The Walter Brown Leonard Collection

St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture

Canton, NY | NNYLN Member

Walter Brown Leonard was a vaudeville performer born in Pierrepont, NY (1860-1949). Walter Brown Leonard produced and acted in the shows that were performed across the US and Canada. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the songs. Additionally, he taught banjo lessons and wrote columns for the Ogdensburg Journal and the Commercial Advertiser.

The collection (held in eight differently sized boxes) consists of photographs, scrapbooks (press books), sheet music, correspondence, legal documents, souvenirs, programs, drawings, date books, books, reminiscences, and more.

In 1902, he started the Elite Lady Minstrels, a troupe comprised of women recruited from the towns he was performing in.

Credits: All images courtesy of the St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture.

The Gathering of Nations Beaded Belt

St. Lawrence University, Richard F. Brush Art Gallery

Canton, NY | NNYLN Member

The Richard F. Brush Art Gallery recently acquired The Gathering of Nations, a stunning 42-inch beaded belt by Akwesasne Mohawk artists, Kelly Tsieriwaiens Back and Tyson Karonhiahere Back, from Fire Loom Creations. The work was created for Akwesasne Travel’s 2025 Juried Art Market in July.

You can read the full artists’ statement and learn more about the belt’s creation in the linked press release.

Helen “Tommie” Whalen WWII Scrapbook Collection

St. Lawrence University, Special Collections and Archives

Canton, NY | NNYLN Member

The scrapbook was that of Helen Whalen, a long-time registrar at St. Lawrence, who, during the Second World War, undertook to correspond with all of the Laurentians in the Armed Forces. The collection contains photographs, correspondence, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera related to where students, alums, and St. Lawrence County residents were serving. The collection is an extraordinary record of the college and the county during the war.

In the summer of 2023 Meghan Weldon, a summer research fellow, dismantled a deteriorating scrapbook, inventoried the contents, and boxed the items therein.

The Civil War Letters of John Whipple

Old Methodist Meetinghouse Museum

De Kalb Junction, NY

John Whipple’s Civil War letters home are a unique look at the war from the viewpoint of a De Kalb School teacher drawn into the conflict by his younger brother.

Lieutenant Frederick F. Wead Papers

Franklin County Historical & Museum Society

Malone, NY | NNYLN Member

This letter is a communication from First Lieutenant Frederick F. Wead, Aide-de-camp, to General Slocum, Headquarters 7th Brigade, in October 1861.

Lt. Wead was a native of Malone. In 1862, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 98th regiment and later promoted to Colonel. In 1864, he was wounded at Cold Harbor and then killed as he led his troops in a charge.

The collection this letter is from consists of six banker’s boxes of original papers from the [Civil] War. The origins are unknown, as they were found many years ago in a closet. But, it is believed that they were Wead’s papers sent home to his family.

Sally James Farnham Sculptures

Frederic Remington Art Museum

Ogdensburg, NY | NNYLN Member

This summer, the Frederic Remington Museum was fortunate enough to acquire (with the help of some generous donors) two Sally James Farnham sculptures for the Permanent Collection, as well as some wonderful press photos of the artist, herself. The new bronzes are expected to be on display soon for the public to enjoy. 

Horwood Stained Glass Windows

Ogdensburg History Museum

Ogdensburg, NY

The Ogdensburg History Museum chose to preserve these Horwood stained glass windows because they are a significant representation of the local history and craftsmanship of Ogdensburg, as they were created by a renowned local artist, Harry Horwood [1838-1917], and were installed in numerous buildings throughout the US and Canada.

Horwood stained glass windows are a valuable cultural and artistic asset to the community, showcasing the intricate and beautiful designs that were produced by Harry Horwood’s company and reflecting the widespread popularity of stained glass during the time period in which they were created.

Millard Fillmore Papers

SUNY Oswego, Penfield Library

Oswego, NY | NNYLN Member

Penfield Library’s Archives & Special Collections is celebrating the recent completion of their digitization of the Millard Fillmore Papers and their addition to NY Heritage Digital Collections.

“Nothing is more meaningful to us than the hands-on learning environment among staff and students to successfully make our collections more available. We recently completed a project to digitize the 40,000 page Millard Fillmore Papers collection & share them on the New York Heritage digital collections website. Most of the collection contains incoming correspondence as well as financial records, legal documents, speeches, writings and notes, and more from Fillmore’s life between 1817 and 1876. Students worked along with staff to create digital scans, perform visual cleanups, provide key descriptive metadata, and learn about the life of the 13th President of the United States.”

– Marissa Caico and Zachary Vickery, SUNY Oswego

Glass Plate Negative Collection

Potsdam Public Museum

Potsdam, NY | NNYLN Member

The Potsdam Public Museum has chosen to highlight an image from its recently digitized collection of glass plate negatives.

In 2023, with the help of the Northern New York Library Network, the museum digitized nearly half of its collection of glass plate negatives. These remarkable plates capture a wide range of subjects—portraits of local people, as well as homes, businesses, animals, and everyday scenes. Together, they offer a vivid glimpse into the life and history of Potsdam and St. Lawrence County across many eras.

Cannon Arrivals in Sackets Harbor

Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site

Sackets Habor, NY

Sophie wrote to her cousin Hattie on June 2, 1864. At the end of the letter she stated it was “so dark” that she could not write more in her letter. This delicate little piece of paper in the Sacket Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site collection pin-points an important event in the site’s history. 

She wrote: “To day there was a boat load of cannons brought in & expect another load to night – they are mounting them on the hill & in the navy yard. They have commenced work on the [Madison] Barracks. I suppose you have heard — this that – the 10th Art [artillery] – had orders to go to the front. Hattie where will this cruel war end… ”  

The letter writer lets us know the exact arrival of the cannon that sat on the navy yard inside a gun shed. Over time, around 1905, all but two were disbursed to other locations such as for display at Civil War battlegrounds. 

Two remain in the Sackets Harbor navy yard, a IX-inch Dahlgren Smoothbore Shell Gun and a 4.2 inch Navy Parrott Rifle. Between 1906 and 1915 the Parrott rifle was mounted on a wooden carriage, replaced in the 1930s by a concrete copy which was dismantled in 1986 due to deterioration. 

Parrott rifles could be mounted on either a truck (wheeled) or on a ship’s pivot carriage. In 1863, they cost $520 each, and during the Civil War, it is believed that 572 were manufactured.  

Credits: All images courtesy of Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.

1864 Letter, pg. 2 – Cannon Arrival

Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium 25th Anniversary Scrapbook

Historic Saranac Lake

Saranac Lake, NY | NNYLN Member

This scrapbook was assembled by patients at the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium (later Trudeau Sanatorium) in honor of the 25th anniversary of the facility. The binding was crafted by patients in the occupational therapy workshop, and filled with cards filled out by former patients of the institution. The messages celebrate the work done by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, and include information about the lives of the patients he worked with. It was presented to Dr. Trudeau in 1910. This scrapbook is one of the many “secondary records” in the Historic Saranac Lake collection that is used to find names of patients who were treated for tuberculosis in the area, as most of the original records have been lost.

Credits: All images courtesy of Historic Saranac Lake.

Dr. Trudeau vs Tuberculosis (TB) celebratory message

Grave card from the scrapbook

Northport-East Northport Digital Collections

Northport-East Northport Public Library

Northport, NY

*Member of the Long Island Library Resources Council  (LILRC)

The Northport-East Northport Public Library currently has six digital collections on the New York Heritage Digital Collections platform: postcards, photographs, maps, historical markers, library history, and Asharoken News. Access to these digitized items is an important historical resource that is relevant and unique to our community.