Just east of Painted Post, three tributaries merge into the Chemung River. The river then flows through downtown Corning.
The original industry of Corning was lumber, with its mills among the biggest in the world. Corning's proximity to a river was beneficial for loggers as they floated their product to bigger markets. After deforestation made this industry lose profitability, Corning’s location along the Chemung Canal System and railroad lines made it a convenient stop for shipping routes, especially for coal, lumber, grain, and whiskey.
The industry that made the greatest impact on Corning's development was glass making. Corning Glass Works, now Corning, Inc, moved from Brooklyn, NY, to Corning in 1868 and has been an economic anchor in Corning ever since. The 1972 flood devastated downtown Corning, doing massive amounts of damage to the neighborhoods on both sides of the river. In the aftermath, Corning Glass Works contributed a considerable amount of money to the recovery effort, and in the process greatly assisted in Corning’s economic survival.
House at the corner of W. Sycamore Street and Bridge Street. Courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and Steuben County Historical Society.
When the water cleared the embankments on the sides of the Chemung River, the flat neighborhoods on both sides of the river were submerged for many blocks in both directions. These houses are half a mile north of the river.
Flooding North of West Sycamore Street. Courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and Steuben County Historical Society.
Residents tried to move their cars to safety on the small hill by the train station at the north end of West Sycamore Street. Some were more successful than others. Notice that the house in the middle right of this picture is the same one as in the above picture. West Sycamore Street runs immediately in front of the flooded house, and the Erie-Lackawanna tracks run at the top of the hill right behind where the photographer was standing.
United First Methodist Church. Courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and Steuben County Historical Society.
The United First Methodist Church is on the south side. The hill in the background somewhat contained the flooding, so the south side of Corning did not suffer as much as the flatter north side of Corning.
Centerway Square. Courtesy of the Steuben County Historical Society.
Centerway Square is between Market Street and the Chemung River. It provided a clear path of travel for the river to invade downtown.
Rear view of the Centerway Motel. Courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and Steuben County Historical Society.
The Centerway Motel was located at Centerway and East Pulteney Street near the Corning Glass Museum. Like many other businesses whose property was in the path of the flood, the motel is no longer there.
The Penn Central Railroad Bridge Before the Flood. Courtesy of Roger Hamilton.
The Penn-Central Railroad bridge over the Chemung River collapsed and was swept down river. The night before, fifteen loaded coal cars had been driven onto the bridge to add weight and stability.
The Penn Central Railroad Bridge After the Flood. Courtesy of Roger Hamilton.
The coal cars were unsuccessful at stabilizing the bridge. When the water rose above the height of the bridge, the coal cars served as a dam and caused worse pressure against the bridge itself. The bridge and the coal cars were dragged down. The coal cars added to the wreckage in the river. The bridge was not rebuilt after the flood.
Portion of the emergency paper printed by the Corning Leader and the Elmira Star-Gazette from June 24, 1972. Courtesy of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society and the Steuben County Historical Society.
All over the affected region, electrical power was down and newspapers’ offices were flooded, causing serious problems with the relay of information. The day after the flood, two newspapers, the Corning Leader and the Elmira Star-Gazette, combined their resources for an emergency edition, printed on hand-cranked mimeograph machines.
StoryCorps Oral History Interview with Margaret Bennett & Sherry Collins. Courtesy of the Southeast Steuben County Library.
In this 2009 StoryCorps interview between Sherry Collins, then 64, and Peggy Bennett, then 89, the two women describe their different experiences during the flood.
Sherry lived in Corning and worked at the Corning Public Library. She talked about escaping her second story apartment in a boat with her four year old daughter and their cat in a pillowcase.
Peggy lived in Corning and worked in Horseheads. The cellar of her house imploded on itself from the pressure of the floodwaters.