Last modified: Friday, October 30, 2009 2:18 AM EDT Dighton Rock explored TAUNTON - The November meeting of the Old Colony Historical Society will explore a local legend: Dighton Rock. Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva will make his presentation at the Society's Historical Hall, 66 Church Green in Taunton, on Thursday evening, November 19, at 7:00 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. The Dighton Rock, a large glacial boulder from the Taunton River in Berkley, has numerous carvings in its sandstone surface that have invited speculation for ages. There are several theories about the origins of these petroglyphs and Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva has developed one of the strongest arguments that early Portuguese explorers carved some of the symbols. Dr. da Silva, a physician, has applied scientific methods to the study of Dighton Rock. His illustrated presentation will show his analysis of the petroglyphs and their similarities to symbols used by 16th century Portuguese navigators. He will recount the proud history of Portugal as a center of global exploration dating from 1412 when Prince Henry the Navigator founded his famous school for mariners in Sagres, Portugal. Dr. da Silva's theory of the origins of the Dighton Rock petroglyphs builds on that of Edmund Burke Delabarre, a professor of psychology at Brown University. Through careful study and the use of skillful lighting and photography in 1918, Professor Delabarre was the first to see a date, a name and symbols that point to an early Portuguese explorer leaving his mark. Professor Delabarre's entire collection of photographs, notes, and publications is archived at the Old Colony Historical Society. Dighton Rock was privately owned for centuries, but was donated to the Old Colony Historical Society in 1889, making it the most unusual artifact ever to be part of the OCHS collections. The Society donated the rock to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1955. The boulder was lifted out of the river in the 1960s and placed in its own museum at Dighton Rock Park in the 1970s, largely through the persistent efforts of Dr. da Silva, who is President of the Friends of Dighton Rock Museum, Inc. Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva's more recent studies have focused on the most famous New World explorer, culminating in a book he wrote with his wife, Silvia Jorge da Silva, entitled Columbus Was Portuguese! He will touch on his evidence for this theory, and on his interpretation of other area landmarks and sources that point to Portuguese exploration of America even before Columbus. The presentation on November 19 at 7 p.m. is free and open to the public. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the Society's special exhibit Soaring to New Heights: Aviation in Taunton, 1919-2009 beginning at 6:30 and following the illustrated talk. The mission of the OCHS is to collect, care for and interpret the history of the Taunton region, collaborating with the community to share meaningful connections between the past, the present and the future. To that end, we have a museum and library that are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 4:00, except for closings on holidays and Saturdays before Monday holidays. Admission for non-members during normal hours of operation is $7 for genealogy, $4 for adults, $2 for seniors and children 12-17, free for OCHS members and accompanied children under the age of 12.