Wellsburg is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 580 at the 2010 census. The village is named after the pioneer family of Abner Wells (1737–1797) who came from Southold on Long Island. Wellsburg is located in the southeast part of the town of Ashland. It is southeast of the city of Elmira and is part of the Elmira

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

The area was settled around 1788. The village was incorporated in 1872. Christ Episcopal Church was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2000. In the 1930s, there were also a Methodist and a Baptist church. Catholics attended services in a church about across the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

border (Centerville or Bentley Creek). The village contained two bars, two grocery stores (Aber and Stanton), Dalton's meat market, two gas stations, a "creamery", an Erie Railroad depot, Dalton's coal yard, a deteriorated Hotel Alcazar, a post office, and Schuyler's Feed, Grain & Lumber Yard. A four-story school served grades 1–12, with a small playground and a ballfield. Some students were bussed in from surrounding areas. One day in 1939, an "

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

" landed on that ballfield and remained a short time. Wellsburg had a mayor and a constable; the latter being rather "adept" at catching those who overturned outhouses during Halloween. Occasionally the Chemung River would overflow, usually flooding the short road between Wellsburg and Lowman, but it once flooded Wellsburg to the extent that rowboats could enter the Methodist church. Local farmers hired kids to do farm chores, usually at $0.50 per-day. Youngsters driving tractors into town (for gas) were a familiar sight. During the WWII years, students aged 14 and up were allowed days off from school to help local farmers harvest their crops. There was also an "airplane spotter's shack" on the side of a hill, during the war; teens often served as "spotters".

Geography

Wellsburg is located in southern Chemung County at (42.011211, -76.727753). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the village has a total area of , of which , or 1.52%, is water. Wellsburg is on the south bank of the

Chemung River The Chemung River ( ) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 in south central New York and northern ...

, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, and is adjacent to the

border. Bentley Creek flows northward through the village to the Chemung River and was a power source to early pioneers. NY-367 (Main Street) intersects NY-427 in the village. County Road 8 enters the village from the north.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 631 people, 243 households, and 164 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 261 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.73%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.32%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, and 0.95% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.48% of the population. There were 243 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $34,135, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $18,594 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $17,426. About 10.9% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Village of Wellsburg official website

{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Chemung County, New York