Now for Something a Little Different

I found this block of fieldstone near Lyon Falls in the Mohican State Park, close to Loudonville, Ohio.

[ Now that’s a strange wear pattern. ]

So are those cuts/markings from the WPA*(Here’s a great article about Ohio’s “Tree Army”) guys back in the 20’s? 1920’s that is . . . But they would not have saws to make the side cuts-then chisel out the slices.

Jack-hammers . . . probably, but not saws like we think of today . . . like a “quickie-saw” or a kwik-kut saw. No none of those nice new power saws for these guys.

However. It sure looks like it was sliced out to help in making the pathway safer to walk, especially on the left. But why all the cutting on the right . . . if that’s what that is.

I find this very peculiar . . . why? Why do I find this stone peculiar?

Well look at it from my perspective. I have now been to every one of these State Parks in Ohio that have a lot of this Ohio sandstone formation(s) in the parks, and no where, I mean nowhere have I seen these type of marks, cuts, slices . . . whatever you want to call it.

I’ve seen a lot of places where the WPA guys carved, sliced, drilled split into stone for steps or access, but nothing quite like this and I thought this oddity would be worth sharing.

What ever the reason it sure is one hell of an interesting look.

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Addendum*: The Work Projects Administration came about through a Franklin D. Roosevelt initiative to put men and women back to work during the Great Depression.

Addendum** :

I have not found too many images of the actual work being done during the depression on these sandstone formations. That looks like the steps going down into Cedar Falls. I cannot be absolutely sure but that rounded over rock to the right looks familiar.

The article refers to the Civilian Conversation Corp(CCC) if I understand things correctly the CCC was part of the WPA.

Addendum: 12 notable WPA projects still standing, of course their still standing these were projects built by men and women with great integrity. These folks were part of the Greatest Generation or the parents of the Greatest Generation.

Addendum: A tip of my hat to my grandfather Porter Anderson and his brother Scott who worked on several WPA projects including the renovation of Cleveland-Massillon Rd from dirt to those beautiful old street bricks. Bricks that were made to last. On roads that were made to last-if they had been able to forecast the millions of cars, and semi tractor-tralier rigs!