HistoricSiteMarkers

Western New York

Cobblestone New York Trail

A folk-architecture wonder of Western New York

Within 65 miles of Rochester sits the densest collection of cobblestone buildings on earth — schools, churches, and homes laid stone by stone by Erie Canal masons. This trail begins where the idea for HistoricSiteMarkers.com was born.

3 stops · roughly 49 miles end to end

The itinerary

  1. 1

    Alexander Classical School

    Alexander, New York

    Erected in 1837, this cobblestone building served the village of Alexander as a classical academy at a time when secondary education was rare in rural America. Cobblestone construction — laying tens of thousands of water-rounded stones by hand — flourished in a roughly 65-mile radius of Rochester, NY, after Erie Canal masons settled the region.

    Education
  2. 2

    Cobblestone Society Museum

    Childs (Gaines), New York

    After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, the masons who had cut its locks turned to building homes, churches, and schools from glacial cobblestones. The Childs cluster is the densest surviving example of the craft.

    EducationIndustry & Invention
  3. 3

    Lockport Locks — Flight of Five

    Lockport, New York

    To lift canal boats 60 feet over the Niagara Escarpment, engineers built five paired locks — boats going up on one side while others descended. The project drew workers from across Europe and gave the city of Lockport its name.

    TransportationIndustry & Invention