Welcome to The Stone Trust

Established in southern Vermont in 2010, The Stone Trust’s mission is to preserve and advance the art and craft of dry stone walling. We do this through an expanding program of educational events and outreach projects. The Stone Trust is a multifaceted resource engaged in preserving the natural use of plentiful stone in simple, gratifying ways.

The Stone Trust Center is the only facility in North America that provides year round educational and DSWA certification opportunities for all levels and abilities. The Stone Trust is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization. It relies on contributions from people like you to keep its programs going. Help us continue to preserve and advance the art and craft of Dry Stone Walling!

Quick Links

• Looking for hands-on training to build dry stone walls? Click Upcoming Workshops
• Want to become a Certified Dry Stone Waller? Click Upcoming Certifications
• Looking for a contractor to build a wall? Click Certified Wallers
• Want to read up on the basics of dry stone walling? Click How to Build Walls
• Looking for amazing photos of dry stone walls and features? Click Photo Gallery
• Are you an Architect, Landscape Architect, Engineer or Designer looking for specifications for dry stone walls? Click Design Information

Support The Stone Trust

Your support makes our work possible. Please consider helping us preserve and advance the craft of dry stone walling by making a donation today. Thank you.

A Bridge is Born! (Sept. 8 & 9, 2018)

Posted September 14, 2018
After months of structural design considerations, a workshop to prepare the site and another to lay the foundation and abutments, a determined group of wallers made the dry stone arched pony (foot) bridge a reality!



Amazing Stone Arch Bridges of Southern NH! (Sept. 7, 2018)

Posted September 13, 2018
What an incredible day of looking up close at some of the best historic examples of dry stone bridges in New England!



Walling in Australia

Posted September 5, 2018
Member Nicholas Chesla of Australia submitted photos and commentary about working with local bluestone.



Bridge Build Update

Posted September 5, 2018
Just three days before the final hurdle of building a dry stone arched bridge in this weekends workshop, here is a recap of what has happened in the last few weeks. The Bridge Build Part 1: Site Prep workshop kicked off building the abutments with great success, learning about the structure layout and building corners.  [...]


The Costs of Owning and Operating Machinery – An Excerpt

Posted September 3, 2018
From our 2018 Member Newsletter here is an excerpt from the feature article: The Costs of Owning and Operating Machinery by Irwin Post.  To get the full article, plus so much, just become a member! Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for Independent Sawmill and Woodlot Magazine. However, the information is highly applicable for any [...]


September Waller of the Month: Matt Carter

Posted September 3, 2018
MATT CARTER (Maine), is featured in The Stone Trust’s 2018 Calendar for the month of September. He built his first dry stone wall in 1992 as a caretaker on a horse farm in upstate NY, and founded Green Island Stonework in Topsham, Maine in 2004. Designing and building stonework for residential landscapes and gardens is a main focus, but Matt also enjoys a wide range of other types of projects, including field walls, old stone foundation repair/restoration, architectural stonework, and any other creative use for natural stone. Matt holds DSWA-GB Level III (Advanced) Certification, and is a Certified Instructor.



Great reviews for the Intro to Walling Workshop (August 25, 2018)

Posted August 27, 2018
Lots of hands-on walling and excellent coaching contributed to a very successful Intro to Walling workshop.



Building abutments in the Bridge Site Prep Workshop (August 26, 2018)

Posted August 27, 2018
Highly skilled instructors discussed the design, layout and geometry of the batter…



Women’s Intro Workshop – “Instruction superb – camaraderie fabulous!” (August 12, 2018)

Posted August 20, 2018
A very successful Women’s Introduction to Dry Stone Walling workshop on Sunday, August 12th at the Stone Trust Center in Dummerston, VT – led by two women wallers and certified instructors, Kim Coggin and Judy Rand,



The Nuances of Retaining Walls! (August 11, 2018)

Posted August 20, 2018
On Saturday, August 11th, an enthusiastic group of 13 participants learned the additional rules and methods that apply to building retaining walls, which are prevalent throughout the northeast.