Discovering New England Stone Walls with Kevin Gardner

For more than forty years, Kevin Gardner has been a stone wall builder in a family business widely known for traditional New England stonework, particularly for historic restoration of antique structures. In 2001, Kevin published The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls.
Kevin will give an informal talk, co-sponsored by the Charlemont Historical Society and the Tyler Memorial Library, covering a few of the main topics of his book, including history, technique, stylistic development, and aesthetics. He will explain how and why New England came to acquire its thousands of miles of stone walls, the ways in which they and other dry stone structures were built, how their styles emerged and changed over time, and their significance to the famous New England landscape. Other topics may include: differences in approach between historical and contemporary wall-builders, restoration tips and techniques, and information about design, acquisition of materials, preservation, and analysis.
There will be a generous question-and-answer period, during which listeners are encouraged to bring up specific problems or projects on their own properties. Along the way, Kevin will occupy himself building a miniature wall or walls on a tabletop, using tiny stones from a five-gallon bucket.