THE ODD SETT

Help us solve the mystery!

We were working on Greene St in Manhattan and noticed this peculiar "Cobblestone" with a smooth symmetrical notch. We began discussing this curious little stone and no-one could come up with a likely scenario for its history. We'd love to hear what you think about this stone.  Some of the questions we have:

-What was the notch cut for?

-Was the notch cut in a larger block that was later re-purposed as a cobble* (Sett Stone)

-Was the notch cut in America or another country (England, Holland?) and brought as ship ballast?

- Why was this cobble (Sett) not discarded by the Sett Mason who layed Greene St.?

*Cobblestones are small stones rounded by the flow of water and were used in the pavement of early streets. Setts are often confused with cobblestones, although setts are shaped to a regular form whereas cobblestone are from a naturally occurring form.

Example of a cobblestone surface.

Example of a sett stone surface.