Wilson in Niagara County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Morgan Johnson House
1844
Erected by Wilson Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.
Location. 43° 17.646′ N, 78° 49.558′ W. Marker is in Wilson, New York, in Niagara County. Marker is on Wilson Cambia Rd (New York State Route 425) ¼ mile north of Ide Rd, on the right when traveling north. Marker is one lot south of the Welcome to Village of Wilson sign. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2533 Wilson Cambria Rd, Wilson NY 14172, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hojack Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Rexford G. Tugwell (approx. ¼ mile away); Randall Road Schoolhouse (approx. ¼ mile away); Tabor Bridge (approx. 0.8 miles away); Wilson Collegiate Institute 1845 (approx. 0.9 miles away); Site of Log House Built in 1818 by Reuben Wilson (approx. one mile away); Schooner Fleetwing (approx. one mile away); Lake Street and Young Street (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilson.
Regarding Morgan Johnson House. Luther Wilson, son of town founder Reuben Wilson, led a long and enterprising life in Wilson. At age 15 he drove about 15 cattle away from Captain Scott's British raiders who torched all lakeside cabins in Wilson in December 1813. He built a hostelry, added steam power to the family grist mill, spent 20 years dredging the channel to Wilson Harbor, helped form the former Wilson Collegiate Institute, and was elected State Assemblyman. Morgan Johnson was captain of the Lake Ontario schooner Millie Cook.
This house is faced with rows of glacial cobblestones of uniform sizes set in soft lime mortar in courses. This building craft began after 1825 near Rochester, NY. The corner limestone blocks are called quoins. The courses number six per quoin in front, five on the sides, and four and five in back except for the back of the single story service wing. The cobblestones mask the rubble walls that support the structure. There is a herring bone pattern below the band of limestone blocks known as the water table. Beyond the front door is a 270 degree spiral staircase. The second floor windows are eye-level, though they appear to be belly windows from the outside. (Belly windows require one to lie on the floor to peer out.) The mortar has been repaired in places and some cobblestones reset. In 2001 the north and south sides received significant rebuilding for which the owners received a plaque from the Cobblestone Society in 2006. In 2017 the rear side was rebuilt.
The anchor on the front lawn was cut from the schooner Franklin Pierce (1840) to escape from potentially being driven into the Wilson shoreline at the foot of Lake St. when a storm descended. The anchor was discovered in 1897. E. Stevens, owner of the house at that time, purchased the anchor and had it transported here. Afterwards, the property came to be identified as the Anchor Farm.
References
Croop, Donald W. Wilson Sketchbook. Wilson Historical Society, 1990
Frasch, Robert W. and Robinson, Delia A. Details of Cobblestone Masonry Construction in North America 1825-1860. Cobblestone Society Research Center, 1993
Wilson Historical Society Newsletter, April 2009 referencing “Boom Days Loom for Wilson,” Niagara Falls Gazette, November 26, 1941
Also see . . . Cobblestone Society Museum. (Submitted on September 30, 2013, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)
Additional keywords. Cobblestone
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2013, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 1,720 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 30, 2013, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. 3. submitted on March 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. 4. submitted on September 30, 2013, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. 5, 6. submitted on March 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.