Roe Cobblestone Schoolhouse
Why it's listed
This small one-room schoolhouse at Van Vleck Road and State Route 89 in Butler, Wayne County, was built of cobblestone in the 1820s on land given by farmer Daniel Roe. It measures 28 by 22 feet and has walls of irregular, variously colored field cobbles laid in horizontal rows with V-shaped joints, rough limestone quoins at the corners, and wood lintels and sills. The school opened in 1824 as District #1 but was always known by its benefactor's name. Classes were small, typically six to thirteen pupils, and teaching ended in 1932. The building later served as a dwelling, and its chalkboards, seating and stoves are gone. It is the only surviving cobblestone building in the town of Butler and is believed to be the oldest extant cobblestone school in New York State. It is valued both as an early example of cobblestone masonry and as a rare intact rural schoolhouse. A local preservation society acquired it in 2008 with plans for a museum.
Significance in brief: The building is a substantially intact, representative example of early cobblestone construction in Wayne County (Criterion C). It is also a rare surviving intact rural schoolhouse in the county (Criterion A, education), and is believed to be the oldest extant cobblestone school in New York State.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000920, listed September 17, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12397 Van Vleck Rd., Butler |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | September 17, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000920 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1820s - 1932 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Early 19th Century (cobblestone construction) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant as a current function; abandoned as a school in 1932, later used as a residence, and acquired in early 2008 by the Butler Historical Preservation Society for a future local history museum. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.19192, -76.79690 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000920.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7357515
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.