Harris Farm Hist Marker & Cobblestone

Historic Site #:	09-011 (Exists) Type: B2,B4,D1,F3	Town:	Palmyra
Site Name:	Harris Farm Hist Marker & Cobblestone	GPS Coordinates:	43.083543, -77.239758
Address:	2095 Maple Ave. Palmyra NY
Description:


Photo by Bavis , 2009	Photo by Bavis , 2009

Photo by Bavis , 2009	Photo by Bavis , 2009

Fire place chimney, north side of house. Cobblestone Buildings in Wayne County Blog by Richard Palmer	Cobblestone Buildings in Wayne County Blog by Richard Palmer

Historic narrative:
This house at 2095 Maple Ave., Palmyra, replaced a one and a half-story wooden frame house that originally stood on this site. When Martin Harris, a follower of Mormon leader Joseph Smith, left here in 1831, it was occupied by William Chapman. The house burned to the ground in 1849 and was replaced by this cobblestone house, built by Robert Johnson for Chapman. The stones were collected from the shore of the lake by his son, Thomas Johnson, who was only 10 years old at the time. It was a three-day round trip to Lake Ontario and return. Hauling back a load of stone was a slow process. It took one day go to the lake, one day to gather the stones and one day to return home. The stones were then sorted and sized, with the most uniform ones used for the front, and the less desirable ones on the sides and back. The house, on the west side of Maple Avenue, is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Once a visitors center, it now serves as the private residence for missionaries.

References:

Cobblestone Buildings in Wayne County Blog by Richard Palmer

Cobblestone Quest by Rich & Sue Freeman, page 134-135