A better section of wall from an entire network of old dry stone walls, sadly in need of repair, criss-crossing Ferris Provincial Park near Campbellford, Ontario.
Saving Ferris Park's walls of history
CAMPBELLFORD -- Work will get underway this spring to rescue long-forgotten 'walls of history' in Ferris Park, on the town's southern doorstep.
The dry stone walls visible throughout the 500-acre park are more than 100 years old, but they are showing their age.
"There are miles of walls in the park, but some of them have collapsed and many stones have been stolen," said Barb Hogan, chair of the Friends of Ferris Park.
"We know the walls were built by Mr. Clarke, the groundskeeper, when this was farmland owned by the Ferris family back in the 1890s," Ms. Hogan said.
Now plans are being laid for one of Canada's leading experts on dry stone walls—John Shaw-Rimmington, of Port Hope—to lead a restoration team that will rebuild a 40-foot section of wall.
"We're looking to start as soon as possible, the ball's in the Friends' court, they just have to say the word," Mr. Shaw-Rimmington said.
He described the dry stone walls of Ferris Park as rare and "pretty special" and said he would like to visit Ferris Park annually to tackle a new stretch of crumbling wall.
"The walls are over 100 years old and they're fabulous," he said. "These are local antiques and rebuilding them is my answer to people who say they are lost forever."
Mr. Shaw-Rimmington presented his planned rescue on Thursday, March 27, to members of Friends of Ferris Park, at the Aron Cinema, in Campbellford.
"I don't think we will need to bring any new stones in because there are lots already there at the park," he said. "We would choose a spot where it is mostly fallen down, then we can bring stones from further down the wall and fix it as we go."
The stone walls were built in 1892 by Mr. Clarke as 'fences' to clear the land and to divide farm fields owned by James Marshall Ferris. One history book recites an early depiction of the freestanding walls, measuring four to five feet in height and "skillfully built".
A dry stone wall is built from stones without using any mortar to bind them. They are durable and sturdy because of their unique construction, which uses a load-bearing facade of carefully selected interlocking stones.
"Dry stone wall building is not being done anywhere in North America today; it's a lost art," said Mr. Shaw-Rimmington, a stone mason by profession who initiated the Dry Wall Association of Canada (DWAC).
The Ferris Park project would be a dream come true for Mr. Shaw-Rimmington a stone mason by profession who initiated the Dry Wall Association of Canada (www.DWACA.CA ).
"When we moved to Port Hope 10 years ago, we started looking for evidence of dry stone walls in the area because we didn't want to create something out of nothing and people kept telling me, 'You should go up to Ferris Park,'" he said. "When I went to see for myself, I was overjoyed because there is quite a network of stone walls and some are in not too bad condition."