Brownie45 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky USA

Thanks folks, this has been educational. I will watch for these as I travel in the future.

10MPlayer Loc: California

Even a few scattered around northern California. None around here look that good. The few I've seen are in bad repair.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Several things about stone fences from a farmer's perspective:

They are only attractive if you weren't the one who had to build it. It was hard, back-breaking work.

Remember most of these walls were built with no mechanization. Just sweat and toil. Hopefully you had a team of horses to skid the stones to the edge of the field.

I'd hate to have been the slave who got the dubious honor of being chosen to be a stone fence builder. Imagine waking up every day of your life to do that job.

You would only want to buy a farm with stone fences if you aren't a farmer. The existence of the fence is due to the rocks they had to pick up out of the field. That rock forever works it's way up through the freezing/thawing process. So you never get done rock picking. And the ones you miss often break your tillage tool or do thousands of dollars of damage if they go through your combine.

I can happily report that I often go more than a year without finding a single rock on my deep prairie soils here in Illinois. Thank you, great great great Grandpa for settling where you did.

The smaller the field, the worse the rocks are. The smallest I've seen was on the Arran Islands off the coast of Ireland. We were told many of those fences date to Roman times. Of course the Roman soldiers' contribution was probably beating those who didn't stack the stones fast enough.

Having said all this, they often are a beautiful site. And there was indeed craftsmanship involved in building them.

Almost more fence than field on Arran Islands.

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They are indeed a beatiful component of the landscape for those of us passing by.

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A few inches underneath that pretty Fuschia is a stone fence that is very close to your rental car mirror when you get over for oncoming traffic.

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torchman310 Loc: Santa Clarita, Ca.

I have no photos, but back in the early 70's there were stone fences on people's property in upstate New York. Lots of labor intensive work done on these things.

Mr Bill 2011 Loc: southern Indiana

[quote=Brownie45]These stacked stone fences or stone walls are very common in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. I have never seen fences like these anywhere else.

I've seen them occasionally in areas of Pennsylvania, but they are not near the same height or quality of construction of the stone fences in KY. Probably has to do with the shape of the stones and cost of the labor. Limestone in KY breaks along the strata into flatter stones, while PA sandstone occurs in bigger odd-shaped pieces. Slave labor in KY was probably pretty cheap in those days, too!

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

You will find loose stacked stone wall wherever there is an abundance of rocks!!!!
Some were built to use stones removed from fields, usually the low hap-hazzard looking walls, others were built using flat stones, these look much nicer and are usually taller than the (rubble stone walls) and are much more labor intensive to build. I see them in new construction around the St.Louis area. they are more expensive to build due to skill and time involved building and the availability of the stone.
Each builder has their own style just like anything else.
However your image is the first I have seen with the cap stones being stacked on edge, maybe to add more height quickly and use fewer stones. , then maybe not.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

Yes, these Stone fences have a real personality. We have a few small examples of Stones fences here in Michigan, I alway enjoy viewing and capturing a few images of these unique sculptures of Stone.

Brownie45 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky USA

I am so glad I asked. This has been a very educational conversation. I appreciate these fences even more than I did when I asked.

14kphotog Loc: Marietta, Ohio

North West- Columbus Ohio. Lots of them. Found in areas with rocks in layers that are fractured at the layers.,

Brownie45 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky USA

I was stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base south of Columbus, so I probably saw them there. That was 1964 to 1966, so I may have seen them and forgotten by now. I probably was just not looking for them then.

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

Nice photos, thanks....I was born in Kentucky!!

Meshlg

All over the UK. For thousands of years.
Meshlg.

Brownie45 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky USA

Thanks for the replies. I was watching "Father Brown," A UK mystery show on Public TV here in the US. This past week they showed a farm with a fence nearly identical to the ones around here. I just never noticed it before. This discussion has been really fun for me. I guess they are everywhere. Makes sense.