Stone Wall Building Workshop, Saturday, October 18, and Sunday, October 19.
The Colchester Historical Society will host a two-day Stone Wall Building Workshop on October 18 -19 at the Old Covered Bridge Cemetery in Downsville. Preservationist stone mason Pat Ryan will conduct the workshop.
The workshop lasts two days, from 10:00 to 3:00, with a lunch break in the middle. Approximately 30 feet of the double-sided cemetery wall will be rebuilt. Ryan says,” On the first day, participants may decide to stay later than 3:00 because they are having so much fun. The second day will end when we finish building the wall, so it will probably be earlier than 3:00.
Students from Downsville Central School will be participating. Adults will be paired with students to complete the wall building. The workshop will begin with a half-hour explanation of the stone wall building process and a brief overview of its history. We then spend an hour or so tearing down the old stone wall and organizing the stones. Everyone will work together to set all the base stones at the bottom of the wall. Once the base stones are in place, we will be ready to begin construction. Each person gets one side of a ten-foot section of wall to work on. While people are building their individual sections, Ryan will supervise and assist people individually. At the end of the second day, we will all work together again to put the top capstones on the wall.
All participants should have gloves, work boots, and safety glasses. And if anyone has their own stone hammer or a “bullet level” they want to bring, that would be helpful.
This workshop is free for Colchester residents. If space is available, people from outside Colchester may attend with a free-will offering. This workshop is funded through a grant from the Delaware County Historical Association.
Lunch, water, and snacks will be provided.
Please message me to register or call 607-363-7303. Please leave your name and phone number so I can confirm your reservation.
Also check out other Workshops in Downsville.
