January 24, 2020
One of the best times to view New England stone walls is January when they’re framed in snow, according to “Exploring Stone Walls,” a field guide by Robert Thorson. Here, you’re viewing a local stone wall, as it was snow-framed yesterday, January 23.
This wall was constructed about 30 years ago over the remnants of an ancient stone wall designed to pen in sheep. It’s now a traditional “double wall,” consisting of two parallel rows of large stones with smaller stones and gravel between. “Single walls” also were built in neat, single-stone rows by fastidious farmers. More frequently, farmers created less artistic stone walls called “dumped” or “tossed” walls. These were all “drystone” (no mortar) field walls, usually built from cleared stone for agricultural purposes. More artistic “laid” walls, wet or dry, often were built nearer the house for attractiveness.
The oldest documented stone wall in New England was constructed by English settlers in 1607, north of what is now greater Portland, Maine, according to another book by Thorson, “Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History of New England’s Stone Walls,” a source for much of the material here. (Brooklin, Maine).