The Morgan Johnson House, just south of the village on route 425, was built in 1844 by Captain Morgan Johnson of the "Millie Cook". Architecturally, it is one of the finest of all the cobblestone houses in the township. The recessed center entrance is approached by limestone steps flanked by recumbent stone consoles that act as low railings. Two stone columns with circular Doric caps support the massive stone lintel and stone cornice. Windows retain the original small paned wood sash, and a beautiful circular staircase is centered in the hall.
A 5001b. anchor on the lawn was lost from the schooner, Franklin Pierce, in 1840. It was found off the Wilson Townline Pier in 1857 and acquired by Mk. E. E. Stevens who owned the house at that time. The anchor is one of the last relics of the period when raison was a great shipbuilding and lumber shipping Port.
2. Aiken House
Located on the North Side of Ide Road, East of Maple Road, this home was built for William and Harriet Aiken. Ca. 1860. It has an unusual pattern of ribbed fieldstone with larger ones covering the back and sides of the house. When it was purchased it in 1914, the new owner Mr. William Demmin uncovered the remains of a large fireplace and oven while doing some remodeling. This house was torn down in 2005.
The Thomas Adrienne house built in 1835, is a good example of fieldstone construction. The house is located on Beebe Road, South of Nelson Road. Sadly, it, too, has fallen into ruins and will probably be lost within the next year. Thomas' son William, enlisted in the 28th Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, and was captured near Winchester, Va., in 1862. His name was engraved on the Naval 36 Cal. Colt pistol which was taken from him, Adrienne 3rd Reg., Lockport, NY. One hundred years later it was recovered by Robert Stapleton on the bed of the Yaquina River, Oregon. He contacted the Niagara County Historical Society in Lockport, and the pistol has been returned to a grandniece of Sgt. Adrienne's.
This home was built on the North side of the Marsh Settlement Road (now Chestnut Road) in 1836. Stones were brought by wagon from Lake Ontario over trails cut through the woods. It certainly would have been a difficult task when you consider that East Wilson in the 1800's was covered with great swamps and bears and wolves roamed freely!
The Jesse Smith house was built in 1833 and is known as a Greek Revival style house. Stones for the facing are English cut-stones cut in two with the flat side exposed on the outer wall. They are approximately 4" wide and laid in the same manner as those used in regular cobblestone construction. This home is located on the Maple Road north of Nelson Road.
The William Wilson house was built in 1861. The facing on the building is laid with English cut stones morticed with limestone. Stones used were hauled by wagon from the Lake Ontario Shore, and when it was completed, it was occupied by two families consisting of 13 people! It is located on the west side of the Maple Road, north of Shadigee Road.
Built around 1845, the James Morse house features the typical farm house plan of Western New York. Walls are faced with grey and brown cobblestones, and the cornice is Greek Revival. Windows are capped with stone-label moldings fashioned at Lockport in English Gothic Style.
8. Exley House
This house is constructed with fieldstone with the corner quoins standing out in sharp contrast. The original house was built with many additional rooms, but by 1922, 13 of them had been removed. The Exley name was given to the Methodist-Episcopal Church in Wilson when two farms and a substantial cash gift was given by the family to build the present brick edifice in 1884. In later years, it was said the Exleys kept cans of money in the floor of an upstairs bedroom.
Built ca. 1835, the Pettit house was constructed from fieldstone cobbles of various sizes and colors. The quoins, window sills and lintels are of grey limestone. It is a simple Greek Revival farmhouse with a one and a half story main section parallel to the highway. The house was the boyhood home of Ira Pettit, who died in Andersonville prison during the Civil War. His story is told in the book "Diary of a Dead Man", by Jean P. Ray.
This home, built ca. 1835, is separated from the highway by a dry-wall stone wall. The water washed cobbles are mainly grey and brown, and smaller on the front than the sides. The main entrance features a pair of Doric columns and the grilles over the belly windows in the cornice are made of wood, which was unusual. The cut stone are all grey limestone.
This cobblestone structure, built in 1844, was the home of Luther Wilson and was built on the site of the 1st log schoolhouse in the Village of Wilson. It is of grey, water-washed cobbles, with grey limestone lintels, sills and quoins. In 1890, an unusual double funeral was held in the house for Luther, 92, and his son Reuben, 68. For many years the historic home was known as the Wilsonian Club, and since 1947 has been used as a hotel/inn and restaurant.
12. Case Homestead
The Case homestead was built ca. 1935 from lake washed cobblestones of various sizes and colors. The quoins are red sandstone and the lintels and sills are grey sandstone. The deep sill windows give evidence of the 20" walls around the house. It is patterned after the Dutch Colonial style. The story is told that in the early 1800's Rachel Case gathered the cobbles on the lakeshore and carried them in her apron to the building site.
This information is an edited combination of a printed pamphlet and a typed handout by Donald Croop provided by the Wilson Historical Society & Museum. Courtesy Richard Palmer.
Cobblestone Homes and Legends, Town of Wilson Map
The location of all cobblestone structures in this town are noted with black asterisks. The adjacent typed number signifies the map location number of a specific structure in the town; for example, *1 is the Morgan Johnson House. A link button is centered over each dot and when clicked links to the information page on that structure.
Note that the map location of *5 Jesse Smith House has been corrected. The original map was in error in both publications listed below.
Source Pamphlets