Question: What city (and county) in Texas is named after a unique geological feature whose origin has been debated since it was discovered?
Answer: Rockwall. While digging a well on his property in 1852, Terry Utley Wade discovered a submerged rock formation that resembled a giant wall made out of bricks. There are about 16 known outcroppings of the wall throughout the county, including some under Lake Ray Hubbard, which was formed in 1968. Most of the wall is located on private property, but a portion has been reconstructed at the Rockwall County Historical Foundation Museum.
Some have theorized that the wall was built by an ancient civilization or even aliens. In a 2013 episode of the History Channel’s America Unearthed, University of Texas at Dallas professor John Geissman speculated that it was likely formed naturally when sediment and liquefied minerals were forced into fractures in the earth’s crust.
