Kansas group preserves and restores historic stonework

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Native Stone Scenic Byway Committee (NSSBC) invites the public to help preserve the history and heritage of stone barns and dry stacked stone fences across northeast Kansas.

Kansas has twelve byways that guide travelers through scenic or historical routes across the state. The Native Stone Scenic Byway is a 75-mile path that takes you through four counties and features historic stone barns, roughhewn fences and prairie remnant that helped to shape the early history and heritage of Kansas during the territorial and Civil War eras.

Marsha Ericson is the chair of the NSSBC, and she not only works to promote the byway, but also to coordinate the preservation and restoration of the route’s historic stone works. She works with local stone mason Rocky Slaymaker, organizations like the Volland Foundation and the community to help locate, repair and support the local iconic architecture.

“In the 1850s, farmers and immigrants used to clear their fields of limestone rocks and build fences, barns and other buildings with the material,” Ericson said. “Legislators historically used to pay landowners about $0.50 for every 16.5 feet of fence to maintain their fences.”

The group began restoring stone fences when sixth generation rancher Paul Miller restored his fence by himself. Afterwards, he came to the NSSBC with the idea of restoring other, similar fences.

These stone fences represent stability on the open prairie, according to the National Park Service. Before they were incentivized, landowners would openly graze their cattle, often ruining the crops of their neighbors.

The fences created some of Kansas’s earliest property boundaries and decorated the countryside. These structures were built with no mortar, and many have fallen into disrepair over the last 150 years since their construction.

“The most important part of a dry stack stone fence is the foundation,” Ericson said. “Renovations begin by digging trenches and stacking as many original stones as possible and chiseling them to fit perfectly into place to support the next layer of rock.”

The NSSBC has restored more than 1,500 feet of fence across 32 workshops that are open to the public. The group’s restorations have occurred on historic ranches, parks, cemeteries and more. The organization even constructs new fences for those who want them.

“The Native Stone Scenic Byway Committee is sponsoring our 33rd Stone Fence Workshop. Our hosts are Bryan and Marcy Merritt. Please join us and learn how to build a dry stack stone fence, from the foundation, to the slanted coping stones on top…just as our ancestors did 150 years ago.

Our instructor, Rocky Slaymaker, is a certified dry stack stone mason. Rocky will guide the volunteers, throughout this 3-day event. Lunches, drinks and snacks will be provided.”
from the Historic Stone Fence Workshop event page

The group’s next historic fence workshop is on Oct. 10, 11 and 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Alma. You can learn more about the event by heading to Facebook.

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