Commems Collection Classic: What If? 1948 Ogdensburg, NY Bicentennial

The history of Ogdensburg, NY definitely skews French. It traces its roots to 1748 and French priest and missionary Abbe Francois Picquet. Picquet came to the New World (Montreal, Quebec) in 1734 and spent his time performing his duties as a priest and working on behalf of the interests of France. A primary mission of the priest was to convert as many of the original, local inhabitants to Christianity as possible.

In an effort to build a village for members of the aboriginal population that was accepting of religious conversion, he left Quebec in 1748 in search of a suitable site. He selected a site in the future State of New York at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers; the Oswegatchie flows north from the Adirondack Mountains, the St. Lawrence River forms part of the border between the United States and Canada. Picquet oversaw the construction of a fort (Fort de La Presentation) at the site beginning in 1749. The multi-purpose fort was the first European settlement in the area, and served as a mission/church, a trading post, a school and a protected settlement.

The Fort, and surrounding area, grew into present-day Ogdensburg. NY. The settlement was named after Samuel Ogden who acquired the former Iroquois land after the American Revolution. The Iroquois had sided with the British during the Revolution and were forced to cede their lands as a result of being on the wrong side of the conflict's outcome. Ogden had purchased the land from New York State, and sold it to area settlers. The settlement was formally incorporated as a village in 1817 (Ogdensburgh), and as a city in 1868 (Ogdensburg, dropped the "H").

In March 1948, Representative Clarence Evans Kilburn (R-NY) introduced a bill that called for up to 100,000 half dollars "in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Ogdensburg, New York." The bill's language did not make any reference to whether the coins were to be struck at a single Mint facility or if multiple mints were OK. The bill did, however, state that the coins were to bear the date "1948, irrespective of the year in which they are minted or issued" and that the coining authority for the issue was to expire on July 1, 1949.

In an uncommon twist for the time, the bill's language specified the primary design elements for the coin (though specific side assignments were not included). The bill stated that the coin was to feature "the likeness of Father Francois Picquet landing on the banks of the Saint Lawrence in November 1748, and also the seal of the city of Ogdensburg, New York." The description instantly reminded me of the design of the 1936 Providence. RI Tercentenary half dollar (aka, the "Rhode Island"), which features a landing scene on its obverse and Seal of Providence, RI on its reverse.

Seal of City of Ogdensburg

(Image Credit: City of Ogdensburg Web Site, https://www.ogdensburg.org. Public Domain.)

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, but never reported out for further consideration; the bill died for lack of action. It seems likely Representative Evans was hoping to garner some of the same Congressional support that had helped secure the recently-approved Iowa Statehood Centennial and Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial half dollars, but he had no such luck. The very local coin proposal became just another "What If?" story.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, check out: Commems Collection.


If you're interested in learning more about Picquet, I suggest the following online biography in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/picq...cois_4E.html