Grindstone Island

Grindstone Island is the fourth largest of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River and the second largest of the American islands in the St. Lawrence. The island lies near Lake Ontario and is part of the United States of America. In particular, the island is part of the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York.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.HistoryThe first known settlement occurred in 1804. The island was once considered to be part of Canada 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, 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 Cultural Center which gives out a scholarship 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.