Potsdam in Saint Lawrence County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Potsdam Raquette River Walk
Trinity Episcopal Church / Racket, Racquette, or Raquette?
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
1. Potsdam Raquette River Walk Marker
Trinity Episcopal Church
Built of Potsdam Sandstone in 1836 by the Clarkson family (cornerstone laid in 1835), this is the only local church still standing that was constructed using the slab-and-binder method. The rectory and all additions were built in the Gothic Revival architectural style. The sandstone office building on Maple Street was built in 1901 in the ashlar style of masonry. The parish house was added in 1955. Trinity Episcopal Church features windows designed by Lewis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany Glass. Some are signed museum pieces.
Sandstone blocks:(above) Ashlar masonry: rough surfaces, various sizes, no long seams; (below)Slab-and-binder masonry: alternating courses of rough and smooth, depending on whether the sandstone grain is vertical or horizontal.
Racket, Racquette, or Raquette?
Throughout the 19th century, the river was identified on most maps as the "Racket." The name might be derived from the French word for snowshoe (raquette) or translated from the Mohawk name for this river (noisy) that described the sound produced by its many rapids.
In 1902 and again in 1942, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names designated the river's name as "Raquette," to minimize its association with tennis, squash, and the numbers racket.
Some local residents like to out a "c" in the name. The
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
2. Potsdam Raquette River Walk Marker
Northward. Left to right: Fall Island; Maple Street over Raquette River; intersection of Maple, Market and Main Streets at end of walkway; back of the Clarkson Inn on Main Street.
(above)Stationery letterhead of Racquette River Paper Company shows unusual local spelling of river. Courtesy of the Potsdam Museum.
Erected 2010 by Eagle Scout Project by Alexander G. Well. Sign sponsored by JE Sheehan Contracting Corp.
Location. 44° 40.052′ N, 74° 59.183′ W. Marker is in Potsdam, New York, in Saint Lawrence County. Marker can be reached from Main Street 0.1 miles east of Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is in Ives Park along the east bank of the river behind the Clarkson Inn. Marker is in this post office area: Potsdam NY 13676, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Potsdam Raquette River Walk (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Lawrence Academy (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); James McCormick (about 700 feet away); The Clarkson-Knowles Cottage (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Potsdam Raquette River Walk (approx. 0.2 miles away); Potsdam Raquette River Walk - Hydro Site
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
3. Potsdam Raquette River Walk Marker
Southward. Stone holding Ives Park plaque in background at center.
More about this marker. There is public parking off Main Street just east of the Clarkson Inn. The Inn is at the intersection of Main, Market, and Maple Streets.
Also see . . .
1. Trinity Episcopal Church, Potsdam, NY. (Submitted on November 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)
2. Clarkson Office Building - Wikipedia. As mentioned on the marker. It on Fall Island, 17 Maple Street. (Submitted on November 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)
Categories. • Churches, Etc. • Waterways & Vessels •
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
4. Ives Park Plaque
"Ives Parkway - Given in memory of Hon. M.V.B. Ives - by his brother H.L. Ives, 1932"
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
5. Potsdam Raquette River Walk Marker
View towards the Trinity Episcopal Church on Fall Island.
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
6. Trinity Episcopal Church
View from the marker.
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
7. Trinity Episcopal Church
8 Maple Street. On the National Register of Historic Places.
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
8. Trinity Episcopal Church
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
9. Trinity Episcopal Church
By Anton Schwarzmueller, November 8, 2014
10. Trinity Episcopal Church - West Side
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 237 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on November 13, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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