VISITING THE MARK TWAIN STUDY

• Take exit 56 for NY-352 toward Elmira/Jerusalem Hill.
• Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Church St and merge onto NY-352/E Church St
• Turn right onto N Main St.
• At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto Park Place.
• The best place to park your car is in the parking lot behind Cowles Hall, off Washington Avenue. (Use the map below)

If you have any questions, contact tw*********@****ra.edu.

2025 Mark Twain Study Docent

Wally Longwell

“Hello! I’m Wally Longwell, the Mark Twain Ambassador for Elmira College’s Mark Twain Study! I’m a Political Science major at Alfred University, with plans to go to law school after graduating.  Elmira is my hometown and I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve been interested in Twain ever since I was younger and went on an elementary school field trip to Quarry Farm and the Study.  I love learning about history and literature. Talking about the history of the Study and Mark Twain’s legacy in Elmira is something that helps me connect with people and makes me proud to be from here. I hope to see you soon!”

The Mark Twain Exhibit and Reading Room

Visitors to the Elmira College Campus are afforded the opportunity to view not only Twain’s Study but the Mark Twain Exhibit and Mark Twain Reading Room housed in the Gannett-Tripp Library.  The Exhibit focuses on Twain’s connection to Elmira College.  The Reading Room is designed after Klapproth’s Tavern, a “Gentleman’s Saloon,” formerly on Elmira’s Eastside that Twain was known to frequent. The room holds the Love Collection, a collection of framed photographs and signatures of Mark Twain on permanent display.  Also on permanent display are Twain books and memorabilia.  

The Reading Room and the Exhibit are open to the public free of charge from late May until late August from 8:30 to 4:30 most weekdays.  Please see the Elmira College Library webpage for exact hours.

Visitors may also take advantage of the Mark Twain Book Recycling Program.  A large number and variety of Twain’s works and scholarly secondary source texts are available for purchase at a drastically reduced price.

Map of Elmira College

The Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon Statues

The Mark Twain statue was a gift of the Elmira College Class of 1934, who have a long standing interest in Mark Twain and the Center for Mark Twain Studies. Made of bronze, the statue weighs 376 pounds. From the base to the top of the structure, it is 12 feet high, which is two fathoms or, as riverboat pilots would say, “mark twain.”

The Olivia Langdon statue was a gift of the Elmira College Class of 2008. Made of bronze, the statue weighs almost 600 pounds. Olivia, once a student at Elmira College, is attired in a dress that is part of the collections at the Chemung County Historical Museum. At the time when she wore the featured dress, Olivia had a twenty-inch waist (corseted) — this after bearing four children. The statue shows Olivia with her hand extended toward the nearby statue of her husband while his glance takes in the Study some distance away.

Woodlawn Cemetery: The Final Resting Place of Mark Twain and His Family

The main entrance to Woodlawn Cemetery is 1200 Walnut Street, Elmira, New York, 14905. The entrance to Woodlawn Cemetery is just over a mile away from the Mark Twain Study.

The Chemung County Historical Society