Around hornell in Photos

We have the photos, we just don't know what they are. Can you help?

If anyone recognizes any of the early Hornell photos below, contact us at our "comments" line.

Don't be misled by the "fridge", it's for keeping "Fanny Farmer" candies fresh! With the cosmetics & Colgate toothpaste also shown, we are guessing this is a drugstore or possibly a grocery store.

From: Andy Corbett in Melbourne, Florida
1 September 2008

The picture of the fridge for the Fanny Farmer candy looks like the inside of the old "Dunn's Drug Store" that was downtown. Used to go in there a lot as a kid with my family (Corbett's of 10 East Main St) as my eldest brother was a good friend of the family. Left in '73 but have good memories of Hornell.

Note: when it was pointed out to Andy that the refrigerator shown in the photos would have been from the 1930s, long before his time, he added:

I remember how narrow that store was and the tiles on the floor reminded me of it. Mr. Dunn kept quite a few "older" things around as long as they were functional.

The "auto supplies" provide a pretty good clue. . . but where?

From: JCM in San Diego

28 November 2006

I believe this may have been the "Hornell Auto Supply" on Broadway. Likely in the early 50"s.

I worked there from 1962 to 1964.

The sales area of the store had expanded into the Majestic Theatre next door, by that time. The brick walls and the Sewer pipe remind me of the original store next door. It was used for Offices on the 2nd floor and storage on all 3 floors. Machine and radiator shops were located in the back of the building pictured.

We did not sell tires during my time there but, I believe, I was told hey had sold them at one time. Definitely brick walls on the 1`st floor of the "old" building. There was a large sliding fire door between the buildings.

I left Hornell in 1964 and I do not know the whole story of the demise of the company.

Obviously a store that offers "portraits"! Notice the "Drug Co." on the steps at the doorway.

A viewer provided the following as a tentative ID:

The unknown picture of the storefront offering portraits and the word drugs spelled in the tile is "Liggett's Drug Store", which was located next door to Tuttle and Rockwell's. (9-27-05)

Another viewer wrote in with an identification supported by something we hadn't noticed before.

Joe said:

In the photo of the store front with "Drug" on the floor you will note the "nell G Co." on the door.
I believe this was the Hornell Drug Store. My father worked there and I believe it became Cards Drug Store later on

Joe

Here's a close up view of the door:

(2-12-06)

This photo shows the name "Wettlin's" on name plates at the bottom of each window. We know that Wettlin's was a florist once located somewhere near 180 Main Street. (See "cooler" ID below)

What can we say. . . does anybody want to "get married"?

12-10-04

A viewer asks, "is that the former "Flanagans", later "Tink's Tavern" on the West side of Seneca, 1st block North of Main? Does anybody have any information that might support this ID or when "Tink's" existed?

This may not be the tavern in the photo but the story is getting good!

Our viewer added to the above:

12-10-04

I don't think the official name was ever Flanagan's but in the '60s and '70s everyone called it that. I worked weekends in Ray's Church St. Atlantic in 67-68 for Ray Knowlton and he had a lawsuit against the place (he fell down or off a barstool in there). He won the lawsuit and the owners gave him the place to settle. He died soon after and his widow Millie Clark Knowlton ran it for a while.

In late 70s or so a Thompson girl from Canisteo bought it and renamed it Tink's tavern after her father or uncle. It was part of the block bought by Steuben Church People Against Poverty who put apartments above and rented to Hornell Concern for youth et. al. on ground level.

The identification issue on this tavern is getting more interesting.

Another viewer writes:

12-23-04

I just wanted to correct the story someone wrote in about Flanagan's Tavern. My Grandfather William Lorow owned the tavern. He died in 1959 and then my Grandmother ran the bar until she died in 1964. When she died the tavern was SOLD not given to Ray Knowlton who died a few years later.. Also, the picture on Hornell Home couldn't possibly be Flanagan's...There wasn't a home next door to the tavern on Seneca St. like there is in the picture.

And yet another possibility:

1-24-06

I believe the tavern is actually part of the present "Joe's Tavern located on River Street, not Flanigans! Duke F.

Although not identifying the "unknown tavern", another viewer writes to put forth the possibility that a tavern know as "Flanagan's or Tinks" was located on Canisteo Street.

1-24-06

I believe that the business in the picture that some thought of as
"Flanagans" or "Tinks" was located on Canisteo St. across from the VFW.

I grew up two doors south in the early 50's There was a large three story brick building on the corner of Depot Lane and Canisteo St.

Then this building, 3 two story houses, then Weyands Bakery heading south.

Webmaster Note: I did a little research and can't find reference of a tavern located across from the VFW in the 1955 or 1961 phone books. However, that doesn't mean one didn't exist earlier.

Here are excerpts from the above phone books. Weyand's Bakery is located at 266 Canisteo in the 1955 book and 262 Canisteo in the 1961.

1955

1961

Unknown Tavern

And another possibility to consider!

Lew writes in:

1-25-06

The store front that someone says is Flanagan's looks more like the store that later became Rizzo's on River street just before the bridge and Front street.

The store next to it was Dan shop which was on the corner of River and Oak street.

Jimmy Eveland bought the building in the late 60's. Jimmy Whitmore lived up stairs in the 2 story house next door in the 50's and early 60's.

I could be wrong but if Jimmy is still alive you can ask him about it.

Not to be left out!

Sharon writes:

1-28-06

I can tell you right now that definitely is not Flanagans!

I was born in 1938 and lived where the Post Office is now for 20 years. Behind my house was a very large barn that was accessed thru an alley-way that opened onto Seneca Street, which was directly across from Flanagans.

Deweys Bakery was on the right of Flanagans, and Sharps Shoe Store was on the other side, or in close proximity.

My father lived in Flanagans. In 1959 or 1960, my little brother age 7 ran down that alley and across Seneca Street to see his daddy at Flanagans and got caught between a car going south and another car going north. The rear tire of one of the cars stopped on his shorts. Fortunately he only received severe bruising and one ear torn partly off.

Later on it did become Rays until Ray Knowlton, a very good friend of my family, passed away. I left town and later it became Tinks.

That bar in the picture just might be Terry's on Canisteo Street, another of my fathers hangouts later on, but I'm not positive. In fact my father also tended bar at Terry's. Terry's was located down the street from the VFW towards the underpass, or whatever it is called today, or towards the present motel.

Sharon

Webmaster Note: I had to do another check of the 1955 phone-book. . . this time to look up "Flanagan's". There it was at 38 Seneca, called "Flanagan's Restaurant".

Another viewer writes:

3-11-06

You'll have to go back to the late '30s when the building on the left was the temporary home of St. Ignatius Church.

It was later to become Becker's Tavern on the corner of Canisteo & Depot streets!

Identified as: a dedicated viewer wrote and identified the above as "Argenteri's Grocery/Meat Market", 84 & 86 River Street at the corner of John Street.

Believed to be a "cooler" located in Wettlin's Florist Shop (see photo above). Here is a verbatim email from the great grandson of the original owner of Wettlin's Florist shop.

12-03-04

The photo of the florist shop and possibly the flower cooler would have been my great grandfather, Daniel Wettlin and his son William's shop. The Wettlin family moved to Hornell NY in 1879 where Daniel bought and operated a florist shop at 97 & 99 Main Street. The family lived at 13 Church Street. The business was taken over by his son Will when the rest of the family moved to Newark, NJ in 1889. Will operated the shop until about 1925 but I'm not sure it stayed in the original location. Will was living at 200 Main Street in 1915 and he opened a restaurant, Wettlin Inn, in 1926.

Peter S.

Richfield, OH

The pictures that you marked as Bridge maintenance shop, should be the DOT district 6 Main Shop. The annex on the end was the machine shop.

A loyal viewer wrote in on 1-25-2007 and Identified this as: the D.O.T. District 6 Main shop at 30 W. Main Street, Hornell. The annex on end was the "machine shop"!Photo taken from the south side of Canacadea Creek looking north in the 1940s or 50s.

Identified as: the east end of the D.O.T. bridge maintenance shop at 30 W. Main Street, Hornell. The smoke stack visible in this and the previous photo was removed around 1955 when coal was no longer used.

Obviously a "Colonial Oil" tank farm. But where?

1-8-07

A comment from one of our viewers. Can anyone support Nancy's thoughts?

Since the colonial oil tank farm picture was taken way before my time, I just have a thought. Looking at the side hill behind it, to me it looks a lot like the side hill on the south end of Hornell (west side).

Maybe that will help someone who might know. That's if I'm right.

Nancy

Not much to go on, though, it is a nice clock.

Identified as: a window of the Armory located on Seneca Street in Hornell. However, why the bars are bent outward is still a mystery. There is a date on the photo of 8 August 1934.

If you think you know the identity and possible year of the above, please contact us at the "comments" link.