Grindstone Island is the fourth largest of the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

in the St. Lawrence River and the second largest of the American islands in the St. Lawrence. The island lies near

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

and is part of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. In particular, the island is part of the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The island contains Potters Beach, a private vineyard owned by the Purcell family, summer gift shops, four active beef farms, historic but now abandoned farmlands, and private non-government conservation lands owned by the Thousand Island Land Trust (TILT). New York State's last operating one-room school was on the island and closed in 1989. The current number of year-round households on the island is ten, however the population climbs to 700 people during the summer months.

History

The first known settlement occurred in 1804. The island was once considered to be part of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

but, since 1823, has been recognized as part of the United States. Shortly afterwards a dispute over some harvested trees created a brief disturbance called "The Grindstone Island War" in which American militia attempted to prevent the removal of the logs. In 1831 the entire island was purchased by Eliza Evertson, the widow of Nicholas Evertson and the grandmother of

Edgar Saltus Edgar Evertson Saltus (October 8, 1855 – July 31, 1921) was an American writer known for his highly refined prose style. His works paralleled those by European decadent authors such as Joris-Karl Huysmans, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Oscar Wilde. ...

, for $15,000. The Evertson family owned the island for over 40 years. In the early 1900s the island acquired enough of a population to have two school buildings built, a lower school house (which is now a private home) by the cross-island bridge and an upper school house, which is now the Grindstone Island Research and Heritage Center which gives out scholarships once a year. The island also has a Methodist church founded in 1899 (with services on Sundays) with a Community Center (Dodge Hall) across the street (with dances on Saturday nights in the summer) and a no longer functioning Creamery and Cheese Factory. The island also has one of the few natural beaches in the Thousand Island region open to the public, Potter's Beach. Lumber and granite quarries were important in the early economy. The island is a self-sustaining environment that operates on an honor system; however, infrastructure such as electricity is provided by National Grid US. There are no bridges onto Grindstone (save when the river freezes), or formal ferry services onto Grindstone Island. There is a community dock (the town dock in Aunt Jane's Bay) provided for visitors on Aunt Jane's Bay - some inlanders who live inland on the island park their vehicles along the road. There is a normal US postal service delivery route onto the island Monday through Saturday. The island also recently received street signs marking the island's few official unpaved roads. The people who live on this island are known to locals as "Islanders". The

Grindstone Island Upper Schoolhouse Grindstone Island Upper Schoolhouse is a historic one-room school building located on Grindstone Island, Clayton, Jefferson County, New York. It was built in 1885, and is a 1 1/2-story, three bay by one bay, frame building on a granite foundation ...

was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2012.

Geography

Grindstone Island is the fourth largest of the islands in the

region, measuring about long and wide at its widest point. The northern part of the island is near the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

. The island is in the western part of the St. Lawrence river valley, and is located between Wellesley Island (New York, United States) and Wolfe Island (Ontario, Canada), about from Clayton on the New York mainland.

Thousand Island Land Trust holdings

Thirty-nine percent of the island is currently owned by the Thousand Island Land Trust (TILT). Their of private conservation lands are currently spread over different parts of the island. TILT currently owns Potter's Beach ( - the largest naturally occurring sand beach on the American side of the Thousand Islands), Potter's Forest Preserve (), Mid River Farm Preserve (), Douglas Howard-Smith Preserve (), Rusho Farm Preserve (), Delaney Farm Preserve (), Heineman Forest Preserve () and Grindstone Nature Trail (). TILT acts as a steward of another of wetlands, forest and grasslands on privately held property through conservation easements.

Communities and locations on Grindstone Island

* Aunt Janes Bay — A

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

on the south shore * Canoe-Picnic Point State Park — A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

on the northeast tip of the island is currently only accessible by canoe or other small watercraft * "The cheese factory" — A once-active factory from when dairy farmers were abundant on the island. It was shut down when the farmers ceased producing milk. * Cummings Point — The tip of a short

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

of the island on the southwest end * Murdoch Point — The tip of a short

of the island on the southwest end, northeast of Cummings Point * Delaney Bay — A bay at the northeast part of the island. * Dodge Hall — A community center on Northshore Road * Flynn Bay — A bay on the southwest end of the island * Grindstone — A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

on the north shore * Grindstone United Methodist Church — A church founded in 1890 * Lower Town Landing — A hamlet on the south shore * Rusho Bay — A bay on the south shore of the island * Thurso — A small community reaching from Thurso Bay to the crossroads at the church * Upper Town Landing — A hamlet on the south shore * Grindstone Island Thurso Cemetery — Town-owned Cemetery on Northshore Road

External links

Grindstone Island Research and Heritage Center

References

{{authority control Islands of the Thousand Islands in New York (state) Islands of Jefferson County, New York