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Arbor Day at Quarry Farm
by Erin Doane, Senior CuratorOn May 7, 1909, 225 boys descended upon East Hill overlooking Elmira. Over the course of the morning, they planted some 3,000 pine and spruce trees at Quarry Farm. The...
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An American Manufacturing Story: American LaFrance
By Rachel Dworkin, archivistLast week I spent two days cataloging a collection of 163 photographs of the final assembly process for an American LaFrance fire truck. Paul Walker, the company’s Director...
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Going up?
By Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorElevator call buttons from Gorton Coy buildingIn the late 1800s, one of the newest technological marvels started showing up in Elmira. Or to be more accurate,...
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The Milliner’s Goldfish
by Erin Doane, Senior Curator On September 15, 1939, Mrs. Bertha Whitley’s pet goldfish passed away. Such an event would not normally make the news but, in this case, the goldfish was reportedly 41...
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A Case of Measles
By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist Earlier in the year, I had a researcher who came every Friday for a month to look at our collection of reports of the Elmira Board of Health. I asked her what she was...
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When National News Hits Home
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorIn the spring of 1970, students from colleges and universities across the nation were protesting the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War. On Monday, May 4,...
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The Retiring Kind
by Erin Doane, Senior CuratorOur newest exhibit, Marking Life’s Milestones: Celebrations, Commemorations, and Cake (on display through May 2026), explores the big events in peoples’ lives from birth to...
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Green (Book) Means Go
By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist For Black motorists in the mid-20th century, hitting the road could be a dangerous proposition. Travelers frequently had their cars vandalized and could find themselves...
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Lunch in the Rest Room
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorThis curious headline from the Elmira Star-Gazette was published on April 27, 1920. Today it conjures up images of late-night comedy sketches, but at the time, its...
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Seal of Approval
by Erin Doane, Senior Curator There are nearly three dozen embossing seals in the museum’s collection and each one is a unique piece of history. Their purpose was to impress seals on official...
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There and Back Again: The Journey of the Dunker Bible
By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam raged near Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee and the Union...
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We the People
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorIn 2004, the United States Congress passed36 U.S. Code § 106 which recognized September 17th as Constitution and Citizenship Day.The purpose was to promote literacy...
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C.H. Wheadon & Son
by Erin Doane, Senior CuratorAn April 27, 1893 article in the Elmira Star-Gazette describes the embarrassing business troubles of Henry G. Wheadon, owner of C.H. Wheadon & Son. The shameful news...
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Introducing the Chemung County Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection
By Rachel Dworkin, archivistThe Woman Suffrage Party of Chemung County was established in 1916 with the goal of securing women the vote. It was not the first pro-suffrage organization to be...
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Ghost Walk 2025
Thank you! by Susan Zehnder, Education Director We want to thank all the volunteers, actors, and guides who helped us put this event on!Cathleen Koons Wiggs as Julia ReynoldsIt takes a dedicated group...
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The Rise of a Corpse
by Erin Doane, Senior CuratorAutumn is my favorite season with the cooler weather, beautifully changing leaves, warm comforting foods, and, of course, Halloween. While most horror movies are too much...
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The Three Sisters and Beyond: Haudenosaunee Agriculture
By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist Corn. Beans. Squash. The Haudenosaunee (pronounced HOH-din-oh-SHOH-nee), sometimes known as the Iroquois, of upstate New York called these three plants the Three Sisters....
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Fun Facts
by Susan Zehnder, Education Director“I didn’t know that!” For the last few years, The Chemung County Historical Society has printed bookmarks with photos and biographical information about more than...
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Chop Suey and Deportation
by Erin Doane, Senior Curator A long-time resident and owner of a local Chinese restaurant is detained by immigration officials. He is a well-known and respected member of the community, but he...
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Unexpected History: Henry Keene's Flag
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorThis fall, I’ve been teaching students about the American flag. Almost 400 Elmira City School District first grade students have colored the United States flag and...
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War Brides
By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist During and shortly after World War II, American servicemen married approximately 60,000 European women, plus another 4,000 from Australia and New Zeeland. At the time, the...
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Natsue Yogi Kobayashi Co-founder & Director of Elmira’s Second Place East...
by Judith Edson Sheasley, a volunteer at CCHS“Strengthening the fabric of family life” was the goal of Elmira’s First Methodist Church (which stood on Baldwin Street north of West Church Street on...
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A Unique Opportunity for Change
by Bruce Whitmarsh, Executive DirectorCCHS Executive Director, Bruce WhitmarshThroughout 2025 the Chemung County Historical Society Board of Trustees worked on updating their own internal operations....
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Frederick Douglass in Elmira
By Rachel Dworkin, archivist During his lifetime, Frederick Douglass (February 14, 1818-February 20, 1895) was arguably the most famous Black man in America, if not the world. He was an ardent...
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Purity Above All
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorThis is a story of a business whose success literally ran dry. In early 1900, downtown Elmira was abuzz. There were over 35,000 people living in the city and 54,000...
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