650 Ridge Road

Properties | 650 Ridge Road

Ebenezer Cook Home

One of the most historically significant properties in the Town of Webster is the Ebenezer Cook home at 650 Ridge Road.  During the War of 1812, the Ridge Road was a well-traveled military supply route.  At this time, Webster was still largely wilderness.  Webster’s first blacksmith, Ebenezer Cook came from Connecticut with his oxen team after his discharge from the War of 1812. He settled in what is now the hamlet of West Webster and built a blacksmith shop in 1812.  The shop and tavern, constructed of unhewn logs, were on the north side of The Ridge.  When this first structure became dilapidated, he built a new and larger one, circa 1820.  It became a regular stop for stagecoaches between Oswego and Rochester, and is the only remaining building that was a stagecoach stop in Webster.  The inn was nicknamed “The Beehive” because of the beehive-shaped oven within.

The building is in the basic Greek revival style and is located at the busy intersection of Old Ridge Road and Empire Boulevard.  Though the architecture of that structure is simple, it still stands today as one of the oldest buildings in the Town of Webster.