"I saw the pictures of the Simpson House, Simpson Store and Simpson Rapids in your blog. I can provide the following additional information:
The house was the Simpson Family homestead being built by James A Simpson and his wife Julia Longyear. He was a tanner who ran the Phoenix Tannery from 1843 to 1870. The tannery was located just across the stream from the homestead. The house was sold to the Guglielmetti family in 1946 and they ran a boarding house there until Route 28 was realigned in the mid 1960s and it was demolished during the reconstruction. The house was located about a half mile west of Al's Diner on Route 28 on the North side. You can still see the "wide spot" where it was.
The Simpson Store was begun by A. J. Simpson in 1878 and was in the family until it was sold in 1988 to Sue Taylor who operates the Sweet Sue restaurant. Interestingly, this building was at one time owned by Madison J. C. Woodworth of Woodland Valley. Many of the old pictures in and around Phoenicia were actually published and sold as post cards by A. J. Simpson.
I have attached several pictures that may be of further interest.
The last two are of the Simpson House, the top one shows the building shown in the Simpson Rapids photo from the front as it faced Route 28. The woman on the left is my grandmother, Clara Simpson."
- Jay
Thanks for sending us this information Jay!!
