Notable Moments in the Cove’s History

In 1926, the Zonta Club of Glens Falls, spearheaded by Club President Katherine B. Sears, began working on the first bathhouse project with Glens Falls Mayor Orville C. Smith. Thanks to Finch, Pruyn, and Company, they received the lumber at wholesale and worked with the services of Architect Harry B. Kendall to draw up the plans. The work was completed in three weeks thanks to dozens of volunteers, contractors, and students. Under the direction of the Glens Falls Recreation Supervisor Ralph Homan, the bath house and Haviland Cove Beach were opened on June 28, 1926.

On June 10th, 1929, the bathhouse was burned down near midnight. Despite the best efforts by the Glens Falls Fire Department, the structure was destroyed. Recreation Commission Secretary Ruth Sherburn expressed that steps will be taken to rebuild. Just a month later in July, Glens Falls completed construction of a fireproof, concrete bathhouse with a metal roof by Fireproof Materials Incorporated in Schenectady, New York. Glens Falls Mayor Orville C. Smith publicized a notice of a $50 reward (valued at $950 today) to anyone with information. There has been no record of an arrest.

Over the next fifty years, the beach became a beacon of the community, attracting thousands of families in and around Glens Falls.

In 1982, Haviland’s Cove Park expanded with a picnic shelter, tennis and basketball courts, and a baseball field. It was eventually dedicated to Recreation Commissioner Daniel Reardon who passed away unexpectedly before a dedication ceremony. During the event, Mayor Edward Bartholomew stated, “Dan Reardon is just one of many people who make Glens Falls what it is today.”

Dan Reardon, who passed away at age 74, “shaped countless lives and left an enviable imprint on Glens Falls,” according to his obituary in the Post-Star. He was a semiprofessional baseball and basketball player in college, coached teams at Saint Mary’s Academy, and became a sportswriter and broadcaster while raising a family. His legacy shines bright on the baseball field at Haviland’s Cove, allowing future generations of players to hone their skills.

Over the next two decades, the seventy-year-old bathhouse began to show its age. Recreation Superintendent Christine Merrill organized the next upgrade to the park and beach. The project costed $300,000 at the time, supported by state grants. The renovated bathhouse was completed in spring of 2002.

The stone structure, overlooking the beach, still persists twenty-four years later, along with numerous other beautification amenities. During that time, Glens Falls steadily increased its housing developments to bring new residents.

Progress continued when a new, master plan was unveiled two years. Designed by LaBella Associates, the ambitious project is breathtaking. The baseball field will be upgraded to include a soccer field along with a bandstand. Along the shores of Haviland’s Cove will be a dozen docks for fishing, swimming, or kayaking. There will be a pedestrian bridge over the Hudson River that connects Haviland’s Cove Park to Pruyn’s Island, allowing easier access between each.

The cost in 2024 was estimated at $4 million dollars with Assemblywomen Carrier Woerner allocating $2 million dollars from New York State grants. But a lot has changed in the past two years, so the Planning and Development Committee, along with the Planning Department Director Allison Gaddy, are working on finalizing funding strategies and opening bidding contracts to bring the next phase in Haviland’s Cove Park to fruition.