Imagine being ordered to construct a headquarters out of actual stone turned into wood. That is the tactical reality at Agate House in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park. These builders decided to ignore the local sandstone standard in favor ofagatized wood set into a clay mortar. It is a bizarre architectural choice that makes the structure look like a misfit in a uniform of neighbors.
This eight-room pueblo has been holding the line since approximately 900 and maintained its position through 1200. It functions as a physical log of the Pueblo II and Pueblo III periods. It stands as a durable piece of history that refused to surrender to the elements.
During 1933-34, the Civilian Conservation Corps was deployed to play architect and reconstruct the ruins under C.B. Cosgrove Jr. They gave Room 7 a full makeover with a new roof while they rebuilt the walls of Room 2 to five feet high. The remaining walls were topped off at a pathetic two or three feet. This reconstructed relic manages to stay standing despite a millennium of atmospheric pressure.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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