Henry Crandall

Henry Crandall. . , Born in 1821 into a poor family on the east side of Lake George, Henry Crandall went on to make a fortune as a lumberman. He retired at age 59 and until his death in 1913 he gave generously of his money. Legend has it that Henry Crandall was visiting the workmen in 1899 when they were building this monument and one of the workmen quipped, “Mr. Crandall, when you are buried here, after a time you will be forgotten.” So, as the story goes, Crandall took off a shoe and stocking and left his footprint in the cement. The five-point star that sits on top of the monument is the same shape as Henry Crandall’s log mark that was stamped into all the logs before he floated them down the Hudson River to the mill. The different markers allowed logs’ owners to be easily identified. , Henry Crandall certainly made his mark on Glens Falls. He donated the land for the library and established a fund that still provides for the library. Henry Crandall was known as a hard worker and a proponent of saving money. To help the youth of Glens Falls, he established a Boys Club. He started a savings account for each boy with $25 and promised $100 at the age of 21 to each boy who deposited $37.50 to the account from his own labors. The boys also had to follow a strict set of rules. The boys were required to “abstain from use of liquor, swearing, beer or tobacco in any form” and to “shun bad habits, bad company and bad resorts.” In addition each was expected to “work diligently to bring about his own success. , On his 92nd birthday, just days before his death, Henry Crandall gave an interview in which he said, “No boy in this city is in poorer circumstances than when I set out on life’s journey. But everyone can reach success if he will refrain from bad habits and cultivate the habit of saving money.”