Download Report

Old Houses of the North Countr
No, 192
STONE HOUSE NEAR LYONS FALLS
William Hees, a stone-mason, native of Wales, who upon the General Walter Martin house erected 1803-1805
settled in Lewis county in 1801, was the builder of this at Martmsburg, the William Constable house built 1809unusually fine specimen of stone-house architecture. It is 1819 at Constableville and probably the Isaac W . Bostwick
located on the outskirts of Lyons "Falls along the road house constructed in 1821 at Lowville. For his work on
which runs westerly to Collinsville and its possession has Constable Hall the family tradition has it that William
never been outside the family, the present owner being Rees was given 300 acres of land at Glenfield. His brother,
Reese M. Earle Potter, a great-grandson of the builder.
John resided in a wooden house at Collinsville. In more
With the house there is now a farm of about 400 recent years the family added a letter to the name making
acres, upon which are two quarries of blue limestone, it Reese instead of Rees. It is likely that the Rees brothers
from one of which was obtained the stone used in con- worked upon many of the outstanding mansions in Lewis
structing this house and the one adjoining, which was and in Jefferson counties.
erected in 1848. It is also owned by Mr. Potter and of
A son of William Rees was James Rees, father of
muchness beauty than his own residence.
Mary who married Marshall Nev Potter, father of Reese
The front door and doorway with its graceful fan- M. Earle Potter. Marshall Ney Potter was born Oct. 4,
light and elliptic cap make an attractive feature of the 1851, at Potter's Corners near Collinsville. Potter's Corfacade. As for the size of the house it is 'deceptively ners was founded by Jo'seph and Phoebe Adams Potter
spacious, containing four rooms and a ball on the main and their son, Benjamin Franklin Potter. Joseph Potter
floor, five rooms and an oven in the basement, and four was born at Coventry, R. I., March 16, 1775, and was desleeping rooms. A low wall of cut limestone borders the scended from George Potter who emigrated from England
front terrace. At the corner of the house towards the to settle at Aqnidneck, R. I., in 1638. F r o m Coventry, R. I.,
village is the small cannon cast at Port Leyden for use Joseph-Potter first removed to Vermont, then to the town
in celebrating the arrival of the first railroad train over of Floyd in Oneida county where his son, Benjamin Frankthe Utica & Black River railroad at Lyons Falls in 1867 lin Potter was born Sept. 29, 1817. The latter was a
Since then tins piece of ordnance has been used in manv a staunch Democrat, taught school in Lewis county nine
fourth of July and in some political celebrations. The winters, was married March 11, 1846. to Rachel Ann Case
now dilapidated wooq^n wing was not added to the house of Turin and had several children including Marshall N
until 1850. Seven years later William Rees died and is
Reese M. Earle Potter and Alta Vaii Auken Potter
buried in the little private cemetery upon the knoll across had two sons, Henry Reese Potter and the late Pfc. Ernest
the road. The only other burial in that cemetery is the Le Roy Potter. 180 th Reg. 45th Division who was killed in
wile of William Rees.
action at Anzio, Italy, March 11. 1944, and was posthumAccording to family tradition William Rees, stone- ously awarded the Order of the Purple Heart.
mason, and his brother, John, carpenter, were engaged
—Photo and Caption by David P. Lane