The Chemung County Historical Society, based in Elmira, New York, preserves and presents the history of the Chemung River Valley through the Chemung Valley History Museum and the Booth Library and archives in the former Chemung Canal Bank Building. Founded in 1923 and chartered in 1947, it grew from a local effort to save historical documents and artifacts. Its collections include more than 18,000 artifacts and over a million library and archival items covering regional life from the late eighteenth century onward, with notable strengths in Mark Twain, the Civil War, abolitionism, and the Underground Railroad. Housed in a landmark brick bank building, it remains the county’s chief steward of regional history.