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Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

This is a story of two men who lived in Glens Falls in the late 1800’s and had very different lifestyles but did share one thing in common. They were Charles Christian, a resident of Crandall Street, then called Uncas Street, and John M. Holmes, a resident of Pine Street. Charles Christian was born in…
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cutouts of Mr. & Mrs. Santa

Bringing Santa to Town

One of my favorite activities of the Christmas season is driving around the area and gazing in wonder at the holiday decorations and colorful displays.  I’m inspired by how ordinary facades and front yards are magically transformed into theatrical stages, the temporary settings for someone’s imaginative and light festooned play. Porch railings dazzle with white…
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color postcard of buildings on an intersection

A Bank Heist on Glen Street

The Glens Falls Bank opened in 1851, making it the first bank in Warren County. In 1864, the fire that destroyed 112 buildings in Glens Falls also destroyed the bank. They rebuilt following the fire and re-opened as the Glens Falls National Bank in 1867. Only a few years later, this bank would be home…
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row of houses

One Man, Tons of Cement, and a Street Transformed

“Architecture is the biggest unwritten document of history.” — Daniel Libeskind It doesn’t take much effort to love architecture when you consider it to be beautiful. It makes both the motivation to learn more about a building’s history, as well as the desire to save it should it be neglected, much easier. But what if…
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Moses Harris: A Revolutionary Spy in Warren County

You may be familiar with the story of Alexander Hamilton, one recently popularized by the musical Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law was Philip Schuyler, a United States senator from New York, who resided in Albany. During the American Revolution, Schuyler worked closely with an ordinary man who became a spy; that man was Moses Harris —…
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elevated view of lake with islands

Post Card Chronicles #2 — Frank Lapham

Born into a family of Glens Falls entrepreneurs, Frank Lapham’s life came with both responsibility and privilege.  His grandfather and uncle had established a grist mill along the Hudson River in South Glens Falls and as a young man, Frank also joined the business.  This did not mean, however, that he was given an office…
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color postcard of a row of fish in the grass

The Post Card Chronicles #1 — August Finke

Welcome to the Post Card Chronicles.  If you’re like me, it’s just too hard to resist a stack of old postcards.  There’s a need to pick them up and look at all the images of far-off places, important sites, unusual events, or exotic themes.  Once you’ve stopped on a particular card that catches your eye,…
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color postcard of brick armory building

Turrets and Towers of Glens Falls

Most of us are probably familiar with the old saying “your home is your castle”.  During the late Victorian period, many architects wanted to make your home look like one as well…at least sort of.  From the 1880s to the early 1900s, the architectural style known as Queen Anne swept America.  Although named after Queen…
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