In this undated photo from Potsdam Public Museum archives, north country residents are seated around a primitive set-up, boiling down maple tree sap. Before the advent of the sugar shack, sap was collected in an iron or brass kettle, hung over an open fire and boiled down until it could no longer be stirred. The kettle would then be taken down and the syrup cooled, hardening into sugar. It was not until the Civil War era, with the invention of metal storage cans, metal spouts and evaporator pans, that commercial production became possible. The photo and information were submitted by Mimi Van Deusen, Potsdam historian.