Lara Davis
2026 Silman Award
Swamp and Stone: The Master Shapers of Foster’s Historic Wetlands
This project, “Swamp and Stone: The Master Shapers of Foster’s Historic Wetlands,” will document extraordinary case studies of rural-industrial waterway masonry and engineering in the highland marsh and wetlands of Foster, Rhode Island. Including constructed mill ponds, dams, ice dams, bridges, channels, culverts, wells and waterfalls, the study will investigate the shaping methods and intuitive structural design of 18th and 19th century master craftsmen, as they re-formed glacial wetlands landscapes into a network of water infrastructure. The remarkable innovation of these earthen cultural landscapes allowed early settlers of the area to harness water for drinking, farming and early industry at the very beginning of the American Industrial Revolution. How did our forebears master the art of pervious-surface water management with load-bearing dry-stone masonry? And how do these modest 18th and 19th century masterworks impact the civil infrastructure for water in contemporary New England?
Some dams and constructed waterfalls are silted or in a dramatic state of instability, the rare ice harvesting dams and water culverts are clogged with invasives, and bridge piers are quite often standing empty. Despite in some cases many decades of neglect, the engineering and innovation in these structures is very impressive and state of preservation demonstrates the mastery of their constructions. Combining approaches from architectural preservation, structural engineering and masonry craft, this project will reflect broadly on the relevancy of Foster’s historic masonry today, offering insights for infrastructure preservation and safety, landscape heritage and ecology, and water security.
Image: Lara Davis