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:

Hopkinton To Fort Jackson - Part 2

I was about halfway between Hopkinton and Fort Jackson on my driving tour of County Route 49. I passed the Hopkinton Highway Garage:

And old farm houses with barns out back:

Most homes had metal roofs, protection against severe winters:

And most homes had front porches and shade trees:

This nicely mowed stretch of lawn was somebody's side yard, complete with Spruce trees and backed up by corn fields:

An old carriage house:

And an old barn, now beginning to sag and lean:

Two porches, shade trees and lots of vines - this looked to me like comfortable country living at its best:

A very old home with an old fashioned tin roof and a screened, wrap-around porch:

This old hay field had even more Goldenrod in it than mine:

This large, old home has been being renovated and is looking quite spiffy these days:

I passed by this old, abandoned church with a "For Sale" sign on the door. I recently learned that it formerly was a Unitarian church. It would seem that the north country here was at one time a hotbed of Unitarianism, with many churches and even a college. Today, all that is left is one church in Canton, albeit a large, active and lively church:

I ended my tour as I crossed the bridge over the St. Regis River: