The Massena, New York Museum - Part 1

I drove into Massena one sunny day and visited the town museum, newly moved to a former bank building and looking elegant:

I'd been there before but didn't remember the two giant murals. I had to ask about the subject of the paintings. They depicted Jacques Cartier's exploration of the St. Lawrence River in the mid 1500s:

 

Cartier was a French explorer and named Canada by misusing the Iroquois word, "kanata," which meant village or settlement. He met a number of local tribes, and apparently they received him with friendship:

Only half the museum was open when I visited, as the other half was being rearranged for a new exhibit. But there was plenty to see in the open half, like this home spinning equipment:

There was no sign on these handmade dolls and I wish I'd asked about them. I will next time:

I headed down the hallway, which was filled to overflowing with local artifacts:

A Victorian dress, butter churn and milk can:

Victorian doll, baby carriage - an old desk and artifacts from an early church and synagogue:

Lots of hand tools, which I assumed were for kitchen use because those few which I recognized were kitchen tools:

Mohawk baskets, wagon wheels and lots of artifacts from Massena's history:

Farm and fireplace tools:

Tools for barn building and use around the farm:

A Civil War Uniform. There was a lot more to see, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

On The Waterfront - Waddington, New York - Part 3

I was touring Waddington, New York on St. Lawrence Ave, which paralleled the St. Lawrence River (see also Part 2, posted yesterday). The homes were spectacular:

And there were spaces without homes, like this one. I saw a sign which said this was Island View Park, explaining why the river looked more narrow here. The other shore was an island, not the Canada mainland:

This home reminded me of Cape Cod:

A children's play house, slide and swings on the riverbank. I was beginning to think that Waddington must be an expensive place to live, so I checked real estate listings when I got home. I saw a nice home on St. Lawrence Ave. which sold in 2017 for $135,000. I think most people in this country would consider that a bargain price, all things considered. If you'd like to see it, click here:

A modern home, also on the river's edge:

A large and impressive home, right on the water. I saw no boats, but I did see lots of floating docks, pulled up onto the shore for the winter. I'm guessing that someone has a good business, storing people's boats in a large barn each winter:

I returned to the big picnic pavilion:

And turned again up Main Street. The Community Bank was on the corner, and people were coming and going:

There were more commercial buildings, well kept but appearing empty. Notice that top row of unusual windows:

And this impressive stone house:

The  U.S. Post Office, perhaps with apartments upstairs:

 I was on my way out of Waddington when I again passed the Tourist Information and Town Museum building, this time getting a side view. I noticed that it had four tiny church models, illustrating the four church buildings in town. I don't know if they were big enough for kids to play in or not, but they were cute:

It was time to return home, so I turned back onto the county road at the Kunoco gas station and convenience store, stopping first to fill my gas tank:

On The Waterfront - Waddington, New York - Part 2

I was touring the village of Waddington, NY and had turned onto Main Street, headed toward the shore of the St. Lawrence River. I passed by the H.A. Rogers Insurance Agency and a cute little shop which appeared to be out of business:

I was impressed by Main Street and its well kept buildings except that it appeared many, perhaps most, were empty:

Another commercial building which also appeared to be empty. There might have been an apartment on the second floor, judging only by the window shades:


Almost at the end of Main Street was this friendly looking pub:


Main Street ended at St. Lawrence Avenue, which ran right along the river. I turned right at this town pavilion, clearly a place for picnics and other gatherings on the river shore:

St. Lawrence Ave. was lined with historic homes, mixed with some new homes:

You can see a bit of the St. Lawrence River behind this nice brick house:

I came to the end of St. Lawrence Ave, where there was a park and open land for public use. Of course everything was ice and snow, but I could easily imagine how beautiful it would be in the summertime:

This, of course, is not my photo. It came from the internet to illustrate the bass and carp fishing tournaments which are held in Waddington during the summer:

I turned back the other direction on St. Lawrence Ave and was dreaming of life on these beautiful shores, living in these well kept homes:

The True Value Hardware, Do It Center, Lumber and Builder's Supply, also on St. Lawrence Ave., seemed to be doing a good business:

There were some impressive homes:

And all the homes were well kept and beautiful. I had more to see in Waddington, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

A Bit Of America's Fourth Coast

We'd recently endured big snowstorms and bone chilling cold, but one day our temperatures went above freezing and into the 40s (F). I drove north to Massena and then west to Wilson Hill Island, which sits in the St. Lawrence River, just south of the Canada/U.S. border:

The north shore of the island is populated with houses, but the rest of the island is the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area:

The St. Lawrence River/Seaway is often billed as America's Fourth Coast and I could see why as I drove the causeway across the water to Wilson Hill Island:

Most of the water was still covered with a thick layer of ice, but with our rapidly warming temperatures, I worried about the lone remaining ice fishing shed. I also used the zoom lens to take a picture of the sign on the door to see if it was a notification by rangers to get this shed off the ice, but instead it was the name and address of the owner. I hope the ice solidified safely before the shed fell through:


The houses on the north shore of Wilson Hill Island are mostly upscale, year round residences:

There are still cottages on the shore, but they are gradually being replaced by permanent residences:

It is indeed a beautiful place to live, and I kept thinking how it reminded me of Cape Cod towns:

There were docks and picnic areas still showing above the snow:

And of course many homes had boats:

I was traveling westward, so the left side of the road was mostly forested land, part of the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management area:

Two homes on the shore. I am sure the elevated deck on the left gets a lot of use during the summer:

This elaborately carved archway and fence led only to woodlands of the Wildlife Management Area, but it sure was pretty, and I liked the idea that someone built it just as art:

The shoreline and most of the houses were on my right, but there were a few homes on the left side of the road. This large home was built on the left, away from the shore, but got their St. Lawrence views by adding a large elevated deck on the front of the house:

What a lovely place to live:

Speaking of getting views, this house was built with an entire wall of giant windows and an elevated deck in the style of a pier:

A smaller, simpler home, right on the water:

I came to the end of the island and the offices of the Wildlife Management Area. I couldn't go any farther as that causeway was closed. I turned around at this water tower, which answered my question as to what town the island was in. It is part of the town of Louisville. That was the end of my tour, so I returned to Massena to do some shopping: