If you’ve ever walked or driven down Corning Park in the Village of Webster, you’ve passed by a little piece of history which you might not have noticed. It’s a carriage block, and it sits in front of the home at 34 Corning Park.
In the time when horses and buggies were the main forms of transportation, anyone other than very athletic riders and passengers faced some difficulty dismounting horses, stagecoaches or buggies, which rode several feet off the ground. The solution: a carriage block, also known as a horse block. Basically, they were step stools, bridging the large gap between ground and vehicles, making mounting and dismounting much easier.
These helpful steps were commonly found in front of homes, churches, train depots and businesses. They were made from a variety of materials, including cast iron, wood, even marble. Many, however, like the one on Corning Park, were fashioned from simple concrete.
You won’t see many of these around town – in fact, there are only three that we know of – because once they became obsolete, most of these vestiges of 19th century history were removed. The two others that have survived the passage of time are in front of 394 Phillips Rd. and the Holt Homestead at 757 Holt Rd.
Discover more fascinating bits of local history at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org.
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(posted 1/9/2024)
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There also is a carriage step between Mama Lors (lake rd) and the house to the west. When we owned the Country store it was behind the fence. Check it out.
Interesting! The museum folks didn’t even know about that one and will be pleased to hear about it. I’ll have to swing by and take a photo. Thanks!
great tidbit about carriage steps, we have also a hitching post where horse was tied at 394 Phillips rd.
Hi Jan! I actually mention that towards the end 🙂
Our old house at 1771 Lake road has them as well from the 1800’s
I’ll have to check that one out, thanks! The museum didn’t even know about that one
Cast Iron in the Front yard. On picture in Google Maps.
What a great tid bit of Webster history! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Glad you liked it 🙂
wow I just purchased a house that was built in 1880 and we have one in front of our house. And all our keys are skeleton . Amazing
Wow, congratulations for owning such a great piece of history! Where is that?