Baltimore as WNY Business Hub? Chemung Valley Historian on This Week’s State of Greater Western New York Report – September 2, 2021

In the very beginning, Baltimore and Maryland interests had a greater influence in the Greater Western New York region than Albany did? Find out why on this week’s State of Greater Western New York Report.

This week, Bruce Whitmarsh, Director of the Chemung Valley Historical Society and Museum, reveals some interesting facts about one of Greater Western New York’s youngest counties. Among these fascinating trivia tidbits are: What prompted early settlement in the region immediately after the Revolutionary War? What was Elmira originally called (and why)? and How did Elmira get its name (at least one popular version)? You’ll also find out about Mark Twain (of course, it’s Elmira) and how to visit the museum.

In the second portion of the show, Bruce examines the business history of the region, including why it was Baltimore – not Albany – where all the early business headed. Once things turned around, however, they really turned around, drawing a number of (no famous) manufacturer’s into this part of the Greater Western New York Region. Along the way, you’ll see what markets were served, how business evolved with the changing transportation systems.

Our guest happily answered questions from the live audience. In fact, these are probably some of the same questions you had. Would you like to be a member of our live audience so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.

Theme music by mansardian courtesy of FreeSound.org under Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/