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 documents. Government agencies, businesses, organizations, and individuals used embossing seals as their signatures to establish authority and prevent fraud. They are fairly simple machines that were often made to be beautiful as well as functional.

Just a few of the embossing seals in CCHS’s collection

Stamp seals were first used around the 6^th millennium BCE in Mesopotamia. They were carved stone dies used to press symbols into the soft clay of business records at the time. Thousands of years later, the basic concept of the stamp seal remains with some added mechanical technology. The embosser holds a custom die set that produces a raised image on paper when pressure is applied to the handle. The embossing seals in our collection range from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. Most are heavy cast iron with long handles to create enough force to leave an impression. Later seals are lighter metal with mechanical leverage to make embossing easier.

My favorite embossing seals are those made to look like a lion’s head. That seemed to be very popular in the late 1800s. Other examples have decorative floral and geometric patterns painted on the sides. New designs appeared in the early 20^th century offering improvements that made them easier and more comfortable to use but their essential function was still the same. I think they’re all wonderful little machines and want to share some of them with you.

Star Gazette Building Company

Star Gazette Building Company embossing seal

The Star-Gazette Building Company was incorporated in Elmira in 1910. It was created to oversee the purchase of property at the Corner of Baldwin and Market Streets and the creation of a building on the site “to be occupied for publishing purposes” according to the incorporation papers. I’m sure the company’s beautiful embossing seal shaped like a lion’s head, which was patented in 1904, came in handy for all its official business dealings. In 1919, after the building was completed, the Star Gazette Building Company and the Star Gazette Company (publisher of newspapers for whom the building was constructed) consolidated to form the Elmira Star-Gazette, Inc. and the seal became obsolete. 

Elmira Consolidated Ice Company, Inc.

Elmira Consolidated Ice. Co., Inc. embossing seal

In 1924, the Elmira Ice Company, the Crystal Ice Company, and Fell’s Ice Company merged to become the Elmira Consolidated Ice Company, Inc. The company’s embossing seal was simple and functional. It was only used until 1930 when the company merged Hygeia Ice to become the Elmira Hygeia Company. 

Fort Hill Land Company

Fort Hill Land Company embossing seal

W. Charles Smith, who was among the organizers of the Bohemia Land Company in 1902, formed the Fort Hill Land Company five years later for the purpose of developing a summer village along the Chemung River near Rorick’s Glen. I was not able to find out much about the company in my research. I didn’t find mention of it in newspapers after 1907. Smith passed away in 1910 but the company must have continued at least through 1912. That’s when the embosser holding its official seal was patented. I plan on doing some more intensive research about the Fort Hill Land Company in the future.

L.J. Houck & Sons, Inc.

L.J. Houck & Sons, Inc. embossing seal

The embosser used for L.J. Houck & Sons’ official corporate seal has a real industrial look to it with its green paint. It was patented in 1920 and included a latch to hold the handle down when it wasn’t in use. L.J. Houck & Sons Dairy began in 1904 and was incorporated in 1926. They delivered milk on routes through Elmira, Horseheads, Elmira Heights, Big Flats, and Breeseport using horses and wagons up until 1965 when the company was purchased by the Dairymen’s League.

First United Church of Christ

First United Church of Christ

One of our most modern embossing seals, patented in 1955, was used by an old institution. The First United Church of Christ was established in Elmira in 1874. It served German American population in the city and was also called Erste Deutsche Evangelische Kirche. The large stone church constructed at 160 Madison Avenue starting in 1898 still stands but the last service was held there on July 10, 2022.

1955 embossing seal patent

 
Notaries Public

A selection of notary public embossing seals in CCHS’s collection

An important subset of embossing seals are those used by notaries public. A notary public is an official appointed by the state government who witnesses and verifies the signing of important documents to prevent fraud. Anyone interested in taking on the duties of a notary public can do so by applying to the Department of the State, passing the official exam, and paying all necessary fees. New York State does not require the use of a notary seal but a notary public is required to print, typewrite, or stamp certain information on every single document they notarize. Embossing seals speed up this process and are thus still available to purchase (with proof of official status). We have several notary public seals used by local residents in the museum’s collection. 

W.S. Gerity

Notary Public embossing seal of W.S. Gerity

William S. Gerity (b.1847-d.1912) had a decades-long career in the drugstore business. He began as a clerk and went on to be the co-owner and operator of the Gerity Bros. drugstore at 126 Lake Street in Elmira. From as early as 1906, he also served as a notary public. His embossing seal is interesting because it reads “Elmira, N.Y.” All of the other notary seals in our collection read “Chemung County, N.Y.” I wasn’t able to find out why his was different. 

J. Raymond Shoemaker

Notary Public embossing seal of J. Raymond Shoemaker

J. Raymond Shoemaker (b.1882-d.1973) worked for many years for the Hygeia Refrigerating Company. He started with the company in 1906 and was vice president and general manager by 1920. He later became chairman of the board of Hygeia and also served as the director of the Elmira Bank and Trust Company. His notary public seal with a beautiful inscribed leaf or feather design was patented in 1900. 

Anna O. McTiernan

Notary Public embossing seal of Anna O. McTiernan

Anna T. O’Hern McTiernan (b.1880-d.1965) came to Elmira to take courses at Meeker’s Business Institute. After completing her studies in 1904, she went to work in the bookkeeping department at the Star-Gazette. She retired in 1950 after 46 years with the newspaper. She served as a notary public from as early as 1910 through at least 1948. She was Anna T. O’Hern when she began as a notary public. In 1924, she wed Bill McTiernan and had a brand new embossing seal made with her married name.  

Ralph E. Fudge

Notary Public embossing seal of Ralph E. Fudge

Ralph E. Fudge (b.1908-d.2000) holds a special place in our institutional history as he was a longtime member and former president of the Chemung County Historical Society. He worked as a funeral director at Smith-Fudge Funeral home at 1058 W. Church Street in Elmira until retiring in 1972. His embossing seal was patented in 1924. It has a spring-type mechanism in the handle that makes it easier to use, requiring much less strength to emboss paper than earlier models.

An American Manufacturing Story: American LaFrance

 By Rachel Dworkin, archivist

Last 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 of Engineering from 1983 to 1985, had taken the photos in January 1985 in order to document the process and see how it might be improved. It wasn’t like a modern auto plant with robots on an assembly line. It was just a team of guys working together to assemble a series of pre-fabricated parts to make a fire truck. 

 

The LaFrance Manufacturing Company, founded by Truckson LaFrance, built its first fire engine in late 1873. In those early days, the company made all sorts of things: rail fence machines, cotton pickers, corn shellers, and even railroad locomotives. By the 1880s, however, it was strictly focused on fire engines. In 1903, the company merged with serval other companies to found the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company. For the next 80 years, the company was the premier name in American firefighting equipment and a major Chemung County employer. Then the company left Elmira in 1985 for points south. For the next few decades, it dwindled in size and quality before being picked apart by vulture capitalists. The once-proud company filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and ceased operation altogether in 2014.

At its peak, the American LaFrance plant covered over 48 acres on Elmira’s Southside. The plant included a machine shop, paint shop, warehouses and a main office, plus buildings for pump assembly, cab & body assembly, frame and ladder assembly, engine assembly, and truck assembly. In 1957, 975 people worked at the plant itself with another 1,200 employed as salesmen throughout the country. At the time, they had an annual payroll of $6,500,000 (approximately $73,974,857 today). They completed two trucks a day.

Given the company’s long history in Elmira, it’s no surprise we have quite a bit of it. Here’s a quick rundown of our collections related to the American LaFrance Company:

1.    Two motorized and one horse-drawn fire engines
2.    Collection of 150^th American LaFrance anniversary celebration material, 1982
3.     4.5 linear feet of American LaFrance promotional literature and product guides
4.     2 linear feet of Blazes, the American LaFrance newsletter from 1919-1928, 1940-1954
5.    2 linear feet of photographs of American LaFrance facilities, products, and employees
6.      2 linear feet of glass-plate negatives of American LaFrance products, 1890s-1910s
7.      Nearly 100 technical drawings of American LaFrance products
8.     Papers of former American LaFrance employees including Carol A. Hall, Marshall Cecce, and John Darrow

While none of this material is currently on display, most are available upon request during our regular research hours from 1pm to 5pm, Monday through Friday. The fire engines are stored off-site and researchers must make an appointment at least a week in advance if they want to see them.

The last American LaFrance truck produced in Elmira rolled off the line on June 28, 1985. Paul Walker had a photo of that too. Thank you to his son who donated it along with all the others. If you have American LaFrance material or stories you’d like to share, we would love to hear from you. Contact me at (607) 734-4167 ex. 207 or archivist@chemungvalleymuseum.org. 

Last fire truck from the Elmira American LaFrance plant & team who built it, June 28, 1985

 

Jesse Green Furrier

By Erin Doane, senior curator

On May 4, 1943, the Gorton Coy introduced their new furrier to customers in Elmira through an advertisement in the Star-Gazette. Mr. Jesse Green had recently taken charge of their fur restyling and fur storage departments. Fur fashions were his specialty, with 25 years of experience, and he was ready to restyle customers’ older furs. As mentioned in the ad, restyling was part of the war-conservation program. Jesse Green was happy to furnish estimates without any cost or obligation to the customer.

Jesse Green, Gorton Coy ad, Star-Gazette, May 4, 1943

Jesse Green was born in New York City in 1900 into a family of furriers. His grandfather and father ran a fur manufacturing business and both Jesse and his brother learned the craft. Jesse married Shirley Ehrlich in 1928 and the couple had two sons, Howard and Myron. In 1943, the family moved to Elmira where Jesse took the job as furrier at the Gorton Coy. He stayed there for three years before he and Shirley opened a store of their own at 513 Park Place.

Jesse Green Furrier, 513 Park Place, Star-Gazette, July 30, 1950

Inside Jesse Green Furrier, 513 Park Place, Star-Gazette, August 13, 1950

Jesse Green Furrier made and sold furs and offered insured, certified cold storage of fur coats. In 1953, Jesse became a member of the Master Furriers Guild of America, Inc. By that time, it was reported that he had cared for and handled at least 150,000 fur coats during his 35 years in the fur business. He sold his wares not only in Elmira but to customers in 45 states as well as Tokyo and the Philippine Islands. In both 1956 and 1957 he won American Fur Fashion Awards at the annual Master Furriers’ Guild conventions. He was also elected to the Guild’s board of directors in 1958.

Coat made by Jesse Green from pelts trapped near Williamsport, Pennsylvania

In 1964, the Greens moved their business to 208 W. Water Street. The newly renovated store was decorated in a baby blue and off-white color scheme and featured wall to wall carpeting, floor to ceiling mirrors, and air conditioning. They added womenswear to the store and their son, Howard, joined the business. Howard had worked with his father before enlisting in the military in 1950. He was a member of the 465^th Signal Construction Company and served in Manila.

In 1968, Jesse Green Furrier moved to a new store just next door at 210 W. Water Street. The new space was four times the size of the other store. This time, the décor was done in powder blue and eggshell. There was a separate fur salon to the rear with off-white carpeting and a fully mirrored back wall. By this time, Howard Green had taken over as president of the company. His focus was on trying to get younger women interested in fur. They still sold fur coats but also had cloth coats, both trimmed with fur and untrimmed, as well as suede and leather coats. There was also a new young miss, or junior, section. In 1969, they started advertising fake furs for sale.

Howard Green at Jesse Green Furrier, 210 W. Water Street, Star-Gazette, November 24, 1976

In the late 1960s, the anti-fur moment was beginning to get traction. On July 26, 1970, the Star-Gazette reported on the “Fur Coat Furore” caused by a Women’s Wear Daily advertisement. The ad from the Friends of the Earth included a pledge to no longer purchase products made from wild or endangered animals signed by 100 “well-known personalities.” Other furriers in Elmira said that they didn’t expect the ad to affect their sales at all but Jesse Green had concerns. While the pledge was not to purchase rare, wild furs, he worried that it would still affect the sales of domesticated and specially-raised furs because the public would not understand the difference. “Through advertising, you have to make women want to purchase [a fur],” said Jesse. “They want to but they’re afraid to – ashamed to. A woman who can’t afford one, now has an excuse.”

Mink capelet made by Jesse Green Furrier, 1950s

While the anti-fur activists got some attention, by 1976 fur sales were increasing nationally and Elmira furriers and merchants were enjoying greater profits. New garments in contemporary styles made with longer fur and leather were increasingly popular with younger women. Prices were also increasing, but that didn’t slow the demand.

By the 1980s, however, the animal rights movement was much more active. Bob Barker led anti-fur protests in New York City in 1988. Ricki Lake was arrested after storming the Fifth Avenue offices of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with anti-fur protesters in 1994. Super models Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks were part of PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) anti-fur campaigns in the mid-1990s.

The biggest protests took place in major cities – Macy’s was a particularly popular target for animal rights activists in New York City – but smaller cities and businesses were not forgotten. In 1987, 50 animal rights protesters confronted 30 people wearing furs at a photoshoot by the Clifford Fur Co. in Rochester, New York. Trans-Species Unlimited, an animal rights organization, held a protest at the Trapper and Dealers Convention in Hughesville, Pennsylvania (about 80 miles south of Elmira) in 1986. On the day after Thanksgiving in 1990, animal rights protesters were out in force around the country, including in Albany, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, and Binghamton. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a protester dressed as the grim reaper led 40 others in chants against the killing of animals for fur coats. While I couldn’t find any reports of protests in Elmira or other local shopping districts, a letter to the editor of the Star-Gazette on Mach 7, 1990 written by Jack Sincock, president of the Chemung County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc., mentioned that a billboard on Lake Road had been purchased by animal rights activists.

Marcher protesting the use of animals for furs on Central Park West in New York City, Star-Gazette, November 24, 1990

On July 19, 1990, the Star-Gazette reported on the end of Jesse Green Furrier after 44 years of business in Elmira. It’s unclear whether the anti-fur moment played any part in the business closing. As owner and president of the company, Howard Green declined to provide any details. He merely said, “I’ve had enough of the retail business.” His parents, Jesse and Shirley, had retired in the early 1970s and moved to Coral Springs, Florida. Shirley passed away in 1986 and Jesse died just three years later. The couple is interred side-by-side in the Franklin Street Cemetery in Elmira.

Jesse and Shirley Green, 1978, Star-Gazette, May 7, 1978

The Sellers of Knox Hats in Elmira

by Erin Doane, senior curator

The Knox Hat Company of New York City produced fine hats for nearly 100 years. Before his speech at the Cooper Institute in 1860, Abraham Lincoln purchased a new Knox stovepipe hat. He was one of 23 U.S. presidents who wore the company’s hats. But you didn’t have to be elected to the highest office in the country to wear a hat made by the Knox company. Regular people could purchase a Knox hat right here in Elmira. CCHS has seven of them in our collection, four of which have labels from local stores.

Knox label inside a fedora sold by Burt’s, Inc. in Elmira

First, a brief history of the Knox Hat Company. Charles Knox, an immigrant, founded his company in lower Manhattan in 1838. At first, he sold beaver hats out of a small shop, but the business quickly grew. His son Edward, a Civil War veteran, took over in 1878. By the turn of the century, Knox hats were being sold all over the country, and the company’s factory was one of the largest in the world. Edward died in 1916, but the company continued until 1932 when it merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. and Dunlap & Company to form the Hat Corporation of America. Hats were still being produced under the Knox brand name until the early 1980s.

The Knox Hat Company put a large portion of its budget into advertising and had thousands of sales agents throughout the country. One could purchase Knox hats in Elmira from the late 1890s through the 1970s.

Advertisement for Knox hats at Callahan’s,
106 West Water Street, Star-Gazette, May 14, 1898

H. Strauss 

Knox Hat Co. derby sold by H. Strauss, early 1900s

Label inside the derby

H. Strauss was the sole agent of Knox hats for men in Elmira from the early 1900s through the 1920s. Herman Strauss, founder of the company, came to the U.S. from Baden, Germany in 1863 when he was 17 years old. He started as a peddler, carrying a 120-pound pack door-to-door. In 1872, he opened a haberdashery at 205 East Water Street. He sold men’s clothing and accessories at that location for 59 years and was active in the business until just a week before his death on March 23, 1932 at the age of 87.

H. Strauss advertisement, Star-Gazette, August 23, 1912

Herman’s son Charles W. Strauss took over the business in 1932. The store was closed briefly to settle the estate but reopened after renovations in September of that year with all new stock. In 1937, the shop moved to North Main Street after 65 years in the same location. It was forced to close after the flood of 1972. At that time, Charles’s nephew Harold Unger was leading the company, and had been doing so since Charles’s death in 1964. Rather than reopening downtown, H. Strauss opened a new store at the mall. That lasted until 1991 when Bruce R. Chalmers, who had worked at H. Strauss under Unger and purchased the company in 1985, moved the store back to Elmira. He set up shop at 311 College Avenue. In 1994, H. Strauss relocated to 636 West Church Street and it remains there today, though it is currently only open by appointment.

Burt’s Inc.

“Foxhound” style Knox fedora sold by Burt’s Inc., 1953

Burt’s label inside fedora

By the 1930s, H. Strauss was no longer the sole agent of Knox hats in Elmira. They could also be purchased at Burke O’Connor Men’s shop in the Mark Twain Hotel. The primary seller of Knox hats by the mid-1940s, however, was Burt’s Inc. at 157 North Main Street.

Advertisement for H. Strauss, Star-Gazette, May 28, 1945

0Arthur H. Burt and Walter Daily received an official charter for Burt’s, Inc. from the New York State Department in 1922. Burt was born and raised in Elmira and Daily came here in 1917. That year, the pair established Burt’s Inc. to sell men’s and boy’s clothes. Their first store was at 113 West Water Street. In 1922, they purchased the clothing store of Fred J. Bernet at 103 Water Street and began conducting business there. Burt continued to run the business when Daily left in 1935. The store moved again in 1937 to 157 North Main Street. It remained there until 1963 when Burt passed away and the store closed.

Burt’s Inc. advertisement, Star-Gazette, November 2, 1944

Burt’s Inc. started selling Knox hats in the later 1920s and continued selling them through the store’s final closing in 1963. Jerome’s at 350 North Main Street took over sales of Knox hats after Burt’s closing and continued selling them through 1979.

Mrs. G.W. Cornish and The Cornish Shop

Ladies’ Knox hat sold by Mr. G.W. Cornish, c. 1910

Label inside the hat

The Knox company did not only make hats for men. They also produced women’s hats. In 1906, Mrs. Gene W. Cornish began her millinery business at 111 West Market Street, offering a fine line of trimmed and untrimmed hats. She traveled regularly to New York City to purchase new merchandise - including Knox hats - and to visit family.

Advertisement for Mrs. G.W. Cornish, Star-Gazette, September 28, 1906

The change in the business name to the Cornish Shop first appears in the local newspaper in 1914. That year, the store also relocated to 108 North Main Street. It continued to be the purveyor of Knox hats, offering the latest seasonal styles for fashionable women.

The Cornish Shop advertisement, Star-Gazette, October 13, 1919

Fourteen years later, in 1928, the Cornish Shop moved into one of the storefronts in the Mark Twain Hotel where it continued to carry Knox hats. It’s interesting to note that in the 1930s, S.F. Iszards, the Mark Twain Hotel’s neighbor just down North Main Street, also sold Knox hats.

The Knox “Midshipman” sold by The Cornish Shop, 1920s

Labels inside the “Midshipman”

The Cornish shop remained at the Mark Twain Hotel until 1936. It moved to a couple other locations downtown over the next few years and was located at 107 W. Church Street in 1942 when its proprietor passed away after an extended illness. Gene Cornish’s passing marked the end of the Cornish Shop but one of her long-time employees, Blanch K. Holland, took over the store, renamed it the Holland Hat Shop, and continued selling Knox hats there through the middle of the 1940s.

Elmira Rolling Mills

By Rachel Dworkin, archivist

There’s something neat about shows like How It’s Made. If you, like me, have never worked in manufacturing, industrial processes can feel like something of a mystery. Over the years, Elmirans have made everything from aluminum cans to woolen cloth. From 1861 to 1883, the Elmira Rolling Mill Co. made iron.

The Elmira Rolling Mill Co. was founded in 1860. On May 16, 1861, the plant, located on Hatch Street between East 5^th and East Washington Streets, began operation. The original structure was 180’ by 80’ and had five furnaces and three steam engines. The plant grew substantially during the 1860s with the addition of two new buildings. By 1865, the mill consisted of three buildings housing the original rolling mill, plus two pudding mills, and a merchant bar mill. The equipment included 24 furnaces, 8 steam engines, 5 trains of rolls, two roll lathes, and one Burden squeezer. The company was using all this equipment to manufacture 22,000 tons of iron each year.

Here’s how it all worked.

Step 1 – Arrival of Raw Materials

In order to make their iron, the Elmira Rolling Mills needed massive amounts of raw iron and coal. These materials arrived at the plant on canal boats and on the dedicated rail spurs which ran to the factory. 

Canal boats unloading in front of Elmira Rolling Mills, ca. 1870

 Step 2 – Heating the Materials

The raw iron needed to be heated in order to burn off any impurities and to make it malleable. It was usually heated to somewhere above 462 degrees Fahrenheit. This is iron’s recrystallization temperature, or the point at which the iron’s previous crystalline structure is broken down and reformed anew but not yet melted.

At the Elmira Rolling Mills, this was done in coal-fired pudding furnaces. Pudding is the process of converting raw iron into usable wrought iron by heating it in a special furnace where the metal and the fuel were not in direct contact. The process was first developed in England in the 1780s. I have no idea why it’s called pudding. Heated iron can absorb chemical impurities given off by the burning fuel. Coal, for example, gives off sulfur which can make the metal brittle. By using a pudding mill, the Elmira Rolling Mills could heat their iron using coal without having to worry about introducing sulfur to their iron.

Diagram of a pudding furnace

 Step 3 – Squeezing

Once the iron was removed from the pudding furnace, it needed to be forced into a useable shape. Traditionally, this was done by teams of strong men with big hammers. In 1840, Henry Burden of Troy, New York, invented his rotary concentric squeezer which performed the same task with a lot less time and effort. The Elmira Rolling Mills had a Burden squeezer they used to force their heated iron into shape.

Step 4 – Rolling

Rolling is a metalworking process where heated metal stock is forced through one or more pairs of rollers to reduce thickness or give it a more uniform shape. A series of multiple rollers is known as a train. The first roll produces a plate of metal. A slitting, latte, or bar roller is used to slice the metal up into bars of various widths, shapes, and thicknesses. 

 The Elmira Rolling Mills had five trains of rolls which could produce square bars, round bars, oval bars, half-round bars, and half-oval bars in various thicknesses.  The company used coal-fired steam engines to power their rollers. 

Step 5 – Sale

Initially, the Elmira Rolling Mill’s main clients were railroads for whom they made rails. In 1863, the company added a merchant bar mill so they could offer iron bars in more shapes and sizes to a wide variety of clients.

 

At its peak, the Elmira Rolling Mills employed around 400 people and was one of the city’s largest employers. By the 1880s, the railroad industry had switched to using steel for their rails. The company was not equipped for steel manufacturing and found it could not keep up with the manufacturing centers of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. In 1883, the workers went on strike for higher wages. In response, the company permanently shut their doors. Although iron is no longer made in Elmira, the process used at the Elmira Rolling Mills is largely still used today, abet with different power sources.

Cleaning Up Cleaners

by Monica Groth, curator

Brownfields are defined by the EPA as areas “complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” The term was coined in 1978 as part of a growing government effort to identify and remediate highly polluted property. Pollution, often the result of industrial development, can linger in soil and groundwater decades after businesses close and properties change hands. Dangerous contaminants can affect the health of future residents.

Because of Elmira’s long history of supporting heavy industry, the county is home to many brownfields. Some, identified by New York State on the map below, are well-known. They include factory sites like Kennedy Valve and Westinghouse Co. as well as old oil fields and landfills. One of the most famous brownfield sites in the county is Elmira High School, on the city’s Southside, where the former Sperry/Remington Rand factory once sat. Most recently, efforts to remove contamination from the Old Elmira Gasworks has been ongoing on East Water Street.

Map of Chemung County brownfields being remediated under
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation

However, in looking at this map, we were interested to discover that a large number of sites containing hazardous wastes fell into another category entirely. Seven are dry cleaners.

Before individual homes had machines, industrial laundries and dry cleaners handled community laundry at large facilities like Perfect Laundry, pictured below.

Workers wash clothes at Perfect Laundry in Elmira, c. 1920s

The process of “dry” cleaning utilized petro-chemical based solvents to remove stains without the use of water. Dry cleaning advertisements begin to appear in the Elmira Gazette & Free Press in 1896. In the 19th century, dry cleaners washed clothes in open vats filled with gasoline, kerosene, or turpentine. However, such chemicals are highly flammable. By the 1900s, especially as machines began to be used in the dry cleaning business, less-flammable chemicals were experimented with as cleaners.

Ledger Book from Ruddick's Dry Cleaning, Elmira, c. 1915

By the 1940s, tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene - or “perc” for short - was the most popular solvent. An estimated 1 million metric tons of perc was produced worldwide in 1985.

Ad for C & K dry cleaning, 1953

C & K Laundry and Dry Cleaning in the old Robinson building, c. 1970

Perc has been listed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a “potential occupational carcinogen.” The process of legally listing substances as carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, is complicated and requires long-term studies and tested scientific data. Different agencies with different interests assess carcinogenicity differently. The National Toxicology Program deemed perc “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) designated perc as a “probable human carcinogen.” The EPA assessed perc to “likely be carcinogenic to humans” and updated its assessment of the chemical in 2022 by determining it “presents unreasonable risk to human health.” Today, perc dip tanks and transfer equipment is prohibited at dry cleaning facilities, and no perc is allowed to be used in residential buildings. However, the chemical is still legal and pollution from previous decades lingers in soil and water long after businesses close or regulations change.

Sites listed on the above map are undergoing remediation so they can be cleaned and available for future development. In a 2008 survey in the Star-Gazette, 67% of the surveyed thought safely remediating brownfields would help economic growth in the area. In 2017, there were 8 sites in Chemung County listed by the DEC as “Class 2” meaning they posed a “present foreseeable, significant threat” to the environment. Two Elmira dry cleaners were classified as Class 2 sites. The site of the former Diamond Cleaners, which was occupied by multiple dry cleaner businesses from 1950 to 2001, was remediated in the early 2000s by the removal of 600 tons of perc-contaminated soil. A plume of perc-contaminated water was identified heading toward the Chemung River from Castle Cleaners around 2017, and $2.1 million was proposed to treat it.

Invoice from Diamond Cleaners, 1994