Cobblestone Architecture

Cobblestone Architecture. Sodus Area Cobblestones. Why Build With Stone? Glaciers blessed this area with an abundance of stones. Farmers who picked them from their fields recognized their utility as a sturdy, fireproof, free building material that required no painting. An influx of masons working on the Erie Canal provided the expertise needed to build the structures, and soon it became the fashion in the area to build with cobblestones. , Early buildings were masonry throughout. In some later buildings, the stones were used as veneer over a wood structural frame. , Some buildings used uniformly shaped sandstone quions on the corners, others used limestone in a more random pattern. , Some buildings used uniform lake cobbles, others used fieldstones, roughly sorted. Patterns became more elaborate as the style evolved. , Lintels, structural units spanning openings, were often cut from large slabs of sandstone or limestone. In others cases [sic] several stone pieces were fit together in an arch. Still others used wood for lintels. , Cobblestones in the Town of Sodus [map] .Represents the location of a cobblestone structure. Most of these properties are private. Please respect the rights of property owners. , The glacial history of the Seaway Trail landscape provided a valuable building material. , Seaway Trail, Inc. Corner Ray and West Main St., Sackets Harbor, NY 13685. 1-800-SEAWAY-T. This exhibit made possible by a grant from FHWA to Seaway Trail, Inc.