In 2010 the Stone Trust, in partnership with the Landmark Trust USA, started rebuilding the 1000-foot Dutton Farmhouse field wall. Over the past twelve years, workshop participants, instructors, and volunteers have spent thousands of hours restoring 900 feet of this beautiful and historic wall. Finally the restoration is complete!
The Dutton Farm walls are a part of the beginnings of the Stone Trust. Many instructors talk about taking their first class “on the side of the road,” alluding to how far the Stone Trust has come. The historic Dutton Farm walls have been standing for over 100 years and represent the amazing durability, sustainability, and beauty of dry stone walling.
On May 13, friends of the Stone Trust came to restore the final 100 feet of the Dutton Farm wall. A couple had worked on the curved wing wall at last year’s workshop. For others, building a curved wall was a new experience. Since last year’s wallers laid the foundation for the final curve, this year’s wallers had only to finish the first lift, place the throughstones, build the second lift, and place the cover bands. Only! Wallers worked as experienced professionals often do, estimating the curve and the batter by eye, rather than with stringlines. By lunchtime the throughs were in place. At day’s end, the wall was complete. What a sense of accomplishment! Especially for Jared Flynn, who has championed the restoration since it began.
Many of you enjoyed the real-world application of the 5 basic rules of dry stone walling taught in Stone Trust workshops. According to your feedback, you also seem to have learned a lot about historic preservation of dry stone walls. You also really enjoyed walling with each other in the relaxed atmosphere created by your instructors.
Thank you to Jared Flynn and Jamie Masefield for “exemplary teaching” and making the day fun for everyone. Thank you also to Judy Rand for volunteering your time on the wall as an instructor and fellow waller.
