Crandall Marine Railway
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 on Heart's Bay at the northwest end of Lake George, this marine railway hauls large excursion boats out of the water for repair, maintenance and storage. It was commissioned by the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, then owner of the Lake George Steamboat Company, after the steamer Sagamore sank in a crash and the company's old ways proved too weak to haul it out. Crandall Dry Dock Engineers of Boston designed it. The system has three parts: a small frame head house holding the hauling machinery, a track of concrete and timber foundations running into the lake, and a steel-beamed cradle that carries vessels on rollers. Chains can move loads of up to 800 tons. Repairs over the decades have used authentic Crandall parts, so it remains close to its original form. The nomination describes it as a rare stand-alone facility, not part of a larger shipyard, and still in daily use for the company's three steamboats.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare and remarkably intact early twentieth-century railway dry dock under Criteria A and C, in transportation, maritime history and engineering. It is a stand-alone facility rather than part of a larger shipyard, and no other intact, historic, free-standing marine railway still in use was found. It has operated continuously and still services Lake George excursion boats.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000251, listed May 4, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 11 Dry Dock Ln., Ticonderoga |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | May 4, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000251 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1927 - 1960 |
| Architect / builder | Crandall Dry Dock Engineers, Inc. (Boston) is named as designer and builder in the text; the form's architect/builder field says unknown. |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In continuous operation since 1927; still used by the Lake George Steamboat Company to haul and service its excursion boats. Some parts have been replaced with authentic Crandall parts. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 43.80938, -73.44805 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000251.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5181974
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.