[Photos by Richard Palmer except otherwise noted] 
The old Fisher cobblestone homestead at 1132 Silver Lake Road, Town of Covington, held many happy memories of the 19th century. It was built about 1837 by Nathan Miller who died in 1841, In the early days 10 people lived here.
Wyoming County Historian
[Published in the January, 1980 issue of "Historical Wyoming," published in Warsaw, N.Y. by Wyoming County Historian]
The Old Stone House On The Hill
By John and Mary Wilson
Once in a while, we come across a packet of yellowed pages that lift the lid on the past and afford us a glimpse into the lives of those who have gone before. A glimpse of their thoughts, their dreams, their loves, their heartaches. Sometimes the thoughts on these faded pages evoke a familiar response in our hearts. The individuals who wrote them become alive to us again - not just names on gravestones but living souls capable of the same emotions that we can feel.
Such a person was Philena Keith Fisher. Who was Philena Keith Fisher? A faded obituary tells us the simple story of her life but the poems that she wrote tells us more. This obituary and a copy of her poems was brought to us by Tom Maimone who had previously purchased them at Mrs. Merle Webster's auction in Warsaw a few months ago.*
Philena was born in Wyoming April 29, 1831, the daughter of Daniel and Louise Holland Keith. Daniel and probably his wife came from Aberdeen, Scotland and had settled in Wyoming when it was a hamlet of only six houses. It was here Philena grew up. Because it was there and because of the refinement of her writing, she probably attended Middlebury Academy. The Keiths were Presbyterians and her obituary reveals that she was a fine musician with a beautiful soprano voice. In the accompanying poem, she writes that standing on the hill she could see the spire of the church where she used to sing soprano in the choir.
At the age of 19 she married Noah J. Fisher of Covington (born March 2, 1828) and went to live in the “Old Stone House on the Hill”. He purchased the house from Alexander MacFarland about 1862.
Her husband’s father was Thomas Fisher who came from Sheldon, Mass. to Covington in 1817. Here is the census record of the family in the
Stone House on the Hill in 1850:
Thomas Fisher - 54 - b. Mass.
Desire Fisher - 50 - b. Mass.
Sarah Fisher - 20 - b. N.Y.
Noah Fisher - 22 - b. N.Y.
Thomas M. Fisher - 30 - b. N.Y.
Mary M. Gater - 36 - b. N.Y.
Martha Gater - 9 - b. N.Y.
Charles Garter - 7 - b. N.Y.
Philena Fisher - 19 - b. N.Y.
Lucius Olmstead - 24 - b. N.Y.
Only a stone house could have resisted the pressure of such a family!
Noah Fisher’s obituary reveals that he too, was an accomplished singer and that the Fishers were well known in the area for their musical
talents. We are told that their home was the focal point for the musicians of the region, so we can imagine that the rafters of the old stone house on the hill must have echoed with song on many occasions. According to this
record, for nearly 40 years, their home was a veritable conservatory of sacred music and all the music lovers who frequented that happy
home felt as did the sweet singer of Isreal, “Oh come, let us sing unto the Lord anew song, let us make a joyful noise unto the God of our Salvation.”
Although apparently it was a happy marriage, strong family ties led to separate burials. He was buried with the Fishers in the Pearl Creek Cemetery and she with the Keiths in Wyoming. We do not know for certain who built the stone house but we are quite sure that it was built in the l840’s.[Note: 1835] Thomas Fisher’s ownership of the land on which it stands goes back before the records begin in 1841 in the County Clerk’s office in Warsaw, so it’s likely that he had it built. If so, it was in the Fisher family for over one hundred years. It has stood there, silently for nearly 140 years but if it could speak what stories it could tell of the people within its sturdy walls.
“The Stone House on the Hill”
By Philena Keith Fisher
When the day is gently fading,
And the busy day is o’er
I put down my work or reading,
And I close the open door.
Then I take a quiet journey
To the land of long ago;
See once more the dear old faces
Of the loved ones I used to know.
With what cheer they come to meet
I the twilight soft and still,
As I reach the dear old homestead,
Dear Stone House upon the hill.
Hand in hand we walk together, up the path
that windeth through
Beds of blossoms, bright and fragrant,
Laden with the evening dew.
The tall locusts nod their welcome,
As I pass across the sill
Of that home where love enfolds me,
Dear Stone House upon the hill.
From the window facing eastward,
From the windows facing west,
I can see the waving cornfields,
See the woodland’s leafy crest.
From the top of the long gulf hill,
Pointing heavenward, see the spire
Of the old Church where I used to
Sing soprano in the choir.
There the brook winds through the gulf
road,
On its journey to the mill,
Sweet memories lie about thee,
Dear Stone House on the hill.
All the world for me grows brighter,
And sweet peace my heart doth fill,
When I’ve been to the old homestead,
Dear Stone House on the hill.
Noah and Philena moved to Warsaw in 1876 where they lived until 1898 when they returned to Wyoming and remained there until Mr. Fisher’s death on March 3,1901. Mrs. Fisher lived with her daughter, Mrs. William Fisher for 15 years prior to her death on March 12, 1915 at the age of 84. She was survived by five other daughters - Mrs. Grace Blasdell of Oakland, Calif., Mrs. W. E. Webster of Warsaw, Mrs. Louis Lower of Brooklyn, Mrs. Jean Weill and Miss Gertrude Fisher of New York; a son, Thomas Fisher of Covington; twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her obituary appeared in the Wyoming Reporter, March 17, 1915.
Her son, Thomas, retained the stone house and farm in Covington until his death. It them remained under ownership of his children for several years. His son, Charles, owned and operated the farm until he died in 1951. Then the surviving children sold the property.
Her son, Thomas, retained the stone house and farm in Covington until his death. It them remained under ownership of his children for several years. His son, Charles, owned and operated the farm until he died in 1951. Then the surviving children sold the property.
The same house as it appears today. Notice how rear of the house is just rough field stone.
This house at 636 Pavilion-Warsaw Road (Route 19, Pearl Creek), was built by Alexander McFarland for Samuel Gorton in 1840 and is said to have taken six years to complete. Gorton and his wife, the former Betsey Hamilton, came here from Edinburg, Saratoga county. The house features Greek Revival details including a kitchen wing.
John Cox came to this area in 1828 and purchased the land where he built this cobblestone house in 1835, now at 853 East Bethany Road, Middlebury. He paid $300 cash, plus room and board and possibly some farm produce to the builders. The front wall is faced with large field cobbles with flat V joints. In the lintel over the front door is the 1835 date stone. Side and rear walls are built of field stones of various sizes. The house remained in the Cox family until 1905. About 1950 a wood frame wing was added on the north side. The house was vacant for 22 years until it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Misisco who restored it.
Photos by Richard Palmer
This house at 636 Pavilion-Warsaw Road (Route 19, Pearl Creek), was built by Alexander McFarland for Samuel Gorton in 1840 and is said to have taken six years to complete. Gorton and his wife, the former Betsey Hamilton, came here from Edinburg, Saratoga county. The house features Greek Revival details including a kitchen wing.
Harrison House
716 Starr Road, Covington
716 Starr Road, Covington
This house at 716 Starr Road, Covington, was built between 1830 and 1835 by Joel Harrison. In 1836 ihe moved to Murray, Orleans County and sold it to James C. Ferris. It was in the Miller family from 1865 and 1922 and has seen extensive alterations over the years.
Warsaw Academy
Wyoming County Historian
By Richard Palmer
The old Warsaw Academy building at 73 South Main St., is the only cobblestone structure in the village of Warsaw. It is a Greek Revival public building that served as a school for Warsaw from 1846 until 1873. Chester Hurd built the Warsaw Academy from stones supplied by local boys from the East Hill for the price of a circus ticket.
The Western New-Yorker newspaper in April, 1846 stated the building was to be built of cobblestones 67 by 35 feet, two stories high, surmounted by a cupola for a bell. "It will contain three departments, one above and two below; sufficiently spacious to accommodate in all about two hundred scholars. This building, when completed, will be an ornament to our village an honor to the district, and a blessing to the children."
William Henry Merrill was seven years old when his family moved to Warsaw. He said in his reminiscences at the Centennial Celebration of the Town of Warsaw in 1903, "The academy on South Main street was then in the process of building, and the older boys utilized some of their vacation days and earned the price of a 'caravan,' circus ticket picking up cobblestones on the fruitful East Hill to help forward the work of construction."
The academy opened in November, 1846 with 70 students. This is the only cobblestone structure in the village. It is a Greek Revival public building that served as a school for Warsaw from 1846 until 1873 when it was discontinued. The building was sold to Ambrose Armstrong for $3,000 in 1877, but the school district foreclosed on the mortgage in 1881. In 183 it became a canning factory for fruits and vegetables. It was sold to Warsaw Lodge No. 547, F. &A.M. (Masons) in 1907 for $2,500 who then rented it for use as a general store, machine shop and garage.
Eventually the Masons transformed it into their temple. In 1928 a new addition was built across the rear of the building for a bowling alley. The property is now owned by the Warsaw Temple Association and used for Masonic activities and social events.
The Western New-Yorker newspaper in April, 1846 stated the building was to be built of cobblestones 67 by 35 feet, two stories high, surmounted by a cupola for a bell. "It will contain three departments, one above and two below; sufficiently spacious to accommodate in all about two hundred scholars. This building, when completed, will be an ornament to our village an honor to the district, and a blessing to the children."
William Henry Merrill was seven years old when his family moved to Warsaw. He said in his reminiscences at the Centennial Celebration of the Town of Warsaw in 1903, "The academy on South Main street was then in the process of building, and the older boys utilized some of their vacation days and earned the price of a 'caravan,' circus ticket picking up cobblestones on the fruitful East Hill to help forward the work of construction."
The cobbles range from one-half to two inches in height and from two to four inches in length. The cobblestones are laid five to a quoin. Warsaw voters authorized $1,500 for its construction including windows six lights wide and three lights high. The cobbles range from one-half to two inches in height and from two to four inches in length. The cobblestones are laid five to a quoin. Warsaw voters authorized $1,500 for its construction including windows six lights wide and three lights high. The cupola has been removed.
Eventually the Masons transformed it into their temple. In 1928 a new addition was built across the rear of the building for a bowling alley. The property is now owned by the Warsaw Temple Association and used for Masonic activities and social events.
Same structure as it appears today. Bell tower has been removed.
_____
Robeson Cutlery Building in Perry
The name Robeson Cutlery Co. is clearly visible over the entrance in this photo from the History of the Town of Perry, N.Y. by Frank D. Roberts, published in 1915.
This photo was taken shortly before demolition of the cobblestone building in 1952 . The cutlery continued in operation until 1965 when it was closed.
This two-story, three-bay cobblestone building on Main Street in Perry was built as a foundry about 1837. About 1828, John Gregg erected an implement foundry on the site occupied by the stone building later a part of the Robeson Cutlery factory. On Nov. 24, 1837 Gregg sold the property to Ellery Hicks. Within a year or two following the sale, a severe electrical storm came through. The foundry building was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. It was a serious financial loss to Mr. Hicks who was not financially able of erecting and equipping a new plant to take its place.
[From: History of Wyoming County, N.Y. published in 1880]. At this time it was the reaper works of Wyckoff, Tuttle & Olin. Cobblestone part of the plant is in center, foreground.
[Close up of original cobblestone portion of the factory]
________
Sympathetic with his misfortune, the community came to the rescue. A public meeting was called. On a set farmers hauled in enough cobblestones to construct a much larger and more fire proof building. Stone masons, carpenters and others donated their time and talents in this public spirited venture and within a short time the new building was erected, at no cost to Mr. Hicks. Although it changed hands several times this business lasted for more than 60 years.
In the spring of 1898 after the foundry business had moved to Jamestown, the
Robeson Cutlery Co. moved here from Camillus. This firm was established in 1879 by Millard F. Robeson, a traveling salesman. [From pages 69-73, 89-91, History of the Town of Perry, N.Y. by Frank D. Roberts and Carl G. Clark, published in 1915 in Perry.]
By 1952 the old cobblestone building had deteriorated so badly it was demolished. Historical Wyoming, P. 123. July, 1952 reported:
"In May, it was revealed that the old cobblestone building of the Robeson Cutlery Company, Perry, would be demolished. The landmark on Perry’s Main Street, dated back to the 1830’s, and has long been admired for its simple but attractive facade. Its destruction was ordered only after efforts failed to strengthen the sagging floors and walls. It was one of a very few small number of cobblestone structures still in use in the County, most of them a century or older.
The Castilian, Castileon Thursday, May 29, 1952 reported:
Landmark is No More
The old cobblestone building on Perry’s Main Street, belonging to the Robeson Cutlery Company, is no more. The building, built in the year 1837 this week was razed to make way for a new one-story addition to the Cutlery firm on the same site and original foundation.
[From: History of Wyoming County, N.Y. published in 1880]. At this time it was the reaper works of Wyckoff, Tuttle & Olin. Cobblestone part of the plant is in center, foreground.
[Close up of original cobblestone portion of the factory]
________
This well-preserved house at 7636 Sanford Road, Town of Castile, was built in 1847 by William Stanton. The walls are veneered with lake-washed stones. The cobblestones on the right side wall are similar to those in the front wall but larger, and laid in three courses to the quoin.
Walbridge-Merle House, 919 Exchange Street Road, Attica. Built in 1837. Above photos taken prior to renovations.
As it appeared in 2019.
Batavia Daily News
October 31, 2017
A house for the ages: 1840 cobblestone recognized by Attica Landmark Preservation Society
By Matt Surtel
ATTICA — Call it love at first sight.
Corey and April Woodworth like the Attica community. And when they went looking for a house, a particular cobblestone caught Cory’s eye immediately.
Six years later, the 123-year-old structure has earned the Attica Landmark Preservation Society’s annual House of the Year award.
“We’re humbled and honored to get the recognition,” April said on Monday. “A lot of work and a lot of living through construction.”
The Attica Landmark Preservation Society annually recognizes a house of historic significance. Past winners have included everything from stately Victorians to some of the village’s earliest surviving homes.
Corey said he appreciated the cobblestone — but the couple was prepared for a lot of work to bring the old house back into shape.
“My wife wasn’t too fond of it,” he said. “It was pretty run-down. Nobody had really done anything to it for years, and it had been sitting empty for four or five years I think.”
The Woodworths embarked an a major and continuing renovation, with the more-expensive work taking priority. Plumbing, electric, septic and other essentials all needed upgrading.
April said they initially remained in their apartment while they worked on the house as much as they could. What they’ve created — and continued to work on — is a vintage house which retains its historic appeal, while still featuring modern amenities.
The house’s history and stature are part of what attracted the Attica Landmark Preservation Society in their selection.
“That cobblestone house is one of the few — the last one in Wyoming County, and being that old, the cobblestone on it is so perfect,” said Co-President Bill Meisner. “I don’t know how they did it. They must have had a lot of time of their hands. I don’t know they did it.”
The Woodworths live in the house with their 12-year-old son Matthew — a soccer player and Boy Scout — and their 1-year-old daughter Alexis.
What’s the best part of living there?
“Just the historical aspect of it,” Corey, 36, said. “My parents were in charge of the historical society in Mount Morris and I kind of grew up with historical homes and stuff, so that kind of plays into it I guess.”
“The kitchen,” April said. “It used to be the coal room and it was a farm hand’s room, so we made it one big area, so we have a 10-foot kitchen table in here. We have an island and a built-in in bench. It’s just a space for people to people to come and gather together — lots of memories with families and friends.”
Photo by Mark Gutman/Daily News
Corey and April Woodworth with their one-year-old daughter Alexis in front of their home at 919 Exchange Street Road in Attica. They bought and are restoring the structure that sat empty for several years.
Cobblestone smoke house, 7591 Old State Road, Covington.Photos by Larry Warren
_______
Taber House, Castile
Taberlea Farm in Castile
One of the most imposing cobblestone mansions in western New York is the Taber house in the town of Castile. It always catches the eye of motorists they pass by. Occasionally some stranger
will stop to admire the beautiful old home. Built in 1844, it is one of the landmarks of the region, having never been materially altered.
In a deed, dated February 12, 1832, and recorded five months later, Cyrus A. Whipple and wife conveyed for the consideration of $1,800 to Stephen D. Taber, 100 acres in Lot 33 of Elisha Johnson’s subdivisiom of the Cottringer Tract. On June 17, 1836, an additional 23 acres from Lot 24 were annexed at a cost of $26.80 per acre. The total cost for the farm was $2, 411.40.
Stephen D. Taber's diary, during 1842-44, furnishes what he chose to to call “'Cost of materials Building my house,” and is recorded as he wrote it below:
for mason work $ 355.00
Joiner's work 412.00
Cut stone 191.00
drawing same 65.00
Lime 100.00
Lumber, clear 150.00
Rough boards 25.00
Batters & Joice 30.00
Shingles 30.00
Paints, oils, glass,
nails and trimming 160.00
Tending mason 80.00
Hired girls, Boarding
of Hands, etc. 260.00
$1,858.00
Sash turning 15.00
Brick 25.00
Marble smith 9.00
$1,907.00
Amt. Brt up $1,932.00
Painting 30.00
Extra work mason 0.05
Extra work Joiner 0.09
Mistake of turning &
sash $112.00
$1,974.14
The pillars and the rectangular cornerstones were drawn from LeRoy by ox-team while the old cobblestones were hauled up from the river. Nelson Simons said in a letter to Horace Taber, dated Nov.
30, 1856, "Stephen has put a lead pipe into your old well and takes the water out below the orchard. He got it started last Friday. It ran well and I think it will be a fine thing to the place."
The faithful well supplied the home for more than a century. In 1866, Mr. Taber constructed the adjacent pond which begin to fill with water on Nov. 24th. Visitors note with delight the white
painted lattice work bridge which spans it. The house has commanding position on the west side of the Middle Reservation Reed with a spectacular view of the Genesee Valley.
Its pillared facade dominates a structure whose native stones delightfully weathered and blended into pleasing mellow tones. While the interior retains most of the original room arrangements, it has been
modernized with conveniences and is furnished with distinction.
The old home passed from Stephen D. Taber to his son, Harmon E. Taber, who died in 1907. Jennie P. Taber, wife of Harman, passed away in 1932. They had two daughters, Mrs. Gertrude T. Mignin
and Mrs. Isabelle T. Crounse. Mrs. Crounse returned from Helena, Montana. The following year, Dr. C. F. and Mrs. Gertrude T. Mignin took up residence in the old house. Dr. Mignin became interested in Guernsey cattle. He established what in time became a famous herd of blooded stock. The Mignin’s resided there many years. The place was known as “Taberlea.” The surrounding land and tenant house were sold to Richard Hotchkiss in 1947. Subsequent owners have continued to maintain the property.
The windows are of hand-blown glass. Unique is the two and a half story central portion flanked by two wings on either side. A third wing is at the rear of the house.
Photos by Richard Palmer
This fine cobblestone house is at 4984 Middle Reservation Road, Town of Castile. It was built between 1842 and 1844 at a cost of $1,974.14 according to the diiary of Stephen D. Taber. The two columns on the front are original. They came from a quarry in LeRoy, N.Y. The two roofs on each side of the front exposure are knee wall attics, there is a maids room on the back on the second floor that does not have access to the front room on the second floor. Windows are of hand-blown glass. Date stone is between second floor windows. The property remained with descendants of the original owners until 1947. For years this was the well-known Guernsey dairy farm, “Taberlea."
Two above photos by Larry Warren
Sketch by Carl Schmidt
The Taber cobblestone house at Castile, shown in this pencil sketch by Carl F. Schmidt, represents a structural type which originated in this part of the state in 1844. Built of fieldstone from the vicinity, and of limestone hauled by ox-cart from LeRoy, it cost $3,000. In the past four years Carl F. Schmidt photographed, sketched and secured data on more than 250 of these houses.
Rochester Times-Union
Friday, September 19, 1941
(Excerpt from a column, “Artists And Craftsmen” by Amy H. Croughton)
Cobblestone Houses
For four years Carl F. Schmidt, Rochester architect and antiquarian, has made an intensive study of the type of house, generally known as “cobblestone,” with he is convinced originated in this part of New York State in a section extending 50 miles east and west of Rochester and between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes.
Mr. Schmidt has made 50 pencil sketches of such houses, similar to that of the Taber House near Castile which is reproduced above, and 50 measured drawings of details of the houses; and has taken more than 200 black and white, and color photographs of which he has made slides. He has visited and recorded in this way more than 200 houses and, although it is difficult to secure historical and structural data on this type of house, he has such material on 150 of them.
The interest which the cobblestone scrounges surprised Mr. Schmidt when he first showed his collection of slides and sketches. Architects and historical societies might be expected to be interested, but some of the keenest audiences have been business men.
And invariably, after each talk an showing of the slides, Mr. Schmidt gets more “tips” on cobblestone houses to be found on lesser traveled roads with send him off in a new direction on his next weekend sketching trip.
Cover Span of 35 Years
The earliest cobblestone house of which Mr. Schmidt has knowledge was built in 1825, the latest in 1860. The Taber House, shown above, was started in 1842 and completed by 1844. It is of “squarish” fieldstone and the construction is quite similar to that in the Schanck House at the corner of Main E. and Culver in this city and to the Lockley House also in Rochester. It differs in material from cobblestone houses found near Lake Ontario which were built of round, “lake washed” stones.
Documents in possession of the Taber Family show that the whole cost of the house was $2,000. The gray limestone in the large blocks or “quoins,” at the house corners, and in the window lintels, was hauled from LeRoy to Castile by ox-team. The fieldstone probably were collected nearby. Often children and women helped in tis work and in the “sizing” of the stones by passing them through a metal ring known as the “beetle ring,” or a hole cut in a plank.
The limestone blocks cost $191, with an additional $65 for drawing. The time used in making the mortar joints which make a projecting V, horizontally, with a much lower V joint dividing the stones vertically, cost $100. The mason work cost $355 and there are items of $80 for a “tending mason” and $9 for a “marblesmith,” titles no longer met with just as the construction of the cobblestone house is, itself, a lost art.
Originated About Here
In architectural detail the Taber House shows its relationship to the Greek Revival, of which it was a part. In material and structure, however, it, and other cobblestone houses, represent something peculiar to this section. Mr. Schmidt has found scattered houses of this type in New England and Canada, but in each case has found them of a later date and built by some person who had lived or visited in this part of the country and had varied away with him the idea of cobblestone architecture.
[From History of Wyoming County published in 1880].
[From History of Wyoming County published in 1880].
This was the Butler-Post house on Page Road in the town of Perry as it appeared in the mid 1970s when it was in a very run down condition. It was built in the 1840s. It was built of field stones with a one-story wing. It was purchased by James Post from Lawrence Hurst in 1960 to add to his farm but was left vacant as it was too costly to repair. It was demolished in the 1980s.
Photo by Robert Roudabush
The same house in earlier years.
Cobblestone Society collection
Wing of Sheldon house, Route 20A, east of Simmons Road, Perry, 1950s. Believed to be extinct.
Cobblestone Society collection
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