| Grindstone Island | |
| Map: | New York |
| Map Width: | 250px |
| Coordinates: | 44.2769°N -76.1147°W |
| Location: | St. Lawrence River |
| Length Mi: | 5 |
| Width Mi: | 3 |
| Coastline Ft: | --> |
| Elevation Ft: | 285 |
| Country: | United States |
| Country Admin Divisions Title: | State |
| Country Admin Divisions: | New York |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | County |
| Country Admin Divisions 1: | Jefferson |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | Town |
| Country Admin Divisions 2: | Clayton |
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. In particular, the island is part of the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York.
The island contains Potters Beach, a private vineyard, 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.
The 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.[1]
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.[2] 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 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[3]
Grindstone Island is the fourth largest of the islands in the Thousand Islands region, measuring about long and wide at its widest point. The northern part of the island is near the Canada–United States border. 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.
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 (20acres - the largest naturally occurring sand beach on the American side of the Thousand Islands), Potter's Forest Preserve (200acres), Mid River Farm Preserve (165acres), Douglas Howard-Smith Preserve (130acres), Rusho Farm Preserve (140acres), Delaney Farm Preserve (80acres), Heineman Forest Preserve (100acres) and Grindstone Nature Trail (50acres). TILT acts as a steward of another of wetlands, forest and grasslands on privately held property through conservation easements.