Story of the New England Stone walls
Dry stone walls were a common feature of New England's landscape in the 1800s, particularly in rural areas where farmers used them to delineate property lines, contain livestock, and clear fields of rocks for agriculture. The walls were built without the use of mortar or cement, relying instead on the careful arrangement of rocks to create a stable and durable structure.
The origins of dry stone wall construction in New England can be traced back to early European settlers who brought the technique with them from their native countries. Over time, the practice was refined and adapted to suit the particular needs and materials of the region, leading to the distinctive style of New England dry stone walls that is still visible today.
In many cases, raveling stone masons were employed to do the work rather than taking up the valuable farmer’s time. They came with tools, slept in the open or in the barn and often only worked for room and board.
As the population of New England grew and the demand for agricultural land increased, farmers were faced with the daunting task of clearing fields of the large, glacially deposited boulders that dotted the landscape. Dry stone walls became an efficient and practical solution to this problem, allowing farmers to create neat, orderly fields while also providing a way to dispose of unwanted rocks.
The construction of dry stone walls required a great deal of skill and labor, as each stone had to be carefully selected and placed to ensure a stable and structurally sound wall. Many of the early wall builders were immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, where the tradition of dry stone wall construction was well established.
By the mid-1800s, dry stone walls had become a ubiquitous feature of New England's landscape, with an estimated 250,000 miles of walls in the region by the turn of the century. As farming declined and rural populations dwindled in the 20th century, many of these walls fell into disrepair or were removed altogether. However, in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in preserving and restoring these historic structures, both for their aesthetic value and their cultural significance.