Page 31 - 2026 Orleans County Travel Guide
P. 31
The Cobblestone Trail
ON RIDGE ROAD
he “Ridge” sits upon a ridge of sand once forming the shoreline of ancient
TLake Iroquois before receding 10,000 years ago. It was first used by the
Senecas and Iroquois, and in 1798 a road was traced through the forest near the
ridge, transforming the trail into a stage coach turnpike. The newly renovated
Fairhaven Inn in the town of Gaines is the only surviving stage coach stop. The
Ridge is often referred to as “the road of the cobblestone houses,” for there are
more such buildings along its 25 miles from Rochester than on any highway in
America. The Cobblestone Museum in Gaines is the only cobblestone museum
in the world. It showcases the unique masonry construction method using
stones rounded and polished into cobble by glacial action. Visit our website,
www.orleanscountytourism.com/cobblestone to view a map featuring over 100
cobblestone structures’ locations in Orleans County.
ORLEANSCOUNTYTOURISM.COM • 585-589-3100 PAGE 31
