Potsdam Sandstone: 50 Shades of Red
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Located just beyond the Blue Line, the Village of Potsdam remains architecturally dominated by its vibrant red sandstone structures. Prior to a more permanent white presence here in the 19th century, Indigenous peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, chiefly the Mohawk, seasonally occupied this part of the Raquette River watershed. In the first decade of the 19th century, New York City’s Clarkson family employed land surveyor Benjamin Raymond to inspect their recently acquired land comprising much of present-day Potsdam. The community soon became a center for industries including lumber, paper, stone quarrying, and later, an educational hub with the establishment of SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University. Sandstone quarries and their workforces along the Raquette River produced bright red sandstone that not only appeared in buildings throughout Northern New York, but throughout the greater Northeast. On this tour, explore some of the community’s most notable historic structures, as well as some of its best kept sandstone secrets. We have gained special access to a fine mix of residential, educational, commercial, and ecclesiastical buildings constructed of Potsdam sandstone, dating from the 1820s to the 1930s during the height of the sandstone quarrying industry.
This tour is led by former Potsdam Public Museum Director, Mimi Van Deusen, AARCH member and Potsdam resident Thomas French, and several passionate home and business owners. The tour begins at 10 AM and ends around 4 PM.
The fee is $55 for AARCH members and $70 for non-members. Lunch from Maxfields Restaurant is included.
Please note that there is about a mile of walking mostly on pavement.