Native Heritage
The wave of settlers who traveled sight unseen to tiny Potsdam, N.Y., more than 200 years ago, were not the first people to inhabit this place, not by a long shot... read more.
The Ten Towns - New Settlers Arrive
In need of new places to settle and farm, the New York Legislature posted lands that included Potsdam for sale in 1786, two years before the colony became a state by ratifying the newly-written U.S. Constitution... read more.
Petitioning for an Academy
In 1811, Benjamin Raymond paid for the construction of a small one-room building, which would serve as a church, schoolhouse and meetinghouse. Later on, it would also be home to the first years of the Academy... read more.
Charter Day
On March 25, 1816, an otherwise unremarkable Monday, the charter founding St. Lawrence Academy was signed by the Board of Regents in Albany, and work could commence... read more.
Pioneering Programs
As one of America's first 50 colleges, St. Lawrence Academy was at the vanguard of a new movement in education as the curriculum quickly shifted to meet the needs of new generations and a growing country... read more.
Julia Ettie Crane and her Dream
The Crane School of Music began with a rejected job offer and an idea ahead of its time... read more.
Echoes of An Earlier Pandemic
As social distancing and wearing masks has become the norm in light of COVID-19, we pause to look back at the 1918 influenza pandemic, dubbed the “Spanish flu” in popular media at the time. Between the Potsdam Normal School senior class book and local North Country newspapers, we get a brief glimpse at how our Potsdam alumni dealt with the pandemic of their time...read more.
The Crane School of Music at the 1980 Olympics
The Crane School of Music played a key role in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, providing all of the live music at the events in Lake Placid, N.Y.—and pushing the musicians to the limit in performing in cold conditions... read more.