Stone Walls by Thomas Packard (1902-1975)
Written in 1962
Many times we hear people ask, “How did they build all the stone walls?” The answer is, they had the practical use for the stones, the help was available, and they had plenty of oxen to move the rocks with. Every farm had some growing boys, and usually one or two hired men. Several farms ganging up together made it a pleasant job, with plenty of rivalry between the young men and between teams of oxen. Stones had to be removed anyways. Fences had to be built.
A stone wall properly laid up four feet high was still there for a hundred years or more. After several years of such work the farms all had permanent fences that were, “sheep tight, bull strong, and horse high.” When a line wall was to be built, a surveyor was hired to lay out the line, to be sure it was exactly on the line and laid straight. Sometimes two owners had a wall divided by the surveyor, each building his portion. In such cases, each builder could dig and remove stones at a specific distance, on both sides of the wall, but not further forward than his part of the wall.
An old record of 1810 tells us of a man laying six rods of wall (approximately 100ft) in a day for 20 cents a rod; $1.20 was a good day’s pay. A carpenter at the time got fifty cents, other help was 25 cents.
Until about the time of the Civil war, a road being built was always fenced with stone walls except across swamps or through unfenced woods. So let’s remember the practical side of our own old stone walls.
Plainfield, MA, is known for its extensive network of stone walls, remnants of its agricultural past and shaping the landscape. These walls, often found alongside trails and historical sites, are a prominent feature of the town’s rural character and offer insights into its history. The Plainfield Historical Society’s “Hidden Walls, Hidden Mills” a series of self-guided tours, explores these walls and their connection to the town’s past industries.
Many of the walls are dry stone walls, meaning they are constructed without mortar, relying on the weight and interlocking of stones for stability.
Plainfield’s stone walls are more than just boundaries; they are historical artifacts, cultural symbols, and a testament to the enduring connection between the town’s past and present.