Shaw Nature Reserve Part 4
Aside from the wooded area, before we went through more prairie we saw a really cool wall they have there. Yes, I know. Walls can only be so cool. And walls have nothing to do with wildlife or butterflies.
It was cool though. It was called a ’serpentine’ wall. There was a sign saying something like Thomas Jefferson had designed one. I don’t know if this particular wall was based on his design or not. I should have taken a picture of the sign!
Anyway it is supposed to be sturdier. And as the name suggests, its curvy. Kind of like a zig-zag wall - only not pointy - just smooth curves instead. My husband took some pictures of it:
on July 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
The serpentine wall is a Thomas Jefferson thing. Check out photos on the website for the University of Virginia and Monticello, his most famous places. I have also been told they are stronger -kind of makes sense if you think about it because it goes in 2 directions (out & up) instead of just one.
on July 24th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
You’re correct, a wall like this is more stable. This was a common design for retaining walls.