By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
DELHI — A building restoration project on Main Street in De
| | | Star photo by Patricia Breakey
When the facade came off the McCall’s Furniture Store building in Delhi, seen Friday, no one expected to find the lettering of the Jackson & Mason Furniture and Undertaking business. |
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lhi uncovered an unexpected peek into Delhi’s past.
As Lee Liddle, owner of Second Nature Painting and Restoration, was peeling years of improvements off the front of the building, he uncovered a long-forgotten business name — Jackson & Mason Furniture and Undertaking.
Steven Renfroe, of Delhi, who purchased the long-vacant McCall’s Furniture Store, said people on the street stopped and stared when the lettering began to appear.
Renfroe said Liddle initially removed the canopy and then took off a fake front that was added to the building in 1968 to modernize it. Underneath the fake front, they found a layer of stucco.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]"They found the sign when they removed the stucco," Renfroe said. "We are going to preserve the old sign."
Viviana Hansen-McCarthy, owner of the Curiosity Shoppe, Antiques and Collectibles in Delhi, said she is leasing half of the downstairs and the upstairs portion of the building to house the Delhi Art & Antique Center.
"We knew we were starting a new business," she said. "But now we can say we have a new ’undertaking’ in Delhi."
Hansen-McCarthy said she was thrilled when the sign emerged.
"I have an old photo of Jackson’s Furniture Store from about 1870," she said. "But we had no idea that th
e writing was painted on the building. It was pretty exciting."
Hansen-McCarthy said the building is actually two buildings that were merged into one.
"At some point, Jackson and Mason joined hands and connected the two buildings," she said.
George Stewart, 87, owner of Stewart’s Department Store in Delhi, said he remembers Jackson & Mason being a well-known business name in Delhi. He said he remembers Mason and knows that he was the undertaker, but he has no recollection of Jackson.
"I know that I have a counter that was made in Delhi around 1883, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson was the cabinetmaker that made it," Stewart said.
Stewart said he remembers funerals being conducted in the smaller portion of the building on the right-hand side. He added that McCall bought the business in the 1930s.
Renfroe said he plans to open Stephens Antiques & Collectibles in the downstairs right-hand portion of the building.
"Stephens was a family name and is the way my name was originally spelled on my birth certificate," Renfroe said. "But when I went to school, the spelling of my name was changed to Steven."
Hansen-McCarthy said the left-hand portion of the downstairs will be devoted to the antique center where various dealers will sell on consignment. She said the upstairs will be an art center, featuring Delaware County artists.
"We are going to try to make Delhi a fairly important art and antique center," she said. "This will be a wonderful venue, featuring strictly antiques and vintage items. I am lining up dealers who specialize in a diverse mix."
The art center will have exhibits monthly featuring local artists and will also have a gallery displaying a variety of fine arts, photography and sculpture.
Renfroe said he decided to purchase the building because he was tired of seeing the large vacant building in the center of Delhi’s business district.
"Almost every night I have dinner at the Olde Caledonia Restaurant, and it bothered me to see that huge important building just sitting there," he said.
Renfroe said the building will be restored, as much as possible, to its original state.
He said Liddle is also finding some unexpected treasures inside.
"Lee said he found two bowls in the ceiling and some other bits and pieces he is saving for me," Renfroe said.
Renfroe said he has always loved antiques and has already been searching for merchandise for his new undertaking.
"Delhi needed a boost, and I am having the time of my life," he said.
Hansen-McCarthy said the Art & Antique Center will open in October. She added that the Curiosity Shoppe will also remain in business.
