Editing Hammondsport, New York (section)

===Early 20th century===
By the time [[World War I]] began in 1914 the village of Hammondsport included twelve wineries, five grape-packing houses, one barrel making factory, four hotels, five grocery stores, five meat markets, three blacksmiths, two livery stables, five barber shops, three pool halls, three movie houses, two men's clothing stores, three hat shops, three lumber yards, four coal yards, a grist mill, three doctors, two dentists, three lawyers, a chiropractor and a veterinarian and a harness shop, along with the airplane works at the Glenn Curtiss Company.<ref>[[#champlin1989|Champlin1989]], p. 40</ref>

In 1921, five local men purchased a wood barrel factory just south of the present D.W. Putnam Wine Company, and named it the [[Aerial Service Corporation]]. Two of these men, Henry Kleckler, the president and William Chadeayne, vice president, were formerly with the [[Curtiss Aeroplane Company]],  known as the [[Mercury Corporation]], established in Hammondsport in 1920.<ref>[[#archives|National Archives]]</ref>

As the greater part of Hammondsport's economy was dependent on its wineries, the effects of the   [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]] from 1919 to 1933 forced many wineries to stop operations, resulting in  an overall decline in the wine industry and subsequent unemployment in Hammondsport,<ref>[[#champlin1989|Champlin1989]], p. 3</ref><ref name="sherer1989"/> which in turn all but closed down the Bath & Hammondsport Railroad, which for years had routinely transported large cargoes of wine and grapes from Hammondsport to other towns.<ref name=palmer1994/>