Owner:
National Park Service
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Size:
950 LF Dry Stone Fence Wall Restoration

Use:
Perimeter Stone Fencing at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas

National Park Service – Tallgrass

Tallgrass Prairie, Historical Restoration Dry Stone Fence, Strong City, Kansas

The project included restoration and reconstruction of a series of dry stone fences within the property. The restored fences were required to match the existing in situ (original placement) as close as possible.

The project consisted of 950 lineal feet of drystone fence rebuilding and restoration throughout the preserves property. Wall heights were 4 foot and included a pointed stone coping finish. The fence meandered throughout the property, curving around major trees and connecting into previously restored wall sections. Between 60 to 80 percent of the stone remained in situ. No mortar was used in the rebuilding of the fence in keeping with the historical requirements.

Project Particulars:

  • Clearing and grubbing
  • Excavation and removal of existing dilapidated stone fence.
  • Replacement of the stone foundation course.
  • Shaping and drystone placement of new stone masonry.
  • Final grading of landscaping adjacent to restored wall sections.
  • Transportation and disposal of project generated waste materials

The preserve was open during the projects duration. Scheduling allowed for materials and operations to be confined to spaces separate from the daily park operations. RB Construction re-designed the footings for the wall system to provide for a more historically accurate and stable construction, ultimately requiring less maintenance long term. Other design elements we provided included the tapering of the wall to match the historic features. As a result of implementing our design suggestions, we were able to provide the owner an additional 100 lineal feet of restored fence, keeping within the historical requirements, with no change to the contract value. Despite the additional 100 lineal feet of restored fence, and weeks of 100-degree temperatures during the projects duration, RB Construction completed the project 2½ months ahead of schedule with no safety issues or punch-list items.