Potter Hill

Potter Hill. . , Potter Hill acquired Its name after an accident that killed 53-year-old Captain John Potter Esq. On the evening of June 24, 1806, Potter was killed when he fell off his wagon and was crushed by a barrel of cider that fell off as well after his horses were spooked. It is said he was "subjected to the stroke of Instantaneous Death" '. A three-sided monument stands alongside the creek, in a gully, close to the junction of Rt 7 and 22 telling his story. Potter's house and tavern that he ran still stands at the comer of Rt 7 and Spicer Rd., Roads: , The first roads in this area followed the "Eastern Trail" of the Horigan and Mohican Indians. This trail ran the base of the Petersburg Mountain Range. The first established road was the Old Hosick Road (1742-1833) Please note that "Hosick" was the spelling used in the act for this road. The Old Hosick Road was established by an act of the New York Legislature concerning Albany County Roads in 1742. This road ran close to the stream in the “hollow". The first bridge was built in 1785 and over this road practically all the produce of western Vermont and Massachusetts passed on its way to New York and Philadelphia via Albany and the Hudson River., The use of the Old Hosick Road made easier transport for mail and stage coaches as well, There were three stage coach taverns, about 3 miles apart. The notorious Shingle Hollow Tavern, at the junction of Rt 7 and Rt. 22, kept by Edward Jones, had a reputation for "being one of the most loathsome headquarters of licentiousness, debauchery and crime to be found outside of the city" as told in a newspaper article about a fatal shooting in the early 1800s., In 1833 the 30 mile stretch of road from Troy to Bennington was straightened and grated to make a more direct course, It was laid with field stone, giving it the name the Stone Road. In 1914 the road was blacktopped and became referred to as the Troy and Bennington Turnpike., Also, in the main hamlet of Potter Hill a few generations of Agan's ran the Post Office and a general store. The Potter Hill Barn sits in the same spot where a 270-year-old barn sat. The original barn was struck by lightning and burned in 2002., Santus' Tea House, now the Man of Kent, was a popular spot for travelers and locals alike. The spot offered food, gas, and drinks. The Pleasure Ground and Auto Camp at Santus' was a great picnic and swimming area. The swimming area was in use through the 1960s., School house , The first school in Potter Hill was established in 1796. The school was located across the road from the intersection of Old Hoosick Rd. (Rt. 7) and Tory Hill Road. The Stone School house, pictured, was built by the Tibbets family to educate the youth of their tenant farmers. This sits at the intersection of Rt. 22 and Rt. 7., [ Left Inset: ] , Use the map above to visit each of the various locations located throughout the Town and Village of Hoosick Falls., The Eye on History interpretive panel project was supported through funding from the Town of Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls through an American Rescue Plan Act grant awarded to the Hoosick Township Historical Society and Hoosick Rising.