Moore's Hill Lilac Farm

The Massena Garden Club was going on a field trip to the Moore's Hill Lilac Farm in Potsdam, New York and some people from church were going with them. I decided to go also, and drove out alone, getting there early. I found a beautifully restored old farm house:

And a couple of barns in wonderful shape:

There were rows of Lilacs out back:

When the Garden Club (and guests) arrived, we assembled in the barn for a talk on Lilacs and to see lots of full color photos:

And then we broke into two groups to tour the outside, one led by the husband and one led by the wife:

Alas, our spring was so delayed that even the Lilacs were not yet blooming. Even with winter coats, it was so cold and blustery that we were shivering:

They had approximately sixty varieties, enough to confuse a novice like me:

They categorized their Lilacs into early, mid-season and late bloomers. The late bloomers were mostly what are often called Korean Lilacs, with smaller leaves and shorter heights:

We found one bush which was almost in bloom. You can see how cold it was by the way people were bundled up:

A Korean Lilac:

At the end, we reassembled in the barn for more information and to have our questions answered:

They do not ship or sell over the internet, but you might enjoy perusing their website. You can find it here. I bought a Lilac myself before I left, a variety called Beauty Of Moscow. It is a tall, fast growing, robust, heavily perfumed and abundant bloomer with pink buds which open to white: I am looking forward to seeing it bloom:

Fine Old Homes In A North Country College Town - Part 2

I was taking a driving photo tour of some of the impressive old homes in Potsdam, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This beauty had a matching carriage house out back:

I had to turn when I came to the lovely Grass River. Folks who live in Potsdam have access to the river all the time:

A very large old home behind big trees:

This big home had everything:

Another beauty. Have you noticed that most of these homes have fireplaces? They come with the territory:

Porches, front and back:

A large home with White Birches out front:

Green and white with porches, turrets and trees all around:

A lovely brick home with gingerbread trim:

This home was larger than it at first appeared:

Another fireplace, another carriage house, another porch (glassed in):

Comfortable chairs on the porch for summertime use:

I was on my way home and on the village outskirts when I snapped this final photo. It too was big and beautiful:

Fine Old Homes In A North Country College Town - Part 1

Potsdam, New York is a cultural and educational hub for the north country. It was first settled in 1803 and is now home to three universities - State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, Clarkson University, and St. Lawrence University. The village also has many fine, old homes in excellent condition. I had gone to the emergency room for a TIA (turned out to not be too serious), and decided to take some photos of the nearby homes after I was released. That's part of the hospital in the background of this photo:

The houses in this part of Potsdam are lovely, and almost all have porches. This one also had a turret:

Now this home certainly has a fine porch to come home to:

As you can see, L-shaped porches are popular here:

And most of these old homes are huge:

A brick home with no porch, though it might have had one in the rear:

A lovely home behind big trees and a picket fence:

This porch had been screened in for bug-free comfort in the summertime. Notice the carriage house in the back, another common feature of many of these homes:

I didn't know what this style home wass called, but houses in this style always remind me of Winslow Homer's "American Gothic:" I looked it up and learned the house style is properly called "Carpenter Gothic:"

A green home with a gracefully curved wrap-around porch:

I thought that was a big cat on the porch, but it turned out to be a dead potted plant:

A smaller house with a porch and carriage house:

This elegant home was almost hidden behind large trees. I was just getting started on my photo tour, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

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: