North Country At Work

Charles B. Hanmer working on a boat in his shop. Circa 1890-1910. Long Lake, NY. Photo courtesy of the Town of Long Lake Archives.

Joyce Bozak on her family’s business, Bozak & Sons, a garage and used car dealership for which she has been the bookkeeper since its opening in 1982. The division of labor was: her husband sold the used cars, her son did the repairs, and she kept the numbers straight. Interviewed on May 31, 2018. Long […]

Wayne Lincoln examining a player piano in the Lisbon Historical Society’s museum. Wayne has been repairing player pianos for over forty years in the Saint Lawrence County area and beyond. Photo taken by Amy Feiereisel in 2017. For the full story on Wayne Lincoln and his mission to save old instruments, check out the full […]

Dave Nichols holding an abalone shell, which he uses to do custom inlay on guitars. Photo by Andy Flynn. 2017. Malone, NY. Check out our story on Dave and his work here.

Blacksmith outside his shop with his horse and wagon.  Blacksmith is holding a hammer

Potsdam Electric Light & Power Company service truck No. 1. In 1913, this Model T Ford service truck was one of three vehicles operating out of Potsdam for the Hannawa Falls Electric Light and Power Co. Arthur Cassada, a Clarkson Graduate and electrician, was the truck’s first driver. The vehicle’s service to the company was […]

Stone cutters outside the Clarkson Sandstone Cutting shop on Pine Street. Stone for home and business foundations, walls, sidewalks, and architectural elements was cut here. The Clarkson company also worked marble. The cutters are representative of various immigrant groups that had recently come to America, including the French, Irish, and Italian. The shop was in […]

Located on Maple Street (Fall Island), Leete Foundry and Machine Shop dealt in the manufacture and repair of water wheels (turbines), machinery that was used by lumber mills, box factories and quarries. Stock consisted of hardware, stoves and agricultural implements. In 1920, owner Charles Leete employed 12 men at this shop. Circa 1920. Potsdam, NY.

Pictured is farrier Bill Balling on the job, shoeing the hoof of a draft horse in Waddington. Bill Balling, whose home is in Hermon, worked as a farrier all over Saint Lawrence County , trimming and shoeing the hooves of horses, from riding horses to draft horses to hobby horses. Photo taken circa the mid-1990s. Waddington, NY. […]

Pictured is farrier Bill Balling on the job, shoeing a draft horse in Waddington with a shoe that he cast. Bill Balling, whose home is in Hermon, worked as a farrier all over Saint Lawrence County , trimming and shoeing the hooves of horses, from riding horses to draft horses to hobby horses. Photo taken […]