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 summer solstice aligned dry stone wall maze …

Posted March 29, 2021
being constructed in England over the course of three years: The Dry Stone Wall Maze in the heart of Dalby Forest What about creating a similar project here in North America?


Community-built retaining walls in Cinque Terre

Posted March 29, 2021
Last spring we alerted friends of the Stone Trust to a campaign to fund the restoration of retaining walls in Cinque Terre. Now a friend has sent this article about other efforts and their positive results.


Trail Stewardship Partner Funding Available

Posted March 29, 2021
Funding available for trail maintenance efforts on USFS lands. Deadline extended till April 9. Organizations should have a sponsored volunteer or other agreement with their local Forest Service office for work performed under this funding program. Projects that have a volunteer component are encouraged and preferred, but are not required. Projects that rely solely on […]


Pick-up Truck Sculptures in Stone

Posted March 26, 2021
Chris Miller sent photos from a series of stone pickups he is building in places around the U.S. He writes, "Yes, I’ve built a number of these trucks so far. The criteria is for each new one to be more interesting and more challenging than the one before. My goal is to do a limited [...]


Between Stone and Sky by Whitney Brown

Posted March 26, 2021
At the age of twenty-six, Whitney Brown met a dry-stone waller. Within weeks she was out on the hill with him in Wales, learning the language of dry-stone walling. Far away from the pressures of her old life, she found deep satisfaction in working with her hands, in the age and heft of the stones, [...]

April 1-Day Workshops teach you the 5 basics of dry stone walling: 4 spots left

Posted March 26, 2021
If you’ve decided it’s time for you to learn the 5 basic principles of dry stone walling, take one of the few remaining spots in our  April workshops in Vermont. A spot has opened in our 1.11 Women's Introduction to Dry Stone Walling, Saturday April 10. Or you may want to take one of the [...]


Should I take the 1-Day or 2-Day Introduction to Dry Stone Walling?

Posted March 26, 2021
People often ask about the differences between our 1-Day and 2-Day Intro workshops. In a nutshell, both courses teach the basic principles of building a structurally sound dry stone wall. The 2-day course teaches the 5 basics and also introduces basic stone shaping, shows participants how to split stones using feathers and wedges, and spends [...]


No Man’s Land: A Living Sculpture

Posted March 5, 2021
Artist Hugh Pocock contacted us as part of his research into materials apt for fencing about an acre of land, No Man’s Land, fencing to last more than one hundred years. We shared thoughts about the value of stone fences in terms of aesthetics, durability, habitat creation, and low-carbon footprint. We noted that many First […]



Tools and Books Our Women Professional Dry Stone Wallers Recommend

Posted March 5, 2021
Kim Coggin tells us: If you are just getting started in the craft, there are a range of basics tools that you will need. First, I highly recommend a book what we wallers call “the Bible”.  It’s Dry Stone Walling: A Practical Handbook by Alan Brooks & Sean Adcock. Outstanding source of information for DIY, wallers, […]


American Stone Craft: Aside from a wall, what else can you create from harvested stones?

Posted March 5, 2021
Gerald, from American Stonecraft, got in touch with this message: We are using the same rocks so I think the audience would love learning about us. Indeed, while friends of The Stone Trust harvest stones to build walls, American Stonecraft partners with farmers to harvest stones to turn into functional artifacts in the household landscape. […]