North Country At Work

Making rolls of paper in the interior of the Potsdam Specialty Paper Company. Photographer is Sophie McKibben. 2015. Potsdam, NY.

Pictured is a young worker at a “super calendar” machine in the St. Regis Paper Company Champion Mill in Deferiet. 1950s. Deferiet, NY. Courtesy of the Jefferson County Historical Society. For more information, check out our story on what life was like in Deferiet in the mid-1900s.

Machines inside the St. Regis Paper Company mill in Deferiet. Workers can be seen sitting on the machines to the left. Early 1900s. Deferiet, NY. Courtesy of the Town of Champion Historian’s office. Check out this related story on Deferiet’s paper mill strike.

Workers pose with machines at the St. Regis Paper Company mill. Workers routinely went barefoot as safety standards were nonexistent in the 1800s and early 1900s. Poor pay and working conditions led to a 450-person strike in 1915. Circa 1910. Deferiet, NY. Courtesy of the Town of Champion Historian’s office. For more information, check out […]

Striking paper mill workers and their families in front of Camp Tylkoff, headquarters for the strikers. 450 paper mill employees went on strike with the intent to unionize. 1915. Deferiet, NY. Courtesy of the Town of Champion archives. For more information, check out our story on Deferiet’s strike.

Portrait of workers at an unidentified mill with three smokestacks in the background. Circa 1890-1910. Potsdam, NY.

Interior view of factory with workers at the St. Lawrence Creamery (businesses producing butter  were called creameries) on Maple St. From left to right, William Wright, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown, George Leslie Wright. Large wooden butter churns are visible on right. 1910- 1920. Potsdam, NY.

The Thatcher Manufacturing Co. primarily produced milk bottles with tops after local inventor, physician and pharmacist Hervey Thatcher became concerned by the public health risks stemming from the delivery and consumption of un-bottled milk. Thatcher is credited with inventing the milk bottle. He also made and sold butter color. 1900- 1910. Potsdam, NY.

Workers outside a foundry in Potsdam. Note tools for grabbing hot metal held by two of the workers. Circa 1880-1890. Potsdam, NY.

Moore’s Door, Sash and Blind Factory. Circa 1890. Potsdam, NY.