Cobblestone houses and other structures have long been a source of curiosity in central and western New York. There are nine cobblestone farmhouses that currently still exist in Yates County. These were built between 1831 and 1850. They are in the towns of Benton, Middlesex, Starkey and Torrey, and one in the village of Penn Yan. At one time, each house was the center of a working farm.
Many are on the National Register of Historic Places. Some architectural changes have been made over many years. Dormers and porches were later 19th and early 20th century additions.
Archeologists claim the use of cobblestones as a building material dates to the third century when the Romans used them to construct coastal fortifications. Waterborne flint cobblestones were found in abundance in the English countryside. Natural lime mortar was perfected. Stones laid in defined courses eventually became common.
During the 11th century the Normans and Saxons built walls of flint cobbles, or "flint heads", in rough courses. During the Middle Ages came cobblestone streets, houses and outbuildings. Some examples of this stone vernacular construction still exist in England. Centuries later American craftsmen, using the European precedent, refined and improved cobblestone building techniques that incorporated coursed, un-coursed, dual courses and herring-bone stone patterns.
Cobblestone architecture is unique to this region. There are more than 700 cobblestone structures in upstate New York between Albany and Niagara counties. Ninety percent of all cobblestone buildings are found within a 100-mile radius of Rochester. The late Carl Schmidt of Scottsville was the foremost authority on cobblestone construction, authoring many books and articles dating back to the 1930s.
In his most definitive book, Cobblestone Masonry, Schmidt noted that because of innovative methods used by masons in this region, there developed a cobblestone masonry technique that distinguishes it from "all previous small-stone masonry. This includes European methods, as well as those used locally."
A frequent question asked by the initiated is, "Why are these old buildings confined to this region, who built them, how and when?" Generally, the golden years of the cobblestone era date from about 1825, when the Erie Canal was opened, into the 1860s. There are examples from a later period scattered here and there including in Massachusetts, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Paris, Ontario, Canada. It is not known where or when the first cobblestone houses were built. The earliest "date stone" found is 1832 in Farmington, Ontario county. The statement masons who built cobblestone houses originally came here to work on the Erie Canal is apocryphal. There is no plausible connection.
The material for cobblestone buildings was plentiful - wood for the framework and stones for the walls. The stones had been rolled, rounded and left by the glacier that had passed over the region. As settlers came and cleared land for homes and fields, the glacier-tumbled stones had to be reckoned with. In addition to using them to build miles of dry stone-wall fences, some were incorporated into building foundations. They became a main source of building material.
The rough field stones were used primarily as structural support while the finer stones were meant to be decorative and usually were only on the front. The finer matching stones generally came from the shoreline of Lake Ontario where nearly 100 miles of washed stones of every form had collected for eons. Choosing of lake-washed stones was done by the children of the homeowner. Those who chose to build houses from more local sources such as gravel pits held "bees" where neighbors came and helped sort the stones according to size, shape and color. This was done by dropping the stones through a board with holes in it or an iron ring called a "beetle". Finding exactly matching stones today from the Lake Ontario shoreline would be a nearly impossible task as most of them appear to have been gathered up. Most building stones came from the vicinity of Sodus Point. But the exact location where stones were found the exact size and shape remains a mystery.
Each mason developed his own style and technique, preparing mortar. The real secret of a good cobblestone wall depended on the high quality of mortar used. Whether fact or fancy, it has been said that often if a visitor came around, a mason would turn to other occupations so his special skills would not be observed. The average mason was paid between $1 and $1.25 per day, plus board, for a 10-to-12-hour day. The work was tedious and exacting, and became more so as cobblestone structures became more elaborate. As many as 17,000 stones have been counted on the front walls alone.
Mortar was the key to a fine building. Each mason had his own formula for this mixture of limestone, sand and water. Some masons dug a six-foot hole where the house was to be built. The pit would be filled with manure. The mortar was ready when a trowel, inserted into this mixture, came out clean. Mortar was an equal mixture of sand with the limestone. Some masons mixed a bushel of fresh limestone to eight or nine bushels of sand. A clean trowel indicated the mortar was ready for use.
Architecture of the house was the choice of the farmer-owner. There were numerous architectural books of the day to choose from. Frequently, an architect was employed to design the house. Masons often built two or three houses at a time, putting down a course of stone. While this was setting up they would work on another house.
The topic of cobblestone houses can become very absorbing. Driving around the countryside where they are prevalent one notices the varied styles and architectural features that can develop into a passionate pastime. Past and current owners generally have always taken great pride in their vintage cobblestone homes. Richard Palmer blog.