Buzzard's Roost

We were tasked with relocating large sections of historic rock formations marked with soldiers' graffiti from the Civil War.  The sandstone at Buzzard's Roost appeared to be very similar to that of Aquia sandstone, found throughout the Fredericksburg/Stafford area. The stone's brittle nature and loose stratigraphy presented challenges when attempting to remove it in a controlled fashion. A combination of "plug and feathers" and cuts using a stone chainsaw were used to split the stones in a controlled manner.   Once the graffiti sections were separated from the remaining rock formation, the stones were lifted and loaded onto a flatbed trailer.  They were then transported to Stafford County Cultural Heritage Museum.  A total of 7 large graffiti rocks were successfully moved.