stone was sent to the State Museum of the Albany Institute ([06:57], Holly).

Early Scholarly Interpretations

• First described in a printed work in 1841 by John W. Barber and Henry Howe ([07:39], Tracy).
• Their source was Rev. John Watson Adams, a local figure ([09:10], Holly).
• Barber & Howe’s theory: the stone’s inscription documented the death of a Spanish explorer in 1520, possibly connected to Pope Leo X or the explorer Ponce de Leon ([10:29], Holly).
  • Quote: “We have here the true chronology of the pontificate of Leo X and probably the year in which the inscriptions were made.” – Barber & Howe ([10:29], Holly).

Building the Legend

• Other 19th-century historians—Schoolcraft, Clark, Squier, Smith—echoed or elaborated on these theories, tying the stone to Spanish expeditions or Catholic missionaries ([15:51]–[22:39]).
• Holmes (1879) expanded the tale, suggesting complex theories about European captives among native tribes and syncretic symbolism in the engraving ([22:39]–[28:46]).
  • Notable misinterpretation: Holmes conflated an Onondaga culture story about a figure with snakes in his hair (“Hoda Haro”) but confused the actual Haudenosaunee tradition ([28:05], Holly).
  • Holmes’s conclusion: “...the Pompey inscribed stone...as the earliest monument either in the state of New York or in the United States attesting the discovery of the New World and the presence here of the European.” ([28:46], Holly quoting Holmes).

Widening Fame

• The story spread regionally and then nationally via popular periodicals ([31:04], Tracy).
• By the 1880s, the Pompey Stone was widely referenced as authentic evidence of early European exploration in New York ([33:27], Holly).

Exposing the Hoax

• For Onondaga County’s centennial (1894), Episcopal rector and amateur archaeologist William M. Beauchamp examined the stone ([33:27], Holly).

  • He determined the engravings were made with modern tools, and the characters were of contemporary rather than 16th-century form ([34:51], Holly).
  • “Based on the account of the stone’s discovery, it was found in a spot that was wet and strewn with boulders and large stones. In other words, this was not a good spot for a settlement or a grave or even a temporary camp.” ([35:15], Tracy, quoting Beauchamp).
  • “...I have investigated several frauds in every way more antique in character than this inscription.” ([35:15], Tracy quoting Beauchamp).

• Breakthrough: John E. Sweet published a letter recounting that his uncle, Cyrus Avery, and William Willard had carved the inscription as a practical joke ([36:17], Tracy).

  • Avery and Willard never tried to pass it off as real or draw attention to themselves ([37:11], Holly).
  • “[The Pompey Stone] is nothing more or less than a joke. It can hardly be called a fraud, as it does not pretend to be anything, nor did the makers ever do anything to make it appear that it was.” ([37:11], Holly quoting John Sweet).

• The likely motive for the chosen inscription: The year 1520 marks an important Reformation event (Luther’s break with Rome and Leo X’s excommunication), which would have been familiar to educated New Englanders like Avery and Willard ([37:41], Tracy quoting Beauchamp).

The Afterlife of a Hoax

• Despite the exposure, the myth continued in some circles: sermons, articles, and even scholarly works cited the stone as authentic decades after the hoax was revealed ([38:29], Holly).

  • “The monument is regarded as genuine and authentic.” ([39:33], Tracy quoting 1933 article).

• Today, Pompey, NY, has a historical marker stating: "Pompey Stone: 1800s prank believed true...1894 hoax revealed." ([39:33], Tracy).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[The Pompey Stone] can hardly be called a fraud, as it does not pretend to be anything, nor did the makers ever do anything to make it appear that it was.” — John E. Sweet ([37:11], Holly)
• “These mysterious gentlemen of science.” — Tracy ([07:31])
• Holly (joking about the credentialed onlookers): “Just some dudes came by. They were credentialed. It’s fine, don’t ask the shit.” ([07:35], Holly)
• On the myth's persistence: “[People] thought it best to keep still altogether… Really I hardly think the stone worth sending back to Albany…” — John Sweet ([37:11], Holly)
• “No New England boy was ignorant of the approximate date of these events. To them they were the greatest in European history. When an early date was desired, one soon after the discovery by Columbus, no other date was so likely to be used.” — Beauchamp ([37:41], Tracy)

Chronological Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:38] — Motivation for choosing a hoax-themed episode
• [03:42] — The discovery of the stone & initial descriptions
• [06:20] — Community inspection and arrival at the Albany Institute
• [09:10] — Early written records and local scholars' input
• [10:29] — 19th-century attempts to interpret the inscription
• [15:51] — Summary of prominent academic opinions (Schoolcraft, Holmes, etc.)
• [22:39] — Holmes’ elaborate interpretation and his errors
• [31:04] — National dissemination of the myth
• [33:27] — Beauchamp's critical examination
• [36:17] — Revelation by John E. Sweet (hoax confirmed)
• [38:29] — Persistence of the myth post-exposure
• [39:33] — Modern acknowledgment with a historical marker

Conclusion

The Pompey Stone hoax reveals how the allure of mystery and the desire for a grand historical narrative can lead to even the most dubious artifacts being embraced as fact. With careful, sometimes humorous, scrutiny, Holly and Tracy demonstrate how skepticism and solid research eventually won the day—though not before the "joke" had taken on a life of its own. The tale is both a cautionary and entertaining lesson in the persistence of historical myth.

Additional Notes

• The hosts’ tone oscillates between bemusement and admiration for the audacity and endurance of the story.
• The episode provides an excellent case study in local legend, the fallibility of scholarship, and the love of a good hoax.
• Listener mail and questions about linguistic oddities were covered after main content ([40:08]), but are not central to the hoax discussion.