Hello! Remember me? Jesse Earl Armstrong. I guess from the signs on my businesses there in town, you may refer to me as JE. But, my fellow Greenwoodians and friends, just called me Jack. I'm not much for talking; but, will share a bit about my life.
I came to Greenwood in March of 1933 with my wife Muriel; formally known as Muriel Lillian Darling when I met and married her in 1918. She was a might younger than me and much more outgoing which came in handy when we began to open businesses. I was from Newfield in Tompkins County and she from Lapeer in Courtland County. Funny, my grandson Jon, Jay D's boy lives in Newfield now.
We first lived in Homer, NY where our son Jay D was born on May 17, 1919. We lived for a short time in Elmira, NY (c. 1920-1922 or 23). From there we moved to Burdett, NY (Schuyler County) and lived there until 1928. I ran a trucking business. Just before moving to Greenwood, between 1928 and 1933, we lived in the Schuyler County village of Odessa.
When we first moved to Greenwood, we lived in a farmhouse near the intersection of Route 417 and the road to Canisteo. That house isn't there anymore. I had the Gulf station on Andover Street where we sold gas and repaired cars. We called it JE Armstrong and Son. Jay D and I ran it together. It sat next to where the Fire Hall is now. I think you have heard tell of it from Stanley Murray. He worked for us there for a spell.
We then moved around the corner from the station to the old Coston Place. The Masonic Hall on the corner, the Websters, then us. I hear tell that you may refer to it as the Armstrong House. We get a kick out of that. My family, all the way down to my grandboys, Jay, Jeff and Jon, still refer to it as the old Coston Place. I built a bridge over the "crick" from our backyard straight over to the station. Made life a bit easier. I still remember our phone number Greenwood 36 and we hooked up the station as Greenwood 38F.
After a time, I opened an Atlantic station on the other side of the street there on the corner next to the hotel. We had a small grocery and a soda fountain there too. I guess it may have been considered, in modern terms, a convenience store. Muriel was in charge inside, Jay D and I took care of the gas, car repairs, etc. You saw Jay D's dog, Prince there in front last month in the stories about the pets of Greenwood. We also had a few cabins out back where travelers, truckers mostly, could spend the night.
John Murray, Stanley's oldest son here. Dad used to tell about the time you pulled one over on a fellow Greenwoodian, not that he didn't deserve it. I won't use any names, to protect the guilty. This regular customer would come in for cigarettes. They cost 21 cents, mind you. And, he only carried a $100 bill in his wallet.
I remember that. Let me finish. Well, day after day, I said, "go ahead and take a pack, you're good for it." And, month after month, he kept coming in with just that $100 bill. I decided, that needed to stop. So, I spent near on a year or so collecting and saving pennies 'til I had just enough for his change, 9979 pennies to be exact. The next time he came in for his pack, I pulled out that bag of pennies and handed it to him as his change. Guess I got the best of that one.
When we had the Atlantic station, we turned the old Gulf building into an Allis-Chalmers dealership. The soil was so rocky, that farmers were always needing their equipment repaired or replaced. Seemed like a good business to be in. We sold, repaired and painted farm equipment. After I purchased the old NY and PA railroad (NYP to the locals) depot, we stored equipment there but would always have a few tractors out front. You know, we sold the first tractors with rubber tires. All the locals had iron wheeled tractors until then.
Stanley Murray here. I remember helping you bring six of 'em into town. The train no longer came as far as Greenwood so they had to be picked up in Canisteo. You, Jay D, me, my brother-in-law Gordon Pease, Ory Freeland, and Matt Brundage drove those beauties into town from the train station.
Jeff Armstrong, # 2 grandson here. I remember sitting on the tractors out front and sometimes Grandfather even took me for a short ride down the street and back. He had a couple Model As and Ts and I remember hopping in them and pretending to drive.
Jay, you may remember me as Jay David, # 1 grandson. Grandfather was quite a quiet person and well kind of let Grandmother take charge for the most part. I remember helping Mom take dinner to Dad and Grandfather in the evenings at the Atlantic station. We would sit and listen to Lowell Thomas on the radio.
I can't remember if it was Dad or Grandmother that showed me this silver ring with a clear stone and under the stone was a picture of an Indian Chief. The story goes, some Native Americans came into town and didn't have any money; so, Grandfather traded some gas for that ring.
We had a few other enterprises as well...Logging, trucking, cinder blocks and another service station in Whitesville. I even purchased the George Case house just above the old Gulf station. When natural gas exploration was in its prime in the Greenwood area, we had a pump down by the old NYP Depot.
Toward the end, I was quite ill and spent some time in a hospital in Elmira. I remember Jay D visiting and bringing the grandboys along. They were not allowed in the hospital, no children were at that time; but, I would look out the window and wave.
I will let Muriel, Jay D and the boys fill you in on the rest.