Parks-Bentley Place

            Harriet Bentley – the last of the area’s Bentley clan – passed away in 1930, but that did not end the use of 53 Ferry Boulevard as a residence. There was a brief period following Harriet’s death and then the property was purchased by the Glens Falls Cement Company.

            It was six years into the Depression and economic woes had taken their toll on most families. One in particular was the Parker family, the wife and children of a New York City lawyer. At the time, Parker had a wife and four children to provide for so, in 1935, he connected with his friend, a principal in the cement company, and went to the Glens Falls area to find property for the farm of his dreams. In 1936, he arranged the life-time lease of twenty acres, including the land on which Parks-Bentley Place now stands, for $1,500.

            Several years after the family moved to 53 Ferry Boulevard, they began much-needed repairs that had arisen from long-time neglect. Indoor plumbing and modern sinks were added, the wood stove was converted to oil, and floors and walls were repaired. During that period, a barn was added and, in the later years of the Parker Family’s tenure at 53 Ferry Boulvard, Mr. Parker constructed two small cabins on the west side of the main house. However, none of these structures still exist today.