New Langdon Mansion exhibit opens in Elmira

ELMIRA, N.Y. ( WETM ) — Chemung County residents have a chance to see inside the former Langdon Mansion at a new exhibit in Elmira.

The Chemung County Historical Society (CCHS) opened its museum’s newest exhibit “Grand, Domestic and Truly Comfy: The Langdon Mansion in Elmira” on June 28. According to the historical society, this exhibit will feature the remaining contents of the Langdon Mansion that were auctioned off in 1939 before the mansion was demolished. This is the first time the public has the opportunity to see the mansion’s original furnishings.

Eight pieces of furniture that were made for the mansion by Pottier and Stymus, which was one of New York City’s leading cabinetmaking and interior decorating firms during the Victorian period, are included in the exhibit. The CCHS says that the exhibit’s guest curator, Walter Ritchie, who is a leading Pottier and Stymus expert and a Quarry Farm consultant, recreated the feel of the original Langdon Mansion.

“We are excited to bring back this piece of Elmira’s history,” said CCHS Director Bruce Whitmarsh. “Even though the house was razed decades ago, the story of the Langdon Mansion and its connection to Mark Twain remains a regular question of visitors to the Chemung Valley History Museum.”

Langdon Mansion sat at the corner of North Main Street and West Church Street in Elmira. According to the Center for Mark Twain Studies , Jervis Langdon, an Elmira businessman involved in the coal industry, purchased a recently built house on the lot in the 1860s. He expanded and remodeled the home, turning the home into a three-story brownstone mansion. Jervis Langdon’s daughter, Olivia Langdon, married Mark Twain at the mansion in 1870. The mansion was demolished in 1939, and the Langdon Plaza shopping center was built on the lot.

Those who would like to learn more about the Langdon family home and take a look into Elmira’s history can visit the Chemung Valley History Museum , located at 415 East Water Street in Elmira, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Langdon Mansion exhibit will be on display through May 2025.

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