{"nrhp_refnum":"95001405","name":"Clarkson-Knowles Cottage","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"37 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Potsdam","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.66837585700006,"lon":-74.98301528199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-12-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-storey, five-bay Federal style cottage built of Potsdam sandstone at 37 Main Street in the village of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, constructed around 1830 to the early 1830s by unidentified workmen.","why_significant":"The form argues the cottage is architecturally significant as a well-preserved, no longer common example of the local \"slab and binder\" sandstone masonry, and the only surviving Federal style sandstone cottage in the village. It is also significant for its ties to the Clarkson and Knowles families, who were prominent in Potsdam's settlement and its growth as an educational center.","narrative":"Built around 1830 in the heart of Potsdam, this 1 1/2-storey Federal style cottage at 37 Main Street is made of local Potsdam sandstone. Its front wall shows the \"slab and binder\" technique, in which thick vertical slabs alternate with thin horizontal binders, while the side and back walls use more random stonework. The house keeps its centered entry with transom, flared window lintels, narrow central stairwell, pine plank floors and several original doors. Only about 25 sandstone houses survive in the Potsdam area, and this is the village's sole remaining Federal style sandstone cottage. John C. Clarkson, a proprietor of the town, probably built it as an investment. In 1837 it passed to lawyer Liberty Knowles, a leader of the Presbyterian congregation and a trustee of St. Lawrence Academy, and then to his sons, who held it until 1873. Later additions were removed in 1981 and replaced by a compatible rear wing.","period_of_significance":"c.1835-1873","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Early Republic/Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as a single dwelling; the first floor has been returned to its original 1830s layout, the wood shingle roof restored, and a rear wing built in 1981.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.583544-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/95001405.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001405/0a84dc334b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001405/0a84dc334b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mwanner","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarkson-Knowles_Cottage_in_Potsdam,_New_York.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mwanner</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarkson-Knowles_Cottage_in_Potsdam,_New_York.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321872","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkson-Knowles_Cottage","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5127630"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/clarkson-knowles-cottage-95001405/"}