[MassHistPres] Cobblestone Driveway Aprons

[bgreg at comcast.net]

We are seeing more and more cobblestone driveway aprons being installed at the foot of either new or newly re-paved driveways here on the North Shore.  We're not sure if this is simply a popular embellishment, an attempt to reproduce early carriage-ways, or a contractor-recommended useful fixture.  Their very cobblestone nature lends them to be considered early American and therefore particularly popular for driveways of colonial (original or reproduction) homes.      

Does anyone know the background of cobblestone aprons and their historical significance?  

Brian Gregory
Boxford Historic Districts Commission