A few years ago, Jack Widness of Wilmington and Malcolm Moore of Marlboro were part of a crew clearing trails on Hogback Mountain. They noticed stone walls “all over the place, going up at steep angles, very close to the tops of the mountain.”

So Jack and Malcolm asked us: “For what purpose did our Vermont forbears do all the hard work of building stone walls in such different and unusual locations?”

When we announced this winning question, a lot of you were like, “Come on, it’s totally because of sheep.” But is it really? Or is there more to the story?

Reporter Anna Van Dine digs through the layers of Vermont’s history, and finds not just an answer about stone walls, but a story about them — and the stories they hold.

For deeper reading on this topic, and to see lots of photos of stone walls, check out our web feature. For more on Vermont’s geologic history, check out our episode: “How has the geology of Vermont affected its character?”

This episode was reported and mixed by Anna Van Dine. Angela Evancie produced it, with scoring and sound design by Josh Crane. Editing and additional production from all of us, and Myra Flynn. Ty Gibbons composed our theme music; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Tom Wessels, and to Rebekah Irwin at the Middlebury College archives.

As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it!

Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public, and a proud member of the NPR Network.