Cobblestone School

In 1842, Pittsford Village needed a schoolhouse. One that had been named as District #6 was located on State Street, made of wood, and was destroyed by fire. The Trustees of the Village decided that a stone school building was needed and they advertised in a newspaper that went as far as Rochester.

Mr. Samuel Crump, a master stonemason who had practiced that craft in his native country, England, had arrived not long before that to visit relatives in Rochester on his honeymoon. Sam had decided to stay in this country due to religious intolerance in England and was looking for work. This announcement seemed a godsend. He walked to Pittsford from his cousin's home and persuaded the village and school officials that he was the person to build the stone school house and he would do that from cobblestones with which he had experience and which he considered beautiful.

The school was built and housed all of the village students. Students who lived in outlying areas attended district schoolhouses located within the town. At this time there were 9 districts. A small wooden addition was added to the rear in order to accommodate more students.

When the "new" school was built up on Lincoln Avenue, it could house all of the grades up through 12 and this cobblestone building was no longer needed. This was around 1890. The small wooden addition was removed in 1892 and became part of a home at #7 West Jefferson Road.

Mr. Samuel Crump remained in Pittsford to become an outstanding citizen. He was a merchant and figured heavily into the Underground Railroad movement, the ONLY documented engineer we have in the community.