The Patterson Bottling Works was established by George J. Pfahl. Pfahl worked for many years in the Pendleton & Townsend Sash and Blind Factory, and then operated a grocery store on Railroad Avenue (Front Street). After selling the store, Pfahl started the manufacture of soda water, which he sold and delivered from a simple soda truck, much as other local merchants like Peter O'Hara Meats operated from wagons or trucks. The soda factory was located in the barn behind the Pfahl residence, which was located on South Street near First Street. The business eventually operated from a store on Main Street (NYS Route 311) at the corner of Locust Street. The building was owned by Barbara Gaydos, whose tavern was in a separate building on the same lot. The Patterson Town Hall was also nearby. Ill health forced Pfahl to sell the business, and George Pfahl died on May 19, 1926 at the age of 51 after a three year battle with cancer. The Bottling Works was later owned by Mrs. Gaydos' husband, Vincent, and also employed their son, who escaped death in July, 1928, when the car in which he was riding was struck by a passing New York Central train in Patterson.

An early morning fire in December, 1942, was discovered in the rear of the building, and it destroyed the interior of the Bottling Works. The Patterson Fire Dept. responded quickly, and received assistance from the Pawling Fire Dept. The business was able to rebuild and reopen.

Vincent Gaydos would later run the business, which evolved into a soda and beer distributorship known as Patterson Beer Distributors, Inc., with retail customers in Putnam and Dutchess Counties. At its peak in the early-1950s, the company operated six delivery trucks and two tractor-trailer trucks. In the 1950s, Nicholas J. Pelosa was manager of the business. He died in April, 1958 after a short illness at the age of 51. He was a 25 year Patterson resident.

Vincent Gaydos owned the Patterson Beer Distributorship until his death on January 15, 1965. He was 75 years old. Gaydos was born in Austria on April 5, 1889. He was married to Barbara Yusko Gaydos, also a native of Austria, and the couple had two daughters and one son. Gaydos was a member of the Brewster Elks, a charter member of the New York State Wholesale Beer Distributors, and a trustee of the Maple Avenue Cemetery, where he was buried. He was a Patterson resident for 55 years, having moved from New York City. Mrs. Gaydos died on August 4, 1975 at the age of 84. She also owned a tavern on Main Street (NYS Route 311) for many years. After their deaths, the Beer Distributorship was run by Mr. and Mrs. Francis Gaydos, and Joseph and Dennis Gaydos. The Beer Distributorship celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1976.

The first two photos show Raymond Pfahl with the soda delivery truck, and date from approximately 1915. The Patterson Depot of the New York Central Railroad is to the right of the truck. The structure to the left is the boiler of the Sheffield Milk Plant. (Jane Cronin) The ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on April 22, 1848. This version of the Bottling Works operated from two buildings located on NYS Route 311 at Locust Street. The business distributed bottled and canned soda and beer. Both buildings still stand today, and are seen in the two photos. The truck loading dock can still be seen on Locust Street. The first Patterson Beer Distributors ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on January 24, 1952. The second appeared in the January 31, 1952 edition. The final photo is from the mid-1950s. The "Schaefer" Beer sign is visible over the Beer Distributorship entrance. Two delivery trucks can be seen on the right. The Patterson Fire Dept. is to the left.

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Gayos celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 10, 1958 at the Deer Inn, near Brewster. The celebration was a gala event including dinner and dancing. Joseph Gaydos, their grandson, provided additional entertainment with his accordion. Relatives of the couple attended along with employees of the Patterson Beer Distributors. The employees presented the Gaydos with a perpetual motion gold clock. The Gaydos married in New York City, but spent most of their married lives in Patterson. The photo from the May 15, 1958 edition of the Courier shows the Gaydos at the celebration.

The next ad appeared on December 24, 1975, and celebrates the Christmas season. Another ad from January 28, 1976, celebrates the Beer Distributor's more than 40 years of service. The ad carries the logos for the Miller and Schaefer brands of beer. The next ad, from June 30, 1976, celebrates the business' 50th anniversary, and was part of a special ad series for America's bicentennial celebration. The aerial photo shows the Beer Distributor building, but the fire department garage can also be seen to the left of it. The former Patterson Town Hall can be seen on the extreme left.

Max Grand's drug store is one of the best known of the Front Street businesses that operated in the 20th century. The store, located on Railroad Street (Front Street), began as the Patterson Drug Store, owned by George Elson. Grand had known Elson in New York City, and had attended school with Elson's son. The store re-opened as Grand's Drugs on August 1, 1936, after Towners residents Max and Evelyn Grand bought the store from George Elson. Mrs. Grand was the former Evelyn Nelson of Towners, whose father, Louis, was the Towners postmaster and station agent at the Towners Station. The Grands had one son. In 1948, Max Grand became the first president of the original Patterson Chamber of Commerce.

A pharmacist employed by Grand, Joseph Mitchell Diamond of Shenorock, suffered a fatal heart attack while working the pharmacy counter at the store in October, 1963. Another employee discovered the body and notified police. Dr. Genovese pronounced the man dead. He was 58 years old.

In March, 1966, Grand remodeled the store. Contractors Donald and Joseph White of Holmes were hired to do the work.

George Elson offered "service with a smile" in this ad from the June 1, 1934 edition of the Putnam County Courier.

The next photo shows the exterior of Max Grand's store, while the second shows the interior. Both were taken in 1962. (The Patterson Historical Society) The first ad appeared in the March 31, 1949 edition of the Putnam County Courier. The second appeared in the May 3, 1951 edition.

Evelyn Grand operated a liquor store from an extension that was built in the alleyway between the drug store and the adjoining building. A 1960 photo shows Evelyn E. Grand's store with the red awning to the right of the Drug Store. A legal notice for Grand's liquor license was published in the October 9, 1958 edition of the Courier. The Christmas ad was published in the December 22, 1966 edition of the Courier. Evelyn Grand died on December 31, 1972. She was known for her love of children and for education, and a special fund was created in her memory to benefit the Patterson Library for the purchase of books.

On November 21, 1969, after 33 years in business, the Grands sold the store to Sanford "Sandy" Blumenfeld of Putnam Lake. The store would become the Patterson Pharmacy. Blumenfeld named Patricia Covell Conway as his general manager. She had worked for Grand for four years, and had most of the responsibility for the store in the few months before the store changed owners. Blumenfeld move to Putnam Lake from New Jersey in 1964, and had also worked for Grand for a period of seven months. While Grand was on vacation for the final two months of his ownership, Blumenfeld managed the store. Blumenfeld received his degree in pharmacy from the Rutgers College of Pharmacy in New Jersey in 1957. His wife was the former Rochelle Tabachnik of Patterson. Mrs. Blumenfeld became the owner of Evelyn Grand's liquor shop next to the pharmacy. The Grands spent the winter in Florida, and moved to California the following year. By 1975, the Pharmacy had left Patterson for the village of Pawling.

The Patterson Pharmacy ad is from the December 11, 1969 edition of the Courier. The first Patterson Liquor Store ad appeared in the December 18, 1969 edition of the Courier. The second ad appeared in the January 15, 1970 edition. The next pair of ads for the Patterson Pharmacy and the Patterson Liquor Store were published in the December 8, 1971 edition of the Courier.

The Patterson Farm Service operated from the old C.A. Moline building on Front Street, just beyond the train station, adjacent to the tracks. The store sold tractors and other farm equipment, as well as appliances and hardware. Starting in 1959, the business operated as Phil-Beth's, named after the husband and wife co-owners, Philip and Elizabeth Pinckney.

The building was destroyed by fire on July 13, 1979. It was still occupied by Phil-Beths Farm Repair. The early morning blaze was reported by owner Philip Pinckney, who resided in the building with his wife in an apartment behind the office. Both were able to escape, but the building and most of the Pinckney's inventory of tractors was destroyed. The fire was fought by men from the Patterson Fire Dept., Putnam Lake, Pawling, Brewster, and New Fairfield, Connecticut. The building was not replaced, and the property today exists only as parking spaces.

The Petterson Farm Service announces the Apex Wash-A-Matic, made from "magic fiberglass", in an ad that appeared in the Putnam County Courier on November 20, 1952. The Patterson Farm Service also featured the Gibson line, according to an ad appearing in the Courier on November 27, 1952.

Phil-Beth's Front Street location is shown in the background of a 1970s photo, showing town and railroad officials inspecting the grounds around the New York Central Railroad tracks. (The Patterson Historical Society) The Judd Building is on the right. The first Phil-Beth ad, showing a NYS Route 311 location, appeared in the July 16, 1959 edition of the Putnam County Courier. In the next photo, the Pinckneys receive the Oliver Corporation's "President's Honor Circle Award" from S. W. White, Jr., a representative of the Oliver Corporation, at a gathering in Boca Raton, Florida. Oliver was a Chicago based subsidiary of the White Motor Company. It manufactured farm and industrial equipment. The photo was published in the February 11, 1965 edition of the Courier. The next photo shows the Pinckneys attending a dealer seminar sponsored by Oliver in Utica, New York, in December, 1966. Oliver officials are seated at the extreme left and extreme right. The photo appeared in the January 12, 1967 edition of the Courier. The next ad appeared in the June 16, 1971 edition of the Courier. Next, is an ad that was part of special ad series commemorating America's bicentennial. The ad notes that Phil-Beths had been in the community for over 17 years. The ad was published in the June 30, 1976 edition of the Courier. The final photo shows the remains of the old building after the July, 1979 fire. It was published in the July 18, 1979 edition of the Courier.

The Patterson Garage was a gas station and automotive repair shop located at the corner of Main Street (NYS Route 311) and Orchard Street. The business was started by Frank Yates, who sold the business to Pierre DuBarry when Yates joined the U.S. Army during the Second World War. In March, 1948, DuBarry sold the business back to Yates, who was now joined by Louis Harrison and Richard Harrison. DuBarry was leaving Patterson and moving to California. Yates was a colorful figure who would wear a suit to the garage every day, and then cover the suit with coveralls to keep the suit clean. Yates was pictured in an edition of Time Magazine in the 1960s because of an improvised snow plow he built after a major blizzard buried Patterson with deep snow. Yates constructed his plow using a Volkswagen Beetle automobile. Yates cleared the snow from the garage parking lot with his plow, pushing the snow into a tall mound. The Time Magazine photo pictured Yates in the Beetle atop a mound of snow that might have been twenty feet high. Yates also built the gas station on the Patterson/Pawling town line that is now a Getty station. He moved his Patterson Garage to that location in the early 1960s.

The building that housed the Patterson Garage still stands on Orchard Street at the corner of NYS Route 311.

The Patterson Greenhouse is a family owned nursery business that still operates in Patterson on NYS Route 311, east of the Metro North Railroad tracks. Erik R. Petersen, Sr. came to Patterson in 1937, and managed the Scarsdale Nursery. In 1943, he founded the Patterson Greenhouse after he bought the Scarsdale Nursery. He was born on February 14, 1905 in Denmark. He was educated in Denmark, and lived in Chicago and Ohio before coming to Patterson. His wife was the former Gretha Jensen. He died on December 13, 1975 at the age of 70. He was buried in the Maple Avenue Cemetery. His sons Erik, Jr. and Gregers continued the business.

The first ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on May 22, 1947. The second ad appeared in the Courier on April 22, 1948. The third ad appeared May 3, 1951.

Kart Track was a go-cart racing track that was located on NYS Route 311, adjacent to Boot Hill. It operated for a short time in the early 1960s. The area is now approximately the site of the A&P supermarket. The facility offered cart rentals and repairs. Martin Fitzgerald was manager and co-owner of the park, which operated under the name Patterson Fairgrounds, Inc.

The track was used in many Patterson fundraising events. In August, 1960, for example, the Patterson Recreation Commission sponsored a fundraiser for its local youth programs called, "Patterson Recreation Commission Day". The event drew 1,000 visitors, and raised $500 for the Commission. Featured were races for the male Town officials and a "Powder Puff Derby" for the female Town employees. Patterson Supervisor William J. Millar was declared the winner, but spectators good-naturedly reported that Patterson Game Protector William Bubenicek, Jr. had actually won the event. Also participating in the race was Road Commissioner Howard Burdick, Patterson Fire Dept. President Charles Van Keuren, Paul Dolan, Donald Mulkins, and Emil Renak. None had been on a go-cart before, and they were cheered by an enthusiastic and amused audience. A collision among Millar, Dolan, and Burdick resulted in two overturned carts. The Powder Puff Derby was won by Miss Lola Lee, whose opponents included Playground Director Natalie Townsend, Mrs. Charles Van Keuren, Mrs. Walter Rutledge, and Mrs. Paul Dolan. Patterson Greenhouses donated 1,000 flyers and Lloyd Lumber donated several tickets. Several residents helped at the concession stand and to help direct cars in the parking lot. "Firemen's Day at the Races" was held in October, 1960. Fire Chief Don Smith, future Patterson Supervisor, would race in the feature event, the Fire Chief's Race. A second "Patterson Recreation Commission Day" was held in August, 1961, patterned after the event of the previous year.

In August, 1961, Kart Track won a zoning variance from the Town to expand. Track owners planned to build a swiming pool and showers, expand the existing building, and to install lights. The Zoning Board approved the request by a narrow 3-2 vote after much discussion, during which some Board members exhibited their indecision by changing their votes. The final vote included the limitation that Wednesday night racing only be allowed if the Track were to be closed on one of the weekend days due to rain. Board members heard Track neighbors complain about the noise generated by the go-carts, which would only be made worse if night racing was added after the installation of lights. The Town Board had already received a written complaint signed by 80 area residents. The Zoning Board had received another document favoring the Track's expansion, signed by a similar number of residents. Board Chairman Ernest Holze of Putnam Lake expressed concern that the Track had exceeded the commercial zone, which extended for 500 feet from the center of Route 311, and had encroached a residentially zoned area. Holze voted against the variance, but urged the Track owners to approach the Planning Board for a rezoning of the entire property as commercial. Many speakers spoke in favor of the Track as a valuable part of Patterson's tax base. After the variance was approved, discussion was closed, and Chairman Holze told the vocal crowd that anyone opposed to the variance could appeal to the courts within 30 days if they wished.

As the controversy over the variance continued, Supervisor William Millar call a special meeting of the Town Board to discuss the issue. The meeting took place in the office of Town Clerk Junia Dykeman. The Board had been receiving protests from neighbors living in the area of the Patterson Kart Track. These complaints were reviewed, and Millar promised a report on the Board's findings would be released to the community.

In October, 1961, the matter went before Supreme Court Justice Donohoe. Legal action against the Town of Patterson was initiated by three neighbors of the Track, who challenged the zoning variance granted by the Zoning Board. Track Attorney Robert Dempsey of Peekskill asked the Court to include the Track owners in the decision, since they were an interested party.

The Kart Track was still operating in April, 1963, when Patterson Fairgrounds Inc. offered a novel solution to the problem at a Patterson Board Meeting. The property owners proposed using the 10.5 acres as a cemetery. Patterson Fairgrounds spokesman Dr. Leonard Fox told the Board that the company had invested a considerable sum of money on the property, and had the right to use the property as it saw fit to make a profit. He indicated that the cemetery would be held as a private enterprise, and had space for 14,000 graves. He indicated that Patterson Fairgrounds was proposing a cemetery in an effort to appease the adjoining residents who were complaining about the go-cart operation. Patterson Supervisor quipped, "You didn't have to go to that extreme." When the plan met with resistance from the audience, Dr. Fox offered to sell the land at the price Patterson Fairgrounds had paid for it. Max Grand spoke on behalf of the Patterson Chamber of Commerce and stated that Patterson did not need another cemetery and that the Chamber was unanimous in opposing the idea. Supervisor Millar told the Board that the State of New York Cemetery Board would have to approve the cemetery proposal before the Patterson Board could give its opinion, after which the Putnam County Board of Supervisors would give the final approval or denial. There was discussion concerning the merits of voting on the proposal before the State rendered its opinion. After an executive session, the Board voted unanimously to give provisional approval to the cemetery proposal pending the State review.

At a May, 1963 meeting of the Patterson Town Board, a resolution was passed to regulate race track operations within the Town. The resolution was a result of the complaints that were being generated by the Patterson Kart Track. The resolution required that any business involving midget auto, stock cars, go-carts, or motorcycle tracks apply to the Town for a permit to operate. The Town Board hoped the resolution would alleviate the dirt, noise, and other disturbances generated by the Kart Track and similar operations. The new ordinance required the track owner to pay a $250 permit fee and to carry liability insurance. It also regulated the hours such a business could operate, and prohibited Sunday racing.

At one time the building may have been known as the Hayt Market. Members of the Hayt family owned businesses and homes in the Patterson Village. The Patterson Meat Market was a grocery store and butcher shop owned by J. H. Schenck at the turn of the 20th century, and was located on Railroad Street (Front Street) to the left of the building that housed The Bee Hive and later the H. H. Bloch Department Store. In June, 1900, the store had a brush with disaster when a smoldering cigar caused a fire that required a required a bucket brigade to extinguish. A town fire department had not yet been established. The store was saved. In May, 1901, the store was moved back 15 feet and the front was extended to the street, doubling the size of the store. That same month Schenck had another experience with fire when his ice house was destroyed by fire. The nearby house of Charles Hoffman was saved, and Schenck was able to save half of his ice. The cause of the fire was not determined.

The business was purchased by George J. Pfahl, Sr., who also owned the Patterson Bottling Works, which manufactured soda water. The Market was a general grocery store, carrying meats, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables, beverages, and non-perishables. After Pfahl's death, the store was owned by his widow, Mrs. Mary A. Pfahl and was managed by her sons, George J. Pfahl, Jr. and Lester Pfahl. Mrs. Pfahl had been a resident of Patterson for over fifty years at the time of her death at the age of 81 on June 2, 1959. Mrs. Pfahl was born in New York City in 1878, and married George J., Sr. in 1898. She was a member of the Patterson Grange and the Patterson Presbyterian Church. Her funeral was officiated by the Rev. George Beimler at the Presbyterian Church, and she was buried in the Maple Avenue Cemetery. George J. Pfahl, Jr. was Justice of the Peace for the Town of Patterson at the time of her death. A third son, Raymond, had worked with his father in the Meat Market for many years. Raymond died on August 16, 1958, after a long illness at the age of 56. The Pfahl family owned the two buildings to the south of the Bloch building until June, 1969, when they were purchased by Thomas R. Fulling of Brewster. He renovated the buildings and moved his business, the Hamilton Insurance Agency, into one of them, where a barber shop had formerly been located. He rented the other stores and apartments.

In October, 1981 the Assessor's records show that the former Bloch/Hall Department Store building was sold to Conant Realty, owned by Gilbert and Audrey Wadle. They presumably also purchased the adjoining building. It was operated as Gil & Sons Diner.

The photos of The Bee Hive and the H. H. Bloch Department Store shown elsewhere on this webpage also show a portion of Schenck's store.

The ad for the Schenck market appeared in the Patterson Weekly News in 1901. In February, 1911, Schenck issued this receipt to the Patterson Grange for oysters and celery. Next is a c.1912 photo of the J. S. Schenck store. In August, 1915, George J. Pfahl issued this receipt to the Patterson Grange for goods used for the annual Grange Clambake.

The next photo shows the interior of the Pfahl store from a c.1914 postcard published by Patterson photographer W. C. Wood. The next photo shows the Pfahl Market in 1937, before the building was enlarged. (The Patterson Historical Society) Research completed in 1986 indicates that the building was enlarged in 1937. The next two photos date from the 1960 and show the exterior and interior of the Patterson Market, now owned by the Pfahls. (The Patterson Historical Society) The Bloch Dept. Store is to the right in both of the exterior photos. The building was demolished in the mid-1990s. The next ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on February 8, 1962. The "new management" was Lester W. Pfahl, as indicated in the ad that follows, which was published on October 18, 1962.

The final photo shows George J. Pfahl, Jr., who managed the Patterson Market and was also Justice of the Peace for the Town of Patterson starting in 1951, a position he would hold for over 20 years. He was a member of the Town Board in 1946, and for a time was deputy supervisor. He was also was a member of the Patterson School Board before the Patterson School was merged into the Carmel Central School District. Pfahl was a member of the Patterson Fire Dept., serving both as treasurer and later as assistant chief. He was married to the former Priscilla Dehart. In 1971, Pfahl was an employee of the Pawling Rubber Company. Pfahl retired from the bench in early fall, 1977. He had been a member of the Town government in one position or another for 31 years. Pfahl left Patterson after his retirement.

Gil & Sons Diner is pictured in the last photo. The photo probably dates from the 1980s. The Bloch/Hall Department Store is to the right, out of view in the photo.

The August 25, 1938 edition of The Putnam County Courier reported the amusing rumor that a nudist camp might be established somewhere in Patterson. The paper reported that finding a site for the colony might be more difficult than finding people to use the facility. Rumored sites included Bundy Hill and Pine Island, or the "Botanical Gardens" to the west of the post office.

The Patterson Shoe Repair Shop was owned by World War II veteran Rolland Bourdon. Bourdon and his family lived in Pawling, but relocated to Patterson in January 3, 1952. They rented an apartment over the shop, located in the Judd/Brunow Building on Front Street.

The ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on May 1, 1947.

The Patterson Work Bench was located on NYS Route 311 near the railroad tracks, adjacent to Lloyd Lumber. The store sold unfinished furniture. The store was destroyed in July, 1975, by a fire that also claimed the Lloyd Lumber store. In May, 1977, Patterson Work Bench owners Richard and Eileen Henke reopened their store in an old barn on NYS Route 22, just north of NYS Route 311. Prior to the Patterson Work Bench, the barn was also used as a restaurant known as the Cracker Barrel.

The first ad appeared in the November 27, 1974 edition of the Putnam County Courier. The second ad appeared February 6, 1980, after the store moved to its new location on NYS Route 22.

The Sash and Blind Factory was one of Patterson's largest factory operations, and was a manufacturer of sash, blinds, doors, moldings, and other types of custom carpentry. The factory was established in the late 19th century and the business remained in Patterson until 1920, when Pendleton & Townsend ceased operations. The last factory building was a three story frame structure supported by a concrete block foundation that was located on the south end of Front Street, located approximately where the Patterson Recreation Center is now located. The factory later housed a fur factory, and, by 1950, was a leather goods factory until the building was destroyed by fire in December, 1950. The factory was located at the south end of Front Street, near the existing Patterson Recreation Center, at Townsend Street. Some Patterson residents may remember the area as the home of the Clancy Moving and Storage offices and warehouse.

The factory installed a larger steam engine to run the machines in July, 1897. The new engine and boiler produced 25 horsepower, and was needed to meet the increasing number of orders received by the factory. A gasket on the engine ruptured in September, 1897, "making things rather lively in the engine room" until the steam could be turned off, according to news reports. The factory made news again in June, 1898, when it installed a system of exhaust fans, presumably powered by a steam engine. News accounts do not indicate the power source for the fans, but electricity had not yet made an appearance in Patterson. In August, 1901, Pendleton & Townsend opened a new building to handle its expanding business, but less than a year later, in April, 1902, a huge fire would destroy most of the factory. Pendleton & Townsend's employees lost their tools in the fire and the factory was left with $10,000 in pending orders. Pendleton & Townsend considered leaving Patterson, possibly for Williamsbridge in the Bronx, but opted to rebuild. The new building was undamaged, and operations moved into it until the factory could be rebuilt. By May, 1902, a new boiler room was being built, and new machinery was arriving. A representatives of the New York Central Railroad met with the factory's owners to plan a new switch and spur to service the factory. By June, 1902, the plant was back in operation, with only a portion of the factory running. A new boiler room was running a steam engine to provide power to the machinery in the factory. The boiler room was built from brick this time, to better guard against fire. The newly rebuilt factory would also be larger than the old one. In November, 1921, the annex of the boiler room would become the temporary home of Patterson's first fire engine.

In February, 1908, Pendleton & Townsend also went into the automobile business by becoming the Patterson dealership for the REO brand of automobiles.

The ad appeared in the Patterson Weekly News in 1901. The photograph is undated and shows men at work inside the factory. (The Patterson Historical Society) The next photo shows the exterior of the building in an undated postcard. The receipt was issued to the Patterson Grange in April, 1907.

Patterson resident Irving S. Townsend co-owned the factory. His son, Paul, worked as an accountant for his father, and was also the long time organist for the Christ Episcopal Church in Patterson. The Townsend home was located on NYS Route 311 south of the intersection with NYS Route 292. The Townsend property was placed on the auction block in July, 1951, according to the real estate ad appearing in the July 12, 1951 edition of the Putnam County Courier.

Phil's Service Station was founded in 1947 by Philip F. Buxbaum. In the summer of 1949, Buxbaum constructed two small buildings on Front Street at the corner of Center Street. Phil's Service Station occupied the larger of the two buildings; the smaller of the two buildings was occupied by the Patterson Post Office, which was moving from the Judd Building. Buxbaum expanded the business in the 1950s to include an Esso gas station and auto repair service, a car dealership, an appliance store, and a toy store, all remarkably operating from the same small building. Buxbaum's businesses continued to operate through the 1970s. In the 1970s, the larger building was remodeled when the Patterson Post Office moved from the smaller building into the larger building.

Phil's is seen in the 1960 photo from the movie "Our Town: 1960". The Patterson Post Office occupies the smaller, white building to the right. The first ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on September 20, 1951. The ad states that Phil's has become the exclusive Patterson dealer for General Electric appliances. Televisions were also carried. Television programming had only been available for a short time, and television receivers were starting to be marketed to the general public. Push button controls allowed one to cook with his fingertips with the GE range featured in the second ad, which appeared in the May 8, 1952 edition of the Courier. Appliances had become so much of Phil's business, that by the publication date of the third ad, February 26, 1953, the appliance business was operating as Phil's Appliance Center.

Phil's staged a novel 7th anniversary promotion in July, 1954. Customers were invited to register for an anniversary contest that awarded free helicopter rides to the lucky winners. Ten free rides were to be awarded. The rides took place on Saturday, July 17, 1954. The staging point for the helicopter rides was the property of Dr. and Mrs. Frank S. Lloyd on Mooney Hill Road and Putnam County Route 216 (Cushman Road) in West Patterson. Each winner received a short ride around the area, attracting much attention from area residents. The ad announcing the contest appeared in the July 8, 1954 edition of the Courier.

In 1957, Phil's added a new business, Phil's Auto Sales. Phil's sold used and new cars, both domestic and foreign. Phil's became a dealer for the British make, Rootes, and Philip Buxbaum traveled to London in 1957 with a group of New York area dealers to meet with officials of the Rootes Group. Rootes had been manufacturing automobiles for 50 years at the time of Buxbaum's trip, and marketed several models, including Hillman and Sunbeam. Phil's was also the local dealer for the domestic makes Nash and Rambler. The Nash ad ran in the Courier on May 27, 1957.

With the need for more space obvious, in April, 1958, Buxbaum opened a new store on NYS Route 22 in Pawling, located north of Penny's Corner (intersection of NYS Routes 22 and 311 in Patterson), and approximately 1.5 miles south of the Village of Pawling. Phil's Auto Sales & Appliance Center opened on April 18, with a grand opening celebration that included door prizes and special sale prices. Over 225 people attended. Buxbaum would continue to operate his auto repair business and appliance sales store from his existing location on Front Street, but concentrate his sales of automobiles at the Pawling location. Two ads from the April 17, 1958 edition of the Courier announce the grand opening in Pawling. The September 18, 1958 ad lists both the Front Street and Pawling locations of the appliance store.

Buxbaum participated in the Rootes display at the International Auto Show at the New York Coliseum in April, 1961. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Philip Buxbaum Sr. was a board member of the Carmel Central School District. In July, 1972, he was elected president of the Carmel District Board of Education.

Buxbaum eventually closed the Front Street businesses to concentrate on the automobile dealership in Pawling. Phil's Auto Sales would specialize in Chrysler and Dodge vehicles. In April, 1978, however, Philip Buxbaum, Sr. announced that he had decided to close the business and lease the three acre site to the Lloyd Lumber Company. The site would become the new home of Lloyd's Patterson and Pawling operations, which were being combined. Buxbaum's Pawling showroom had grown steadily, and had been enlarged three times. The last expansion took place in 1972, when the showroom grew to 9,000 sq. ft. The final end-of-business sale ended more than thirty years of automobile business for Buxbaum. Phil Buxbaum, Jr. was the vice president and general manager for the business, and intended to stay in the automobile business at another dealership. Philip, Sr., and his wife, Nancy, also owned a boutique in Carmel known as "Out of the Ordinary". Phil, Sr., continued to serve as a member of the corporate board of Putnam Community Hospital, and continued to be involved in scouting programs in Patterson. He had also served on the Carmel School Board for ten years, and was its president for five years.

In December, 1979, Phil Buxbaum, Sr., joined the Lloyd Lumber Company as a vice president in charge of administration. Buxbaum was in charge of the credit, collection, legal, personnel, and security departments. He was a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he earned a degree in business management. The last photo shows Philip Buxbaum, Sr., in 1980.

Buxbaum's son, Robert, pursued a different calling than his father. Robert Buxbaum graduated from Colgate University in 1956, and then attended Yale Divinity School, and served parishes in Torrington, Connecticut, Taftville, and in the Midwest, while completing his studies. He married the former Bernice Iwamoto in 1958 in a ceremony at the Patterson Presbyterian Church. On June 26, 1960, Robert Buxbaum was ordained at the Patterson Presbyterian Church. Robert and Bernice moved to Washington D. C. in the fall. Robert was the first member of the Patterson parish to be ordained in almost 100 years. Mr. and Mrs. Philip Buxbaum were residents of Cornwall Hill Road.

The Putnam Cigar Factory was one of Patterson's major employers for many years, but its employees were not native Patterson residents. The factory was established by Jacob Stahl, a German who immigrated to the United States at the age of 23. The Cigar Factory was opened in approximately 1888, and Stahl's factory soon attracted fellow Germans: either immigrants from Europe or first generation German-Americans from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Eventually Bohemians, Hungarians, Czechs, and Poles followed, joined by a few Americans. So many Europeans were working in the factory that the 1900 census became the first to record the presence of Europeans. The January 10, 1896 edition of The Putnam County Courier reported that there was talk of changing the name of Patterson to Germantown or Stahlburg. The resulting influx of workers swelled Patterson's population, creating a housing shortage. Stahl responded by building homes that he rented to his workers. Many of his workers settled in Patterson and had families. These homes still stand today in the area roughly bounded by Orchard Street, Richard Street, Locust Street, and NYS Route 311. Many of these homes still relied on outdoor wells and outhouses as recently as the 1960s. Some of the outdoor hand-pumped wells are still visible today

Many languages could be heard on the factory floor, mainly Czech and Hungarian, but most workers also spoke English. Stahl hired translators to help the workers who could not speak English or any of the other commonly spoken languages.

In August, 1896, the Cigar Factory installed a new boiler and engine, which would allow the machines to run independent of a grist mill.

The Cigar Factory did considerable business. In January, 1898, The Putnam Cigar Factory accepted an order for 60,000 cigars from a customer in California. In June, 1900, a case of 29,000 cigars was shipped to a customer in Honolulu. The March 27, 1903, edition of The Putnam County Courier reported that "Work in the Cigar Factory has increased greatly and shipments have doubled. Capacity of the factory may be enlarged to meet the growing demand." The factory had both hand and machine departments.

On March 3, 1900, the employees of the hand-made cigars went on strike for more money. Workers met for two hours in the American House, located where the present Patterson Town Hall is located on NYS Route 311 at Front Street, and voted to demand a pay increase of 50 cents per thousand cigars, either for "bunch making" or rolled. The Factory offered an increase of 25 cents per thousand. Five days later the men were back at work after the Factory agreed to split the difference between the worker's demands and its initial offer. But harmony did not last: shortly after the settlement, the Factory's remaining workers went on strike, inspired by the successful gains of the workers in the hand-made department.

Jacob Stahl's cigar brands became well-known throughout the country, and by 1900 another Stahl cigar factory was operating in New York City with his son, William Stahl, acting as foreman of the City factory. In 1903, Stahl sold the Putnam Cigar Factory and the workers homes to a group of businessman in New York City. Stahl continued to operate his New York City factory. Jacob Stahl died in February, 1905 at age 67. He had been ill for several years after suffering from a bout of pneumonia. The cause of his death was reported as congestion of the brain.

The new owners of the Putnam Cigar Factory renamed it the "Elite Cigar Factory", and continued to operate it until July 1, 1907. The plant's owners had notified workers in May, 1907, that the factory would be closed and moved to New York City. Workers were offered jobs in the new factory. At the time of the closing, the factory's payroll had been between $1,200 and $1,400 per week, and its loss had a devastating effect on the merchants and other businesses in Patterson. In January, 1908, rumors swept through Patterson speculating that a new cigar factory might open, employing many of the old workers. It would take many years before another cigar factory would open. The 1910 census indicated that few of Stahl's former workers and their families remained in Patterson.

In 1919, a small cigar making business was operating in Patterson on an experimental basis. By January, 1920, business appeared to be satisfactory, and a Spanish company in New York City, E. P. Cordero & Co., rented the old Jacob Stahl Hall building, a building housing the telephone central office, and several acres of adjoining land to be used to construct thirty or more homes for factory workers. The telephone company had a lease on its building and was to remain in the building until the expiration of the lease. The new factory was to be headed by Joseph Horack, the son of one of Jacob Stahl's cigar makers. The new factory never matched the production of the Stahl factory, or had the same influence on the Patterson community.

The first postcard view looks south on Railroad Avenue (Front Street). (Jane Cronin) The Putnam Cigar Factory can be seen between the Patterson Depot on the left and the Judd Building on the right. The second postcard shows the Putnam Cigar Factory on Railroad Avenue, probably at Lumber Street. (The Putnam County Historian) Both postcards are undated.

The third photo is of one of the work areas within the factory, and dates to the late 19th century. The equipment appears to be a rolling machine. The young girl seated at the table is Mary Zoubek, and her father, Frank Zoubek, is to her right. Child labor was not unusual in American factories of that era. The next photo is c.1907 and shows workers gathering in front of the factory at the start of a new workday.

The next two photos are of two of the hand-pumped outdoor wells that were in use in the houses Jacob Stahl built to house his workers. They are still visible today.

The final three photos show an abandoned and dilapidated factory, a sorry end to what had once been one of Patterson's most thriving and best known businesses. Windows are missing or covered with boards. The photos are undated, but may date to the 1940s based on the truck and gasoline pump. The man in the middle photo is unidentified.

The next photo shows a receipt for the rental of Jacob Stahl's Hall to the Patterson Grange in 1908. The receipt was prepared by the estate of Jacob Stahl. The receipt was written on Cigar Factory stationery and shows that the factory used the image of Gen. Putnam as a trade mark. It appears to be signed by "Wm. Stahl" as trustee for the estate. The Cigar Factory's New York City office was located at 3489 Third Avenue. The next photo shows a 1910 envelope that was used to mail a rental receipt for the Hall to A. (Albert) I. Akin and the Grange in Patterson. The return address is from Jacob Stahl Jr. Co., Inc., 1895 First Avenue, New York City. It shows the logo of the Brunswick Cigar.