Stone Walls and Stone Bridges
Dutchess Rail Trail sign about stone walls. CLICK HERE for larger view
It might seem there is no rhyme or reason to the placement of stone walls you may see
at various points along the trail. Some of these stone walls or “fences” date back to the
early 18th century and are associated with the farms that made up much of Dutchess
County.
Fall view of the woods and stone wall off the Dutchess Rail Trail
Photo: Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development
Stone walls were used to demark old patent and boundary lines, to enclose farmers’
pastures and fields, to outline or lead to great estates, to protect churchyards, and to
line roadways. Stone walls delineated pastures, gardens, and farm lanes, and also
protected fields from the winds of summer.
Early stone fences in the County were probably the result of clearing the fields of stone
to plant crops, hence the name “fieldstone” fences. Stones were an economical method
of using the materials that resulted from clearing the land. Many farm field fences are
dry wall fences, meaning no mortar was used; the weight of the stones holds the wall
together. It was not until the early 19th century that skilled masons came to the New
York area, and not until the late 19th century when Dutchess County became an area of
large estates, and the many wealthy families created a demand for elaborate stone
walls created by skilled stone workers.
Stone benches in East Fishkill
Photo: Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development
Stone was also used early on to build railroad bridges, many of which still carry trains
today. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that iron and steel were the preferred materials for
bridge construction.
Stones from an abandoned bridge abutment from the original Maybrook Railroad Line
have been reused and repurposed all along the Dutchess Rail Trail. These stones now
serve as natural benches along the trail, offering places to rest and take a scenic break.
They have also been used for trailhead dedications and as markers for the Veterans
Memorial Mile, a one-mile segment of the trail dedicated to our veterans.
The Morgan Lake Trailhead honors former Commissioner of
Public Works, Michael P. Murphy
Photo: Katie Carille
For more information:
Horse High, Sheep Tight, and Hog Proof, The Stone Walls of Dutchess County, New
York, Dr. Bruce R. Buckley, Architectural Folklorist and Donald Mc Ternan, Architectural
Historian.
dutchesscountytrails.com