Danville, Ky : "The Cottage"
Dry Stone Conservancy Visits The Cottage 4/12/08 - 4/13/08
The Cottage Rock Fences – An Icon of Kentucky Farms
By Jane Kubale Rutherford
My first solid appreciation of the rock fences on our farm came abruptly when decades ago, one of our family ponies, Lucky Star, tossed me from her back and against the rock fence separating us from her favorite spot of pasture. As she galloped down the fence row and through the gate, I took stock of my injuries – minimal bruises and a scratch or two – and then turned to the fence to pick up the shoe I’d lost in the spill. Collecting myself, I noticed that fence – I couldn’t help it. With its ancient appearance and unyielding (believe me!) construction, it was imposing and permanent, or so it seemed to me, a child of ten years or so.
These days Kentucky’s landscape, including our Boyle County family farm, is dotted with tumbling rock fences. Victim to mechanized farming operations, subdivision and highway development, and forces of nature, the ribbons of rock fence delineating the farms and fields of my youth are disappearing. The labor and skill needed to rebuild them is mostly that of a by-gone era, when farming was more about a reciprocal, labor-intensive relationship to the land, and less the model of efficiency it is today; and when ancestral wisdom and utilitarian skills, like dry stone masonry, were passed from one generation to the next. But fortunately for everyone, Kentucky fences have netted a nonprofit champion in the Dry Stone Conservancy, as well as the sanctioned status of “Historical Landmark” by the Kentucky State Legislature. Increasingly, we appreciate them for their intrinsic beauty, their link with the land and its people, and their intimation of an earth carefully, thoughtfully and respectfully tended.
Rebuilding
This past April, a fallen portion of the rock fence near The Cottage was chosen by the Dry Stone Conservancy (DSC) as a fence restoration training and demonstration site. Masons-in-training and instructors arrived with tools, food and supplies for the two day project of dismantling and rebuilding a 40 foot potion of our fence. Dressed in sturdy clothes and steel-toed boots, wearing heavy leather gloves and safety glasses, they used as their classroom a section of our fence running along US Highway 34, near the driveway entrance to The Cottage, just outside the city limits of Danville.
A team of seven men and five women dismantled the fence, leaving a gaping space that extended below grade level. Carefully selecting each rock and placing them just so, the masons-in-training 
worked according to drystone international construction standards. They appeared to develop a rhythm in their working together, some quick to pick up the heavy rocks, placing them into position, while others went for the tools, chiseling and trimming the rocks to fit. The pattern of the emerging face was smooth, uniform and really quite beautiful. By the end of the day, the new fence reached half its eventual height.
By the middle of the second day, the students were working on the cap course (the top course), and then the final upright, slightly slanted layer – the coping. Soon thereafter, the project was finished: larger rocks at the bottom, smaller ones at the top; each rock, on at least three points, firmly settled on the layer below; one rock laid over two in “break joint” fashion; and sharp-topped triangular rocks forming the final layer. The 40 foot section of the fence was beautifully restored.
A Lasting Legacy
Every time we pass this rebuilt strip of the fence, we admire it; it exudes time-honored craftsmanship and a natural dignity. Having the experience of watching the rebuilding process and witnessing firsthand the skill and craft involved, we are better stewards of the fences that are such a distinctive part of our landscape. Hopefully with the DSC cultivating new talent to preserve and appreciate drystone construction, some of our region’s remaining fences stand a chance of surviving another century or more, offering future generations a tangible connection to land, place, and people, across and through time.
We invite you to come admire, enjoy and appreciate The Cottage rock fence treasures!
For more information about the Dry Stone Conservancy organization, click here .
For the Dry Stone Conservancy forum regarding the fence restoral, click here .
For more information about "The Cottage" or to make a reservation, please contact Chris Kubale.
The Cottage Bed & Breakfast
2826 Lexington Road
Danville, KY 40422
859-236-9642
info@cottageofdanville.com