STONE WALL REPAIR ON AQUIDNECK ISLAND
Preserve Rhode Island and the Preservation Society of Newport County, have partnered on the Aquidneck Stone Wall Initiative to protect and improve the Island's historic and scenic quality through its historic stone walls. Stone walls are visible reminders of the Island's rural agricultural history and contribute to its sense of place, especially as they line well-traveled roads and frame views of historic farms and open space.
The pilot project grew out of a 2017 survey of historic buildings and structures - such as stone walls - which was conducted jointly by PRI and PSNC in 2017. The survey identified many historic stone walls on the Island, some of which are overgrown or have fallen into disrepair.
From 2020 onward, Preserve RI and PSNC have run a volunteer work program for the Aquidneck Stone Wall Initiative at Glen Farm in Portsmouth, RI and Norman Bird Sanctuary (NBS) in Middletown, RI. Glen Farm, a Town-owned historic property, and NBS, a bird sanctuary, nature preserve, environmental education center, and museum, both have miles of stone walls with many sections in disrepair. Under the direction of master stone waller Robert Faraone, volunteers are taught the art and craft of dry laid stone masonry and contribute to the repair of historic landscapes along the way.
A grant from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation supports training a corps of volunteers to repair stone walls, iconic historical landscape features, on Aquidneck Island.
Video of stone wall repair in progress - Autumn 2019
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