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Cobblestone Quest-Road Tours of New York’s Historic Buildings
By Rich & Sue Freeman
Footprint Press, Inc. (2005)
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/06)

“Cobblestone Quest” presents 17 self-guided tours, of cobblestone
structures in upstate New York, that can be taken by car or
bicycle.   If you are unable to travel to this area, but enjoy learning
about interesting architecture you will still enjoy this book.  The
authors, Rich and Sue Freeman, begin by presenting a background
about the history of cobblestone structures.

In the United States, from 1825 to 1860, 90% of these structures
were built within a 65-mile radius of Rochester, New York.   The
authors also discuss the geological makeup of the stones and the
building techniques used to put the structures together.  They
mention that cobblestone is actually a construction method and not
an architectural style.  The most common architectural style of the
cobblestone buildings is Greek Revival. The buildings are all unique
unto themselves.

The book contains many photographs so that if you are unable to
take the tour, you can see what some of these structures actually
looked like. I really like how the book is set up.  After reading the
background information on  cobblestones, the tours begin.  Each
tour lists the distance involved and the approximate time of the tour
if taken by car.  The authors give very detailed directions on where
to start the tour and how to get to each location, much more
descriptive than you would get from Mapquest.com!

Very interesting descriptive information is given about each address.  
At most stops, the original owner, the year built, the time period and
the style are also listed.  I really enjoyed reading background
information that was given about the people living at these sites and
how some of the buildings have evolved over time.  Some of the
homes have continued to be owned by the descendants of the
families that built them. “Cobblestone Quest” is a book that I would
highly recommend to readers who enjoy traveling to interesting
places and learning about the places and  people who have resided
there.  These tours can be taken by car, bicycle or by armchair as I
did.  I would also recommend it to people that live in the area of
Rochester, New York.  I think that they would find it fascinating to
learn about these places that are in their own backyards.