Profile Rock is also known as Joshua’s Mountain. The rock is 50-feet high and solid granite. Joshua’s Mountain was named after Joshua Tisdale (1646-1718) who constructed his home and a mill on land that his father had deeded to him. His father, John Tisdale, was one of the original purchasers (23rd lot) of what is today the Town of Freetown on April 2 1659. The site was privately owned for many years until it was sold to the State of Massachusetts and opened to the public. Profile Rock and the surrounding 60-acres of land were added to the Fall River-Freetown State Forest in 1955.
According to legend, the profile is that of Wampanoag Chief Massasoit. The site is reportedly the location where his son (King Phillip) stayed the night before he was captured and later killed. There is a possibility that King Phillips hid his sachem belt here. This location has been sacred to the Wampanoag’s; the rock is from the “gods” to represent Chief Massasoit. However, the likeness was created in the mid 1800’s, so the face has not been there since the dawn of time. It was created from dynamite.
There is another local legend around Profile Rock. There was a village thief who on Sunday’s while everyone in town was at church would steal peoples belongings and hide in a cave that once stood in the area where Profile Rock stands today. The town folk found out, and tracked him down to this cave. After recovering the stolen property the townspeople thought it would be in the best interest to destroy the cave. Dynamite was set up and the cave was collapsed; out of the rubble came “Profile Rock”.
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