{"nrhp_refnum":"03000029","name":"Zion Episcopal Church and Rectory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"91 and 95 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Colton","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.55371575600003,"lon":-74.93909440799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-06-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A red Potsdam Sandstone Gothic church (1883) and an adjacent clapboard Italianate former rectory (1900), now a town museum, at 91 and 95 Main Street in the hamlet of Colton, St. Lawrence County, New York. Two cast iron objects from the 1880s also contribute.","why_significant":"The church is presented as a remarkably intact, distinguished example of late-19th century ecclesiastical architecture, with English parish church inspiration and Victorian Gothic elements. It was built of stone from the Clarkson family quarry as a memorial to Elizabeth Clarkson. In social history, it began as a mission of Trinity Episcopal Church in Potsdam for Adirondack workers and their families.","narrative":"Zion Episcopal Church and its neighboring rectory sit on Main Street in the hamlet of Colton, on the Raquette River south of Potsdam. The church was completed after its cornerstone was laid in 1883, built of rough-cut red Potsdam Sandstone from the Clarkson family quarry. Designed by James P. Johnston, it has an 85-foot corner tower, lancet windows, a rose window, and a largely original Victorian Gothic interior with oak pews, stained glass and an 1890 Hook and Hastings organ. The Clarkson children built it as a memorial to Elizabeth Clarkson, who had left $10,000 for a church and long supported Episcopal missions. The congregation began as a mission of Trinity Church in Potsdam serving Adirondack workers and their families. The Italianate rectory, built in 1900 after fire destroyed an earlier one, became the Town of Colton Museum in 1982. Two 1880s cast iron objects, an urn and a lamppost, also contribute to the property.","period_of_significance":"1883-1952","architect_builder":"Johnson, James P.","architectural_style":"High Victorian Gothic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Church remains in religious use; the former rectory has served as the Town of Colton Museum since 1982. Some masonry deterioration is noted on the front facade.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.122742-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03000029.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000029/996788d137-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000029/996788d137-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Dclemens1971","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Episcopal_Church_and_Rectory_03.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dclemens1971</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Episcopal_Church_and_Rectory_03.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314690","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Episcopal_Church_and_Rectory_(Colton,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8072517"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/zion-episcopal-church-and-rectory-03000029/"}