Cobblestone Hop Houses in Madison County

Editor's Note: A number of cobblestone hop house and hop kiln structures once existed in Madison County. Documented by old photographs or publication articles, other than one reconstructed structure, it is likely that the remainder either no longer exist or are ruins. The locations of some structures are unfortunately stated as general references to local landmarks, farms or roads, which makes it difficult to determine and officially mark the locations on the Info Base maps or specify Google Maps or GPS locations. Following are the currently known structures.

    Cobblestone Hop Kiln just south of Eaton Village

    "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Hop Dryer
    Page 39

    Editor's Note: Carl Schmidt states that the hop dryer was located about 3 miles south of Eaton Village on River Rd. just north of Randellsville in the Town of Lebenon. The approximate location of this structure has not been verified.

    Ancient Cobble Stone Hop Kiln, Madison County Leader and Observer, September 21, 1907

    cobblestone hop barn
    cobblestone hop barn.jpg

    Map and List of Cobblestone Sites which show the approximate locations of two hop houses.

    Other views of the same structure. The Randallsville and Bouckville cobblestone kilns were built near the Chenango Canal and its feeders, as were many of the other cobblestone buildings in this region. This was on the Alfred Ogden farm. Photos courtesy of Henry Drexler.

    Hop kiln on Alfred Ogden farm near Randallsville
    Hop kiln on Alfred Ogden farm near Randallsville.jpg     		Hop kiln, River Road, Randallsville
    Hop kiln, River Road, Randallsville.jpg     		Scan 1
    Scan 1.jpg Color photo taken Sept. 29, 1957.     		CFS Hop House S of Eaton-2
    CFS Hop House S of Eaton-2.jpg ¹
    Hop house 2
    Hop house 2.jpg "Mid-York Memoranda", by Scott Phoenix, Mid York Weekly, Hamilton, NY, 1/28/1965.     		Hop+house+3
    Hop+house+3.jpg ¹ Ruins of this hop kiln, photographed in 1970, was located on the Eaton-Randallsville Road. Another such hop house was located on Route 46 south of Munnsville, now gone. There was also a tool maker's shop in Eaton, now gone.

    ¹ The captioned photograph was taken by Ruthanne Mills, a SUNY Oneonta student in the Cooperstown Graduate Program, who wrote a thesis (under Ruins/Sufficient Remains) for her Masters of Arts degree in 1972, "Nineteenth Century Cobblestone Structures in Madison County, New York". Image courtesy Karen Crandall.

    Additional Cobblestone Hop Kilns in Madison County

    Eat-4, Cobblestone Hop Kiln, 3877 Bear Path Rd., NY Rt. 46, Town of Eaton.

    Mad-11, Cobblestone Hop House, north side Rt. 20 just west of Rt. 12B, Town of Madison

    Nel-1, Hop House, 3568 Stearns Road, Erieville, Town of Nelson.

    Hop house located on Route 46 south of Munnsville, Town of Eaton, now gone. Editor's Note: No additional information. Possible it is Eat-4 above.

    Additional Resources:

    Madison County Hop Heritage Trail Guide

    A Fickle Industry, The Ups and Downs of Those Producing Hops, Madison County Leader and Observer, Page 1, September 21, 1907

    Images of America, Madison and Hamilton, Chapter One, Hop Industry, by Mishell Kyle Forward-Magnusson, Page 9, Arcadia Publishing 2012.