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Votes for Women! (Step in Time)
by Rachel Dworkin, archivistOver this past weekend, nearly a million women across America marched across the country to commemorate the 2017 Women’s March on Washington and advocate for women’s rights....
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Tragedy at the Airmada
by Erin Doane, CuratorOn November 5, 1945 the Wings of Victory Airmada buzzed over the city of Elmira. The fleet of ten warplanes landed at the Chemung County Airport and prepared for a three-day event...
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New Year, New Mascot
by Susan Zehnder, Director of Education February already, it seems the year just started. Regardless, it’s still a great time of year to reflect on new things. While new resolutions, new diets and new...
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Freedom Rider
By Rachel Dworkin, archivistOn May 4, 1961, thirteen members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) boarded busses in Washington, D.C. with plans to travel south to New Orleans. The mixed-race group...
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When Crime Doesn’t Pay
by Erin Doane, CuratorOfficer John Hurley had come up against some hardened criminals before, but nothing like the gang he encountered in 1903. He had been a member of the Elmira Police Department for...
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Picturing Postcards: the first Instagram?
By Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorI found a postcard in my office from 1907 with a message to a Miss Pearl Van Name of Horseheads, NY. It reads, “Will answer your card at last. I had all most...
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Fives Ladies, Five Objects
By Rachel Dworkin, archivistIn honor of women’s history month, I thought I’d shamelessly steal Smithsonian Magazine’s idea of sharing five objects from our collection associated with five local women....
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Elmira’s Suicide Epidemic of 1920
by Erin Doane, Curator**In this post, I will be writing about cases of attempted and successful suicide. Suicide is a serious issue and has been throughout history. If you or someone you know is...
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Brief history of pens
by Susan Zehnder, Education Directormy favorite pen is a permanent ink, black felt-tip marker made in Japan. Easy to hold, it makes crisp clean lines, and is always reliable. If it wears out, I know I...
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Wild Plants Unlimited
By Rachel Dworkin, archivistSpring is in the air and a girl’s heart turns towards wild edibles. Or at least this girl’s does. I love foraging. It’s basically a combination of hiking and a game of...
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Purdue Pharma taps a Gilded Age history of pharmaceutical fraud
By Jonathan S. Jones(We've invited Jonathan Jones, the first presenter of our 2019 Civil War Speakers series to blog for us this week. Jones will be speaking here at the museum Thursday April 4th at 7...
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The Great Penny Shortage
by Erin Doane, CuratorIn 1974, the United States suffered through a major penny shortage. Over the previous 15 years, the U.S. Mint had produced 62 billion pennies but only about 30 billion were in...
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A Clean Sweep
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorSpring seems to be arriving at last. Things are looking greener, and there’s new interest in tidiness sparked by recent books and television programs on organizing....
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The Last Cartoon
By Rachel Dworkin, ArchivistsEugene “Zim” Zimmerman’s last finished cartoon arrived at the offices of the Elmira Telegram on the morning of his death on March 26, 1935. Zim's last published cartoon,...
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Elmira’s Fire Stations
by Erin Doane, CuratorThe first volunteer fire company in Elmira was created in 1830. Over the next 30 years, half a dozen more companies were organized and each company established their own fire...
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Heavy History
By Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorFor the last two weeks, I’ve been carrying around a 2-3 pound cannon ball in a suitcase. It’s an object I use to introduce first graders to artifacts associated with...
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Land Girls and Farmerettes
By Rachel Dworkin, ArchivistWhen Mrs. Louise T. Roberts of the New York State Food Commission proposed it in the spring of 1918, people were skeptical. College girls working on local farms? That’s...
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Federation Farm
by Erin Doane, CuratorFederation Farm was a residential treatments center for children who were undernourished, anemic, or had been exposed to tuberculosis. The farmhouse, located on six acres of land...
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Markers
by Susan Zehnder, Education DirectorThere’s an urban legend that attempts to explain why tombstones for Confederate soldiers come to a point at the top rather than being curved like those used for...
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That Time of the Month
by Rachel Dworkin, archivistMay 28this World Menstrual Hygiene Day. We’re a little late, but rest assured we’re not pregnant. The awareness day was created in 2014 to educate people around the world...
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