Picture South Windsor - Then And Now

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — For the second straight week, we return to the 1961 edition of The Ellsworthian, the yearbook of Ellsworth High School (precursor to South Windsor High School), for the latest installment of our periodic informal series highlighting businesses from South Windsor's past.

Curtiss Pharmacy was opened in 1952 by james Curtiss Jr., a graduate of the Fordham University School of Pharmacy. The store operated at "659 Route 5 at Pleasant Valley Road," which would currently be 659 John Fitch Boulevard.

In the yearbook ad, Curtiss offered benefits such as delivery and 24-hour emergency prescription service. In the ad below, from the 1960 edition of The Ellsworthian, two phone numbers are provided, using the cool old-style letter prefixing: JA 8-2109 and JA 8-3543.

At some point, Curtiss sold the business, and eventually moved to Arizona. He passed away in 2005 at age 80.

659 John Fitch does not currently exist in South Windsor land records, but Lena's Restaurant is listed at 653, so I'm guessing the vacant lot just north of Lena's was the site of Curtiss Pharmacy. Perhaps our veteran readers can offer some insight on that.

Here is a more contemporary look at the area, courtesy of Google Maps.

Do you have a photo of an old South Windsor business which no longer exists, to which you own the rights and which we could feature in this column? Email tim.jensen@patch.com.

To register for free South Windsor breaking news alerts and more, click here.