Local History Post of the Week: September 25, 2026

September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 Linda Reimer CinemaScope, Corning, Corning NY, Fox Theatre, History, Jean Simmons, Local History, Public Library, Richard Burton, The Corning Evening Leader, The Evening Leader, The Robe

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

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

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Vintage Article/Items of the Week

Here is a sketch of the then to be built Corning Leader building; which was once located on East Pulteney Street in Corning

(from The Corning Leader, January 7, 1954)

And here is a photo of what the building looked like, once built – from the 1955 City of Corning directory

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And on another note, once upon a time, in the era before everyone had a TV; and years before the internet – going to the movies was a big deal. And so when the old Fox Theatre, which was once located on Denison Parkway in Corning, between the Githler Tanner Building and Goodyear Auto, upgraded their equipment to show movies in the new CinemaScope format; and premiered the first film ever released in that format – The Robe, on January 15, 1954, it was a big deal!

Premier attendees included Mayor Joseph Andrews & C. G. W. President Amory Houghton Sr. and their wives; and Mayor Andrews flipped the switch to turn on CinemaScope!

An ad for the upcoming premier, published the Thursday before, shows that the ticket prices were $1.00 for evening showings, $0.74 for matinee showings and $0.50 for kids at any showing.

So our first item is the ad, followed by the article from the Leader, from January 16, 1954 that spotlights the the film premier at the Fox Theatre:

The Robe Advertisement

(from The Corning Leader, Corning, N.Y., January 16, 1954)

Local Officials Attend Premiere Of “The Robe” & Theatre’s Newest Invention CinemaScope Welcomed

(from The Corning Leader, Corning, N.Y., January 16, 1954)

In case you’ve never seen it, The Robe, is a biblical epic that features great performances – Burton was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the lead character Marcellus Gallio, a Roman tribune who is assigned to oversee the crucifixion of three thieves, one of whom turns out to be Jesus Christ. And Jean Simmons has the role of his love Diana.

To movie does not seem to be available to stream, but the DVD can be checked out of the library, if you’d like to check it out and/or check out how it looks in CinemaScope – here is the trailer:

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And now, back to local history!

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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | September 25, 1926

1926.09.25 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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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

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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!

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Post of the Week: September 18, 2026

September 18, 2026 Linda Reimer Corning, Corning Glass Works, Corning History, Corning NY, Daylight Savings Time, History, Local History, Public Library, Pyrex Park, Southeast Steuben County Library, The Evening Leader, the-evening-leader

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

Each week we’ll share vintage newspaper articles from years past, drawn from local publications such as the Corning Blossburg Advocate, Corning Independent, The Corning Journal, The Evening 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.

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Vintage Article(s) of the Week

This week we have two vintage articles of the week; both from 1926 and a map that relates to the second article.

The first article is about the Corning City Council discussing the subject of daily savings time – and this was in 1926 years before the federal law – the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966! And if you can imagine it – cities could set their own official time – and daylight savings time was a hot topic even then!

Daylight Savings To End Sept. 5 Council Favors Referendum | The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | August 3, 1926

And our second vintage article is on the Glass Works plan to enclose Pyrex Park with a fence. Pyrex Park was located near the river on the Northside, near where the high school is today and the map, which is from a few years later – it is a New York State DPW map from 1947, shows where the old park was – it is gone now – but lots of baseball games were played there.

Corning Glass Works To Enclose Pyrex Park Gridiron By Wooden Fence | The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | September 14, 1926

And here is a portion of the 1947 DPW map of Corning, that shows where Pyrex Park was located:

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | September 18, 1926

1926.09.18 The Evening Leader Download

Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Post of the Week: August 7, 2026

August 7, 2026August 6, 2026 Linda Reimer Corning, Corning NY, Harry A. Rood, History, Local History, Mayor of Corning, Public Library, Sesquicentennial, Southeast Steuben County Library, The Evening Leader, Townsend-Erwin Cemetery

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 published 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

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Article of the Week

Bells To Be Run Monday: Independence Week to be Ushered According to Mayor’s Proclamation

(article from The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | June 26, 1926)

This is a neat article that focuses on then mayor of Corning, Harry Rood, having made a proclamation to have all the municipal and church bells in the city rung at the same time: 11:11 a.m. on July 4, 1926, that date being the U.S. sesquicentennial; and the time of the synchronized bell ringing seems likely to have been chosen as a respectful nod to the date and time that ended the then recently ended World War I; the armistice for which occurred on November 11, 1919, at 11:00 a.m.

And I thought it was interesting to see the name of the man who was mayor of Corning 100 years ago – Harry A. Rood! Mr. Rood was born in Painted Post in 1881. Early in his life he worked in the railroad industry and later worked in the local banking industry. He was the thirteenth mayor of Corning; serving for a single term from 1925-1927. He was also an Odd Fellow, an Elk and a prominent member of Christ Episcopal Church in Corning. He is buried in the Townsend-Erwin Cemetery.

To learn more about Harry Rood, check out his obituary which was on pages 10 and 2 of the Evening Leader on August 29, 1953:

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | August 7, 1926

1926.08.07 The Evening Leader Download

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Photos & Newspaper: July 31, 2026

July 31, 2026July 7, 2026 Linda Reimer Castle, Castle Arsenal, Christ Church Corning, Christ Episcopal Church, Corning, Corning Glass Works, Corning Leader, Corning NY, genealogy, History, Isabel Walker Drake, Local History, Newspaper, research, Saint Mary's Church, Southside Hill, The Evening Leader

Hi everyone, here are the local history photos & vintage newspaper of the week.

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Local History Photo 1: Panoramic View of Southside Hill, Corning, N.Y.

Our first photo for this week is from our batch of photos by the early local photographer Isabel Walker Drake. This photo offers a neat street scene with Saint Mary’s Church & the Castle Arsenal seen in the background.

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Local History Photo 2: Corner of First and Cedar, Corning, N.Y.

This photo, another by Isabel Walker Drake, was taken in front of what was then the Drake family home, and is now part of the 171 Cedar Arts complex; and we can easily tell the location the photo was taken by the view of Corning’s Christ Episcopal Church, which can clearly be seen across the street from the group of people, and looks much the same today as when the photo was taken. And the photo must have been taken after 1893 as that is the date the new Episcopal church building was completed – if you walk by the church you can see the date on the corner stone located to the left of the first Cedar Street entrance. And the group of people in the foreground, seen in their festive clothes with a toddler in white; it looks like it might just be a christening party.

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Local History Photo 3: Panoramic View of Corning from Southside Hill Too

This second panoramic photo offers us view from the Southside Hill northward, towards the heart of the City of Corning and despite being a bit faded clearly shows the Corning Glass Works factory in the background.

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | July 31, 1926

1926.07.31 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Photos & Newspaper: July 24, 2026

July 24, 2026July 7, 2026 Linda Reimer Castle Arsenal, Corning, Corning NY, genealogy, History, Isabel Walker Drake, Local History, Newspaper, Public Library, research, Saint Mary's Chruch, Southeast Steuben County Library, The Evening Leader

Hi everyone, here are the local history photos & vintage newspaper of the week.

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Local History Photo 1: Local Horse & Buggy Travel

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Local History Photo 2: Two Ladies on Boardwalk With a View Northward, Corning, N.Y.

This is a photo accredited to the local early photographer Isabel Walker Drake and in it, we see to ladies sitting on the railing of a wooden walk, with a view of two bridges and several buildings seen across the river in the background.

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Local History Photo 3: Southside Hill Looking West, Corning, N.Y.

Here is another photo accredited to Isabel Walker Drake – and what a great photo! It shows a winter scene with a lady, young child and sled in the foreground; and in the background we can see the old Castle Arsenal and Saint Mary’s Church.

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | July 24, 1926

1926.07.24 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Photos & Newspaper: July 17, 2026

July 17, 2026July 7, 2026 Linda Reimer Addison, Addison High School, Addison NY, Corning, Corning Free Academy, Corning NY, genealogy, History, Local History, Original Corning Free Academy, Park Hotel, Public Library, research, Southeast Steuben County Library, Tioga, Tioga PA

Hi everyone, here are the local history photos & vintage newspaper of the week.

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Local History Photo 1: Addison High School, Addison, N.Y.

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Local History Photo 2: The First Corning Free Academy, Corning, N.Y.

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Local History Photo 3: Park Hotel, Tioga, P.A.

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | July 17, 1926

1926.07.17 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Photos & Newspaper: July 10, 2026

July 10, 2026July 7, 2026 Linda Reimer Baseball, Corning, Corning NY, History, Isabel Walker Drake, Local History, Newspaper, Public Library, Southeast Steuben County Library, The Evening Leader, The Leader

Hi everyone, here are the local history photos & vintage newspaper of the week.

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Local History Photo 1: Drake Family Photo (September 17, 1897)

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Local History Photo 2: Drake Family Photo

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Local History Photo 3: Baseball Game

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | July 10, 1926

1926.07.10 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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

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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.

Local History Photos & Newspaper: July 3, 2026

July 3, 2026July 2, 2026 Linda Reimer Centerway Square, Clock Tower, Corning, Corning NY, Drake Family, genealogy, History, Isabel Walker Drake, Local History, Newspaper, Pine Street Square, The Evening Leader, The Leader

Hi everyone, here are the local history photos & vintage newspaper of the week.

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Local History Photo 1: Drake Family Photo

The ladies are seen on a cold winter day, just on the edge of Canfield Park, aka Court House Park, in Corning; and in the distance you can see what is today Centerway Square at the end of Pine Street.

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Local History Photo 2: Drake Family Photo

A summer scene in Corning, New York attributed to the early photographer Isabel Walker Drake.

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Local History Photo 3: Pine Street Square

This photo shows what was then Pine Street Square and is today Centerway Square. The photo is undated, but as the clock tower was completed in 1883, as it says on the base of the tower, the photo was taken no earlier than 1883.

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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.

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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | July 3, 1926

1926.07.03 The Evening Leader Download

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Have a great weekend everyone,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Local History Online Library Resources:

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