J. B. Mance Drugs
Liberty, Sullivan County
This ghost sign advertises the long-gone J.B. Mance Pharmacy in the village of Liberty. The Mance Pharmacy, owned and operated by James B. Mance (1882-1941), was one of many pharmacies in the village of Liberty from yesteryear. Others included Jafnel’s, Thompson’s, Shiller’s, Rexall, Liberty Pharmacy and Stickles.
The original Mance drug store was one of fourteen buildings destroyed by a devastating 1913 fire in Liberty. Other businesses destroyed included the Baptist church, the movie theater, grocery store, dry goods store and several residences. After the fire, it was reported in the local newspaper that “James Mance, the popular Liberty druggist, has purchased of the H.J. Sarles Co., the two-story brick building on Main Street and will move his drug business into one of the two stores in the building. Mr. Mance suffered a severe loss during the recent fire at Liberty.” (“Liberty Druggist Buys Store.” Hancock Herald. Hancock, NY. 1913.)
James B. Mance was born in Bruynswick, New York on August 8, 1882. He moved to Liberty in 1905 and resided there for the remainder of his life. In 1910 Mance purchased the Liberty drug store where he worked, previously owned by W. F. Hasbrouck. In 1922 Mance was elected village president and also served on the board of education. He was an active member of the community, being a member of the Lions, Odd Fellows, Elks, Presbyterian church as well as the local Masonic Lodge, where he served as the Deputy Grand Master for the Delaware and Sullivan Counties District.
In 1909 Mance married Sarah Stewart (1880-1917), a Parksville native. Sarah served as chair of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party. She died on October 15, 1917 from acute bright’s disease. In 1937 Mance remarried to Helen Vandemark of Middletown. Mance died in 1941 of a stroke at his home on Clements Road. Both James and Sarah are buried at the Liberty Cemetery in Liberty, New York.
