Try "Reading the Forested Landscape" by Tom Wessels - Countryman Press .
This book has a section on dating stone walls and is very cool otherwise
-----Original Message-----
From: Candice Brashears <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 9:34 PM
Subject: INQ: CT stone fences


>Just thought I'd inject a little serious note now and then. I'm doing
>research on what is thought to be an 18th c. stone fence in southeastern
CT.
>It is a fully enclosed area (slope leading to wetlands) with 20th c.
>overgrowth and well treed.  The poison ivy is fierce and glacial deposition
>very evident.  It is known to have been used for sheep within the last 75
yrs
>and likely to have had animals kept there further in the past.  There are
two
>gate openings (no gates left) (1 on the N. wall and 1 on the S. wall).
Stone
>is dry laid (like the hundreds of miles of similar fences all over
>southeastern CT.
>
>Project: Historic archaeological analysis of the rather unique burial
ground
>that someone forgot about well over 100 yrs ago.  We are trying to date the
>wall (which looks to have been built by at least 3 different techniques or
>people) to see if the stone fence was built for the burial ground & when,
or
>was the burial ground put in the enclosure which was already in place.
>Associated farmhouse was built in 1769 and other associated dates may be as
>early as 1724.
>
>So....any experts on stone fences in Bullamanka?  All I know is basic wall
>construction used about that time......dig trench, fill with gravel, top
with
>heavy stone, let it settle, start picking big flat stones; Period CT law
was
>fence of 4 1/2 ft high (sometimes 5 ft)  When was this technique started,
>stopped (if it ever was) or other construction types I should look for?
Know
>of any features I could look for to date this thing?
>
>Candy Brashears
>