Corning History

Local History Post of the Week: August 21, 2026

Linda Reimer , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi everyone, and welcome to our new weekly local history post!

Going forward, each week we’ll be sharing vintage newspaper articles from years past, drawn from publications such as the Corning Journal, Corning Leader, and other local newspapers. We’ll also feature the complete issue of The Corning Leader exactly 100 years to the day from each blog post. From time to time, we’ll include newly taken photographs of local historic places, landmarks, and artifacts.

The historical photographs that have appeared in my previous weekly posts are still available in our Local History Photo Archive on the blog: https://corningnyhistory.com/

Simply click the Local History Photo Archive link near the top of the page, or go directly to:
https://corningnyhistory.com/local-history-photo-archive/

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Article(s) of the Week (or items in the newspaper of the week!)

The girl scouts were working on a carnival! It sound like a fun evening was planned —

(The article appeared in the Leader on June 26, 1926)

–

The girl scouts even put a big advertisement in the Leader advertising the carnival!

–

A Glimpse of Local Life: A Hundred Years Ago!

Here is an entire issue of The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. published on this day in 1926.

–

The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | August 21, 2026

1926.08.21 The Evening LeaderDownload

–

Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Local History Online Library Resources:

Heritage Quest: Heritage Quest is the library’s online genealogy service, and it includes access to census records and other research sources; it can be accessed by going to the Online Resources page, on the library’s website, and scrolling down until you see the link for Heritage Quest:

https://www.ssclibrary.org/research/online-resources/

Once you’ve clicked on the Heritage Quest link, you’ll be prompted to login with your card number and PIN. If you have questions about how to use Heritage Quest, please feel free to let me know – my email address is reimerl@stls.org

–

Library Local History/Creation Station Resources:
At the library you can scan your photos and slides to create digital family albums and slideshows; and even use one of the Circut machines, and other Creation Station equipment, to help you create a special paper family history album.

Also of note, we have local papers including the Corning Leader, Corning Evening Leader, Corning Journal and Corning Daily Journal, on microfilm from 1840 to the present — so you can visit the library and research local history and your family tree if you wish!

–

Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Special Local History Post: On The History Of The Jewish Community In Corning

Linda Reimer , , , , ,

Hi everyone, we are most fortunate at the library, to have received a neat research paper for our collection that offers a look at the history of both the local Jewish community and the related Beth Israel Congregation of Corning.

The paper, titled A History of the Beth Israel Congregation of Corning, New York, was written by local historian Austin Reid, who gave us the following description of his work, specifically for this special local history post:

“This work highlights key milestones in Beth Israel’s history, including the establishment of the congregation, the changing community members, and the contributions made by Beth Israel’s members to Corning’s civic life. This history also explores the challenges faced by Corning’s Jewish community, such as sustaining membership and adapting to changing demographics over the decades. While Beth Israel disbanded by 2000, as of 2024, a Jewish presence remains in Corning. Though modest in size, Corning’s Jewish community has made significant contributions to the history of Steuben County.” — Austin David Reid

While we were discussing his paper, Mr. Reid mentioned that he was inspired to investigate the history of the Beth Israel Congregation by an article he found online titled What it’s like to be a Jewish teenager in a small town right now by Leila Ianovici; and I’ve included a link to that article here: https://www.jta.org/2023/12/18/united-states/what-its-like-to-be-a-jewish-teenager-in-a-small-town-right-now

A copy of Mr. Reid’s research paper will shortly be added to our local history collection.

And in the meantime, Mr. Reid has graciously agreed to allow us to offer public access to his paper, which you can read here:

A History of the Beth Israel Congregation of Corning, New YorkDownload

A big thank you goes out to Mr. Reid for thinking of the library in donating a copy of his research! (Thank you, Mr. Reid!!)

Have a great day everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL