So sorry to leave you at the “outhouse” for months (last post), but there’s been too much to do and see outdoors these days. So here are some wonderful pictures of a recent visit to an early stone-ender in Lincoln, Rhode Island – the 1693 Arnold house. And yes, galleting and sneck harling is real, and what the Scots call their method of parging the stone end with lime-based mortar. Some of us will miss seeing the lovely stones, but SPNEA, now Historic New England, decided after much research, that, as in Europe, this was the original treatment to stone ends to protect them from weather. Here are two examples, one with, and one without, in the same town. The one without, I believe, is a private residence – and they seem to be doing just fine, without.
Also, because the Arnold house is unfurnished, I was able to take a few interior shots. Enjoy!
the view from here 
Hi Ed & Linda!
I’m really happy to have happened across your blog while looking at your website.
I have never seen a house such as these. Are the stone constructions just chimneys? Or do the stones contribute to other things – structure, an abundance of stone(especially interested in this one), insulation,… ?
What did it take to construct such a chimney? I wonder about where they found the stones, and how they transported them. In Fitchburg, MA, there is a large 10′ high boulder on the commom on Main street (it is a monument), and it is said that long ago, in the 1700s, the boulder was relocated from its original home atop a small hill several miles away by exploding it, carrying it down in smaller pieces, then reassembling it – a really simple, but awesome demonstration of what humans were capable of back then. Working with Bob, I learned that masonry is 90% physics, 90% physical, manual labor, and that it requires a special or humble appreciation for the perfection of a centuries old skill. Therefore, chimneys such as these always make me gasp.
Have you seen the chimney on battle road in Concord? The house is gone, but the chimney still stand. You can walk around it to view all sides, and it is magnificent.
From Boston,
Jamie