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The humble Connecticut stone wall has not escaped the eyes of Corey Schweizer, who writes at Primaryresearch.org that the stone walls found regionally “are some of the most important and beautiful walls ever built” and that they came to be at least partly because long-ago farmers had chopped down most of the trees.
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“As farming grew more popular in New England, the need for adequate fencing also increased,” Schweizer writes. “Before stone walls were widely used, wooden rail and zig-zag fences were the practical solution for fencing in a farm. This quickly became a problem because once the land was cleared for a farm, few trees were left to build the fences. The wooden rail fences would also rot over time and need to be replaced. Farmers switched to using rock in their fences to replace the old rail and zig-zag fences and to make use of stone found in their farm. By 1871 approximately one-third of the 61,515 miles of fencing in Connecticut were stone.”
Gneiss, limestone and granite are the primary rocks of regional stone walls, according to Schweizer.
Get rhymin”™
It”™s a little far afield, but blithe spirits will want to consider the Connecticut Poetry Society”™s July 18 (1:30 to 5:30 p.m.) reading for members and friends in New Haven.
Vivian Shipley and Ed Harris have again allowed the society to meet at their Beach House at 28 Morgan Point. Attendees are urged to bring poems about summer or picnics or the great outdoors. Time available for reading will depend on who signs up. Please bring something to eat and share with other guests as well as any special beverage. The society will provide cold cuts and bread, paper goods, snacks, ice and soft drinks ”¦ and a poetry-loving audience. R.S.V.P. by July 10th: Tony Fusco at (203) 785-3438.
