We have miles and mile of these old stone walls here in RI. If there are stone walls in the woods, there is an EXCELLENT chance that someone lived and worked there in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. The walls were built as property markers. First, they would clear all the stones from the land for farming, then the stones were used to build the walls to mark property lines. Follow these stone walls and look for where the walls get higher. The higher walls generally marked the homesite, while the lower walls were used to mark the crop areas. Also, look for openings in the wall, as if for a walkway, which would generally lead to buildings like homes or barns. Keep an eye out for clearings near these walls, which is another indicator that something was there. Also, look for trees that are MUCH taller then the surrounding woods. Taller trees generally mean older trees, and these may have been shade trees for tired farm hands to sit down and eat lunch under or for family picnics and such. And lastly, pay special attention to the wall corners. These are excellent spot to find buried trash dumps, as most people back then generally buried their trash in the corner furthest from the home. A friend and I have a big hunt planned for this spring, on his property in CT. It fits all of the above criteria, with stone walls, a decent size clearing, with a break in the wall leading into the clearing, and 1 giant pine tree that dwarfs the rest of the woods. We hae researched his area extensivly, and we know that his property was once part of a farms that operated from the late 1600s to the mid 1700s. Hopefully, a good carefull search of this area will lead to many cool finds posted here this summer! Good luck!!
