We are a small group of stone house owners in Jefferson County, New York. In 1999, we formed the Stone Building Appreciation Society to document and promote awareness of the beautiful and varied stone structures in our towns and countryside.
Hiram Hubbard House, Champion
Some of us own and care for large two-story houses with finely cut limestone facades like the Hiram Hubbard House (1820) which remained in the Hubbard family until its donation to the 4 River Valleys Historical Society in 2005. The public may tour the house each year on the Fourth of July, Champion Old Home Days.
Samuel Read House, Town of Brownville
Others of us live in small vernacular farmhouses like the Samuel Read House (1827) with walls built of rubble and stones pulled from nearby Lake Ontario.
Kitchen fireplace in Asa Gates House, Champion, 1828
All of us are interested in learning how to preserve our stone house legacy while keeping warm in the winter.
Smith, Wright House, Clayton
We worry about the neglect and loss of our stone buildings. The New York State census for 1855 lists 429 stone dwellings and 60 stone school houses in Jefferson County. Less than half of them remain today.
Sawmill Bay limestone quarry, Chaumont (no date), with quarry worker.
We have told our story of early settlers, masons, and limestone quarries in the book, Stone Houses of Jefferson County. Photo: Lyme Heritage Center.
Stone Houses of Jefferson County
This grassroots appreciation of the stone houses of Jefferson County, New York, portrays 85 buildings - farm houses, mansions, churches, mills, a barracks, a smithy, and a jail – in color and period photographs.
Edited by Maureen Hubbard Barros, Brian W. Gorman, and Robert A. Uhlig
Photographs by Richard Margolis
“A must for those interested in stone construction and architecture, and certainly for people like myself who live in stone homes. It’s of value to those fascinated by the history of northern New York. It’s bound to attract attention for its photographs, both old and new. I guarantee friends and family will pick it up and talk about it when they see it on your coffee table.”