The Dry Stone Conservancy Photo Gallery

DSC/NYDOT Seminar, Stone Arch Bridge Assessments - Herkimer Co, NY. August 2007.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:40:36 -0400

Description will be posted soon! Please visit again. (11/10/07)

Recent DSC Demonstration at Preservation Trades Network Rendezvous in Frankfort, KY - Riverview Entrance Sign. July 1-4, 2009.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:39:09 -0400

This demostration project was built by Conservancy craftsmen during the Preservation Trades Network Rendezvous held at Riverview Park in Frankfort Kentucky on July 2-4, 2009. The Rendezvous included several hands-on demonstrations of various traditional building trades including drystone masonry, timber framing, scribing, slate roofing, etc. The Conservancy was asked to build "something different" for the Park's entry sign. So, we designed a planter that showcases various types of rock fences found in Kentucky while also evoking the image of a boat on the river! Two introductory lectures were given and the public was invited to try their hand helping with the build.

DSC Project - Camp Ripley Cemetery & National Guard Training Facility Entrance Walls. Little Falls, MN. Aug-Oct 2009.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:06:31 -0400

Project description and more photos coming soon! (9/8/09)

Ongoing DSC 2009 Spring Workshops and Volunteer Work Days. April-June, 2009.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:01:07 -0400

This album contains a few photos from each of the Conservancy's spring 2009 workshops and volunteer work days in Virginia and Kentucky. Workshops give participants an opportunity to learn how to build rock fences while raising awareness of historic fences, the craft and correct restoration techniques.

Ongoing DSC/NPS Training Partnership - Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, PA, Phase 2. May 2009.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:36:59 -0400

This is the second of now three phases of training/ restoration efforts involving the East Headrace at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in eastern Pennsylvania. The partnership is the third task order associated with DSC's five-year cooperative agreement with the Northeast Region Office of the National Park Service. Phase Two included a week-end workshop for Volunteers-in-the-Park and three week-long training sessions for high school students at several regional VoTech high schools. All the sessions include a brief classroom introduction with DSC and NPS staff teaching preservation standards, NPS philosophy and maintenance practices, the history of Hopewell Furnace and the fundamentals of drystone masonry . . . followed by hands-on training while restoring the east headrace retaining wall. The headrace was originally built in the late 1800's but inappropriately "restored" in the late 1930's. During the training, the wall was carefully dismantled and rebuilt, correcting several faults while preserving the character-defining features of the original workmanship. More than forty people took part during Phase Two and restored more than 100 linear feet of 5-foot tall wall! Check back this summer for an announcement about opportunities for YOU to take a workshop at this great historic site this fall!

DSC Summer & Fall 2008 Workshops. July-October, 2008.

Fri, 22 May 2009 13:00:49 -0400

This album contains a few photos from each of the Conservancy's summer and fall 2008 workshops in Vermont, Virginia, and Kentucky. Workshops give participants an opportunity to learn how to build rock fences while raising awareness of historic fences, the craft and correct restoration techniques. Thank you to our workshop partners at the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre VT, the City of Dayton VA, Yew Dell Gardens in Louisville KY, Aullwood Garden in Dayton OH, Maker's Mark Distillery in Nelson County KY, and Shaker Village in Mercer County KY. Thanks also to the hundreds of workshop participants this year who helped restore important historic structures in their communities!

DSC Project, Hillsboro Road Stone Wall Reconstruction - Franklin, TN. March-June 2008.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:58:20 -0400

This reconstruction project involves rebuilding more than 1,000 linear feet of historic stone wall that was destroyed a few years ago when the roadway was widened. The original stone was salvaged by local preservation-minded people and stored at a county facility while funding was secured for it to be rebuilt. All the historic stone is being used in the new wall . . . along with some new stone for structural improvements (foundations, ties and covers) that were missing from the original wall design. Williamson County is the project sponsor, with 80% of the funding provided by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

DSC Spring 2008 Workshops and Volunteer Work Days. April-June 2008.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:58:02 -0400

This album includes a few photos from each of the Conservancy's 2008 workshops and volunteer work days. Hands-on training is a popular choice for drystone enthusiasts. Four workshops and three volunteer work days have been/will be offered this spring in Kentucky as well as another in Tennessee. Workshops give participants an opportunity to learn how to build drystone walls while raising awareness of historic fences, the craft and correct restoration techniques. Volunteer work days give previous workshop participants an opportunity to continue under the tutelage of Conservancy-trained instructors while donating their time restoring important historic fences in Central Kentucky. Thank you to our spring 2008 workshop partners at T.B White Historic Farmsted in Boyle County KY, Hebron Church Cemetery in Anderson County KY, and Shaker Village in Mercer County KY.

DSC/NPS Training Partnership - Roebling Aqueduct Retaining Wall, Phase 2. April/May 2008.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:57:47 -0400

For a full description of the Conserancy's partnership with the National Park Service at the Roebling Aqueduct site, read the November 2007 photo album below. Phase 2 involved two weeks of final site work to remove the temporary soil bench at the base of the wall and to rebuild two drainage culverts to match the historic stonework. In early April the Conservancy was presented with a Special Recognition Award from the Upper Delaware Council of New York and Pennsylvania for �masonry restoration craftwork at the NPS Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River Corwin Barn and Roebling Delaware Aqueduct properties�. The award was accompanied by a State of New York State Legislative Resolution. For the full text of the award presentation, go to our forum "Conservancy News" site.

DSC Project, Jail Alley Wall - Fredericksburg, VA. January 2008.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:57:15 -0400

This project with the City of Fredericksburg involves rehabilitation of two relatively simple retaining walls. The first wall is approximately 20 feet long by 10 feet tall; the second is 15 feet long by 4 feet tall. Although the wall reconstruction is straightforward, this project is greatly complicated by limited site access, overhead utilities, unknown conditions behind the wall, and the need to coordinate with court schedules and another contractor on site. It's a great example of why a site visit is required before submitting a quote!

DSC/NPS Training Partnership, Roebling Aqueduct Retaining Wall - Minisink Ford, New York. Nov 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:57:01 -0400

This is the second training/restoration task order in the Conservancy's five-year cooperative agreement with the Northeast Regional Office of the National Park Service. The partnership includes training on preservation standards, philosophy and maintenance practices as well as practical drystone masonry skills development.

A primary focus will be to reconstruct a 30-foot high historic drystone retaining wall adjacent to the Delaware Aqueduct that was destroyed during the catestrophic 2005 Delaware River floods. The reconstructed wall will be approximately 50 feet long and built with massive stone slabs that require machinery for lifting into place.

The Delaware Aqueduct is reputedly the oldest suspension bridge in the USA, and is included on the Historic American Engineering Record. Built in the mid-1840's and designed by the now-famous bridge engineer John A. Roebling, the Aqueduct originally carried the Delaware & Hudson Canal over the unpredictable waters of the Delaware River. In 1898 it was converted into a highway toll bridge, a function it continues to serve today.

This important engineering structure is managed by the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a unit of the National Park Service.

More photos will be posted in Spring 2008 when the final site work is completed. (12/12/07)

DSC/NPS Training Partnership, Upper Delaware SRR @ Roebling Aqueduct - Minisink Ford, NY. Oct/Nov 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:56:39 -0400

A vital aspect of the Conservancy's restoration partnership with the National Park Service is to provide NPS staff with hands-on training in drystone masonry construction. NPS staff from as far away as Hawaii and Yosemite joined local staff from Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York for a week-long training course at the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River. The first day focused on preservation and mainenence philosophy, followed by the fundamental techniques involved in drystone retaining wall construction. A low retaining wall adjacent to the bridge site was the initial site for the introductory skills training. After the first two-days, participants rotated onto the "big wall" site for continued instruction with the reconstruction team.

DSC/NPS Partnership, Corwin Barn Foundation Wall Repairs, Phase II - Barryville, New York. April 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:56:06 -0400

The historic Corwin Barn, a cultural resource managed by the NPS Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, sustained significant damage during three recent floods. This phase completed the foundation wall repairs to the adjacent shed, including carefully dismantling and rebuilding the walls while preserving character-defining features of the historic workmanship.

DSC Project, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Retaining Wall Restoration - Akron, Ohio. July/August 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:55:43 -0400

The Conservancy�s national partnerships this year included restoration of several hundred feet of historic drystone retaining walls along a carriage path at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Ohio. Translated as "stone quarry", the Stan Hywet estate was built in an early 1900�s; the grounds were designed by landscape architect Warren Manning. The estate is Akron�s only National Historic Landmark and one of the Save America�s Treasures projects.

DSC Project, Settlement-Period Cave / Spring Retaining Wall Reconstruction - Perryville, KY. Oct 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:55:20 -0400

DSC-certified drystone masons recently completed another Conservancy-led project in Kentucky to reconstruct the historic retaining walls that originally surrounded this important settlement-period cave/spring site in Perryville, Kentucky. The Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association partnered with the Conservancy to reconstruct the walls, which had been inadvertently demolished earlier in the year. Thankfully, the original stone was still on site and historic photographs were available to guide the reconstruction work. An introductory workshop for local residents was also offered at the cave site, and several volunteers from the community were able to participate in the restoration efforts.
More photos of the project will be posted in early 2008! Please visit again. (12/12/07)

DSC Workshops and Volunteer Work Days in KY, TN, OH, WI, MN and NY. Spring/Fall 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:54:59 -0400

This album includes a few photos from each of the Conservancy's 2007 workshops and volunteer work days. Hands-on training is a popular choice for drystone enthusiasts. Nine workshops and seven volunteer work days were offered in Kentucky this year as well as six others in Ohio, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York. Workshops give participants an opportunity to learn how to build drystone walls while raising awareness of historic fences, the craft and correct restoration techniques. Wolunteer work days give previous workshop participants an opportunity to continue under the tutelage of Conservancy-trained instructors while donating their time restoring important historic fences in Central Kentucky.
Thank you to all the participants, coordinators and instructors; our Kentucky site partners at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Mercer County, John Jacob Niles Homestead in Clark County, University of Kentucky Animal Research Farm in Woodford County, the Perryville Cave/Spring site, and Holy Rosary Church in Washington County; and our national preservation partners at the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York, Voyageurs National Park in Minnessota, Evansville City Park in Wisconsin, Aullwood Garden in Ohio and Rest Haven Cemetery in Franklin and Travellers Rest Plantation & Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
Thanks especially to the 250 participants whose efforts are responsible for restoring more than 750 feet of historic fences and retaining walls this year! Take a look and see if you can find yourself!

DSC 4th Annual Walling Competition - Shaker Village, KY. Sept 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:54:38 -0400

A beautiful fall day drew a fabulous turnout for the 4th Annual Walling Competition which was held at Shaker Village in Kentucky again this year. The competition is the only one in North America and showcases the skills of dry stone masons from all across the United States. A record number of masons (35) from eleven states traveled more than 25,000 miles to compete! By the end of the day more than 175 feet of fence had been restored. Thank you competitors, volunteers, and keystone event sponsors: Momentum Data Solutions, Tahoma Stud, Trow and Holden, Brown-Forman, Cee-Jay Tools, Sellersburg Stone, Video Editing Services, Keith Foster and Beaumont Inn.

DSC/MaineDOT Consultation, Bailey Island Bridge. August 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:54:10 -0400

The Conservancy was invited by the Maine SHPO and Department of Transportation to provide technical guidance on stone masonry repairs for this major 3-year rehabilitation project that will go out to bid this winter. Bailey Island Bridge was built in the early 1920's, using native granite "cribstones" and no mortar! It is the only known cribstone bridge in the entire world!

DSC/KyTC Partnership, Double Stone-Arch Culvert Repair - Jessamine Co, KY. March 2007.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:52:00 -0400

A DSC partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the University of Kentucky Transportation Research Center to repair a damaged stone arch culvert on a roadway leading to a historic milling complex. The culvert displays three periods of construction/alteration. The dry-laid abutments at the streambanks were originally built in the late 18thC or early 19thC, supporting a timber span bridge. After many washouts, the timber was replaced with a central pier and two stone-arch vaults sometime in the mid to late 1800's, effectively raising the roadbed above the more frequent floods. The barrels were lengthened in the early to mid 1900s to accommodate a wider roadway, however the stone used and construction methods were inferior. The culvert was damaged two years ago when the driver of a "Mac" truck misjudged the curve, sending his trailer over the edge into the stream below. The decision was made to repair the culvert by removing the inferior 20thC work, and replacing it with stonework to match the original stone-arch construction.

Recent DSC/KyTC Partnership. Johnson Creek Covered Bridge Abutments, Robertson County Kentucky. March 2009.

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:50:15 -0400

This is the Conservancy's forth of seven covered bridge abutment restoration/training projects in partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (see previous albums for Goddard, Bennetts Mill and Switzer Covered Bridges). As the timber contractor (Arnold Graton) completes his timber restoration work, the Conservancy is repairing the historic drystone abutment wingwalls as well as adding new drystone approach ramps to accommodate the new bridge elevation (the bridge was raised a few feet to avoid frequent floods). We were also asked to remove the central pier that was added several decades after the bridge was built, when the timberwork began to sag. Check back often, new photos will be posted as it happens! (updated 4/8/09)

Ongoing DSC Partnership. Lexington / University of Kentucky Arboretum, Childrens Garden Project. March - Sept 2009.

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:25:56 -0400

This community project for the Children's Garden at the Lexington / University of Kentucky Arboretum is benefiting from the donation of expertise, time, materials and services from a number of local volunteers, design firms, companies and organizations. The Conservancy was asked to locate inexpensive sources of stone from across the state and to install five geologic features that depict the different geology and physiographic regions of Kentucky. This spring we will build the Bluegrass Overlook, Knob and Seeping Springs features. Later this summer and fall we will install the Kentucky River Palisades and Western Kentucky Cave features. As the summer progresses, others will be installing various water features, plantings and additional hardscape. (updated 3/24/09)

Ongoing DSC/NPS Training Partnership at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, PA. Oct-Nov 2008 & May 2009.

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:27:22 -0500

This is the first of two phases of training/ restoration efforts involving the East Headrace at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in eastern Pennsylvania. The partnership is the third task order associated with DSC's five-year cooperative agreement with the Northeast Region Office of the National Park Service. Phase One included a week-end workshop for Volunteers-in-the-Park, three week-long training sessions for high school students at several regional VoTech high schools, and a week-long session for NPS staff nationwide. All the sessions include a brief classroom introduction with DSC and NPS staff teaching preservation standards, NPS philosophy and maintenance practices, the history of Hopewell Furnace and the fundamentals of drystone masonry . . . followed by hands-on training while restoring the east headrace retaining wall. The headrace was originally built in the late 1800's but inappropriately "restored" in the late 1930's. The wall was carefully dismantled and rebuilt, correcting several faults while preserving the character-defining features of the original workmanship. More than 55 people took part during Phase One and restored more than 130 linear feet of 5-foot tall wall! Check back in May 2009 for photos of Phase Two.

DSC's 5th Annual National Walling Competition. October 4, 2008.

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:25:12 -0500

The 5th Annual National Dry Stone Walling Competition was held at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Mercer County Kentucky again this year, and attracted competitors from KY, TN, VA, SC, NJ, OH, IN, IA, TX and WA as well as one from Scotland! All in all, 38 people traveled more than 35,000 miles round trip to compete in this year�s event . . . and restored over 200 linear feet of historic fence in only 8 hours!

Getting Up Close and Personal!

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:52:09 -0500

DSC's Spring 2008 Introductory Workshops

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:39:45 -0400

DSC's Spring 2008 Volunteer Work Days

Mon, 19 May 2008 15:45:46 -0400