Shop Till You Drop

By Peggy Malorzo, Administrative Assistant, and Kerry Lippincott, Education Coordinator

Do you have an interest in history and shopping is second nature to you?  If so you can shop and explore local history in one location!  In the CCHS Gift Shop we offer a variety of publications related to Chemung County history.  Listed below, in no particularly order, are some of our top sellers.

·        Mark Twain: Wit and Wisecracks -    Most people probably associate Mark Twain (or Sam as we like to call him) with Hartford, Connecticut and Hannibal, Missouri but Elmira played just as important role in his personal and professional life.  Sam’s wife, Livy Langdon, was born and raised in Elmira.  Sam and Livy courted and were married in the Landon House (once located at on Church Street).  All three of Sam and Livy’s daughters were born in Elmira.  Between 1870 and 1889, Sam and his family spent their summers in Elmira at Quarry Farm where he wrote  Roughing It,  Adventures of Tom Sawyer,  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper,  A Tramp Abroad, Life on the Mississippi and  A Connecticut Yankee at Kings Arthur’s Court.     At Woodlawn Cemetery Sam and his family are buried in the Langdon family plot.  A collection of quotes, Mark Twain: Wit and Wisecracks makes a great gift and easily fits into a pocket.  Believe it or not we have a hard time keeping this book in stock.

·        Elmira: Death Camp of the North by Michael Horigan - During the Civil War over 150 prison camps were established in the North and South.  About twenty prison camps received major notoriety.  For Union soldiers the worst was Andersonville in Georgia while for Confederate soldiers it was Elmira.  Opened for 369 days, Elmira’s prison camp held 12, 123 Confederate soldiers.  Of that 2,963 died from disease, malnutrition, poor sanitation and improper clothing and housing.  Elmira: Death Camp of the North  chronicles the brief history of the camp.

 

·        101 Things You Didn’t Know About Elmira, New York (But Are About to Find Out) by Horace Martin Woodhouse – How much do you really know about Elmira? Eldridge Park once had the fastest carousel, but how fastest did it go?  How did Elmira get the nickname the Queen City?  What celebrities have visited Elmira?  Discover these and other fun facts  in 101 Things You Didn't Know About Elmira, New York.

·        Chemung Historical Journal - Published quarterly since 1955, the Chemung Historical Journal offers articles on local history.  As part of membership benefits, members of the historical society receive copies of the journal and it’s the number one reason people maintain their membership.   Current and back issues are available for purchase.

·        Photographs from the Booth Library - Looking for photos of the yesteryear?  The Booth Library contains approximately 14,000 photos and we are happy to reproduce them.  Below is a staff favorite.

Eldridge Park

If it’s been awhile or you have never been to the Gift Shop, perhaps it’s time you stopped by.  Can’t make it to the museum?  We are open 24 hours seven days a week at http://www.chemungvalleymuseum.org/.