A Visit To The Potsdam, New York Museum - Part 2

I was touring the town museum in Potsdam, New York (see Part 1, posted yesterday) and came to this photo of Jonah Sanford, who lived from 1790 to 1867. He served in the State Assembly, U.S. Congress and as judge in the Court of Common Pleas. Like many of those who settled Potsdam, he was originally from Vermont. His final home was in the rural town of Hopkinton, near where I live:

The wedding gown of Ada Welch Larkin, of cream satin. She wore it when she married A. Raymond Powers on September 1, 1910:

Henry Liberty Knowles, 1815-1852, a prominent attorney and judge. He and his wife built a Greek Revival house in 1842 at 48 Elm Street, Potsdam which is now a Bed and Breakfast. It is known as the Brambles Inn and Gardens, and you can see lots of photos of it at their website:

Dining room furniture, c. 1800-1820, was handed down from generation to generation of the Knowles family. It was originally used in the Liberty and Melinda Knowles house on Market Street in Potsdam:

Jane Lucretia Brush Knowles, 1817-1907:

A wooden and leather document box, 1830. The D.L stood for Daniel Lewis, the original owner:

A child's leather shoe, c. 1880:

Pairs of wooden ice skates, c. 1860-1880. This north country had notably cold winters and ice skating must have been a popular hobby:

Noble Strong Elderkin, 1810-1875. He was the son of a local wheelwright:

Emma Brooks Gurley, 1815-1886, a local girl who became the wife of Dr. Phineas Densmore Gurley, pastor to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington D.C:

A hooded cradle, c. 1816-1827. This was unusual because the rocking runners were configured along the length of the box instead of the width:

There was no sign on this tricycle but I found it especially interesting:

Victorian nightclothes for the whole family and a glimpse of the stained glass windows from the former Unitarian Church:

From the Potsdam Piano Forte Manufactory, 1843:

A Visit To The Potsdam, New York Museum - Part 1

One day I decided to tour the town museum in Potsdam, New York. I'd been there before, of course, but they keep changing things to keep it interesting:

The museum, town offices and library are in what used to be the Unitarian Church and, though the windows you see are clear glass, many others are still stained glass:

The museum had a theme of "Portraits Of Potsdam Families" but there was also a Victorian Era theme, left over from their "Charles Dickens Christmas." Potsdam was a boom town in the Victorian Era, rich on furs, ores and lumber:

There were top hats (and a red hat box, made especially for top hats, in the above photo):

A small pump organ, circa 1880, used as a practice organ by Julia Crane, founder of what is now the Crane School of Music in Potsdam:

The Raymond family of Potsdam. I wish now that I'd gotten closeups of the portraits, but you can click on this photo to enlarge it:

A lovely bureau from the Victorian Era:

And a Windsor-style writing desk, c. 1816-27:

A woman's evening cape, c. 1920, of tan silk with beige, black and red embroidery all over:

The Shoenhut Company, established in 1872, became noted for their toy pianos. They were more than just toys, though, for they stayed in tune and were accompanied by sheet music to encourage the children to play:

I didn't know whether to call this a settee or loveseat, so I checked and discovered that it could be called either. Loveseats, however, usually had two separate cushions, one for each person, so I'll call this a Victorian settee:

Children's clothing and toys:

This black, wooden pony came with a detailed explanation, which I'll post just below it:

For the black pony in the above photo:

The Blackmon family: Jennie Ketcham Blackmon and her four sisters. There was more to see at the Potsdam Museum, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Part 3, Potsdam Museum Toy Exhibit

I continued on my tour of the Potsdam Museum's toy exhibit with this multistory Barbie and Ken abode:

And at its base was a Barbie camper bus:

There was a G.I. Joe display. This was one toy which was far too recent for me to remember:

A Rin Tin Tin and Lone Ranger exhibit. Now these were from my era and brought back lots of memories:

Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and Smokey Bear, more memories from my childhood:

Lincoln Logs and Gunsmoke:

Gene Autry. Finally, some things even older than my childhood!:

More Roy Rogers and Dale Evans memorabilia:

I didn't see any date for this tricycle, but I'd guess it was from the 30s or 40s:

A 1950s Murray "Trac," a chain-drive pedal tractor. These I remembered, though I didn't have one:

I was really fascinated by this tiny, cast iron wood stove and its equally tiny pots:

A Singer "Touch and Sew" sewing machine. I'm not sure, but my sister may have had one of these.

And Lionel Trains. This incredible set dated back to the 1930s:

Trivial Pursuit, Spirograph, Gilbert Puzzles, Erector Sets and Art Linkletter's "People Are Funny." I certainly had at least one Erector Set as a boy and loved it dearly:

And, as the final entry in my presentation of the toy exhibit, a Mickey Mouse Wall Clock, a giant imitation of the wrist variety. I sure enjoyed the Potsdam Museum's display and I hope that you enjoyed seeing it here:

Part 2, Potsdam Museum Toy Exhibit

I was really enjoying my tour of the Potsdam, New York Museum's toy exhibit and many toys reminded me of my childhood. Worse, some toys reminded me of eras in which I was already an adult. Oh, to think that I have reached an age where my childhood toys are museum artifacts! For instance, my sister and I used to have this "Barrel Of Monkeys" toy:

Metal doll house furniture:

More metal toys and a doll:

And View-Masters. I still have one in my closet, and I think it's even older than these as it takes a straight picture card, not a round one. And of course they still sell Etch-A-Sketch. At least I think they do:

Easter bunnies and toy kitchen appliances:

Space toys, including both Star Wars and The Return Of The Jedi. These were from my children's era:

This roller coaster must have been from about the 1950s as I think I remember either having one or at least seeing one:

The Seven Dwarfs. I still remember the special occasion when our mother took us to see Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" at a downtown theater:

Baseball and race cars:

And Popeye. Who could forget Popeye?:

A collection of cuddly bears on a Victorian settee:

A Schoenhut toy piano. The Albert Schoenhut toy company manufactured toy pianos from 1872 to 1912:

This was during the Christmas season and the stockings were, indeed, hung by the chimney with care:

Space toys, including the Jetsons:

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, heroes from my childhood. But I wasn't done yet. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: