On Saturday, November 7, the Dry Stone Conservancy (DSC) celebrated its thirty-year anniversary with a “30th Birthday Group Build” at Lower Howard’s Creek Nature & Heritage Preserve in Clark County.
Dry-stone masons from around the country gathered at Lower Howard’s Creek to erect a stone memorial. The group of masons spent the day building a stone wall with a massive cairn rising in the center.
The plan came from the imagination of Russell Waddell, executive director of the conservancy. Stuart Joynt, a local stonemason, carved the rectangular center stone for the cairn on site. The tablet reads, “DSC, 2026, 30th.” The group of masons came in to work on the project from places far and wide, including California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina and elsewhere.
Other events of the day included a presentation by Jane Wooley on a DSC project at West Point, New York, that involved restoration of many stone structures dating back to the Revolutionary War. Clare Sipple led a hike to examine dry-stone structures in the Preserve: the Jonathan Bush house, mill and dam, and the many stone fences.
Professional certification of stonemasons also took place during the day. Nate Miller, preserve manager, served as coordinator of the day’s events. A dinner was held in the evening with entertainment by a bluegrass band.
The Dry Stone Conservancy, now headquartered at the Preserve, was the first organization in the country devoted to dry-stone masonry. Established in 1996, the organization is dedicated to preserving historic dry-laid stone structures and reviving the ancient craft of dry-stone masonry.
