Building date: 1844-45
Original use:
Corner structures: Chamferred
Mortar application and content:
Types and uses of stones: Small, various colors; Vertical, no embellishment in mortar
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details: Wil-9 Broeker
Masons who worked on building:
Unique features:
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 43°17'38.71"N 78°49'32.27"W. Current owner of record, Schwarzmueller as of the 2019 Tax Roll.
Town of Wilson and Niagara County Maps
Morgan-Johnson House, 2533 Cambria-Wilson Road. Johnson was a ship captain when he built this home in 1844. His ship, the Milly Cook, caught fire and sank in Wilson Harbor. The spot is still known today as Milly Cook Cove. The anchor is from the schooner Franklin Pierce which sank in 1840. The anchor was found near Wilson pier 57 years later.
Note the fine workmanship on the ornate lintels and quoins and cut limestone columns at the entrance. The house has an unusual recessed center along with the limestone steps and railings. The house has wide Greek Revival cornices with cast iron grills in a wide frieze masking a full-height second floor. Also noteworthy is herringbone design foundation more prevalent in the 1850s. There is a circular staircase inside the home. Richard Palmer blog.
The Land of Cobblestones, by Donald W. Croop 1976, Morgan Johnson House Page 10, A Publication of the Wilson Bicentennial Committee and Wilson Historical Society, Niagara County, Wilson, N.Y.
Edited publication excerpt about Morgan Johnson House, "Cobblestone Homes and Legends Town of Wilson", by Wilson Historical Society.
"Restoration of the Morgan Johnson House", by owners Anton and Arlene Schwarzmueller.
The Cobblestone Society & Museum Tours:
Desso House 6th Annual 06/06/1964, Tour of Cobblestone Homes, 09/28/2019: See photographs below from that event.
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Johnson - Desso House
- Page 87
- "Cobblestone Landmarks of New York State", 1978, by Olaf William Shelgren, Jr., Cary Lattin, and Robert W. Frasch, Photographs by Gerda Peterich: Name reference, Johnson House
- Page 78
- "The Era of Cobblestone Architecture", unpublished manuscript 1972. To access the manuscript content about this structure, see 51. Niagara County, Johnson-Hathaway House, and 173. Doorway, Morgan-Hathaway House.
¹ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
² Photography courtesy Gerda Peterich. Cobblestone Museum.
¹ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
³ Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
4 Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
5 Photography courtesy Gregory Lawrence.
