| The Portville Historical and Preservation Society |
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| 17 Maple Avenue Portville, NY 14770 www.portvillehistory.org |
men: Henry R. Dusenbury, William F. Wheeler, John G. Mersereau, and William Wallace Weston.
This week we continue the story by focusing on the next generation of the Dusenbury Family.
Henry and his wife Caroline had seven children, many of whom lived in Portville and were prominent
citizens here. Anne Loomis Dusenbury has provided us with lots of old photos of the Dusenbury
family members. When we hear the name Dusenbury, what usually comes to mind is the beautiful
homes they built. They also had some pretty nifty automobiles. We'll show you some of the
photographs they took of their homes and their autos next time.
In 1965, Caryl O. "Dutch" Marsh wrote a sketch called "Portville As I Remember it When."
Similar to Harry Holcomb's "Glimpses," he has lots of details on the lumber industry, the people
around town and their homes, and other tidbits about Portville. We already put his account of
working at the tanneries in the history section but now you can read the entire article. Find out why
they called him Dutch!
Remember Fremming's Hot Shoppe in Westons Mills? Some of us knew it as the Gomez Drive In
Restaurant. Reminisce about car hops and root beer soda pop in this story.
New this week:
The list above provides the highlighted link to take you directly to the correct page. If you would liketo return to our most recent homepages, go to our ARCHIVE.
This week we continue the story by focusing on the next generation of the Dusenbury Family.
Henry and his wife Caroline had seven children, many of whom lived in Portville and were prominent
citizens here. Anne Loomis Dusenbury has provided us with lots of old photos of the Dusenbury
family members. When we hear the name Dusenbury, what usually comes to mind is the beautiful
homes they built. They also had some pretty nifty automobiles. We'll show you some of the
photographs they took of their homes and their autos next time.
In 1965, Caryl O. "Dutch" Marsh wrote a sketch called "Portville As I Remember it When."
Similar to Harry Holcomb's "Glimpses," he has lots of details on the lumber industry, the people
around town and their homes, and other tidbits about Portville. We already put his account of
working at the tanneries in the history section but now you can read the entire article. Find out why
they called him Dutch!
Remember Fremming's Hot Shoppe in Westons Mills? Some of us knew it as the Gomez Drive In
Restaurant. Reminisce about car hops and root beer soda pop in this story.
New this week:
 | The History of the Dusenbury Family, page one and page two | |
| "Portville As I Remember it When" by Dutch Marsh | |
| Fremming's Hot Shoppe by Ronda Shaner Pollock |
The list above provides the highlighted link to take you directly to the correct page. If you would like
| Downtown Portville, looking north up Main Street Look down the block for the Pharmacy's Rexall sign |
Portville, New York
Credits
The lovely watercolor in our toolbar (at left) is a depiction of the office at 17 Maple Avenue. The
artist is Portville's very own talent, Marilyn Reynolds.
The lovely watercolor in our toolbar (at left) is a depiction of the office at 17 Maple Avenue. The
artist is Portville's very own talent, Marilyn Reynolds.
Welcome to PHPS
This page was first updated on 03-16-08
This page was last updated on 02-26-13
This page was last updated on 02-26-13
| Fremming's Hot Shoppe in Westons Mills (was located next to the old Weston Home) |
In Memorium
Melvin H. VanCuren, Jr.
1939 - 2008
Last week, we lost our longtime friend and Portville pharmacist, Mel VanCuren. It was quite
unexpected by the family and a shock to our close-knit community when he passed away on
Saturday, February 8, 2008.
Mel was more than a pharmacist, he deeply cared about everyone he had associations with. He and
Ellie have provided a much needed service to Portville for so long that it is hard to imagine the
neighborhood store being closed. Always genuinely happy to see their customers and friends, they
always took the time to stop and visit with us, often times with Mel filling your prescriptions right
while you waited. They were extremely proud of their family, displaying the latest photos of their
grandchildren and, of course, Mel's latest "big catch," complete with stories to go along with them.
The fondness that everyone felt for Mel was obvious by the large number of people that attended the
visitation and memorial service. The family seemed to draw strength from their faith, as well as
family and friends, courageously enduring the long line of mourners. Many spoke of their hunting
and fishing experiences with Mel, and Joe Caya even did an imitation of the famous "Mel VanCuren
turkey call," a favorite among the local hunters. The moments of levity were a welcome relief from
the heavy sadness in our hearts.
We will all certainly miss Mel, and our thoughts and prayers are with Ellie and her family. Read his
obituary from the Olean Times Herald here.
Melvin H. VanCuren, Jr.
1939 - 2008
Last week, we lost our longtime friend and Portville pharmacist, Mel VanCuren. It was quite
unexpected by the family and a shock to our close-knit community when he passed away on
Saturday, February 8, 2008.
Mel was more than a pharmacist, he deeply cared about everyone he had associations with. He and
Ellie have provided a much needed service to Portville for so long that it is hard to imagine the
neighborhood store being closed. Always genuinely happy to see their customers and friends, they
always took the time to stop and visit with us, often times with Mel filling your prescriptions right
while you waited. They were extremely proud of their family, displaying the latest photos of their
grandchildren and, of course, Mel's latest "big catch," complete with stories to go along with them.
The fondness that everyone felt for Mel was obvious by the large number of people that attended the
visitation and memorial service. The family seemed to draw strength from their faith, as well as
family and friends, courageously enduring the long line of mourners. Many spoke of their hunting
and fishing experiences with Mel, and Joe Caya even did an imitation of the famous "Mel VanCuren
turkey call," a favorite among the local hunters. The moments of levity were a welcome relief from
the heavy sadness in our hearts.
We will all certainly miss Mel, and our thoughts and prayers are with Ellie and her family. Read his
obituary from the Olean Times Herald here.