Twelve strain relief measurements were made at five sites on Potsdam sandstone northeast of the Adirondack Mountains, New York, to test Sbar and Sykes's (1973) suggestion that the upper crust in a large area of eastern North America is currently in a state of compression with the maximum principal stress (&sgr;1) east-northeast. In situ strain was relieved by overcoring and detected by using strain gages bonded to the sandstone at the surface. The average of nine measurements at four sites in the Late Cambrian Keeseville member of the Potsdam sandstone indicates that compressive stresses were relieved upon overcoring with an average direction of maximum expansion of N78¿W. These nine measurements also indicate that stress can be consistent in orientation over areas of tens of square kilometers. The average of three measurements at one site in the Nicholville member 11 km from the other four sites indicates a maximum expansion oriented N18¿E. At several sites, residual strain was recovered when specimens free of boundary loads were overcored. We suggest that the residual strain measured in the Nichoville member may be related to a late Proterozoic (Hadrynian) or Early Cambrian stress field.