Stone-Tolan House

The Stone-Tolan House was constructed sometime between 1790-1820 and is the oldest building in Monroe County.

This site served as both the home and the workplace for pioneer Orringh Stone and his wife Leisje (known as Elizabeth). The original part of the house, which includes the kitchen, was built in 1792. The building then expanded to accommodate the Stone's growing family and business. The tavern section of the building was a place for community members to meet and discuss over drinks and food (1). In fact, the tavern hosted the first meeting of the town of Brighton in the early 1800s, where town officials were elected and legislation written (2). Other rooms in addition to the tavern include the kitchen, parlor-bedroom, summer kitchen, orchard herb and kitchen gardens, smokehouse, and privy.

When Orringh Stone passed away around 1840, his children sold some of the property. One buyer was John Tolan, who purchased 50 acres in 1850 and had the house restored. One of Tolan's daughters later sold the house to the Landmark Society in 1956, and they have held ownership over the historic site since that time.

1 http://landmarksociety.org/programs/historic-sites/stone-tolan/ 
2 https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/06/16/stone-tolan-house-brighton/86005402/