Building date: 1848
Original use:
Corner structures: Tooled
Mortar application and content: Horizontal rounded. Vertical pyramids
Types and uses of stones: Small red
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building:
Unique features:
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 42°51'35.30"N 77°01'59.90"W. Current owner of record, Scortichini as of the 2019 Tax Roll.
Town of Seneca and Ontario County Maps
Many of the best examples of cobblestone houses are found in the Finger Lakes region. One of the most striking is this one at 1160 Route 5 and 20 just west of Geneva in the town of Seneca. It was built in 1848 by Thomas Barron who came from England and cleared the land and built his first home on the site which was a log cabin. The original farm consisted of 184 acres.
Several trips were made to the shores of Lake Ontario. Wheat was carried by wagon to Sodus Point for transshipment. Cobblestones were then sorted and loaded and returned which went into the construction of the present house. Great care went into the sorting of the lake-washed sandstone cobblestones for their color, red; and uniform size, and the house took two years to build. The exterior walls are of lake washed stone.
The main two-story section of the house has an Ionic portico, and on either side are one-story wings with Ionic porches across the front. The west wing door is a false one, never used from the inside of the house, but added to the outside to give the two porches perfect symmetry. Two of the interior walls of the home are as thick as outer walls, 18 inches so made to support the weight of the construction. The portal is enflamed by egg and dart moulding; the door fittings are German silver.
Thomas was the youngest of three brothers, whose father emigrated to America from England in 1800. He was accompanied by his wife and two children. They found their way west to this comparative wilderness, coming by water route up the Mohawk and its tributaries through the Seneca Lock Navigation Co.'s canal. They located on the very farm where, a year later, the subject of this notice was born. Their first habitation was a log cabin with two small apertures for a single pane of glass each. Thomas Barron had two sons, John and William. He resided on the farm where the cobblestone house stands all his life, where he died on died September 17, 1892.
The Geneva Gazette reported on September 16, 1892, a day before he died, that he "...has reached the advanced age of 90 years, and is probably the best-preserved man of his years in Ontario county. As evidence we cite the fact that one day last week he walked across lots fully a mile and climbed a five-rail fence to call on his neighbor, Mrs. John Reed, and returned by the same route, all within two and one-half hours. He was not over-wearied by the journey either. His brother, David, is two years older, but shows more perceptibly his great age. It is hoped both will remain with us many years. Since the above was penned, we learn with regret that Mr. Barron has suffered a stroke of paralysis, which threatens a fatal result." Richard Palmer email 7/17/2020.
The Cobblestone Society & Museum Tours:
Barron - Gracy House & Lafayette Inn 5th Annual 06/12/1965
Editor's Note: On the tour map, the house name of Barron - Gracey differs from the Barron - Gracy spelling in Schmidt's 1966 book "Cobblestone Masonry", page Page 108.
|
National Register of Historic Places Registration
- "Cobblestone Architecture", 1944, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Barron House
- Page 16, Page 25, Page 41, Page 46
- "Cobblestone Landmarks of New York State", 1978, by Olaf William Shelgren, Jr., Cary Lattin, and Robert W. Frasch, Photographs by Gerda Peterich: Name reference, Barron House
- Page 125
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Barron - Gracy House
- Page 108, Comparison of Cobblestones and Quoins Page 259
¹ Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
² Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
