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| 17 Maple Avenue Portville, NY 14770 www.portvillehistory.org |
Portville, New York
Credits
The lovely watercolor
in our toolbar above 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 above is
a depiction of the office
at 17 Maple Avenue.
The artist is Portville's
very own talent,
Marilyn Reynolds.
Welcome to PHPS
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
So the old saying goes: "A picture is worth a thousand words". We couldn't
agree more at PHPS, because we feel that way every time an old image is
revealed to us. Take for example, the flood picture in the postcard below.
So the old saying goes: "A picture is worth a thousand words". We couldn't
agree more at PHPS, because we feel that way every time an old image is
revealed to us. Take for example, the flood picture in the postcard below.
This was a common scene when the creeks and the river overflowed their
banks and residents took to their boats to get around. This Real Photo Post
Card was taken by a photographer named Barnum and depicts the home
that is now Bob's Barbershop on Main Street next to the dikes that line
Dodge Creek just above the confluence of the Allegheny River.
The REPERES organization is a teaching organization that encourages
sharing, transferring and exchanging knowledge. This presentation may be
used freely in conjunction with school-based and extracurricular training
conducted on a not-for-profit basis.
For the entire report, including footnotes detailing the country-by-country
losses, click on the following file: REPERES World War I Casualties
REAL PHOTO POST CARDS
The postcard above was shared recently by our Trustee, David Pupo, who
has been an avid collector of RPPC for many years. He had a 30-year
career at Kodak and has taught us many things about photographs and the
process in making them. He has been researching photographers and
RPPCs, photographs, and other forms of printing for many years.
After scrutiny of the writing on the back of the RPPC, we have concluded,
with delight, that the author of the postcard is none other than Isabel Page
(Marsh), the maternal grandmother of our own Honest Bob Fairbanks. The
house in the image is the building that is Bob Carr's Barbershop, next to
Dodge Creek. Of course this was way before there were any dykes to
contain the annual flood waters. In the distance across the creek is the home
that was built by Luman Rice, and is the oldest house in Portville, or so we
are told by the history book. Isabel's mother was Johanna Conners Page,
sister of Ellen Conners, the aunt/guardian of little Gladys.
This is another of David's finds, a great image of South Main Street
(above). It was taken by Edward Everett, Shinglehouse, PA, and was
postmarked 1910. The divided back dates it between 1907 and 1910.
(above). It was taken by Edward Everett, Shinglehouse, PA, and was
postmarked 1910. The divided back dates it between 1907 and 1910.
David Pupo and his classmate from 1959, Thom Torrey, both have a
fondness for "all things Portville". When David sent him this RPPC, Thom
located a 1910 newspaper article that explains the subject of the
correspondence (see below).
Thom discovered the following:
"Baby Eleanor McCarthy was born in Clarion, Pa, on Feb. 2, 1907. Her
father was William J. and her mother was Orme. They apparently moved
to Portville in late 1909 or in January of 1910 and lived on North Main
Street. William worked at the P.R.R. station. As it seems most people did
in those days, he raised chickens – prize chickens. He also may have had a
couple top-notch dairy cows.
"The Olean Herald held a contest in 1910 – I’m assuming a cute baby
contest – and 3-year-old Baby Eleanor won the second place prize of
$50.00. That was big bucks in those days.
"It looks like William – Eleanor’s father – died here in Portville in 1913 and
the family then moved to Smethport shortly thereafter – in 1914.
The newspaper clipping above is from the 11/03/1910 edition of the
Portville Review that gives the post card a little “provenance”."
The Barnum postcard photograph above was taken a little north of the
previous image. It shows the bridge that crossed Dodge Creek with its
trolley tracks and pole for electrical power on the left hand side. The white
building was a boarding house that sat in front of Bert Stevens home (now
Guenther's funeral home). Here is another photo of the same bridge but
from the other side looking back. The street to the right of the house is
Brooklyn Street.
fondness for "all things Portville". When David sent him this RPPC, Thom
located a 1910 newspaper article that explains the subject of the
correspondence (see below).
Thom discovered the following:
"Baby Eleanor McCarthy was born in Clarion, Pa, on Feb. 2, 1907. Her
father was William J. and her mother was Orme. They apparently moved
to Portville in late 1909 or in January of 1910 and lived on North Main
Street. William worked at the P.R.R. station. As it seems most people did
in those days, he raised chickens – prize chickens. He also may have had a
couple top-notch dairy cows.
"The Olean Herald held a contest in 1910 – I’m assuming a cute baby
contest – and 3-year-old Baby Eleanor won the second place prize of
$50.00. That was big bucks in those days.
"It looks like William – Eleanor’s father – died here in Portville in 1913 and
the family then moved to Smethport shortly thereafter – in 1914.
The newspaper clipping above is from the 11/03/1910 edition of the
Portville Review that gives the post card a little “provenance”."
The Barnum postcard photograph above was taken a little north of the
previous image. It shows the bridge that crossed Dodge Creek with its
trolley tracks and pole for electrical power on the left hand side. The white
building was a boarding house that sat in front of Bert Stevens home (now
Guenther's funeral home). Here is another photo of the same bridge but
from the other side looking back. The street to the right of the house is
Brooklyn Street.
This page was last updated on 02-02-2020
Graduates of Portville Central School Gather in July
If you have been to the annual Portville Alumni Banquet then you know that
they get a good crowd every July. Attendance has been about 200 every
year for the longest time, including all the guests of the alumni members.
In 2018, the honor years included the class of 1978, so Syd Evans had her
camera poised for action and captured the entire banquet for her classmates,
the Hall of Fame and scholarship winners, and all attendees. She shared
those pictures with us so we can share them with you all.
Photo Album of 2018 Banquet (Work in progress)
If you have been to the annual Portville Alumni Banquet then you know that
they get a good crowd every July. Attendance has been about 200 every
year for the longest time, including all the guests of the alumni members.
In 2018, the honor years included the class of 1978, so Syd Evans had her
camera poised for action and captured the entire banquet for her classmates,
the Hall of Fame and scholarship winners, and all attendees. She shared
those pictures with us so we can share them with you all.
Photo Album of 2018 Banquet (Work in progress)
