At the Corners of Church and Main Streets

by Erin Doane, Senior Curator

Map of the City of Elmira from actual surveys by G.M. Hopkins, C.E., 1865

Jervis Langdon was an entrepreneur, an abolitionist, a philanthropist, and the father-in-law of Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). In 1863, he bought property from Anson E. Ely at the northwest corner of Church and Main Streets in Elmira. Jervis’s family lived there for over 75 years and the home became known as the Langdon Mansion. We currently have the exhibit “Grand, Domestic and Truly Comfy” on display here at the museum through May 2025 which showcases the mansion and its furnishings.

Residence of Anson C. Ely. Photograph, early 1860s,
courtesy of the Mark Twain House & Museum

Jervis had major renovations made to his new home soon after he purchased it. The original was in the Greek Revival style. It was cube shaped with wood siding and a square cupula on top. Had had the structure enlarged and transformed into a three-story Italianate brownstone with several wings that telescoped from the back. Throughout the years, the Langdon family made more changes to the home, including adding a porte-cochere and expanding the veranda in the 1890s.

The Langdon Mansion around 1900

So, what did Jervis Langdon see when he looked out from his home across Church and Main Streets in 1865? To the east, across Main Street, sat Trinity Episcopal Church which was founded in 1833. The church itself was built between 1855 and 1858. It was constructed entirely of brick, including its steeple, which is unusual. In fact, it is one of only 11 churches in the world with a brick steeple.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 1860s

South of Trinity Church, across Water Street, was the First Baptist Church. The church we see on that corner today is a massive brick building, but when Jervis first took up residence in the neighborhood, it was a much more modest wooden structure with a square steeple. It was originally built in 1830 and expanded in 1847. After a devastating fire, the new, larger brick church was built in 1892.

First Baptist Church, 1870s

First Baptist Church, 1890s

In the 1860s, there was still a burial ground next to the First Baptist Church. By the 1850s, they were running out of space for burials next to the church so Woodlawn Cemetery was created in 1858. Church sextant John W. Jones began moving graves from the First Baptist burial ground to Woodlawn Cemetery immediately after it opened but the task was not finished until 1877.

First Baptist burial ground, c. 1860

There were also strips of park land on either side of Main Street south of Church Street. It was probably nice for Jervis to have a park right across the street. His own property could be described as park-like, as well, with hundreds of trees and shrubs, flower beds, gravel paths, decorative urns, and fountains on the property. His wife, Olivia, personally oversaw the development and maintenance of the landscaped grounds.

View of the Langdons’ gardens, c. 1875

South of the Langdon Mansion, across Church Street and west of the park, was the Park Church. In 1846, 41 abolitionists broke from the First Presbyterian Church over the issue of slavery and formed the Independent Congregational Church of Elmira. Jervis and Oliva were among the founding members of the new church. The congregation built a white wooden church in 1851. Rev. Thomas K. Beecher arrived in 1854 and served as pastor until his death in 1900. By the 1870s, the congregation had grown so large that a new church was constructed - the large brick structure we see there today.

The Park Church and inset portrait of Rev. Thomas K. Beecher in 1854

The Park Church, 1905

Jervis Langdon passed away in 1870 and would not have seen most of the changes that made the intersection of Church and Main Streets what we see today, like the two large brick churches that dominate the area. The Langdon Mansion itself was torn down in 1939. We can, however, still enjoy of some of Jervis’s original view including the cool green space of Wisner Park and the red brick of Trinity Church’s steeple.

When Lightning Strikes

by Erin Doane, Curator

Trinity Episcopal Church on North Main Street in Elmira was struck by lightning on June 2, 1916. It is not at all unusual for churches to be struck by lightning. Churches are often the tallest buildings in an area so are more likely to be struck. Quite a few articles about lightning strikes show up in old issues of the Star Gazette newspaper. The Christ Episcopal Church in Wellsburg had to have its 80-foot tall spire repaired after lightning tore part of it away and a June 29, 1945 strike on the tower of the German Evangelical Church on Madison Avenue tore off shingles and wooden roofing though the copper cross at the top of the tower was not damaged.

First German Evangelical Church, c. 1910s

Lightning strikes are, obviously, not limited to houses of worship. Any relatively tall structure can be a target. On June 20, 1913, the flag pole on the main building of the County Home in Breesport was struck by lightning. The strike tore the large metal ball at the top of the pole from its fastenings and melted some of the mountings. Inside the ball, Superintendent George Clark found a copy of the Chemung Valley Reporter and other documents that had been placed there when the pole was first installed. During a storm on July 22, 1938, a home on Harrick Street was struck. The bolt followed the chimney into the house, blew lids off cooking pots on the stove, and knocked over a small child. The strike destroyed the chimney, broke rafters in the attic, and damaged an upstairs bedroom and hallway. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 1907

Countless other lightning strikes on buildings, poles, and trees have been reported in the local newspaper. The 1916 Trinity lightning strike is special, though, because of all the wonderful details that were reported. Nearly sixty members of the church choir were meeting for their weekly rehearsal. The storm came without warning and when lightning struck the steeple many inside through some fanatic had planted a bomb in the church. Outside the building, the bolt tore bricks out of the southeast corner of the steeple and left a crack several feet long. It then followed the steel snow breaker, leaving holes in the slate roof. Inside it chased down the wires to the electric switchboard where it blew up fuses and sent out blue flames. James G. Breed was sitting near the switchboard at the time and the flames burned the back of his coat.

Star Gazette headline from June 3, 1916

The moment the lightning struck, there was a deafening crash and all the lights went out. Plaster rained down on the choir members, the force of the lightning strike whisked sheet music from their hands, and their frightened screams filled the air. One woman lost consciousness but was soon revived. The organist suffered a severe shock to his legs and others reported numbness and aches and pains. Several were so affected by the events that they were taken home in automobiles. Most had fully recovered by the next day. All those present were commended for their calm during the incident. They managed to make an orderly exit in complete darkness thanks to the men of the choir who “acted courageously like true Americans.”