This Saturday, February 11thth, we will once again be hosting a lecture given by The Gages. Mary and James, a mother and son team, have done a number of programs at Norcross relating to their passion: Stone Structures.
If you are interested you MUST RESERVE A SEAT, and do so ASAP. As I write this, we are nearing capacity.
Call 413-267-9654 or email lectures@norcrosswildlifesanctuary.kinsta.cloud, please give us a phone number just in case of weather.
We live in New England. We see structures made of stone every day, whether it’s on the way to work on just taking a look out the window. In many cases these structures are the laborious result of early settlers here but in others these structures were already built when they arrived. How can you tell them apart?
The focus of this talk will be The Architecture of Root Cellars and Native American Stone Chambers. Root cellars were historically the practical way to store your crops – for you and for your animals- there was no grocery store and there was no refrigeration. If you’re not prepared, you’re going to starve. James has written a book on root cellars detailing many different styles and designs.
Some of these sites that have been labeled as root cellars, upon more careful inspection, are not capable in serving that purpose e.g. you may have to crawl through a tiny entrance which impractical for carrying items in and out. I am as curious as you are to learn more about what clues may separate these two structures apart.
Of course, being the practical Yankees that we all are, some of these structures may have served a dual purpose. Once a stone chamber and, lo and behold, also a great root cellar! If I were an early settler to this area I would have been pretty psyched to homestead at a site where there was one less stone structure I had to build myself.
[lightbox link=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Thompson-2-e1483561034482.jpg” thumb=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Thompson-2-320×200.jpg” width=”320″ align=”right” title=”” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”Thompson, CT Stone Chamber”] [lightbox link=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Root_Cellar-Thompson-2.jpg” thumb=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Root_Cellar-Thompson-2-320×200.jpg” width=”320″ align=”right” title=”” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”Thompson, CT Root Cellar”]For more information, as well as a complete list of upcoming events, visit the calendar section of our website.
