Glens Falls Cemetery
Also known as: Bay Street Cemetery
Why it's listed
Glens Falls Cemetery, also called Bay Street Cemetery, covers about 38 acres near the north end of the city. Village trustees bought the first 13 acres in 1853, and George Ferguson drew the plots and roads, working around Halfway Brook and a northern hill. Expansions in 1871, 1888 and the twentieth century, the last in 1973, brought it to its present size. The older sections have raised lots, sunken pathways, curving roads and rounded plots that follow Victorian ideas of landscape beauty and the Rural Cemetery Movement. Monuments range from carved tree trunks and draped urns to a granite temple-like family monument, a life-size statue of a woman, and mausoleums such as the Bemis and Pruyn vaults. Contributing features include an ornamental iron fence, a 1946 stone memorial chapel designed by Milton Lee Crandell, and a 1950 office. The cemetery reflects the wealth of Glens Falls in the late nineteenth century and the funerary art that wealth commissioned.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is a well-preserved example of a Victorian-period cemetery influenced by the Rural Cemetery Movement. Its curved roads, rounded lots and sunken pathways illustrate Victorian ideals of landscape design. Its ornate monuments and mausoleums reflect the wealth of Glens Falls in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
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 04000756, listed July 28, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 38 Ogden St., Glens Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | July 28, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000756 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1853 - 1953 |
| Architect / builder | George Ferguson (landscape architect for original 13 acres); Milton Lee Crandell (architect of 1946 Chapel) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; further expansion is considered unlikely because no vacant land surrounds it. |
| Acreage | 38 |
| Coordinates | 43.32259, -73.65243 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
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 04000756.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5569307
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.