In the brush and trees of Somerset, New York, is an old salt spring believed to have been used by local Native Americans.
Sitting quietly beside Fish Creek, the area is marked with the tracks of animals who have traveled there for the salt.
Golden Hill State Park was acquired by New York State in 1962. The Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1958, is part of the park and is available for rental. This landmark has a rich history which can be enjoyed by visitors of the park, through the Friends of Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse (see link above). The lighthouse originally provided keepers and assistant keepers family quarters. Golden Hill State Park offers camping, fishing, boating, shoreline hiking, picnicking, nature walks and walking tours of the lighthouse site. Winter activities are also available, including snowshoeing and five miles of snowmobile trails that run through the park.
The beautiful Greek Revival Cobblestone Babcock House Museum was built in 1848 near the shores of Lake Ontario along the Seaway Trail. Its cobblestone masonry, using weathered stone from Lake Ontario, is unique to this area of New York and most of these homes were erected prior to the Civil War. Step over the threshold and enter a world gone by. The brick bread oven and bee hive cook fireplace are focal points as you stroll through. It is completely furnished with vintage antiques, china, light fixtures, and pump organ. It is as if the original owner, farmer Jeptha Babcock, is just outside in the impressive barn tending to his animals. One of the largest barns in vintage barns in Niagara County, you can tour the old machinery inside and view the soaring architecture. Square dances, storytelling and old fashioned pot luck meals are held inside several times per year by the Somerset Historical Society. The house is open for touring on Sundays 1-4 from June Through the end of August.