Elmira’s Trolley into Twain Country summer tours canceled over COVID-19 concerns

ELMIRA, N.Y. — The Chemung County Chamber of Commerce has canceled the Trolley into Twain Country summer tours due to safety concerns and restrictions related to COVID-19.

The one-hour guided tours have operated in downtown Elmira for the past 34 years “without interruption,” the chamber said.

As the Chemung County Chamber explains it, trolleys have “long been associated with Elmira,” with streetcars connecting people and places in the city from 1890 to 1939.

In 1985, the Chemung County government and Chemung County Chamber teamed up to bring back a single “trolley” to Elmira’s streets to promote local history, and the tours “quickly became popular” with both residents and tourists.

Today, the tours are operated as a joint project between Chemung County, Chemung Valley History Museum, Elmira College, Terp’s Enterprises, and the Chemung County Chamber.

Although the trolley tours will not take place this summer, a driving guide for those who want to drive the tour themselves is available at www.marktwaincountry.com.

The guide includes a map of the trolley route, complete with descriptions of 20 featured sites. They include Mark Twain’s Study and gravesite, John W. Jones Museum, Elmira Civil War Prison Camp, Woodlawn National Cemetery, Arnot Art Museum, Dunn Field, Maple Avenue and Near Westside Historic Districts, Eldridge Park, and Chemung Valley History Museum.