Elmira HistoryForge

10/14/2026

Reminder our next meetings are Wednesday, October 21st & 28th at 6pm at the West Elmira Community Center.

09/13/2026

📜 ELMIRA HISTORY FORGE IS BACK! 🔎💻

After our summer break, we’re excited to get the Elmira History Forge volunteers back together — and we’d love to welcome some new faces

UPDATE: We changed the meeting from Oct 14 to Oct 21st. We are attending the 2nd St Cemetery walk & tour on Oct 14th if you"d like to sign up & join us.

📅 Upcoming Meetings
• Wednesday, September 23
• Wednesday, October 21
• Wednesday, October 28
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM

📍 Town of Elmira Community Center
Behind the Town Hall
31 Grandview Dr., Elmira

We have a great group of men and women who volunteer their time helping preserve and bring Elmira’s history to life!

🎉 We’ve completed entering the 1910 Census and are making great progress on the 1950 Census!

Never worked with old census records before? No problem! We can teach you how to read the census records or how to enter the information into the database as we work. It’s pretty easy once you get started!

There’s no huge time commitment. Just let us know when you plan to attend and join us whenever you’re free. Come once and see what we’re all about!

💻 What to bring:
A laptop or tablet

If you enjoy local history, genealogy, old maps, census records, or learning about the people who once lived in Elmira, come join us. We’d love to have you!

Help us preserve Elmira’s history — one person, one family and one address at a time. ❤️

06/30/2026

Love local history? Curious about your community's past?

Join us for a free lunchtime presentation and discover how Elmira History Forge is preserving the stories of the people who built our community.

📅 Wednesday, July 8
🕛 12:00–1:00 p.m.
📍 Chemung County Historical Society
415 E. Water Street, Elmira
Cookies, tea & coffee provided

Learn how volunteers are transforming historic census records, photographs, maps, and city directories into an interactive resource that helps people explore Elmira's rich history, trace family roots, and uncover fascinating stories from the past.

Whether you're interested in genealogy, local history, research, or simply giving back to the community, there is a place for you at Elmira History Forge. No special experience is needed—we welcome volunteers of all skill levels, and you can contribute in a variety of ways.

Come meet some of our volunteers, see what we've been working on and ask questions.

Bring a friend—we'd love to see you there!

New meetings will start up in the fall.

05/26/2026

As we remember and honor those who served our country this Memorial Day, we are reminded how many local men and women from the Elmira area answered the call to service during times of war and sacrifice.

At Elmira History Forge, we are currently inputting the 1950 Census data, which includes many veterans of World War I and World War II whose stories are woven into the fabric of our community. The Census data not only list those men that had served for our country but those young people who would serve & sacrifice in future military service.

We have also completed work with the 1910 Census, helping preserve records of an earlier generation whose lives would later be shaped by military service and world events.

Each census entry represents more than names and addresses — they are the stories of neighbors, families, workers, soldiers, and veterans who lived here in Elmira and the surrounding communities. Through mapping and preserving this historical data, we hope to help connect present and future generations with the people who helped shape our local history.

This Memorial Day, we remember those who served, those who sacrificed, and the families and communities forever changed by their service.

As we work through the 1950 Census records, we’re discovering many local veterans and military families. Did your family have roots in Elmira during this time period?

[email protected]

03/30/2026

📜 Love local history? Come volunteer with us! 🏡

We’re looking for a few more volunteers to join our Elmira History Forge project!

We are currently working on reading and entering data from the1950 Census into our searchable database. This project helps connect past and present by linking census records with both historic and current maps—so you can discover who lived at your address or where your relatives once called home.

✨ So far, we’ve completed most of the 1910 Census, and we’re hoping to expand even further by adding photos of homes and families to bring these stories to life.

👥 How you can help:
Bring your laptop or tablet.
Read census records aloud to the typist or type the information into the database.

Work in-person or from home
🕒 Flexible:
We meet 2 Wednesdays a month for about 2 hours, join us and bring a friend.
Or volunteer from home on your own time

It’s simple, meaningful work—and a great way to connect with local history and your community.

💬 Interested or want to learn more? Send us a message—we’d love to have you join us!

[email protected]

HistoryForge combines historic maps and photos with census records of the people who lived in Elmira, NY, creating a unique way to visualize the history of this community in the early 1900s.

01/03/2026

All of us at Elmira History Forge hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and look forward to seeing everyone.
If you'd like to volunteer with us just send a message or email and we will get you started. [email protected]

Our next dates are the following Wednesdays 6pm till 8pm at the Town of Elmira Community Center:
Jan 7, 21
Feb 4 & 18
March 4 & 18
April 1 & 15

09/05/2025

📣 Elmira HistoryForge is Back! 📣

We’re excited to announce that HistoryForge meetings are starting up again! 🎉
Join us on Wednesday, September 24th from 6–8 PM at the West Elmira Community Center.

Come be part of bringing Elmira’s history to life! Whether you’re a long-time volunteer or just curious about getting involved, we’d love to see you there.

👉 Have questions or planning to join us? Please message us or email [email protected].

What to bring - A laptop or tablet.

Let’s keep Elmira’s stories alive together — hope to see you on the 24th!

Next meeting dates - Oct 8 & 22, Nov 5 & 19. Join us when you can.

07/09/2025

Our summer break has commenced, and Elmira History Forge meetings will reconvene in September. We look forward to seeing you then.

05/27/2025

Meeting is Wed May 28th, 6pm-8pm at Elmira Comm Center. Please let us know if you can join us. We are working on the 1950 Census

03/28/2025

The answer to the previous post about Veteran Court in Elmira.

My initial assumption about Veterans Court turned out to be incorrect after further research. While entering data from the 1950 Census, the only reference we found to Veterans Court was linked to Woodlawn Avenue addresses. This led us to believe that Hathorn Court might have originally been called Veterans Court. However, a deeper look into old newspapers revealed a different history.

Hathorn Court officially opened in 1944 with 250 housing units spread across 44 buildings. It was named after a local family and was part of Chemung County’s effort to expand housing during and after World War II. Between 1940 and 1944, the county added over 1,400 housing units to accommodate returning servicemen.

Veterans Court was established in October 1946, directly across the road from Hathorn Court. It consisted of 140 units housed within 14 buildings. These structures were actually repurposed Army barracks from Fort Niagara and another military camp. The barracks were disassembled, transported over 100 miles, and reconstructed in Elmira. Most of the units were one-bedroom apartments, with rents ranging from $24 to $54 per month.

By January 1952, the government determined that the temporary buildings of Veterans Court were becoming unsuitable for long-term habitation. As a result, they began to dismantle them gradually. Some of the dismantled materials were repurposed for use at the Elmira Correctional Facility.

In November 1952, despite the ongoing dismantling process, Veterans Court was granted a one-year extension for the 34 families still residing there. Around the same time, Jones Court was nearing completion, offering these families a new and improved housing option.

Come join & help us enter the 1950 Census data.