NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. – State Representative Judith Day shakes her head as she strolls along an old, winding country road in her seaside community, gesturing toward a wall of lichen-covered rocks that gradually dwindles from waist-high to nonexistent.
Pilferers have been here, just as they have been at historic stone walls across the state, loading swiped stones into pickup trucks for new uses in 21st-century walls, patios, recessed gardens, and swimming-pool margins. Along with the stones, they are stealing, rock by grayish rock, an iconic emblem of New England’s cultural heritage.
@ Boston Globe
An interesting case of New England’s reverence for its own history running awkwardly into our cherished self-image of the frugal, thrifty Yankee who gets the most possible use out of whatever is lying around.