43 replies to this topic

[Big Ed]

Never heard of this place. If no one else has, we'll do some Internet Archeology on it. It looks like a great spot. Post card details: The Hugh C. Leighton Co. Manufacturers, Portland ME USA, Made in Germany.

[Bill]

I never have, but I ma willing to go wherever you tell me to and take a metric buttload of pictures.I am, at your disposal.

[Big Ed]

Already have one possibility. Will round them all up and present if no one has heard of it. It does look like a great spot though, doesn't it?

[Bill]

It does that, hopefully, it hasn't been dismantled for a drug store or sumtin...

[Big Ed]

Well now here's an interesting postcard - image filched - showing the "entrance" to Clark's Glen ... It looks like it was taken from the top of the hill.

[Big Ed]

This is from - The Elmira Prison Camp: A History of the Military Prison at Elmira, N.Y., July 6, 1864, to July 10, 1865By Clayton Wood HolmesPublished by G.P. Putnam, 1912Original from Harvard UniversityDigitized Aug 9, 2006465 pagesYou can download it free from Google here: books.google.com/books?id=fWOGNjFfXbcCAnyway, here is a description of one of the escapees after he went out of the tunnel, from page 206:______________________"Scruggs went out alone, and apparently wandered around the upper part of the city till nearly morning. About daylight he says he "reached the battery onthe hill and passed over to a cloverfield back of the hill." Now, this "battery" was a single cannon which was located on the top of the little hill just at the end of upper Clinton Street, and used by the raw artillery squads in firing at a white target which was located onor near the top of Mount Zoar, across the river. Every shot fired passed directly over the prison camp. This little hill remains, practically as it was in those days. It is on the farm owned by the Hoffman estate, and very near it stands the old Hoffman homestead. Scruggs continues, saying: While in the clover field a stockdriver ran me with a dog, but I passed them, running westward to the hill, where I spent the day. (This is the hill near Clark's Glen). While sitting on the side of the hill I heard something coming down behind me. I thought it was the "Yanks" coming, but I sat still, when up came a wild-cat of the largest kind. He stopped and looked at me, then passed on. I sat there till night, then went down to the river near a mill, and crossed by hard and deep wading. The mill referred to is the old mill near Rorick's Glen Park. He then mounted the hill back of Rorick's Glen, where he could see the prison camp. He travelled southward all day through the rain.......__________________________Anyway, we learn a couple of things here: 1) There is no doubt there are some old artillery shells buried up on Mt. Zoar hill. All we need do is find a picture with the target to know where 2) Clark's Glen is on the north side of the river somewhere east of Rorick's Glen and Northwest of the prison camp.3) And oh yeah there were still wildcats in the area. How's that for cool? :martini:

[Bill]

I have a metal detector, and as luck would have it, own a large part of Mt. Zoar Just give me some direction.

[WilliamH]

That's cool. My parents own some land on Mt. Zoar also. About 5 or 6 years ago a couple of my friends were hiking up there with me. We walked to the bottom of my parents land to see this creek. We decided to follow the creek. We probably walked for a couple hours along the creek. We weren't on my parents land at this point but we kept going anyway. It was very beautiful and secluded. This could be it. It eventually ran into the Roricks Glen area, and that part of the river I think. We came out at the old boyscout camp. We actually talked to the owner at the time and he said he didn't mind that we were walking on his land as long as we didn't litter. I would love to go exploring up there sometime again...

[WilliamH]

I'm gonna look on Google earth to try to see what else it could be, based on that description...

[WilliamH]

Ok...Now that I am thinking about it. We must have been walking through Roricks Glen because we were on the south side of the river. If this place is on the North side of the river, people should know where it is. A lot of people live in that area.

[Big Ed]

Ok...Now that I am thinking about it. We must have been walking through Roricks Glen because we were on the south side of the river. If this place is on the North side of the river, people should know where it is. A lot of people live in that area.

I think it is on the northside of the river - at least according to the civil war story above. I've been looking on Google earth and one possibility is that the Country Club is near it or on it....

[MissHook]

There's a creek behind EFA that goes down to the river. A lot of it is under colverts now, goes right through the near westside and comes out right between hoffman and grove

[Ralph]

I think that's the creek that is called "Hoffman Creek" (by family members in that neighborhood). I don't know if that's the official name for it.

[mahatma]

rancid i think your thought about the country club might be correct.

[Big Ed]

rancid i think your thought about the country club might be correct.

There looks to be a couple of possibilities there (via google earth), one of which looks like a fairway goes through it: I just hope they didn't bury it for the golf course:

[Joe P.]

From http://www.joycetice.com- LOCAL STREET CAR STORIES Many a resident remembers the landslides at the Narrows that plagued the E. C. & W. in the springtime. There were eight zones with a switch at each where the cars could pass. Near the end of the "street car days", it cost 7c a zone to ride the street car. There were 5 zones to go to Elmira so the fare was 35c. There were 3 zones to Corning so the fare was 21c. One day, Anna Manning, Fred Voight, Charlie Allard and Ray Esterbrook were returning from Elmira on the street car. The motorman who drove the street car had locked the door to the front part of the street car and was standing on the south steps as they passed through the Clark’s Glen Switch. As the street car drew near the narrows someone wanted to get off and the conductor rang the bell for the motorman to stop the street car. He rang and rang and the car didn’t stop. It just gained speed and kept moving forward. The conductor hurried to the front and tried to break down the door. When he couldn’t he broke the glass in the window, opened the locked door and looked for the motorman. He was not there. By this time, the street car was almost past the Mountain House. The conductor stopped the street car, put it in reverse and backed down the hill to Clark’s Glen. There was the motorman who had fallen off the car as it crossed the switch, all out of breath from running after it. For 15c one could take the E. C. & W. to Rorick’s Glen for its flourishing summer theater, amusement rides, picnic grounds, restaurant or dance hall.

[Joe P.]

Not sure if that helps locate it but thought it might help.

[Big Ed]

Not sure if that helps locate it but thought it might help.

Maybe the Clark's Glen switch is located on the trolley maps. RAFairchild - are there maps in your trolley book and does it mention Clark's Glen? If so can you scan it?

[Nina]

Not sure if that helps locate it but thought it might help.

Maybe the Clark's Glen switch is located on the trolley maps. RAFairchild - are there maps in your trolley book and does it mention Clark's Glen? If so can you scan it?

Rancid, I looked in my copy of Wm. R. Gordon's trolley book and the maps don't show anything west of Hoffman on Clinton or any spurs off the main Water Street Line which evidently, at least at one time, went all the way to Corning.The Country Club's location is not noted on any of the maps so I'm not sure where it is on these maps and no mention is made of Clark's Glen. Perhaps some other book might have other, more helpful maps? And, of course, there's always the possibility that I'm not seeing the spur.Wonderful pictures of many of the old trolleys, though.

[Big Ed]

Rancid, I looked in my copy of Wm. R. Gordon's trolley book and the maps don't show anything west of Hoffman on Clinton or any spurs off the main Water Street Line which evidently, at least at one time, went all the way to Corning.

Thanks Nina. I've been Google Earthing it and have another possibility. I always took for granted that Glen Street (or Ave) was for Roricks - but now that I think of it it makes more sense that it would be for Clark's Glen.