One of New England's many charms is its abundance of stone walls. They began as somewhat of a vertical landfill, as farmers working this soil toiled against the "bones" in it... boulders that hampered the growth of crops. At first farmers would just stack the rocks in an unused area, but eventually they began to make meandering walls from them. Walls that marked land boundaries and had the added benefit of keeping livestock, such as sheep, from roaming.
Historians say that most of these walls were built between 1775 and 1825. They crisscross every farm, line most roads, and are found overgrown and tumbled-down on walks through lonely woods. Decorated by lichen and moss, the stones stand in silent memory of the men who founded this land and left ageless, beautiful reminders of their passage.
1 comment:
Something there is that doesn't love a wall
that sends the ground swell under it.....
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