Stone Fences - Unique to Kentucky?
Jan 24, 2018 11:55:08 #
Brownie45 wrote:
These are just the stone walls on my farm on Connecticut. New England is replete with dry stone walls. Some date to colonial times when the land was cleared to plant crops. They are built by the land owmers and obviously not by professionals. You cam always tell the difference between a professionals stone wall and a "farmer built" wall. The reason for the walls is glacial till that interfered with the farmers plowsThese stacked stone fences or stone walls are very... (show quote)
Jan 24, 2018 12:11:28 #
Brownie45 wrote:
These stacked stone fences or stone walls are very... (show quote)
Living in Central Kentucky (Lexington), we see them all over the place. I know that a number of years ago there was a push to repair some of the deteriorated stone fences, and to build some new ones as certain roads were widened, and they had a difficult time finding people who were familiar with dry stone masonry techniques. Consequently, there were Scots brought to Central KY to teach the art of dry stone masonry, and as a result, a number of new stone walls were built. For more information: https://www.drystone.org/
Jan 24, 2018 12:36:56 #
RobertW
Loc: Breezy Point, New York
Ireland, Scotland, all over New England used from the clearing of fields upState NY
Jan 24, 2018 12:36:57 #
Quite common in Virginia, especially west and northwest of DC, Louden and adjacent counties.
Jan 24, 2018 12:41:29 #
Google Tom's Wall - the largest un-mortared rock wall in the United States.
Jan 24, 2018 12:46:19 #
Central Kentucky is world famous for Thoroughbred horses and endless miles of rock fences (Dry stone walls).
There are more rock fences here than any place in the USA.
In Central Kentucky only 5 -10% of these 19th century dry stone walls built by Irish Immigrant stone masons still stand.
These stone masons passed their craft on to black slaves that became masters of the craft of building rock walls.
This is where the term,"slave walls" came about. Since I grew up here in the Bluegrass, this is what I always thought they were. I had no idea that the dry stone walls originated with the Irish immigration to the Bluegrass!
Our Kentucky rock fences are mostly built with local limestone that is plentiful in the fields. Once cleared and prepared for agriculture, the stone was easily used as border walls to pastures.
All the stones are laid free-handed with no mortar.
There are more rock fences here than any place in the USA.
In Central Kentucky only 5 -10% of these 19th century dry stone walls built by Irish Immigrant stone masons still stand.
These stone masons passed their craft on to black slaves that became masters of the craft of building rock walls.
This is where the term,"slave walls" came about. Since I grew up here in the Bluegrass, this is what I always thought they were. I had no idea that the dry stone walls originated with the Irish immigration to the Bluegrass!
Our Kentucky rock fences are mostly built with local limestone that is plentiful in the fields. Once cleared and prepared for agriculture, the stone was easily used as border walls to pastures.
All the stones are laid free-handed with no mortar.
Jan 24, 2018 13:19:28 #
Vermont is a very "bony" state and these fences or walls are all over the place. I'll post some examples.
Jan 24, 2018 14:07:07 #
There are stone fences all over New Hampshire. I have one that transverses our property in Bow, NH. This is because there is ample granite stones everywhere, and must be cleared to build, plant. To see all the listed places, you'll have to leave your home State and look around.
B
B
Jan 24, 2018 15:55:09 #
Jan 24, 2018 15:57:35 #
Jan 24, 2018 17:06:30 #
Brownie45 wrote:
These stacked stone fences or stone walls are very... (show quote)
They are all over middle and east Tennessee.
Jan 24, 2018 17:17:41 #
Brownie45 wrote:
These stacked stone fences or stone walls are very... (show quote)
its fairly close to the same region but there are several in Tennessee as well
Jan 24, 2018 17:33:26 #
Jan 24, 2018 18:20:38 #
Here in Pennsy If you drive any country road you will see not fences but just piles of stones along the roads. As the farmers plowed their fields even back in the horse plow days they carried the large stones to the edge of the field. We have a lot of stone houses due to the abundance of the free stone.
Jan 24, 2018 18:36:20 #
May of them in the UK, as other hogs have mentioned.
In Scotland they are commonly known as “Dry Stane Dykes”
In Scotland they are commonly known as “Dry Stane Dykes”
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