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Monument of Augustus Sherman (Because of problems with the sun, this photo is very dark. It will be replaced soon.) |
Augustus Sherman was born in 1801 in Vermont. He had only one year of schooling in Arlington, Vermont. He moved to Kingsbury, New York and then the following spring to Fairfield, presently Luzerne. In his younger years, he brought lumber from Corinth to the Big Bend, then overland to Deadman's Point, Fort Edward and on to Roger's Landing. By age 15, he wagoned lumber to Albany, both buying and selling by himself. At age 16, he took over his father's business to help get him out of debt. He ran an Old English Mill with two saws, and a grist mill in Luzerne while still drawing and rafting lumber to market. Three years later he took over the Bottonolph Mill further down river. He married Nancy Weed, a teacher, in 1824. They had 9 children, but 3 died while young. Between 1840 and 41, he sold all his business interest in Luzerne. In 1842 he moved his lumber business from Feeder Dam, Queensbury, to Glens Falls. His lumber operations became larger and larger and he bought up more land in the Adirondacks. His wife died in 1848. In 1856 he married Charlotte Conkling and they had 4 more children, all of whom died. He was the first to have a boat on the Feeder Canal, the first president of the Glens Falls Paper Mill and the first president of the Bald Mountain Lime Co. He was trustee, director, manager, or president of nearly all financial corporations in Glens Falls. He was on the original Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank with William McDonald and several other prominent people. He was first a vice president but then he became president of the Commercial Bank, (present day Evergreen), a position he held for 26 years beginning in 1858. Sherman was ranked the wealthiest man in Warren County. He seemed to have the gift of golden touch. He built the Sherman Block on the west side of Glen Street. He was known to be genial, kind-hearted and had a keen judgment.
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