GDHS is pleased to announce its 2025 Business Partners. Their financial support helps fund the many educational programs we offer free to the public throughout the year. We are grateful to them for sponsoring a variety of events for people of all ages, including guest speakers, local history seminars, new exhibitions, and classroom workshops and interactive museum tours for schoolchildren. Please visit their websites and Facebook pages for more information, and please support these community-minded businesses.
The Boat Shop
The Boat Shop has been a Finney family business for more than fifty years. Roy Jr. and Gretchen Finney are the present owners, and they continue the traditions established by Roy’s parents in the 1960s. “We don’t caulk and swell wooden hulls much anymore, but our philosophy of customer satisfaction, quality service, and unstinting attention to detail remain unaltered.” As the only personal watercraft dealer on Lake Wallenpaupack, they offer a range of boats and accessories. “We love boats and boating! When we are not working, you are likely to find us sailing, cruising, fishing, skiing, and wake surfing.”
Brookfield Renewables U.S.
Brookfield Renewable is a leading producer of renewable power in the U.S. In 2016 the company acquired the Hydroelectric Power Plant at Lake Wallenpaupack. Brookfield is committed to making positive economic, social and environmental impacts on local communities. To that end, Brookfield partnered with the Greene-Dreher Historical Society to design and install an outdoor interpretive sign at Ledgedale (left).
The Dime Bank, Greentown
Bernadine Lennon presents a Certificate of Appreciation to Greentown Branch Manager Alisha Peets (center) while Universal Banker Melissa Black looks on. The Historical Society honored The Dime Bank in 2024 as a Ten-Year Business Partner. It is a locally-operated bank established in 1905 with offices in nine locations in northeast Pennsylvania.
Eric Ehrhardt, Realtor
Eric Ehrhardt, a native of Paupack, joined Davis R Chant Realtors in 2017, and his Hawley office serves the Greene-Dreher area. In addition to Eric’s business background and knowledge of the community, he serves as a Palmyra Township Supervisor; member of the Board of Directors of Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District; and Chairman of the Board of the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau.
The French Manor
The French Manor is owned by the Logan family who purchased the property in 1990. Genevieve Logan Reese and Bridget Logan Weber, shown in the photo, have transformed the former Kress estate to an elegant, full-service, country inn with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. Built in 1937 as a summer retreat by Joseph and Jennie Hirshorn, it was later sold to businessman and philanthropist Samuel H. Kress who called his 900-acre estate Huckleberry Hill Farm.
Frey-Fetsock Funeral Home
The Frey-Fetsock Funeral Home in LaAnna was founded in 1868 by Lambert Frey and remained in the Frey family for nearly 150 years. John Fetsock of Scranton purchased the business in 2014 and continues to serve the local community. John stated that he and his wife, Meg Welker Fetsock, feel priveleged to be part of a business with such a long and esteemed history of service.
The Honesdale National Bank
Established in 1836, The Honesdale National Bank is the region’s oldest independent community bank. It serves northeastern Pennsylvania and New York's southern tier. PIctured are Robert Ferraro, Branch Manager, and the staff at the Hamlin office. Banking offices are also located in Honesdale, Hawley, Lackawaxen, Lakewood, Forest City, Montdale, Kingston, Eynon, and Clark’s Summit.
Keystone Propane Service, Inc.
Keystone Propane is a family-owned business operated by the son and grandson of its founder. Established in 1978, the company has grown from a small facility in Throop to become one of the largest retail and wholesale businesses in northeastern Pennsylvania. They opened a Greentown showroom twenty years ago.
McLain's Auto Service
Barry McLain opened McLain’s Auto Service in October 2023. Having purchased the former Litening Auto in Newfoundland, Barry made the necessary upgrades and received the required certifications before opening. A graduate of Lincoln Tech, Barry has extensive training and experience in automotive diagnostics and repair, with additional certifications from BMW, Nissan, Mazda, and Chevrolet, among others. He has worked in the field for more than 25 years managing the service departments at Halterman’s Toyota, Hesser’s Chevrolet, and Electric City Kia. Since opening, Barry has hired two part-time mechanics and said that “business has been steady.”
Olsommer-Clarke Insurance Group
This second generation family-owned business was founded in 1972 by Donald E. Olsommer Sr. and is currently owned by his sons, Jeffrey Olsommer and Donald Olsommer Jr. (shown here with GDHS member Bernadine Lennon), and their business partner, John Clarke. The company offers residential and commercial insurance, as well as specialty insurance for contractors, light manufacturing, hotels and motels, and tree farms. In recent years they have expanded to include offices in Moscow and Hamlin to better serve its personal and commercial insurance clients.
Palazzi Landscape Gardening
Lou Palazzi, right, of Palazzi Landscape Gardening, is an ASHS Certified Horticulturist who specializes in landscape renovation, with an emphasis on incorporating native species into the design. Many of his clients are descendants of the families first served by his grandfather more than 100 years ago. He is aided in the business by his son Richard, the fourth generation of his family to work in the business.
Roadside Bistro
Roadside Bistro is a family-owned food truck located on Main Street in Newfoundland, PA. Owner Michael Otting is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from East Stroudsburg University. He offers a well-crafted menu featuring fresh, locally-sourced items prepared on site, as well as full catering services with a custom-designed menu for off-premise events.
Spolem Deli
“We wanted to have something unique,” said proprietor Klaudia Szwedo. She and her mother Ewa Dzienisiewicz opened a grocery and delicatessen on Main Street in Newfoundland in May 2022 where they feature a variety of breads baked fresh daily and many of their favorite traditional Polish foods.
