Between the extraordinary landscape and outdoor adventures, the charming small towns, the variety and affordability of activities, fabulous fishing and some of New York State's top hunting, world-renowned art, exceptional culinary options, award-winning wines and craft beverages, and the laid-back, unpretentious vibe that distinguishes the region’s personality, it’s difficult to find anywhere quite like Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes.
One of the best ways to explore the area is spending some time in our charming communities where you can enjoy the slower pace and the friendly nature of quintessential small town Americana without compromising on world-class experiences.
Savor the benefits that can only be found in a rural area ripe with exceptional food and world-class libations. This is where Finger Lakes Wine Country started, after all, and you can taste the difference.
Get inspired by the innovative spirit of pioneers in aviation, glass, and wine by going beyond just learning about our rich history with real-time experiences like blowing your own glass, taking a seaplane ride over stunning Keuka Lake, tasting delicious wines and craft beverages. In Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes, you can make the sort of memories that last a lifetime!
Learn more about our Charming Small Towns and the wonderful Ways to Explore Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes.
History of Steuben County
At first, it was Iroquois country. Along the Canisteo ran "The Forbidden Trail;" Europeans caught past that river had a lot of explaining to do. After the Revolution Charles Willamson paddled up the Conhocton, cut a clearing in the forest, and named it Bath, NY, after a backer in England. Williamson was front man for investors owning a million acres of wilderness east of the Genesee. He was better at promoting and at living large than he was at balancing books, but big spenders from Virginia to Canada journeyed to Bath for Williamson's fairs, horse races, and theatrical presentations. He quickly got Steuben erected as a separate county, with Bath as its county seat.
The Conhocton, which flows to the Susquehanna, was the region's key trade route for 40 years. Settlers felled trees to make "arks," filled the vessels with goods, poled as far as Baltimore, sold everything including the ark (for lumber) and hiked back home.
Railroads and the Erie Canal changed all that, but Bath, though small, still boasts the green square that the setters cleared (across from the courthouse), the pioneer cemetery, and the broad straight avenues an optimistic Colonel Williamson planned. After the Civil War Bath became home to "the Soldiers' Home," now a VA facility and national cemetery.
Two major railroads and several lesser lines crossed the county, and Hornell, right at the western edge, flourished for a hundred years as home to the Erie Railroad's main repair shops. Railroads also assured the rapid development of Corning, NY, once several lines crossed there -- one bringing Pennsylvania coal. Coal, sand, and rail lines after the Civil War sparked the birth of Corning Glass Works, and later Steuben Glass. Corning created Edison's first light bulb, the 200-inch Hale Observatory mirror, Corning Ware, Corelle, and fiber-optics. Corning Incorporated now concentrates on high-tech fields and Steuben Glass is available exclusively through The Corning Museum of Glass.
Hammondsport started out servicing schooners and steamers on Keuka Lake, transshipping goods to Penn Yan and the Erie Canal feeder system. But in 1829 Reverend Bostwick grew the region's first grapes in the Episcopal rectory, then made the first wine in the Finger Lakes. By 1860 Pleasant Valley Wine Company was in business, as it remains today. Wine is still Hammondsport's claim to fame, but from around 1900 to the end of the First World War, Hammondsport was a leading manufacturer of motorcycles and airplanes -- thanks to native son Glenn Curtiss, still honored with the Wright brothers as a founding father of aviation. Fiber-optics -- railroads -- airplanes -- award-winning wines. Who knows what "Old Steuben" will come up with next?
For more history about the Finger Lakes Region, take a moment to visit crookedlakereview.com.
10 Fun Facts about the Finger Lakes
- The first bonded winery in the United States is located in Hammondsport, now called Pleasant Valley Wine Company.
- New York State is home to the Finger Lakes.
- There are 11 lakes designated as "Finger Lakes" with 650 miles of shoreline.
- Keuka Lake is one of the few lakes in the world that flows both north and south.
- Glenn H. Curtiss was the pilot of the first publicly announced flight in America on July 4, 1908.
- Partial filming for the American movie Signs took place in the fields of Hornell, NY.
- The Corning Museum of Glass houses the world's most comprehensive and celebrated collection of glass.
- The oldest annual County Fair in the nation is the Steuben County Agricultural Fair held every August in Bath.
- The first female space shuttle commander, Eileen Collins, hails from the area and graduated from Corning Community College.
- The Tree Sitting Contest, held during the Cohocton Fall Foliage Festival is a unique contest that inspired a Trivial Pursuit game question.