Glens Falls, New York

As a halfway point between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry, the falls was the site of several battles during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The then-hamlet was mostly destroyed by fire twice during the latter conflict, forcing the Quakers to abandon the settlement until the war ended in 1783. Fire also ravaged the village in 1864, 1884, and 1902.[6]

Panoramic map with list of landmarks from 1884 published by L.R. Burleigh

The area was originally called Chepontuc (Iroquois; "difficult place to get around"), also referred to as the "Great Carrying Place," but was renamed "The Corners" by European-American settlers.[6] In 1766 it was renamed Wing's Falls for Abraham Wing – the leader of the group of Quakers who established the permanent settlement – and for the falls on the Hudson River. Wing's claim to the name of the falls and the hamlet was transferred to Colonel Johannes Glen of Schenectady in 1788, either on collection of a debt, as a result of a game of cards, or in exchange for hosting a party for mutual friends, depending on which local legend is believed.[5][6][8] Colonel Glen changed the name to "Glen's Falls," though it was often printed with varying spelling such as "Glenn's," or "Glens". The spelling "Glens Falls" came to be the common usage.[5]

A post office was established in 1808.[6] Glens Falls became an incorporated village in 1839,[6] and was re-incorporated in 1874 and 1887, expanding the village to what would become the city limits[9] when the state legislature granted the city charter in 1908,[9] at which time the city became independent from the town of Queensbury.

In 2003, with permission from Queensbury,[10] Glens Falls annexed approximately 49 acres (0.20 km²) of the town. The land, known as Veterans Field[11] or the Northway Industrial Park, is on Veterans Road between Luzerne Road and Sherman Avenue[10] and is just east of I-87.[12] The land was vacant at the time.[10] A thin, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) strip of Sherman Avenue[13] was part of this annexation,[11] to comply with state law on contiguity of annexed land. As a result, the city and town share co-own this stretch of highway.[13]

Glens Falls coal logo, 1902

Civil War monument near City Park at the intersection of Bay and Glen Streets

Glens Falls has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the equivalent New York State Register of Historic places. The Fredella Avenue historic district includes a series of unique concrete block structures. The Three Squares Historic District makes up most of the Central Business District.[14] In addition, several individual structures are listed, some below. Glens Falls does not have a local preservation law protecting these historic resources from demolition or alteration.

• Crandall Public Library – While the library has existed since 1893, it did not have a permanent home until 1931, with the completion of the library building in City Park, on property local entrepreneur Henry Crandall willed to the library. Charles A. Platt designed the building and Robert Rheinlander built it; it was renovated and expanded in 1969. The city completed the building's first renovation and expansion, involving the demolition of the 1969 addition, in November 2008.[15][16] The library is a part of the Southern Adirondack Library System.
• Civil War Monument – A limestone obelisk at the intersection of Glen, South, and Bay streets, the monument was dedicated in 1872 to honor the 644 men from Queensbury who served in the Civil War. Ninety-five names, those of the men who died, are engraved on the monument.[17] Many battles of the war are listed.
• DeLong House – Presently the home of the Glens Falls/Queensbury Historical Association and the Chapman Historical Museum, it is a Greek Revival and Second Empire edifice on the corner of Glen and Bacon Streets. A Queen Anne style carriage barn is part of the property.
• The Feeder Canal – Across from this historic canal is a hydro-electric power-plant on the Hudson River at Glens Falls. The canal was created circa 1820 to feed water into the Champlain Canal. During the early 19th century, the New York State Canal System was crucial to the development of the state's economy. Lime, marble, lumber, and agricultural commodities were shipped between Glens Falls and the docks at the base of Canal Street.
• First Presbyterian Church – The congregation was chartered in 1803; its fifth house of worship was constructed in 1929. It was designed by Ralph Adams Cram in his "presbyterian style" of neo-gothic architecture.[18]
• Fort Amherst Road – Located near this road is the site of the former Fort Amherst. While the fort no longer exists, parts of the wood foundations were known as late as 1880. The fort constituted a block house marking the halfway point on the road between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry at the head of Lake George. This fort system, erected by the British, was built to secure the colony's northern territories from French incursions during the French and Indian War. A restored fort house complex is available for viewing in the nearby town of Fort Ann.
• Louis Fiske Hyde House – The center among a triplet of revival-type residences constructed for the daughters of Samuel Pruyn by the architects Robert Rheinlander and Henry Forbes Bigelow, Hyde House houses The Hyde Collection, a world-class museum of European, American, and contemporary art. The principal collection is presented in its original domestic context as a private collection.
• The Oldest Building in Glens Falls – In 1864, a massive fire destroyed most of buildings in the central business district. The oldest building in Glens Falls, in the downtown area, is one of the few buildings in the city that antedates 1864. The stone and brick structure at the bottom of the hill was erected circa 1815 and served as Calvin Robbin's blacksmith shop.
• Quaker Meeting House – Built in 1875, the Quaker Meeting House, an Italianate edifice on Ridge Street, originally did not have a heating system.
• St. Mary-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School – Formerly known as St. Mary's Academy, the school is on the corner of Warren and Church streets. It is in the neo-Gothic style of architecture and designed by Ralph Adams Cram. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It features a Great Hall with a two-story stained glass window designed by Henry Lee Willett Studios of Philadelphia.
• A New York State historical marker referencing American Modernist painter Wilhelmina Weber Furlong was placed near City Hall in 2013, during the Warren County Bicentennial. Furlong spent about a decade at the end of her life living and teaching in Glens Falls.[19][20]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²), of which 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.54%) is water.

The city is on the Hudson River, in the Adirondack foothills, at the border of Saratoga County.

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,707 people, 6,548 households, and 3,529 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,685.97 inhabitants per square mile (1,423.16/km²). There were 7,112 housing units at an average density of 1,782.46 per square mile (688.21/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 1.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.3% of the population.[4]

There were 6,548 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.91.[4]

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 20, 6.8% from 20 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 20 and over, there were 90.9 males.[4]

The median income for a household in the city was estimated for 2016 at $46,305, and the median income for a family at $60,545. Males had a median income of $41,993 versus $37,988 for females. About 12.6% of families and 16% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over.[4]

Glens Falls Hospital's northwest tower

The Glens Falls region is a major producer of medical devices. Glens Falls is home to Navilyst Medical, a medical device maker, previously a regional office of Pfizer and Boston Scientific Corporation.[25][26] Glens Falls is also a principal provider of medical services for a vast 2,600-square-mile (6,700 km²) region from Saratoga County to the south, extending northward to the central Adirondacks. These services are centered around the Glens Falls Hospital, a 410-bed facility downtown.[27] Founded in the summer of 1897 by a group of twelve local physicians, the Glens Falls Hospital was meant to serve the entire Upper Hudson River Valley. Solomon A. Parks donated his home in Glens Falls for the original hospital. The present structure has been extensively modified, enlarged, and modernized several times to better serve the needs of the community, and it is the region's fast-response trauma center.[28] The hospital is now the area's biggest employer.[29] A VA outpatient facility serves veterans' medical needs.[30]

Danfloss Flomatic Corporation is headquartered on Pruyn's Island in Glens Falls. The company is a leading manufacturer of industrial and municipal valves. Also on Pruyn's Island is Umicore, a Belgium-based company manufacturing silver-based contact materials.[31]

Finch Paper LLC, headquartered at the base of Glen Street hill, is a major regional employer and a manufacturer of specialty paper and forest products. It is by far the largest taxpayer in the City of Glens Falls, owning property assessed at $60-million in 2006, according to city records. In mid-June 2007, Finch Pruyn & Company announced it had sold all of its assets, including 161,000 acres (652 km²) of forestland in the Adirondacks, to Atlas Holdings of Greenwich, Conn. The Company name was then changed to Finch Paper LLC. Atlas then sold all of the forestland to The Nature Conservancy.

The Glens Falls Cement company, established 1893,[32] is now a part of Lehigh Northeast, itself a division of HeidelbergCement, one of the world's largest cement producers.

Glens Falls has an old and prevalent history in the region's finance sector. Arrow Financial Corporation, headquartered downtown, is a publicly traded multi-bank holding company for Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Company (1851) and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company. Evergreen Bank, N.A., formerly the First National Bank of Glens Falls, originated in 1853, and is now owned by banking conglomerate TD Banknorth. Advantage Capital Partners, a venture capital firm, has its New York offices downtown.[33]

• The 1982 film Basket Case was partially filmed in Glens Falls.[50]
• In 2007, the movie Love Conquers Paul was filmed at various location in Glens Falls.[51]
• In the "Slow Talkers of America" routine by comedians Bob and Ray (1970), the spokesman for the eponymous organization identifies himself as being from Glens Falls.
• Glens Falls and the natural formation of the bedrock beneath it served as inspiration to James Fenimore Cooper in his historical novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826).[52]
• Julia Spencer-Fleming's mystery novels are set in fictional Millers Kill, New York in the Glens Falls area.
• Ian Fleming's novel The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) features scenes in Glens Falls.
• In The Witch of Hebron (2010) by James Howard Kunstler, several characters visit Glens Falls.
• The Rick Bass short story "Field Events", which appears in his 1994 collection Platte River, is set in Glens Falls.
• Glens Falls is mentioned in Infinite Jest (1996), by David Foster Wallace, as a metropolis bordering a nuclear wasteland known as "The Great Concavity."[53]
• In 2019, cartoonist Christopher Baldwin created a graphic novel[54] on the artistic and historical resource of Glens Falls.

City Park

Crandall Park

Glens Falls operates two public parks, most prominently City Park and Crandall Park. City Park provides green space in the City's business district and contains the public library. Crandall Park has a lowland pond, war monuments and recreation facilities bordering the city's Coles' Woods International Ski Trail system over the northern border with Queensbury. There are also many neighborhood playgrounds including The Murray Street Playground, the Mohican Street Playground, the East Field Playground, Haviland's Cove, the Montcalm Street Playground, and the Sagamore Street Playground.

The Glens Falls Civic Center[55] opened in 1979 and hosts sports and entertainment events in downtown Glens Falls; it includes an arena for sporting events, concerts, family activities, dance, theater and trade shows as well as banquet facilities. The Civic Center includes 4,806 permanent arena seats focused on an ice hockey/basketball-type arena, but it can accommodate up to 7,800 people for concerts and other events. The arena is the home to the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder. The facility was renamed Cool Insuring Arena in 2017.[56][57]

East Field is on the city's east side and is home to the Glens Falls Dragons, of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League; the Greenjackets semi-pro football team, the second oldest football team in America formed in 1928; and the Glens Falls High School Indians. It was home to the Glens Falls White Sox and Glens Falls Tigers of the Eastern League, the Glens Falls Redbirds of the New York–Penn League and the Adirondack Lumberjacks of the Northeast League/Northern League East.

The Glens Falls Tennis and Swim Club is a private membership club offering recreational and competition tennis since 1965 at the city's eastern border in the town of Queensbury.[58]

Air

Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport (IATA: GFL, ICAO: KGFL) in Queensbury, formerly the Warren County Airport, provides convenient access to the Glens Falls region for small and charter aircraft. For major air travel, the region is served by the Albany International Airport in Colonie, 40 miles south of Glens Falls.

Bus

The Greater Glens Falls Transit System, or GGFT for short, provides regular bus service for the city and surrounding communities. The buses originate at the Ridge Street terminal, across from City Park and City Hall. In addition to the year-round buses, the system operates seasonal trolleys to Lake George. National service is available through Trailways and Greyhound, which operates a terminal near the GGFT bus terminal, on Hudson Avenue.

Rail

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Glens Falls via nearby Fort Edward in the town of the same name. The daily Adirondack (Montreal-New York City) and Ethan Allen Express (Rutland, Vermont-New York City) serve the station.

Road

Glen's Falls, Lake George & Chester stagecoach, circa 1880

Interstate 87 – Bypassing Glens Falls to the west, the highway commonly known to locals as the Adirondack Northway has three exits serving Glens Falls. Exit 17N uses U.S. Route 9, and travels to Glens Falls via South Glens Falls. Exit 18 uses Main Street (Warren County Route 28), and is the exit recommended on guide signs for downtown and hospital access. It also accesses the West Glens Falls section of Queensbury. Exit 19 uses New York Route 254 northwest of the city, with access to the northern portions of the city via Glen St./Route 9, Bay Rd., and Ridge Rd./Route 9L.

U.S. Route 9 – Known as Glen Street throughout Glens Falls. Enters Glens Falls from the south on the Cooper's Cave Bridge, crossing the Hudson River from South Glens Falls. Runs through the central business district north into Queensbury. This is a historically significant corridor, once a plank stagecoach toll road to Lake George, and prior to that the military road during the French and Indian War connecting Fort Edward and Fort William Henry.

New York Route 32 enters with U.S. Route 9 from the south via the Cooper's Cave Bridge, then leaves Route 9 at Centennial Circle as it turns to the east on Warren Street. The road leaves Glens Falls to the east in the industrial district of the city, connecting the city with nearby Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. Truck traffic may bypass the downtown traffic and Centennial Circle via Oakland Street, which is designated Truck New York Route 32.

New York Route 9L starts at the intersection of U.S. Route 9 and New York State Route 32 at Centennial Circle, and travels northeast towards the town of Queensbury. The road is known as Ridge Street, becoming Ridge Road at the city line.

Glens Falls has a radial street pattern originating from its colonial settlement.

The city falls within two school districts, both of which are fully independent of the city government.[59] The majority of the city falls within the Glens Falls City School District, which includes parts of the town of Queensbury.[60]

The Glens Falls City School District operates Glens Falls High School, a middle school and four neighborhood elementary schools (Sanford Street School, Big Cross School, Jackson Heights School and Kensington Road Elementary School).[61] Sanford Street School was closed at the end of the 2010–2011 school year.[62]

All GFHS athletic teams carry the name "Indians" (Glens Falls Indians). The boys' basketball team won a state and federation championship in 2019. They were also a state finalist in 2003 and 2007 and a state semi-finalist in 1999. The field hockey team was state champion in 2000 and 2001 and a state finalist in 1999 and 2006. The boys' ice hockey team was state champion in 1990 and 1991; it was a finalist in 2000 and semi-finalist in 1989, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005. The football team won a state championship in 2016 and 2018. They were also a state finalist in 2012 and a state semi-finalist in 1993. In 2008, the school replaced its old grass football field and tennis courts with a turf field, concession stand, new bleachers and tennis courts.[63]

The Glens Falls Common School District operates an independent public elementary school, Abraham Wing Elementary School, named for a founder of Glens Falls.[64] Saint Mary's–Saint Alphonsus Regional Catholic School serves children in pre-kindergarten through grade eight as a regional parochial school.

Glens Falls City Hall

Glens Falls, since incorporation as a city in 1908, has had a strong mayor charter. The city's Common Council has six members; one is elected to represent the city at large while the other five are elected from wards. The city is represented on the Warren County Board of Supervisors by five supervisors; one supervisor is elected from each Common Council ward. Such "city ward supervisors" do not have any duties in city government but have all the rights and privileges as any other member of the County Board.

Departments of the City include: Cemetery, Community, Fire, Police, Public Works, Purchasing, Recreation, Controller, Assessment, Civil Service, Clerk, Water & Sewer, and Buildings and Codes.[65]

While Glens Falls was originally settled by Quakers, the congregations of other early Protestant churches soon followed them. Today, many faiths have places of worship in Glens Falls, reflecting a diverse community. Active churches include:

• Christ Church – United Methodist
• Church of the Good Shepherd – Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Church of the Messiah – Episcopal
• Congregation Shaaray Tefila – Conservative Judaism
• Faith Tabernacle – Baptist
• First Baptist Church – Baptist
• First Church of Christ – Christian Scientist
• First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls – Presbyterian Church USA
• Free Methodist Church – Methodist
• St. Alphonsus – Roman Catholic (merged with St. Mary's)[71]
• St. Mary's – Roman Catholic
• Temple Beth El – Reform Judaism

The Adirondack Balloon Festival

A balloon festival has been held in the Glens Falls area, with events at the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport and Crandall Park, in mid to late September every year since 1973. The event draws upwards of 150,000 people over 4 days, and has been named one of the Top 100 events in North America. Originally organized by Walt Grishkot, the event is free to the public, and generally lacks commercialism.[72]

The Adirondack Stampede

A Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned charity rodeo.

Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC[73]) Festival

The LARAC June Arts Festival, held annually since 1972,[74] is considered the first major summer event in the Glens Falls region and it draws crowds of more than 25,000. With the juried art and craft show as its centerpiece, the LARAC June Arts Festival also offers live entertainment by regional performers, food concessions by local non-profits, and activities for the whole family. It is free and open to the public, 10 am-5 pm both days and is held rain or shine.

New York State Boy's Public High School Basketball Tournament & Federation Basketball Tournament

Each March, The New York State Boys' Public High School Basketball Tournament is held at the Glens Falls Civic Center. This annual tradition has occurred since 1981. 2011 marks its 30th anniversary at the facility.[75] The Federation Basketball Tournament of Champions are also held at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Northcountry Microbrew Festival

The Northcountry Microbrew Festival began as a charity fund raising event to benefit the Downtown Glens Falls area. Each year, a different charity is chosen to receive the proceeds. The event takes place at the historic Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls.

Taste of the North Country

Taste of the North Country is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Glens Falls and features food sampling from over 35 North Country Restaurants. This annual event on the last Sunday of September also includes live music, cooking demonstrations and an apple dessert contest. In its 16 year history the event has raised more than $500,000 for the Community Service Projects of the Kiwanis Club.

Third Thursday Glens Falls Art Walk

The Third Thursday Glens Falls Art Walk[76] artists' receptions are held at various locations in downtown Glens Falls in the evening on the third Thursday of each month during the summer and fall.

• Joseph Bruno – former Majority Leader of New York State Senate; born in Glens Falls[77]
• George H. Chase (1843-1918) - Member of the 1st Arizona State Legislature.
• Bradshaw Crandell - illustrator and Hollywood portrait artist; born in Glens Falls
• Douglass Crockwell (1904-1968) - artist and filmmaker (Glens Falls Sequence, 1946); moved to Glens Falls in 1933
• John Alden Dix – 41st governor of New York (1911–1913), born in Glens Falls[78]
• Laura Don – born Anna Laura Fish at Glens Falls, actress-manager and playwright[79]
• "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan – professional wrestler of Mid-South, WWF and WCW fame, Glens Falls native[80]
• Lisa Eichhorn – actress, born in Glens Falls[81]
• Warren Angus Ferris (1810–1873) – explorer of the American West and early surveyor of Dallas, Texas
• George Fitch – member of the Wisconsin State Senate
• Jimmer Fredette – former combo guard for Brigham Young University's basketball team and consensus 2011 college player of the year; Glens Falls native[82]
• Joseph Girard III – college basketball player for the Syracuse Orange
• Ferris Greenslet – editor of the Atlantic Monthly (1902–07),[83] born in Glens Falls[84]
• Carlyle Harris – convicted murderer; executed in 1893 for poisoning his wife
• Lionel Hitchman – professional hockey player, 1929 Stanley Cup champion, died in Glens Falls[85]
• Charles Evans Hughes – Governor of New York (1907–1910), presidential candidate (1916), and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1930–1941); born in Glens Falls[86]
• Thomas M. Jacobs – Olympic Nordic skier[87]
• Frederick Avery Johnson – Member of Congress, Village President[88]
• Dave LaPoint – retired Major League Baseball pitcher and 1982 World Series champion; owner of Dave LaPoint's Pitchers bar formerly on South Street; Glens Falls High School graduate[89]
• Betty Little – State Senator serving 45th Senate District (includes Glens Falls); born in Glens Falls but resides in Queensbury[90]
• Rob Loughan – entrepreneur and investor[91]
• Peter Mahovlich – retired All-Star hockey player; was on four Stanley Cup-winning teams; member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame; resides in Glens Falls[92]
• Barry Melrose – former head coach of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings, television commentator, former co-owner of Adirondack Frostbite UHL team and former coach of Adirondack Red Wings AHL team, both of which were based in Glens Falls
• Lorrie Moore – O. Henry Award-winning author[93]
• Scott Murphy – U.S. Representative (2009–2011) for New York's 20th congressional district,[94] which includes Glens Falls; Murphy also resides in Glens Falls[95]
• Algernon Sidney Paddock – Secretary of Nebraska Territory and Governor of Nebraska; United States Senator; born in Glens Falls[96]
• Dave Palmer – retired Major League Baseball pitcher[97]
• Johnny Podres – pitcher for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers; retired to Glens Falls region
• Edward C. Prescott – 2004 Nobel Prize in Economics, Glens Falls High School class of 1958
• Edgar Preston Richardson – art historian and director of the Detroit Institute of Arts and Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library[98]
• Ed Reulbach – MLB pitcher with the Chicago Cubs during the early 1900s; 1907 and 1908 World Series champion; died in Glens Falls[99]
• Robert Rheinlander – noted architect and designer of several prominent Glens Falls buildings[100][101]
• Rochelle Saidel - author, activist, and founder of the Remember the Women Institute
• Powel J. Smith – member of the New York State Assembly, City Chamberlain
• Gerald B. H. Solomon – United States Representative from New York (1979–1999)[102]
• Kate White – former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine; identifies Glens Falls as her hometown[103]

• – Saga, Japan

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glens Falls, New York.

• City of Glens Falls official website
• City Charter and Code online
• Greater Glens Falls Transit Bus Information
• The Corners: Glens Falls Community History Project at the Wayback Machine (archived July 13, 2007)