Building date: Ca. 1840
Original use:
Corner structures: Red sandstone, front?
Mortar application and content: Vertical heavy
Types and uses of stones: Field stones varying in color, some reds, browns, and gray yellows. The stones are from the Medina strata commonly used in this section of the country for many buildings.
Types and choice of windows: Lintels red stone solid, and Lintels brick, length vertical (Contradiction, or different windows?)
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building: Enoch Macomber
Unique features:
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 43°15'29.14"N 78°00'28.58"W. Current owner of record, Rose as of the 2019 Tax Roll. List of owners 09/21/1984 Magnera, 2005 Rose.
Town of Murray and Orleans County Maps
It may be just a matter of time before the long-abandoned John Hunn House at 17141 Ridge Road, opposite East Holley Road in the town of Murray will join many others that have disappeared over the years for one reason or another. It's chief problem is it is too close to the highway. It is built of a combination of fieldstone with some lake-washed stone laid with V'd mortar joints. Stones are of different sizes, shapes and colors. The sills of of red sandstone. It is believed to have been built by Enoch Macomber, a mason who came from Vermont.
Structure stands 31 ft. from center line of Ridge Rd. and has been condemned by N.Y.S. Cobblestone Museum notes, "Key to Cobblestone House locations" (not dated).
"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 second paragraph on page 5.
Evaluation for restoration, letter correspondence by Olaf William Shelgren, 8/26/1982.
"Cobblestone Buildings of Orleans County, N. Y.", A Local History, page 68, by Delia Robinson, Edited by Evelyn Lyman and William Nestle. Jointly published by The Cobblestone Society and The Orleans County Historical Association, December 1996.
The Historic American Buildings Survey done in the 1930s noted:
"This house, built ca. 1840, is an interesting example of a field stone building erected during this period by the early settlers. In it one finds part of the design and detail following the old order of cornice, frieze and other parts giving the house character. An essential feature is the fact that the main portion of the house stands as it was originally built, with only minor changes, the top portion of the chimneys having been rebuilt and some smaller window pane sash relocated in the frame addition.
"The roof construction is of rough sawn timbers. The foundation and side walls are Medina stone; the side walls are faced with cobblestones obtained from the local fields; the stones are from the Medina strata commonly used in this section of the country for many buildings. They vary in color, some reds, browns, and gray yellows. The interior is quite typical, with the woodwork and mouldings all produced by hand. The floors are of pine boards and at the head of the stairs one arrives in a fairly large hall."
Below are photos taken in the early 1930s when the house was still occupied. Richard Palmer blog.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey: The John Hunn House, 17141 W Ridge Rd., Holley, NY 14470. Ca. 1935 includes 2 photographs (seen below), 6 architectural drawings, and written historical and descriptive data.
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Beadle - Rosie House
- Page 134
Editor's Note: Schmidt states a road name as East Holley Road, whereas the current name is Hurd Road.
John Hunn House architectural drawings, set of cover sheet and five official drawings circa late 1935 done for the "Historic American Buildings Survey" project.
 121954pu_tif.jpg ¹ 1935 |  121955pu_retouched 190919.jpg ¹ , ² 1935 |  Mur-7 Rosie 2.jpg ³ Robert Frasch c. 1960-70s? |  Mur_7_1.jpg |
 Mur_7_2.jpg |  Mur_7_3.jpg |  Mur-7 Rosie 3.jpg ³ |  Mur-7 17141 Ridge Rd 1.jpg 4 |
 Mur-7 17141 Ridge Rd 2.jpg 4 |  Mur-7 17141 Ridge Rd 3.jpg 4 |  Mur-7 17141 Ridge Rd 4.jpg 4 |  17141 Ridge Road, Town of Murray.jpg 5 |
¹ Images courtesy Library of Congress. Architectural drawings available through this provided link. Data Page 11/22/1936.
² This photograph was downloaded from the Library of Congress website and processed in Photoshop to provide a satisfactory and optimum image.
³ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
4 Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
5 Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
