Lebanon Town Pound
What at first glance seems to be a weird piles of rocks turns out to be... well... an interesting pile of rocks with a history that's part of a greater community.
We would always drive by this on the way to Christina's house. We would always look at it and talk about how we should check it out but we never got around to it until now. And I'm very glad we did.
It resides practically on top of a road in Lebanon Maine. With surprisingly well kept grass and trees around it, it's actually very beautiful. Although it is also in somebodies front yard which is a bit odd.
It is much larger then it appears from the road. When you crouch through the archway and walk into it, it's a good 12-14 feet in diameter. The stone "door" is only about 3 feet tall so crouching is a necessity. The walls are built very sturdy, although they may have had some repair work they appear pretty much in the original state.
The very interesting part about this location is the greater picture it seems to be a part of. It seems to be a member of a collection of Town Pounds all throughout New England. Although it is the only one in Maine it is very similar in design and purpose to the others.
These pounds were built so that when a local farm animal got loose, anybody who found them could bring them here and keep them while they waiting for somebody to claim them.
The most interesting part about these structures is their single unified purpose over such a large geographical area. All throughout new England pounds such as this one were built with very similar proportions and designs. They all served a common purpose as well, holding animals until their owners found them. It's so interesting when you realize that something from a time period where run away cows was a thing, is simply in your back yard. Maybe it seems trivial to others but in how many states does stuff like this exist? I would assume in most states this would be a parking lot by now. It's refreshing to see history respected like this.
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