In History of Chemung County New York: 1836-1892, Ausburn Towner writes: “When the [Langdon] family came from Ithaca in 1845 their first residence was at the corner of Main and West Second streets. [The Langdon’s moved from the Ithaca area to Millport in 1838 and returned to the Ithaca area around 1843.] The house was one built by Anson C. Ely. It was subsequently owned by G. M. Nye and on the spot where it was situated now stands the residence and office of Dr. William C. Wey. In 1847 Mr. Langdon bought a house on what is now East Union street (sic). It became afterward the residence of William E. Judson also with Mr. Langdon one of the lumber merchants of the lumber days of the village. [There is no record of William E. Judson actually owning the house. We believe he may have rented it between the time the Langdons moved to the corner of Main and Church Streets and when the house was sold to Daniel R. Pratt in 1862.] It was still afterward the residence of Daniel R. Pratt, and was subsequently removed to the west side of Lake street, [currently known as 413 Lake Street] a little below Clinton, where now very much modernized it stands somewhat of an ornament to the thoroughfare. [Towner uses the term “removed” in several places in his book to mean “moved.” While moving such a large building seems impossible, other buildings in the area had been moved as well. It is important to note that Towner does not say that the house was torn down, or that Pratt built a new house—he says it was moved and “very much modernized.” Towner was alive and writing this history at that time the building was moved. Further, he states in his book’s Preface that he started writing it before 1852, and was writing the history at a time when he would have witnessed the relocation firsthand. Community Arts isn’t certain what Pratt did to “modernize” the house, but we hope to discover the details as we continue our research and restoration.] The second time Mr. Langdon moved it was to another house Anson C. Ely built, the present Langdon home at Main and West Church streets (sic). [This Mansion was torn down in 1939 after Jervis Langdon’s great nephew, also named Jervis Langdon, tried, without success, to donate the Mansion to the City of Elmira.] As Mr. Ely built it was at the time one of the most noticeable dwellings in the village, but Mr. Langdon altered, improved and beautified it and its surroundings, and it now stands one of the most inviting and capacious residences and one of the most comfortable homes in the valley” (Towner 614).
Jervis Langdon, born in 1809 in Vernon, NY, the most noteworthy owner of the historic home, made quite an impression on the Elmira area. Langdon came from a New England family whose members were “a president of Harvard College, and another, during the early days of the Republic, an energetic patriot in New Hampshire, a governor of that State repeatedly, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the United States” (Towner 609).
After what some would consider a slow start in life, Jervis Langdon became one of the wealthiest men in the area, amassing a fortune in the lumber and coal industries. Langdon was one of the original organizers of The Park Church, was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Elmira Female College and was an especially staunch abolitionist, actively supporting the Underground Railroad. Langdon became the father-in-law of Samuel L. Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain, when his daughter Olivia married Clemens on February 2, 1870. Jervis Langdon died on August 6, 1870.
Jervis Langdon’s granddaughter, Ida Langdon, wrote that the house on Union Street was described as “a modest little house,” and, from her perspective, compared to the home on the corner of Main and Church, was “one of the most inviting and capacious residences … in the valley” (Towner 615).
Additional documentation shows that John W. Jones, an escaped slave who oversaw the burial of Confederate Soldiers in Woodlawn National Cemetery, traveled through this Mansion on his way to freedom. Other documentation, provided by the John W. Jones Museum, shows that Jones lived there in 1847 and was employed by Jervis Langdon. The National Park Service Highway to Freedom lists the Mansion as a significant site on the Underground Railroad.
The 1850 Census shows that eleven people were living in the Langdon house. The 1860 census shows that six people were living there, including two listed as a servant; the other four were Jervis, his wife Olivia, youngest daughter Olivia and son Charles. Their oldest daughter, Susan, by then married to Theodore Crane, was not living at home. According to records in the County Clerk’s Office, Jervis Langdon owned the home on Union Street until September 23, 1862, when the property was sold to Daniel R. Pratt.
The 1863 Elmira City Directory indicates Daniel R. Pratt's house was located at 8 East Union Street. Pratt’s family owned a woolen mill on the east side of Newtown Creek near the base of Watercure Hill, and was instrumental in starting the Second National Bank in 1863. The Second National Bank eventually became Marine Midland Bank and subsequently HSBC. The Pratts became the chief stockholders and continued in possession of the concern until July 1889, when the entire stock was sold. Coincidentally, on July 18, 1889, the property was sold his nephew, Charles R. Pratt. Charles was an attorney and later became County Judge and Surrogate, as well as President of the Second National Bank. He was appointed an assistant professor of law at Cornell University in 1891 and returned to the practice of law in 1894 (Byrne 25).
Community Arts believes Daniel R. Pratt moved the Mansion to the Lake Street side of the block in 1872. Under a portion of the door trim that had been removed by later owners was written “Solon Brooks, July 11, 1872.” Solon H. Brooks was a carpenter living in Elmira on Washington Avenue, near the corner of Oak Street, at the time, and was most likely working on some of the modernization Towner refers to. It is reasonable to believe that Solon Brooks would have written that information on the day he covered it with the door trim, most likely after the house was moved to its current location. We don’t find any connection with Solon Brooks and Harry S. Brooks, one of the subsequent owners. We do know that Solon was involved in local politics for several years, as a City Alderman, serving in both the 7th and 8th Wards. As an Alderman, he served on the Public Improvement Committee, Claims, Ordinances & Rules Committee, Lamps and Lighting Committee and Fire Department.
In the summer of 1891, foreclosures, suits and judgments involving several people, including several Pratts, Reynolds and others took place. On April 20, 1891, a judgment was filed returning the property to Charles R. Pratt, and on June 1, 1891, Frank F. Aldridge, Referee, returned the ownership to Charles R. Pratt.
On January 19, 1894 Charles R. Pratt and his wife sold the property to Harry S. Brooks. Harry S. Brooks was born and raised in Elmira, with his family having lived in the area for many years. Town er notes that “He [Brooks] graduated from the Elmira Free Academy in the class of 1869 and went immediately into the Gazette office to learn the trade of printer. This he accomplished with great thoroughness so that his work in the job department was the envy of less skillful and tasteful ringers. When the Gazette Association was formed he was made the secretary of the company and was engaged in the editorial rooms also. It was about the period when it was the fashion to have the general news columns introduced with a number of brief paragraphs calling attention to what was going on in the world. Mr. Brooks did this work for a time and his little paragraphs, brief though they may have been, were short, sharp, and quick, like a Chinese powder cracker. They gave great pleasure to the reader, attracted attention, and were frequently quoted. But his success in life was not to come from that direction" (Towner 407).
In 1879 Harry S. Brooks, along with two other men, and $75 of borrowed money, started what would become known as The Telegram, whose circulation peaked in 1900-1910 at about 200,000 copies. During his leadership, The Telegram was the best selling newspaper between New York City and Buffalo, and made Brooks a fortune. Brooks also civic-minded in his role as Chairman of the Civil Service Commission in Elmira (Byrne 18, 41).
On November 28, 1913, the 413 Lake Street property was sold to Mary Francis Collins. The conveyance was subject to two leases, which apparently were not fulfilled, because, in the final outcome, Harry S. Brooks held title to the property once again. After Harry’s death in 1922, the property was put in the name of his wife, Alice Fisher Brooks, on January 21, 1923.
On April 27, 1925, the property was sold to George C. Boylen. Although little else is known about him, Boylen was Irish and is listed as a Barber in City Directories.
On January 30, 1926 George C. Boylen and wife sold the property to the Elmira Eagles Aerie 941.
Over the years there have been many changes made to the interior and exterior of the Mansion; some well documented and some not so well documented. Unfortunately, neither historic preservation nor respect for the architecture were always taken into consideration. In 1928, shortly after the Elmira Eagles Club took possession, some renovations were completed, but Community Arts isn't certain what renovations took place. In 1948, the carriage house area was enclosed to create a larger bar area, and the west wall in what the Eagles called their ball room was removed to open into a larger bar area. In 1968, a 2,500 square foot cinder block addition was built on the south side of the building, requiring the removal of a front porch, a bay window, a second story porch and a fireplace in the library, in the process destroying some of the most magnificent architectural aspects of the entire south side of the building.
Since that time, dropped ceilings were placed in various rooms to cover damaged plaster, large doorways were filled in with smaller doors and some windows were filled in with cinder block. Electrical wires were run over walls and woodwork, greatly detracting from the aesthetic warmth and beauty of the Mansion.
On May 30, 2007, the ownership of the 413 Lake Street property passed once again, this time to former Elmiran, Mr. Francis A. Przygoda, who, owning the property for less than ten minutes, donated it to Community Arts of Elmira, Inc., a non-profit arts organization, for the purpose of creating a community arts center. Francis was adamant about owning the Mansion if only for a few minutes, because his father and grandfather had been coal miners, and Francis wanted to be able to say that he had bought the Mansion that a coal mine owner once had owned, that of Jervis Langdon.
Originally, Francis had read an article in the Chemung County Historical Society Banknotes newsletter about the Community Arts project, and decided that he wanted to help. If it hadn’t been for Francis, the Langdon-Pratt Mansion would probably not exist today. In its place, one would most likely view an empty lot. The marble fireplaces, mahogany woodwork, carvings and electrical light fixtures would have been sold and removed, and the brick and stone shell leveled.
Since May of 2007, renovations and restoration of the older part of the Mansion have begun. Community Arts intends to restore the older part of the building as nearly as possible and practical to the 1870-1880 period. Currently, we are pursuing placing the Mansion on the Historic Register.
References:
Byrne, Thomas. History of Chemung County New York: 1890-1975.
County Clerk Records, Chemung County, NY
Elmira City Directories
Towner, Ausburn. History of Chemung County New York: 1836-1892.
US Census Records
