[MassHistPres] Fw: Boundary walls

[Dwight Mackerron]

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Dwight Mackerron <dmackerron at verizon.net>
To: A.J. & Donna Juarez <ellis6065 at charter.net>
Sent: Mon, December 21, 2009 10:59:02 PM
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Boundary walls


Prayer structures?  I have found a number of what I take to be stone fireplaces, usually two sections of rocks extending out from a large stone and on which a pole could be supported, from which a kettle could hang, or so I have supposed.

Excellent question about old boundary walls, which are no longer boundaries.   I have matched a number of surviving walls to boundary lines on the first maps made of the land sold in the Maps of the Twelve and Twenty Five Divisions for the Dorchester Purchase;(the Great Blue Hill to the Bridgewater Line to the Angle Tree in Attleboro and back to  Blue Hill.  Some of the walls marking those boundaries are now contained within some lots and have been threatened by local development in Stoughton.    These Maps are available from the Stoughton Historical Society.
Dwight Mac Kerron  Stoughton Historical Commission, Stoughton Historical Society. 




________________________________
From: A.J. & Donna Juarez <ellis6065 at charter.net>
To: Barbara <beb100acrewood at comcast.net>
Cc: MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
Sent: Mon, December 21, 2009 4:22:30 PM
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Boundary walls

What of the Native American stone prayer structures found throughout New England, are these structures considered stone walls?  There is an effort out of Ware to identify and preserve these sites. aj

On Dec 21, 2009, at 3:42 PM, Barbara wrote:


>The discussion on stone walls and boundary walls is very intriguing.
> 
>In my former life I was a title examiner for an attorney and a deed researcher for a land surveyor.  I am interested in a definition of historic stone boundary walls as well as a legal definition of the same. 
> 
>Stone walls have been important in designating types of land boundaries during most historic periods of time.  In past centuries a wall might have been a legal boundary between abutters or delineate individual fields for one land owner.  Today those same stone walls may or may not delineate legal boundary lines of ownership for individual lots of land. 
> 
>Even a short length of stone wall or remains of a fence including a solitary post could be important in
> determining a property line. 
> 
>What criteria would a HC use to determine if an ancient stone wall was a boundary wall and what time period ( historic or current ) would qualify it to meet that criteria?  Legally this could be very complicated for the owner, town planning boards and a Commission. 
> 
>In my opinion all ancient stone walls especially in New England are important historically and should if at all possible be preserved and protected.
> 
>Thanks for any input and available sources of information,
> 
>Barbara Bailey, Wareham
> 
> 
> 
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