The 20th Century

Through the years of the Great Depression and World War II, Erin’s population dropped as people left farms and rural areas. By the 1960s, however, the trend reversed as Erin became a bedroom community for the city of Elmira. By 1970, the population reached 1,669, more than double that of the 1940s. The Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1955. They purchased their first truck in 1956 and built a new fire station in 1998. The Newtown Creek Watershed Project, which began in 1956, resulted in the construction of the Jackson Creek, Park Station, and Marsh Dams in the 1970s.

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Erin

Milk station, c. 1920 The dairy industry continued into the 21st century. In 1908, the Lehigh Valley Railroad built a milk shipping station in Erin.
Christmas Crosses & Stars Pen and ink drawing by Talitha Botsford. Students Benjamin Nichols and Milton Campbell planted a cross of evergreen trees on a steep hillside facing Erin sometime in the 1930s. The pair likely got the evergreen seedlings through a state reforestation program that started in 1931.
Beach at Park Station, 2003 The Park Station Recreation Center in Erin was dedicated on July 1, 1979. It provides access to the 100-acre lake that was created by the Park Station Dam. Visitors can camp, picnic, hike, swim, and boat.
Glass paperweight, 1930s Bell Systems New York Telephone Company gave Mr. and Mrs. Olcott of Erin this bell-shaped paperweight when they became new telephone customers.

The 20th Century

Milk station, c. 1920

The dairy industry continued into the 21st century. In 1908, the Lehigh Valley Railroad built a milk shipping station in Erin.

Christmas Crosses & Stars

Pen and ink drawing by Talitha Botsford. Students Benjamin Nichols and Milton Campbell planted a cross of evergreen trees on a steep hillside facing Erin sometime in the 1930s. The pair likely got the evergreen seedlings through a state reforestation program that started in 1931.

Beach at Park Station, 2003

The Park Station Recreation Center in Erin was dedicated on July 1, 1979. It provides access to the 100-acre lake that was created by the Park Station Dam. Visitors can camp, picnic, hike, swim, and boat.

Glass paperweight, 1930s

Bell Systems New York Telephone Company gave Mr. and Mrs. Olcott of Erin this bell-shaped paperweight when they became new telephone customers.