Stone Craft

This stone structure is located in a park next to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, Missouri. The old house sits adjacent to a long, tall stone wall protected by a very substantial and locked wrought iron gate. As a result, I wasn't able to find out any detail about the home's history. 

If you have an eye for craftsmanship, however, you would surely appreciate the level of skill possessed by the stone masons who built this structure long ago. I'm always impressed by fine stone work and the skill it takes to fit stone together at right angles and with such tight tolerances, not to mention the strength and endurance required to handle heavy stone all day long; week in and week out. 

I'm guessing the average stone mason of days long past likely enjoyed a pint or two of stout ale after 50 or 60 hours of applying their trade. Saturday evenings might have found the guys responsible for this structure sitting at a corner table inside O'Shaughnessy's Pub, "2 in" while eagerly sopping up the remnants of their second bowl of gruel with an ample supply of sour dough biscuits. 

Dang: I should have been a stone mason! Maybe it's not too late: I'll keep you posted....