Abandoned Stone

Continuing on yesterday’s topic I have a reverence for stone structures. Back on the East coast the abundance of stones picked from farm fields were used to build houses and stone walls. The older homes that were built from wood usually had stone foundations. Walls in wells were made with stone. I don’t often see stone homes out here. There is one out in Lewis and Clark, and occasionally I’ll see one with a stone façade, but very few stone homes.

Heather shared the photo above with me. She and her son took a trip to Mammoth Springs, and as I wrote yesterday she loves photographing abandoned places. This photo reminds me of a structure I was always fascinated with. It was on one of my hiking routes when I lived back East.

The first amazing part of the structure was that it was back in the mountains, probably a mile from the closest farm. Though there was a stream that went by the front of the house, but the land was far too rocky and the trees too mature even a hundred years ago to have a productive garden. The word was it was a home for pregnant girls that were unmarried. I was a history nut back then and I could never find evidence of that supposition.

When I first discovered the stone structure there was no surviving wood or hardware. It had long decayed back to the earth or reused. There was no evidence of fire. The structure filled me with dreams since I could easily see the ledges where the floor joists rested. I could see where the beams that supported the second story had rested. I could see the roof line because the stones went from the ground to the peak.

The setting was perfect for someone that wanted to live in the woods and fall asleep each night to the sound of the creek out front. That person was me, but I didn’t have the resources back then to take on such a project. Fortunately if I now had the resources I think I know better than to get involves with such a project. Sometimes it’s best not to go where a construction passion leads one.