Proctor House

Part of the Library Park National Historic District, the beautifully restored Proctor house at 112 Caroline Street is an excellent example of Shingle style architecture. Another example of Shingle Style architecture is the G.S. Dorwin House located on State Street. Shingle style architecture is considered part of the Queen Anne Style, which was popular when this home was built in 1891. Note the variety of gables, turrets, bays, chimneys, asymmetrical window openings, and the semi-circular glass-enclosed front porch, which make this mansion one of the most unique buildings in Ogdensburg. The monochrome shingles and locally quarried Potsdam Sandstone unify the design.


This mansion was originally built by Lawrence Manning Proctor, whose family operated the Proctor Lumber Company and Proctor Toboggan Company. He was born in 1865 in Ogdensburg, son of William L Proctor and Dolly Howard. He married Mary Bosworth and had four children. He and his family left Ogdensburg in 1897 moving to Fernie, British Columbia, where he purchased a lumber company.


Another notable citizen, Frank Augsbury Sr., purchased the house in 1921. Born in Plessis, NY in 1865, Mr. Augsbury and his brother operated the flour company his father began in Antwerp until 1904. He then operated a paper mill in DeGrasse, transporting pulpwood to Montreal. Eventually he ran the George Hall Company, which became a leading shipping corporation on the St. Lawrence River. Canada Steamship Company bought Augsbury’s shipping company, so he started another and was also the president of the Algonquin Paper Company. Mr. Augsbury married Bessie Sterne in 1920. They had one son, Frank Addison Jr.. Mrs. Augsbury’s unmarried sisters, Susan and Kathleen lived in the house from 1921 until their deaths in 1967 and 1985, respectively.


Later owners have done minor renovations, but the home still retains its original architectural features.