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.

Test Prep Workshop: Sept. 12, 2020

Posted September 14, 2020
This season's last Test Prep workshop took place on Saturday, one of the first relatively cool and cloudy days, which made walling a joy. Heather, Owen, Jordan, and John came to be sure they are ready to pass their Level 1 certification test this coming Thursday or Friday. Michael arrived for a last practice before [...]


Master Class: Arcane Walling – Globes and Vases/Urns

Posted August 26, 2020
The content below was copied with the generous permission of the author Sean Adcock.  This Master Class article originally appeared in the Autumn 2008 issue of Stonechat, produced by the North Wales Branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Brittan.  This entire issue of Stonechat, and many more, are available at http://www.dswales.org.uk/Stonechat.html   Thank [...]


August Waller of the Month: Mark Jurus

Posted August 25, 2020
MARK JURUS (Maryland) is dedicated to the craft of dry laid stone construction as is evident in his Blog, YouTube channel and training site for workshops and certification. Quality not quantity – one project at a time.



Meet Jerry Coggin, Board Member

Posted August 25, 2020
Many thanks to fellow board member Paul Peterson for interviewing Jerry and writing this profile. Jerry joined the board of The Stone Trust (TST) in 2016 and currently serves as Treasurer. He has participated in the transition of TST from a small group of annual workshops to a broad curriculum of dry-stone walling courses that [...]

Notice of RFP: Developing our IT and relaunching our website

Posted August 24, 2020
The Stone Trust staff has documented in a thorough analysis our current IT processes and future needs. Documentation includes site architecture, considerations for a content management system, and goals for the new system. We invite you to request the document and respond with a proposal. Please address inquiries to: Amy-Louise Pfeffer, Executive Director, amy-louise.pfeffer@thestonetrust.org.


Events and Items of Interest, August 18

Posted August 18, 2020
Our friend Jim Wood sends this link to George Gunn's Facebook post on the Proper Dry Stone Walling public group. George posted photos of ancient dry stone work at Broch Gurness in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, only 38 miles from the Northstone Stonefest! Thanks to Jim for bringing the post to our attention and [...]


Participant Submission from Melanie Kessler

Posted August 17, 2020
Participant Submission from Melanie Kessler Melanie writes, "When I arrived at this client's job, they showed me to a pallet of flat, crumbling stones. The first day was hard and I was desiring the chance to work with more varied rock.  After talking to them, they led me to a secret stash that they didn't [...]


Test Prep Workshop: Aug. 16, 2020

Posted August 17, 2020
Four Level 1 and one Level 2 test prep participants did a great job practicing for their test and learning many new tips and tricks for improving their quality and speeding up their walling.  They need to be quick and efficient on test day in order to complete the tests in the requisite 7 hour [...]


1-Day Intro Workshop: Aug. 16, 2020

Posted August 17, 2020
Three women and three men came to The Stone Trust Center to learn the basic tools needed to build a dry stone wall. Who are they and why did they decide to spend eight hours on a summer Sunday lifting and placing stone? Half arrived to learn how to rebuild the stone fences they inherited [...]

Events and Items of Interest, August 7

Posted August 7, 2020
A Building Conservation Resource In her capacity as board member, Judy Rand brought an article entitled, "Dry Stone Walling in the 21st Century," written by Richard Love, Chairman of the DSWA-GB Craft Skills Group. We thought you might be interested to read about the craft as Love depicts its origins and development, as well as [...]