I live in CT. There are stone walls everywhere in the woods here. It's so cool. It doesn't matter how deep into the woods you go, you still come across them.
@chucklesthered23387 ай бұрын
The only reason why you find so many stone walls in the New England area is... there was a lot of stones lying around.
@mpoulin7 ай бұрын
@@chucklesthered2338 There still are. I can dig a hole without hitting one within seconds.
@Peter-fo4ec7 ай бұрын
I have a pet rock...... it's very obedient..... I tell to stay and it listens
@morganrobinson80427 ай бұрын
@@chucklesthered2338 Seriously. The way I heard it was, when they plowed an area for farming they saved the rocks they had to remove for the plow and built up a wall around the perimeter with just those. For a small family plot that's still a few hundred stones about the size of a human head piled at between two and a half or three feet. This land was astronomically rocky if that's accurate.
@rodpaget97967 ай бұрын
@@morganrobinson8042 Just north East of Owen sound is about 50 50 sand stones...as big as basket balls Mountains of drummlins long valleys,
@peterb62827 ай бұрын
Living in New England, it's easy to overlook the significance of stone walls. Yet, every so often, I pause and contemplate a stone wall that I see disappearing into the woods, reminding myself that each stone was deliberately placed by a human hand. Someone picked up the very stone I'm looking at, thought about its placement, and carefully positioned it in the wall. It may seem like a trivial observation, but it helps remind me that the land I'm standing on was cultivated by living, thinking individuals just like me.
@will52867 ай бұрын
Oh you pause and contemplate do you---pompass ass
@bryanmaxwell73327 ай бұрын
Bless you god sir / Ma’m…there’s not very many of us left that hold your obvious calibre…🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@chipsdad58617 ай бұрын
The rocks were begrudgingly gather with sweat and blood as a matter of survival, however it is easy to romantisize the walls now that they are built.
@Justin-yc1ig7 ай бұрын
I'm from the Gulf Coast and used to go everywhere. When I think of New England I think of rock walls. I see them in the woods off the road and you would never notice it in ones busy world. It's nice to know there are kindred spirits out there.
@pleaseunshadowbanme7 ай бұрын
@@chipsdad5861 typical divide and conquer shill, you bots will try to drag down literally anything its honestly hilarious. Id say seek help but your a product of your environment and are functioning exactly the way they want.
@eQualizeri7 ай бұрын
As Finn, those stone walls made so much sense immediately. If there's one infinite crop in Finland's fields, it's rocks. Every year they emerge from the soil, no matter what.
@jeffdege47867 ай бұрын
And it's too damned much work to carry them any farther than absolutely necessary.
@jamesn.economou99223 ай бұрын
@@eQualizeri the remnants of the buildings, below.
@jennifercheney43532 ай бұрын
@@jamesn.economou9922nope. Not in Maine. The soil is very rocky. It's not old buried buildings, how silly.
@Joe-sg9llАй бұрын
the rocks were smaller then@@jennifercheney4353
@timothyjohnson50627 ай бұрын
I did my part in Maine to continue this tradition. I built 300 feet of standing stone walls in my yard and gardens.
@bostonmish45337 ай бұрын
I am doing the same in Mass. Connecting with previous builders from centuries ago is deeply satisfying. I've added to an abandoned run from one era - probably an unfinished sheep fence and in another area I've added some terraces along a Vernal Pool.
@zcl8127 ай бұрын
Respect
@piedrostone42467 ай бұрын
Wow. That’s really high!
@jamesn.economou99226 ай бұрын
That is cool. I love rock walls. Now get mind around this. Every farmer in colonial New England, would have to have, been able to construct thousands of feet, of heavy stone walls, that go all the way to the bedrock. This is all, while trying to build houses, barns, plant crops, tend to livestock, defend the homestead from predators and native tribes. These farmers apparently did this in their spare time, or maybe for a few hours after church? I don't believe that. You built a good size wall yourself. Do you believe it?
@MaxwellBenson806 ай бұрын
My son and I are re-working some stone walls on our property in rural Massachusetts. It is a hard but rewarding task.
@Madfattdeeb7 ай бұрын
It blows my mind to think about running out of trees in Maine. I love how many trees are all over the state. It is absolutely breathtaking.
@m998hmmwv7Ай бұрын
Because it's BS
@billycarpenter47407 ай бұрын
Our family farm in Bristol Mills, Maine was from 1779-1973 ( 194 years). A land grant from my great- grandfathers duty as an officer during the revolutionary war. Ours was a 150 acre homestead, just across from the Bristol Mills dam and swimming hole. For several summers my older brother re-built many parts of the stone walls on the property back in the mid-later 1960's. At that time many stone walls were being damaged by snowmobilers climbing over them to access other properties. We had 110 acres on the farm and the other 40 acres were across the river and just down from the dam, where a mill was for many years. We visited Bristol Mills again in 2019, still just a quaint village.
@JoeC-bz2ep7 ай бұрын
Growing up in Mass. , we used to follow stone walls as kids, looking for dumpsites in which we would hunt for bottles. always amazed the stone walls were virtually everywhere.
@rosescott92997 ай бұрын
I had no idea that stone walls are not everywhere throughout the north east. Here in Pennsylvania they litter our woods, our countryside and farms. Many farmers still use the old stone walls as boundaries for their fields. I always find it amazing when I’m deep in the woods on some trail it seems no one has walked in a long time and I come upon a stone wall, long forgotten and stretching for what seems likes miles sometimes, and sometimes on very inhospitable ground, rocky and mountainous. Now I know they were likely sheep farmers! Amazing indeed.
@jakefrancis44647 ай бұрын
Archaeologist here from RI. Glad all new Englanders can come together to appreciate shared heritage
@VINTERIUM..EXPLORIUM.14 ай бұрын
👍👍
@mcseforsale7 ай бұрын
I grew up in Ct. Our woods were littered with these stone walls as well. I hadn't realized that there was 75% deforestation in NE and that 50% of that was re-forested. Neat!
@grantcivyt7 ай бұрын
It's easy to forget this natural evolution of economies
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
Yep...i found an old picture of the family town in Pennsylvania...currently forest as far as the eye can see...some of the biggest trees I've ever seen on the east coast. In the picture it is a barren wasteland as far as the eye can see. It looks like Nebraska with hills. Or Wyoming.
@johnwayne39046 ай бұрын
I live in Middle Tennessee. The stone walls winding through some of our woods and hollers have always fascinated me. Since i was a young boy, I've always wondered what the lay of the land looked like back when some hardworking souls placed each rock upon another throughout the miles of walls I've discovered. It's so beautiful to see. Thank you for the video, it was insightful to say the least. 👍
@lesjones56843 ай бұрын
Y’all com bac na here 😂😂😂
@stirfrywok29277 ай бұрын
This is very interesting. We have a farm here in Ireland and straight away I could see a little bit of home in Maine. We have endless amounts of stone walls here. I always appreciate how each stone was laid by a human long ago, and when we can, we rebuild the fallen walls. But as shown in the video, trees grow through them and they are a lot of work to maintain. A neighboring (abandoned) farm to ours has a large wooded area filled with stone walls for fields taken back by the trees. Two or three generations ago there were many families and farms in that area, all long gone. Lovely video and many thanks
@johnransom11467 ай бұрын
I’m from Nova Scotia. We have stone walls here too. I’ve got them on my property. They are boundary walls for the most part. We were all New England at one time.
@stillinfamous7 ай бұрын
I live in Cape Breton, every old farm or homestead has stone walls. It’s easily my favourite part of living here
@johnransom11467 ай бұрын
@@stillinfamous sable river
@stillinfamous7 ай бұрын
@@johnransom1146 I’ve never been (typically caper lol), but I’ve only heard good things about!
@PhoenixRising20407 ай бұрын
Annapolis valley 😊
@adammiller91797 ай бұрын
I'm on the other end in PA and they are here, too.
@nickrct7 ай бұрын
William Jarvis actually never got permission to import the Merino Sheep. He smuggled about 200 sheep in secret and kicked the whole thing off.
@wingdingdmetrius80257 ай бұрын
It would be a good idea to find some diversity of opinion, especially if the object of the video is analyzing natural history. She's obviously an expert on the stone walls of Maine but if you want to understand the situation, I think an ecologist could expand on the impacts of deforestation, or another historian to speak on how the sheep were introduced. I mean it really represents a permanent blow to Maine ecology and beyond. but I guess it's more fun to spin a romantic yarn. Maybe this is the american version of being an "expert" on stonehenge, or the pyramids.
@ScarlettFire3416 ай бұрын
@@wingdingdmetrius8025 Many founding Americans stated in notes & books that many stone walls were already here, and that Native Americans (Indians) said they did not build them.
@jonathandown96176 ай бұрын
Not all heroes wear capes
@gregwiessner64707 ай бұрын
This is exactly why I am a sustaining member of @mainepublic. Thank you for teaching me about one of the favorite things in my own backyard. Please, please, please more episodes like this.
@newmoonmeteorites44307 ай бұрын
Hi Greg, I saw your comment before I commented, so thought I'd let you know about my comment, about things in our own back yards. Check out my slideshows. Warning, it's kinda shocking. Maybe Cheryl, being a Phd and Master Naturalist, might do an episode on some big meteorites that damaged some big trees and left glass smears on the damaged trees. Pretty fascinating, and easy to see/imagine. I'd make a cool video, but I'm too busy... Go Maine Public Classical!
@smplyizzy7 ай бұрын
Hell of a lot of work in those walls! No hydraulics. I live in PA and stone walls always amazed me in the effort those people put forth.
@VINTERIUM..EXPLORIUM.14 ай бұрын
👍👍
@NortheastHobbyfarmer7 ай бұрын
Thank you, I loved exploring the southern Maine woods when growing up. My wife's grandmother lived in the 3rd oldest house in York county and behind it there was a complete village of stone walls and foundations. Incidentally the road in front of the house was originally a trolley track. I no longer live in Maine but here in northern NH I have found many old works like mines, quarries, logging railroads etc. I love to explore them all. There is a quarry near my eastern border that was used for my great great grandfathers house foundation. There is also a cellar hole from the civil war time when the man who lived there left and never came back. Thanks again.
@billwindsor42247 ай бұрын
Wow! I never would have guessed that the history of stone walls (and the agricultural development and economics of farming and forestry in Maine) would be so interesting! Excellent job on this; thank you! 🏆🏆
@lesliestrout51217 ай бұрын
New England has been my home for about 20 years, and one thing I really enjoy is discovering stone walls when we walk through the woods. You know it's New England when you see rocks and beaver lodges!
@GaryRayeАй бұрын
Always a great place to hunt Partridge, follow Deer trails. I have seen many Pine Marten, Fisher, Weasels and everything they hunt in and around stone walls. Born in 1947 and they have drawn me to them all around Maine.
@Mjp747 ай бұрын
I look at all the walls running through the woods of Connecticut and always wondered about the people who built them. Awesome video!
@heavymetalpermaculture6 ай бұрын
Well, the tribes who built them in CT are not the same tribes that built them in ME....
@ellicooper23234 ай бұрын
Our property in Albion, Maine had several stone walls. As children we loved to examine the stones because, even though we lived in central Maine, about 30 miles north-east of Augusta, we found loads of sea shell fossils. Many hours spent wondering how they got there.
@lukehorning34046 ай бұрын
That is really interesting and we are lucky to have them
@louislakey8087 ай бұрын
I live in central/west Jersey and these litter the woods surrounding my house. I’ve always wondered about them and could never imagine finding such an informative video on the topic, let alone the prevalence of these rock walls in the NE area.
@VINTERIUM..EXPLORIUM.14 ай бұрын
👍👍
@OldBrownDog6 ай бұрын
Cattle lanes are very cool to see
@desip667 ай бұрын
I'm from Montreal in Quebec, which is just north of New England, and I spent my childhood running around on walls like these. I grew up in a suburb that was gradually spreading out into what had previously been Farm fields, and if you headed out in any direction you'd be Crossing one of these walls.
@tomb504dog6 ай бұрын
The discovery of oil for home heating was also a huge factor in the reforestation of Maine.
@Ryan7137 ай бұрын
My sister lives in Maine, and this video is good evidence of how exciting Maine can be.
@KerplakistandanАй бұрын
Stone walls are a part of life in New England. I have one in my front yard. They're something we take for granted.
@patthibs7416 күн бұрын
I live in southern Quebec, about one hour from Maine and Vermont, and we too have many stone walls scattered in the woods and in mountains as well. Thank you for the interesting video explaining the origin.
@ileneeoАй бұрын
They are fascinating when imagining the original walls and the variety of use; all built for practical purposes .
@NathanHarrison77 ай бұрын
Thank you very much for sharing your research and experience on this topic with us. It was one of the first things I admired when we moved to the TriState area from San Diego, California.
@TheApacheTrail7 ай бұрын
Growing up in Massachusetts 45 minutes south of Boston we had stone walls everywhere.
@dougbennett96856 ай бұрын
Lovely, lovely filmography and thought provoking testimony. Here's to a revival of dry stone architecture
@VINTERIUM..EXPLORIUM.14 ай бұрын
👍👍
@gregoryhatt64754 ай бұрын
I live in the woods, central Maine. We have numerous old stone walls with mammoth glacial rocks, peppered with huge piles of basketball-sized rocks. I imagine many of these were stacked by hand, and the larger ones moved with animals. I've also found several large rocks that were deliberately cut, with lines of holes still visible. I often think of the amount of effort it all must have taken. It is a beautiful place to spend time.
@NY516637 ай бұрын
I'm from New York and hike in Maine from time to time. I've always been fascinated by the stone walls. This is great
@leeinwis7 ай бұрын
NYC !
@krunguspungus23767 ай бұрын
Super cool! I'm from the Mid-Atlantic, so not New England but close, & we have some stone walls as well in my township. I didn't know they were really a New England (& evidently New England adjacent) thing, I just figured they were most places, but now that I think about it, I never saw any when I lived in the Northwest. Even if it's not a Jersey thing per se, it still instills a certain regional pride in me to learn that these things I see everyday & walk over without a second thought are actually such a unique aspect of the local history
@trevorcorey49177 ай бұрын
What a great, clear and concise explanation of the stone wall phenomenon. I’m in Massachusetts and I’m blessed to have a stone wall in my backyard patch of woods (most likely deforested at some point).
@carltonharvey38185 ай бұрын
I always feel my walk in the woods is complete when I "find" a stone wall. Like you, I try to imagine it being built and for what purpose. You mention that they are in constant flux. They are also in constant decline. All the organisms living on them break the stone down to sand and mixed with organic material becomes soil. Thank you for posting this extremely interesting story.
@jrjubach7 ай бұрын
I have no connection to Maine whatsoever, but this is so very interesting. This lady knows her stuff.
@SamhainBeАй бұрын
Practicality and permanence...the way we use to think, and live, and look how beautiful that was...
@BlackSkyentertainment7 ай бұрын
Definitely interesting to drive down the highways and see what type of local stone is around. We have always loved them…and built several.
@VINTERIUM..EXPLORIUM.14 ай бұрын
👍👍
@NecroBurt6 ай бұрын
Symbols of years and years of work. I think they’re beautiful.
@davesbainrps69095 ай бұрын
They don’t rot for boundaries
@inthewoods94707 ай бұрын
Im metal detecting every weekend all over new england, NH, ME, VT, MA, CT . I love the stonewalls and stone work I find in the woods. We find many historical finds, from George Washington buttons to early axes and spanish silver are found near stonewalls. And your in the woods.
@johngore77447 ай бұрын
That was really cool. I love history. Thanks. Cheers from Montreal
@nathanedwards24018 ай бұрын
This is what Maine PBS should be!!!!
@RichardRyan-p5cАй бұрын
Totally agree
@bingflosby7 ай бұрын
I grew up in Rhode island we have such cool rock walls and streets and sidewalks
@groyper65677 ай бұрын
My old house on depot st in north Attleboro it’s the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. It had an abandoned railway that extended into Pawtucket, and it was once a dairy farm. We learned that it was from a baler gathering hay into bales in our back yard. Also recall that same stone wall surrounding the area
@dougjenks6954Ай бұрын
I loved hiking in Maine and finding old stone walls!
@jskaye-fn8mk7 ай бұрын
Beautifully shot. Well written. Production values were over the top. Kudos!
@badsawww7 ай бұрын
I'm a CT resident and hiker. There are so many rock walls out in the woods it's just a part of the landscape. I like the different degrees of sophistication and speculating what came first. I always wondered what the forests were like prior to deforestation
@troyprince47757 ай бұрын
Ancient, but native Americans also changed landscapes pretty significantly themselves.
@O6i6 ай бұрын
This goes up north through vermont into canada quebecs eastern townships as well. When farmers cleared their fields they used the stones to set their property lines.
@Snap-TimeАй бұрын
I feel so lucky to have on of these beautiful stone walls surrounding my house.
@DarleneZagura7 ай бұрын
Thank you for the informative video. We are in Connecticut and have an abundance of stone walls that are beautiful.
@justinreilly17 ай бұрын
One thing not to love is they are perfect tick habitat and shelter.
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
...plus mine acts as a wagon road between the walls of opposing fields. The forest has reclaimed it so, naturally, it is now a game trail. Super constant source of ticks and an even better place for them to wait for their next host. I have all the diseases...probably.
@Calatriste54Ай бұрын
After visiting in late September. The number of rock walls we saw was noted. Thanks! Loved it.
@jonathandorr22347 ай бұрын
Central Franklin County, central Massa-choose-its, here. In the Quabbin Valley/Pioneer Valley town of Wendell, state forest, stone walls throughout. My 1.8 acre has 3’ tall /wide walls on 3 sides, used for livestock, in the 1880’s, and not built upon til, 1965.
@mara2357 ай бұрын
Thank you, this was wonderful!
@djsltx43786 ай бұрын
Very awesome piece! I've always wondered why there are so many in the New England area. Now I know!!
@richardross72197 ай бұрын
Good video. I'm in NE CT. Same here. Most wall building stopped after, the summer that never was, and many moved to Ohio. The parallel walls were also to delineate public roads. My town road is 2 rods(33') wide and was deeded to the town before the revolution. In the northern part of our town is a section of the old Kings Highway that is 3 rods wide. It is overgrown but protected. My major advisor in Grad School(UCONN) did a study on stonewall dams. Building the stone wall and back filling it saved time for the builders before there was powered construction equipment. Read some of Eric Sloanes' books about early New England for an interesting and relaxing read. Good Luck, Rick
@phdtobe7 ай бұрын
Fascinating!
@CowbopBeBoy7 ай бұрын
I never knew this was primarily a New England thing. I just assumed any place in the USA with rocky soil had them. Very cool.
@dannymccarty6680Ай бұрын
A SALUTE to your homework! Fascinating. Similar stone walls are scattered through out the Texas hill country. They’ve been around long enough that their placement reflects a former landscape that has eroded away since when the walls were built over a hundred years ago. A hundred years has a noticeable effect on terrains and land forms!
@loiseldridge57017 ай бұрын
Oh how I miss Maine, the people …. and USM. The happiest days of my life….
@MrRikki52b6 ай бұрын
I live in rural Connecticut and our property was once a field for farming. We are surrounded by stone walls. Our property came with ready-made fencing.
@joetech40547 ай бұрын
I live in the Catskills of New York and have always been fascinated by stone walls. I always thought the two parallel walls were for wagons (early roads). Thanks for the great overview!
@pbear2167 ай бұрын
That's because they are and she is mostly wrong in this video
@MrJenten107 ай бұрын
There was an article in the NY Times years ago and it described how a portion of stone wall had to be taken down for access to remove some trees here in Connecticut,, the homeowner who was described as "handy" attempted to rebuild the wall after the tree work was completed and the article documented how the homeowner tried unsuccessfully numerous times to rebuild the wall which was originally laid up by hand all of 100 years ago,, finally they located an old farmer who came in and put the stones back perfectly
@daveyconcrete98017 ай бұрын
Great presentation and Great to see Professor Laz. I took a few of her sociology courses at USM in the mid 90's.
@studiohost4 ай бұрын
Very informative and interesting. Thanks
@rig-zagКүн бұрын
My backyard is on the edge of an old granite quarry (which is now a nature preserve with 20+ miles of trails) and all the house on my side of the street have or had rock walls running along their property lines. Maine soil in stony enough as it is, but I discovered the hard way (while digging multiple pet graves) that the entire area around the old quarry is like trying to dig through underground rock walls. I ended up with far more rocks than dirt as I dug, and used the leftover stones for large cairns or markers.
@larrymcgill55087 ай бұрын
When I was stationed in New England a very common sense explanation I learned from the locals, was that that the stones reappeared each spring being forced up frozen thaw. The farm folks would have to go out into their fields each spring and remove the newly upthrust stones before they could cultivate the land for produce or livestock husbandry. Of course, they would take the stones to their nearest boundary or section line and stack them thereby creating fences or boundary lines to keep most pesky critters out of their fields. Though rare today, there were many land titles that relied on these stone edifices for deeding surveys.
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
It is the boundary of my property.
@kathy68037 ай бұрын
I have a lot of stone walls on my NW Pennsylvanian hilltop. And sometimes piles of stones, too.this land was settled in mid to late 1800s, and the rocks are smaller, but they are otherwise very similar to new englands' walls.
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
I have walls that look very similar to this but they put all the small ones in the middle.
@BeardedKayakFishing7 ай бұрын
Lots of those here in CT too. See lots from highway and around in the woods.
@AtomicPeacenik4 ай бұрын
Brilliant video. Wonderful presenter.
@maddog65426 ай бұрын
Southeast Missouri woods are full of these walls too. Pretty cool
@Scrap50007 ай бұрын
There's miles of stone walls in Upper Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, and several other counties in NY.
@bee_ron7 ай бұрын
Thanks for showing . Chipmunks love those walls you're saying. Do deers and mooses and bears love them too? I wonder.
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
Mine acts as a wagon road between the walls separating two fields. The forest has reclaimed it so, naturally, it is now a game trail. Deer super hwy...no moose here in PA...but I'm sure they'd love it.
@joekulik9997 ай бұрын
I grew up in Springfield MA & our 7th grade Social Studies teacher in 1961 told us that at the time Cows still outnumbered People in the state of New Hampshire.
@inthewoods94707 ай бұрын
I looked around, I think they still do.
@ScarlettFire3416 ай бұрын
Cow Hampshire
@heavymetalpermaculture6 ай бұрын
Stone structures were here long before any Europeans or cows were...
@bradfordrobinson5687 ай бұрын
I was just back (home) Maine last month for my honeymoon and i explained to my wife all about the stone walls! Weird timing!. Love it. Thank you!
@thefpvlife778522 күн бұрын
Fascinating. She surely educated me.
@iansan7656 ай бұрын
“It’s got a long rock wall with a big oak tree at the north end. It’s like something out of a Robert Frost poem. It’s where I asked my wife to marry me. We went there for a picnic and made love under that oak and I asked and she said yes. Promise me, Red. If you ever get out… find that spot. At the base of that wall, you’ll find a rock that has no earthly business in a Maine hayfield. Piece of black, volcanic glass. There’s something buried under it I want you to have.”
@renehaugen85076 ай бұрын
This! Thanks so much my girlfriend and I always comment on the walls
@greendeane17 ай бұрын
I grew up in Pownal and climbed Bradbury Mountain many times. There was a huge sand ridge behind the house I grew up in, and it was obvious that it was used as a source of sand. And, across the street was a private quarry, (now filled in.) It was a source of large step stones and foundations for houses and the one-room school in town.
@dfestoon7 ай бұрын
Stone walls are all over New England, not just Maine. Stone walls were built as land was cleared. Early land owners and surveyors were extremely accurate laying out boundaries using rudimentary tools.
@dimitri19467 ай бұрын
Thank you oh rock wall builders of the past for the stone walls in Newcastle that I picked over for rocks to face off the chimney in my house. A stone mason's ratio for stone selection is about 10 to 1, i.e. for every 1 stone used you have to have about 10 to pick from.
@MateoQuixote7 ай бұрын
So fascinating. What an intriguing part of American history just sitting out in the open and probably not super well known
@on-the-pitch-p3w7 ай бұрын
Well these stone walls are all over the place in Europe. 😂
@robertc7837 ай бұрын
Someone farmed there for sustenance. Usually built by Irish paupers. Most of the 17th & 18th century. The northern new England towns largest crop was Potash. Which was exported to grease the wheels and cogs of the wool and blossoming cotton industries. Many towns had Irish "laborers" that lived on the far outskirts of the villages. Potash cauldrons were imported from England. Potash is the product of cooking trees in massive cast iron cooking pots. A mix of readily available birch, maple, oak, and other hardwoods would be cooked down to ash.
@MrXaeb7 ай бұрын
I grew up in eastern Maine on my grandparents farm and there were, and still are, stone walls all over the 100 acre farm. They were generally just inside the wooded areas around the hay fields, presumably picked from what were originally blueberry fields in the long distant past. I made some interesting finds in the refuse piles that often accompanied the stone piles and walls. Glass bottles, old metal tools and I even found an old Ford Model T that a large pine tree had grown up through.
@MainePublic7 ай бұрын
It's honestly amazing what you can find in Maine's woods🌲
@stephencarmichael51566 ай бұрын
Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England by Cronon is a good read for such matters of NE
@johneric38864 ай бұрын
Nice little documentary.
@shirleyk60097 ай бұрын
Iam a Fin living in Maine all my life most stone walls have a 3ft. Deep Base where they put all the small rocks that’s why they have stood the test of time
@ScarlettFire3416 ай бұрын
Because they are more ancient than she describes !
@AndyDrake-FOOKYT6 ай бұрын
I noticed this in PA. I thought I had an endless supply of large stones right where I wanted them...but it's just a one layer cladding. I didn't want to destroy as much wall as was going to be necessary to get the quantity of stones I needed...plus I was going to have to haul them much farther. I wonder what the process was. I guess they just built 2 walls close to each other and then filled the center with the small ones to lock them together as it built up? Also a good way to use up the small ones that normally wouldn't be structurally useful.
@Pukkpukkpukk7 ай бұрын
The first generation of settlers needed to take the stones out of the land to make way for crops. But as New englanders know the stones keep coming to the surface.
@heavymetalpermaculture6 ай бұрын
Stone walls were here long before any tourists from Europe came here...
@TIOCI_07 ай бұрын
This is so awesome!!
@GeoffBosco7 ай бұрын
Born and raised in and never left CT. I was today years old when I learned of the sheep connection.
@heavymetalpermaculture6 ай бұрын
There's no 'sheep' connection', these walls were here long before any sheep or people were imported from Europe. This video seems like racist colonial erasure of native history.
@kaiserschnitzel897 ай бұрын
I really wish I could have done something different with my life. Studying stone walls sounds like a LOT more fun than what I do.
@blakeanderson39867 ай бұрын
Very nicely done. Informative and interesting. I enjoyed the background music. Is it something I can down load from the internet so I can listen to it? If so, please point me in the right direction.
@juliacameron1449Ай бұрын
Would love your take on the Mystery Stone Walls in Halifax, Nova Scotia! Interesting!
@lieslceleste33956 ай бұрын
There all over the lower Hudson valley too.
@loquat44-407 ай бұрын
I agree that most of the stone walls were built by european settler farmers. But there are claims that there were earlier walls that were there prior to the arrival of the Europeans. I have not seen any peer review archeologists supporting these claims except for some of the ancient arranged stones associated with the ancient red paint people habitations and burials that are found near shore lines.
@heavymetalpermaculture6 ай бұрын
Hardly any of the stone walls here were built by Europeans....
@MDR-hn2yz18 күн бұрын
Really cool. I have always wondered why some of these stone walls are in the middle of nowhere.