photo courtesy of Mike Paul

Hygeia Refrigeration on the Southside
Elmira, NY

et another excellent photo from Mike Paul of a place where some of the many jobs were when Elmira was in it's heyday. Documents at the Chemung Valley Historical Museum describe how Hygeia Refrigerating Company was created on September 1, 1896 to provide refrigeration services to grocers, shippers and Elmira area residents. On March 5, 1921, a subsidiary business they named Hygeia Ice Cream Company, was created. Yet another subsidiary, Corning-Hygeia, Inc. was formed just a few short years later on February 21, 1930. Hygeia-Corning provided cold storage for produce, furs, and wholesale distribution of ice and ice cream until 1976.

As the early 1900s rolled around, Elmirans kept their perishables in what they called ice boxes. Hygeia distributed the ice used in these household containers that kept the milk, the meats and the leftovers from spoiling. Hygeia's frozen food business developed and really caught on in the 1950s when the demand for ice began to decline. The company flourished with the manufacture of its delicious ice cream and its role in the Southern Tier as a major provider of cold storage and frozen foods.

Hygeia remained a viable business on the Southside of Elmira until 1976, when it closed its doors, never quite recovering from the devasting 1972 flood. The Hygeia warehouse was located on Ferris Street and Chemung Place on the banks of the Chemung River.

NOTE: You can view more of Mike Paul's photos of Elmira that he has shared with us by clicking here.