Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice Historic Businesses of the Tri-Counties Local Business History Section Bradford County PA Chemung County NY Tioga County PA Home Guide Disclaimer Copyright Business  Mansfield Page Joyce New & Search

Joyce's Search Tip - January 2008 Do You Know that you can search just the Business pages of the site  by using the Business button in the Partitioned search engine at the bottom of the Current What's New Page? You will also find extensive business information in the Directory section.

This 1891 Advertisement in the "Covington Intelligencer" newspaper gives us a date for this business name. The ad has apparently been running for a while as is says August 1889 in the lower corner and appears in the 06 April 1891 issue.  The 1911 Listing of business includes Rolason and Shaw Furniture. Llewellyn Shaw had joined the firm as a partner. Llewellyn's share of the business passed to his nephew and adopted son, Wilford W. Shaw about 1921. Since undertaking as a business very often started as part of the furniture business, the connection, I assume, being coffins, this, too took that path. Eventually the business split into VanNoy Furniture and Shaw Funeral home with Wilford Shaw and his wife Genevieve Cox assuming the funeral home business. From 1937 they operated in the old Ross House.  In 1945, Wilford died, and his wife Genevieve operated in partnership with Bucky Robena as Shaw and Robena Funeral Home.  After the retirement of Genevieve and Bucky, it became Wilston Funeral Home and remains so still in the old Ross house on North Main Street where it has been for so many years.  Addendum 2008 - Wilston Funeral home bought out Scureman's and is now located on South Main Street.

1954 Carontawan Advertisement	Photo by Joyce M. Tice 2002. VanNoys was in building on end of row, built 1883 after the earlier building burned. The Rose building that was adjacent burned in the 1990s opening up the corner lot.

Wellsboro Gazette, June 4, 1980, p.9
Paint Plus Imagination Puts New Look on VanNoy's

Mansfield's downtown business district is sporting a new look with the completion of the redecoration of VanNoy's Furniture store front. The new sign was hung last week, completing the project which was started last fall.

Last summer, Ray VanNoy, the owner of the business for thirty years, decided that, in keeping with the town's plan to redo the store fronts in a 1800 period manner, he would hire a local person to help with the choice of colors and decorative effects. Tucker Worthington, a local artist, was employed to coordinate the project a supply the ideas to create the final decor.

Worthington said, "It was lucky for me that the building was there to work with. The beauty of the building was brought out by the use of contrasting colors."
 

This 1988 photo by Christins "Tina" CAMPBELL Cleveland shows the VanNoy's Furniture store adjacent to S&H Greeen Stamps in the Rose Building.

Worthington also gave credit to the painters that applied the two different hues of blue. Kim Koval and Dave Farina used a deft hand and a steady touch to outline the ornate columns that comprise the store front. VanNoy was particularly pleased with the results because he did not have to hire help from outside of town to have the design and painting done. The newly hung sign was designed by Worthington and constructed by Gary Roof, also of Mansfield.
 

Photos by Joyce M. Tice November 2002

The ornate columns were cast by R.F. Wilson around 1882 in a foundry located on East Main Street in Mansfield. The building was owned by a Mr. Metcalf and Mr. Rolason in 1880 and was destroyed by fire in 1882. In 1883 the building was rebuilt and the store front appears today much the same as it did then. Rolason operated a furniture store and funeral parlor after trying the grocery business first.

Misters Beach and Clark owned the building after Rolason. Lynn Hall operated a furniture store before selling to Lewellyn Shaw. Shaw, with his son, Wilbert, also operated a furniture store and a funeral parlor in the building. Merrill Broderick had furniture in the front of the store and a garage in the rear from 1946 until VanNoy purchased the building in 1950.

Raymond VanNoy is still in the store every day, although he has recently sold the furniture business to his son, Byron. Ray has been in business on Main Street longer than any other, except for Ernie Jupenlaz and Jim Caracciolo.

VanNoy said that a visiting architect suggested a couple of years ago that the building front be preserved because it had such fine detail. Today, with the completion of the project, he's glad he made the decision to have the redecoration done.

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Published On Tri-Counties Site On 09 OCT 2010 By Joyce M. Tice Email: Joyce M. Tice