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Delaware dialect
of the Algonquin language, the word Chemung means "place of the
big horn." This harkens back to a time when Native Americans
discovered large mammoth tusks along what is now the Chemung
River.
In 1788, the
New York Legislature created the Township of Chemung. People soon
discovered a more accessible location for a settlement was where
Newtown Creek emptied into the Chemung River. A new settlement was
established that became known as Newtown. Henry Wisner, the landowner,
laid out the roads of the village and then created a second village
called Wisnerburg.
Landowner Guy Maxwell
established a third village. In 1792 the 3 villages officially joined
to form Newtown. In 1828, Newtown officially changed its name to
Elmira.
Although the origins are disputed,
Elmira's name reportedly arose during a meeting at Nathan Teal's
Tavern to select a new name. Elmira Teal, the young daughter of the
tavern owner, ran in and out of the meeting room as her mother
repeatedly called her name. Soon after, someone at the meeting
suggested the town should be named Elmira, to which everyone agreed.
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