Stonewalls: History & Preservation of a New England Treasure

The Mystic River Historical Society offers a lecture by Dr. Robert Thorson, geologist, author and professor at the University of Connecticut. Thorson will present “Stonewalls: History & Preservation of a New England Treasure.” The story of our area’s stonewalls begins with the coastal landscapes being created by glaciers during the last Ice Age. The rise of farming by European settlers necessitated the removal of stones eventually leading to the building of stonewalls. Dr. Thorson will discuss stonewalls’ cultural geology and the efforts at preservation of these beautiful and iconic New England treasures.

By day, from September through May, Robert Thorson is a Professor of Geology at the rural Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. There, he juggles teaching, research, advising, and committee work in the Honors Program, the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, the Department of Anthropology, and the Center for Integrated Geosciences. On weekends, he usually migrates toward the sea where he spends his time writing for the Hartford Courant and as a book author. His columns and essays follow the mantra: “No rock. No ecosystem. No culture.” His books involve the link between geosciences and American Studies, the latest being a book on Thoreau’s Walden for Harvard University Press in 2013. 

The program is at the Mystic Congregational Church Parish Hall and is followed by a question and answer period and refreshments.  It is free and open to the public.  For more information, call the Mystic River Historical Society 536-4779, or email info@mystichistory.org.