MISSION
The mission of the Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp is to protect and preserve the history of the American Civil War in Elmira, Chemung County and surrounding areas and to educate the public about that history.
VISION
The Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp will be the primary resource for history, education and preservation of the Civil War experience for Elmira, Chemung County and the surrounding areas. This will include working cooperatively with other local groups, as well as building relationships with relevant organizations nationally.
TImeline
2014 -The Friends were founded in 2014 as a 501(c)3 non profit organization
2015 - First order of business was to acquire property upon which to reconstruct an original building attributed to Barracks #3, which had been in storage for about 30 years.
2015 - Obtained title to a small plot located within the original foot print of Barracks #3.
2016 - Was a year of constant activity. Dozens of volunteers & local businesses pitched in to sort, pull nails, and prepare the foundation for the reconstruction of the original building. At the same time, a memorial garden was established containing the state flowers representing the home states of Confederate prisoners of war.
2017 - We opened our first season open to the public with a ribbon cutting and dedication of the original building and memorial garden. Our volunteers returned to help build a full size replica 18' x 88' barracks building. In addition, we hosted several living histories, school group and provided a number of presentations to local groups and descendent organizations including the Sons of Union Veterans (SUV), Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and Daughters of Union Veterans (DUV) and United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
2018 - We have a full slate of exciting events on the horizon continuing to grow our research, programming and outreach programs.
If you are interested in helping us grow either as a volunteer or with a donation go to
https://www.facebook.com/Elmira-Civil-War-Prison-Camp-1401325670174087/
Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp
2016
Original building reconstructed after 30 years in storage
2106
Memorial Garden containing the state flowers of representing the home states of Confederate prisoners of war.
2017
Construction of full size replica troop barracks