Building date: 1834
Original use: Church
Corner structures: Variable
Mortar application and content: Vertical, slight embellishment
Types and uses of stones:
Types and choice of windows: Lintels brick, width vertical
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building:
Unique features:
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 43°17'13.70"N 78°11'27.91"W. Current owner of record, Cobblestone Society as of the 2019 Tax Roll.
Town of Gaines and Orleans County Maps
Centerpiece of the Cobblestone Society and Museum complex at Childs is the Universalist Church at 14389 Ridge Road. After much work the building was completed in 1839. It is constructed of field cobblestones gathered from nearby. Membership declined in the 1880s. It was sold to the Cobblestone Society in 1963 and has since been restored inside and out. A museum and gift gallery are maintained in the basement. Richard Palmer blog.
Editor's Note: Sue A. Bonafini, Assistant Director, The Cobblestone Society & Museum stated in an email dated 2/8/2022, "Our understanding is that the church was completed in 1834, built April - October, and dedicated in October 1834".
Subscriber Document listing pledges to fund construction of the meeting hall for the First Universalist Society of Gaines to be located in Fair Haven (renamed Childs) New York. Editor's Note: Thanks to Mary Zangerle of the Cobblestone Society and Museum, and Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian for their efforts to verify and transcribe the names on this document.
"Tradition began with John Proctor's endowment", by Katharine H. Billings, page 4, from "A Heritage of Cobblestone", a product of the Cobblestone Society c. 1966, 16 pages, printed and published through the facilities of and published as a supplement to "The Orleans Republican American".
"The Cobblestone Houses of Upstate New York", compiled by Dorothy Wells Pease. Research done in collaboration with Hazed B. Jeffery, supplemented with material furnished by Carl F. Schmidt. Reference the fourth paragraph on page 6.
"Universalism Comes To New York", a sermon delivered in the Old Fairhaven Universalist Church at Childs, New York, on July 14, 1957.
"Cobblestones Still Intrigue", by Arch Merrill, "Arch Merrill's History" column, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 10/30/1960
"Childs Cobblestone Church May Be Museum", Vanishing America, by Chief Photographer Fred Powers, ca 1961
"Society Makes Most of Cobblestones", by E. Weeks Wilder, Medina Daily Journal, Medina Register, Medina, New York, Wednesday, August 7,1963.
The following articles are included in a special section of the Medina Daily Journal-Register, 2/21/1964. These pages are high resolution image file of a 15 x 22 inch newspaper pages and require time to load for display. Please be patient. Enlarge the displayed image if necessary. Each page includes a number of articles written by by Eleanor Weeks Wilder for the Cobblestone Society, except where noted.
John J. Proctor, "He Was The Paul Revere of Ridge Rd.", pages 4 - 5
"Childs Church May Have Been Joint Project"
"Restoration Eagerly Begun"
"Church Deeded To Society"
"Suggestions for Restoring Interior of Universalist Church", E. Guldbeck, New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, N.Y. Courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
"Notes relating to the interior of the Cobblestone Universalist Church", taken from "American Decorative Wall Painting 1799-1850", by Nina Fletcher Little.
"Cobblestone Society Buys Church", 130-Year-Old Building to Be Refurbished, by Preston Smith, Buffalo Evening News, page B-6, 7/18/1964.
"Cobblestone Museum Exhibit Hall", excerpts from "The Management of the Small History Museum", bulletin of the American Association for State and Local History, 1959, suggested by Robert Frasch, President of the Cobblestone Museum, October 1965 as a guide for the development of the museum.
"The Historic American Buildings Survey in Western New York, Exhibit Catalog", by Olaf William Shelgren, Jr., pages 18 and 19. The catalog was prepared by the author for the initial exhibit ... in the State Court of the Buffalo & Erie County Historic Society. Funds for the mounting on the exhibit and its formal opening on February 16, 1966, were provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.
John Williams painting of the Universalist Church, front page of "A Heritage of Cobblestone", a product of the Cobblestone Society, printed and published as a supplement to "The Orleans Republican American" circa 1966.
Cobblestone Church is Restored, by O. W. Shelgren, Jr., page 11, "A Heritage of Cobblestone", a product of the Cobblestone Society, printed and published as a supplement to "The Orleans Republican American" circa 1966.
Gaines' Paul Revere, by Eleanor W. Wilder, "A Heritage of Cobblestone", a product of the Cobblestone Society, printed and published as a supplement to "The Orleans Republican American" circa 1966.
Installation of church bell, Rochester Democrat and chronicle, 10/15/1967
8/1/1967 - Guiding a tour for Holley School students, Bertha Canuteson explains a Cobblestone Museum exhibit in the Proctor Room of the museum.
"Cobblestone Church Preserved", Refurbished 19th Century Landmark Will Be Dedicated, by John Fieg, 1968. Attribution not provided.
Cobblestone Church Rededication 8/18/1968. Photography by J Orr. Bill Lattin has identified some of the rededication attendees in the photograph.
"Cobblestone Church Re-dedicated", Albion Advertiser, Albion, N.Y. 8/22/1968.
Circa 1969 - A museum tour (First Universalist Church and School No. 5 in 1969). The speaker is Robert Frasch. The other gentleman in the back of the photo is Homer Brown, a long time museum supporter and Universalist. He died in 1971. Event and group identified by Bill Lattin 1/26/2022. Bill couldn't identify any of the ladies and feels they were a group tour, possibly a church group, but not certain.
"The Cobblestone Church at Childs, New York, A History", published by the Cobblestone Society, Albion, New York.
"A History of Universalist Societies in New York State", Prepared by Ruth Wallace in 1975 for the New York State Convention of Universalists, and revised in 1986 by C. W. Lattin.The Homers Harness Shop display was set up in the lower level of the church in the 1970s, before the furnace room was set-apart. In the 1980's the harness shop equipment and harness shop were moved within the Cobblestone Museum's site to the nearby Peter's Harness Shop building. Doug Farley, Director Cobblestone Museum, email 1/14/2023. Attribution not confirmed for photographer, who is likely Gerda Peterich.
"Home Is A Rock Pile" by Chuck Lyons. "Upstate, Cobblestone Country", a unique form of architecture rose from the rock piles of the Rochester region. People, Places, Pleasures supplement, Sunday Democrat and Chronicle, November 27, 1988. Use this link to view the printable Cobblestone Country.
"A Shrine to Long-Forgotten Art of Building with Cobblestones", By Alan Flippen, Associated Press, Schenectady Gazette page B8 New York State, Daily Gazette, Albany, N.Y., 7/9/1990.
"Orleans County museum enshrines authentic cobblestone structures", By Alan Flippen, Associated Press, Sunday Times Union, Albany, N.Y., 7/15/1990.
"First Universalist Cobblestone Church" Postcard, Old View Series No 1, published by the Cobblestone Society, 1993. Editor's Note: Phone number area code 716 changed to 585 on 11/5/2001.
"First Universalist Cobblestone Church" Color Postcard, published by the Cobblestone Society, date unknown. Photography courtesy Gerda Peterich. Cobblestone Museum.
"First Universalist Cobblestone Church" Color Postcard, published by the Cobblestone Society, date unknown. Photograph by Edgar G. Praus.
"Cobblestone Buildings of Orleans County, N. Y.", A Local History, pages 40 and 41, by Delia Robinson, Edited by Evelyn Lyman and William Nestle. Jointly published by The Cobblestone Society and The Orleans County Historical Association, December 1996.
"Upstate New York is the hub of cobblestone buildings", by Bob Marcotte, Democrat and Chronicle, 10/20/1999.
"Contemplating Cobblestones", a Museum complex of six buildings in Childs, N.Y. is dedicated to this masonry. Story and photographs by Marg Deans for The Brantford Expositor, Brantford, Ontario, Canada 6/2/2001.
The Church of the Good Shepard Universalist, courtesy the Tom The Backroads Traveller blog.
Historic Childs: The "Cobblestone Universalist Church continues as focal point of museum". Posted 9/26/2020 on the Orleans Hub.
Architectural Drawings
Tower Reconstruction Drawing 3 of 3 7/8/1963
Church Section Drawings 2/21/1964
Church Floor Plan Drawings 7/8/1963
Church Floor Plan Drawings 2/21/1964
Church Bulletins and Event Programs 1957 - 1983
"Universalism Comes To New York", a sermon delivered in the Old Fairhaven Universalist Church at Childs, New York, on July 14, 1957.
Church Bulletin 6/23/1963, worship service.
Dedication Program 8/18/1968, Dedication.
Church Bulletin 7/27/1969, worship service. Editor's Note: Rough printer's proof.
Event Program 7/30/1978, Michael and Kent Riley. Editor's Note: Rough printer's proof.
Event Program 7/6/1980, Ninth Annual Patriotic Program, jointly presented by Sheret Post #35 American Legion & Cobblestone Society.
Event Program 10/19/1980, The 8th Annual Lamplight Program, in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Cobblestone Society.
Church Bulletin 6/28/1981, Cobblestone Society Worship Service.
Event Program 7/5/1981, Tenth Annual Patriotic Program, sponsored by The Cobblestone Society with Sheret Post #35 of the American Legion.
Event Program 9/27/1981, Universalist Reunion, sponsored by the Cobblestone Society and The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
Event Program 10/25/1981, The 9th Annual Lamplight Program.
Event Program 7/3/1984, Twelveth Annual Patriotic Program.
Event Program 10/23/1983, The 11th Annual Lamplight Program, culminating the 1983 Pumpkin Festival.
The Cobblestone Society & Museum Tours:
Universalist Church 1st Annual 06/10/1961, 2nd Annual 06/9/1962, 12th Annual 06/10/1972, 16th Annual 06/05/1976, Tour of Historic Cobblestone Homes 10/17/2009, Tour of Historic Cobblestone Homes 09/14/2013, Tour of Cobblestone Homes 09/30/2017, Tour of Cobblestone Homes 09/15/2018
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National Register of Historic Places Registration
- "Cobblestone Architecture", 1944, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, "In Childs, N. Y....number of houses with four inch high brick header courses"
- Page 28
- Editor's Note: Four locations are Gai-20, Gai-21, Gai-24, Gai-26
- Editor's Note: Four locations are Gai-20, Gai-21, Gai-24, Gai-26
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, First Universalist Church
- Page 125, Page 314
- "Cobblestone Landmarks of New York State", 1978, by Olaf William Shelgren, Jr., Cary Lattin, and Robert W. Frasch, Photographs by Gerda Peterich: Name reference, First Universalist Church
- Pages 60 - 61
- "The Era of Cobblestone Architecture", unpublished manuscript 1972. To access the manuscript content about this structure, see 92. Orleans County, First Universalist Church.
- "The Era of Cobblestone Architecture", unpublished manuscript 1972. To access the manuscript content about this structure, see 92. Orleans County, First Universalist Church.
- Erie Canal Legacy, Architectural Treasures of the Empire State, by Andy Olenick (photography) and Richard O. Reisem (text), page 178: Name reference, cobblestone church, 1834. Published by the Landmark Society of Western New York, 2000.
Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Photographs, May 1965
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¹ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
² Photography courtesy Gerda Peterich. Cobblestone Museum.
³ Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
4 Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
5 During the summer of 1969, Miss Jennie Thomas, Art Instructor of Holley High School repainted the deception painting in the Childs Cobblestone Church.
