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14-born on Putnam Ave., Chelmsford,1898 20-went to school on North Road 24-hated school 32-remembers teacher, Eliza Spaulding 34-while in school, gathered around Center at night with a group of friends, smoking a nickel pack of cigarettes 55-walked to school from Putnam Ave, approximately one mile 61-there was always school, regardless of weather 63-streets were not plowed but were "broken out" with horses and soil plows 82-father was an iron moulder at City Iron Foundry 87-traveled to work by electric car 94-cars ran every half hour 98-autos began appearing around 1910-1915, only people with money could afford them 103-Henry didn't go into Lowell often 107-but he did go occasionally, to bowl or to the movies 114-"didn't do much of anything," we hung around the park in the Center until about eleven or twelve o'clock at night and just talked 123-there was a group of about ten or twelve 125-"we didn't do anything out of the way..." 133-there was a new taxi service in Town / occasionally rode to Lowell with a group to go to a lunch cart,cost .25¢ 148-years around 1914-1915 151-Chelmsford Center was rather quiet after 7PM 153-there was a drug store where the present barber shop is; that stayed open until nine or ten 159-owned by Dr. Falls from Lowell 178-soda fountain 183-there was a Grocery Store in the Odd Fellows Building, built in 1898, Adams Grocery Store 195-Henry was always around helping Mr. Adams 211-worked for Eben Adams until 1923 215-then E.E. Gray Company, a chain store came into Town 222-worked briefly for S.W. Parkhurst on the Corner where the bookstore is today (junction of 110 and Billerica Street) 230-WWI worked at International Steel, making brass shells this was in North Chelmsford on the Lowell-Chelmsford line 236-then worked at Chelmsford Ginger Ale 241-went back to work for Adams until 1923 243-E.E. Gray bought out Parkhurst 251-needed manager, Eriksen applied and got the job 257-stayed there until 1969 260-in the early thirties Gray sold out to Gray United Stores, which then sold to Economy Stores,which is Stop and Shop today 265-Stop and Shop started in Boston as Rabonovich Creamery 270-1941, Eriksen bought store from Economy 276-Town Meetings used to be held upstairs over the store, It was known as Central Hall (this was before the Town Hall was built) 281-Town Hall built around 1880 285-Parkhurst Print Shop was upstairs over Eriksen's Store 306-Eriksen moved to 21 Chelmsford in 1948 319-Grocery business in the 1920's was much different from today "much better then" 334-comparative prices 347-people used to charge their groceries 340-a lot of money was lost,but "if you did business enough you could afford to lose some" 370-flour was altogether different 374-always bought in a barrel 378-people made their own bread 383-flour was sold in 25 pound bags 391-everything had to be paokaged, coffee, tea, beans, sugar etc. all came in bulk and were placed in bins and tins, then had to be measured and wieghted 404-no self service 405-everything was delivered 408-man would take orders while driving a particular route daily stopping to take orders from customers 414-returned to store around noon 416 -delivered in afternoon 419 -often accepted articles of farm produce in part payment for groceries 423-eggs t berries t etc. 427-no such thing as selling milk 432-Sweetsers Market in Hotel Block where Real Estate office is now o it was the only store that sold cream 440-milk sold for 5¢ a quart from Dairy Farms 455-horse drawn butcher wagons 462-Clinton the Fish Man 483-brought groceries from wholesale houses in Lowell, such as F.M.B111, Simpson Row, McKenzie on Church Street, Weisberg near Commodore 491-there were some in Lawrence also 494-meat was bought from Armor and Swift on Dutton Street 498-Market Street was lined with wholesale grocery houses 503-E.T. Adams had two Rio Trucks for good weather but in winter rented a horse 516-Eriksen drove the horse to Lowell for pickups used to tie it on a horse post on Market Street 519-E.T.Adam's home was where St Mary's Church is today 524-it was later moved to Fletcher Street 534-Center businesses, there was a house at the site of Goldens, the Post Office was next to the 5 & 10 544-Vlahos Block was a hotel, downstairs was a drugstore and Sweetsers market, and a Chinese Laundry 549-George Wilson's Hotel, stable in back; salesmen came into town by train,rented horses to carry ion their business 558-could board horses at the stable and take the electric car into town 562-stable keeper Fred Santew: lost one arm 564-story of cannon explosion on the Common 1889 569-Mr Santem worked with a hook,but he could do anything 576-story of the accident 580-Fourth of July,the cannon which caused the accident was scrapped during WWII 586-12:30, three men firing cannon, Simons, Thirston and Santem, loaded canon with ramrod 592-fired once, loaded again, someone should have held a thumb over fuse, but it was too hot and one of the men pulled his thumb away, Santem was ramroding the powder, the canon fired and one man was killed 601-Ralph Adams, E.T.'s son remembered the accident. At the time he was living at the Old Mill House, near the saw mill 610-one of the men ran to Adam's house for help 614-from there they went to 21 Chelmsford Street, Dr. Amos Howard's house (a son of Dr. Levi Howard) 621-speaking of another accident, Eriksen's brother was killed by lightning in 1906 while picking strawberries 639-Walter Perham was the undertaker, charged $33.50 for the casket, embalming and burial 644-in those days corpses were waked in private homes 649-neighbors brought flowers, and there was a wreath on the door 661-Eriksen has a picture of his home taken in 1880, given by Dr. Levi Howard. It showed a small buggy, a horse and buggy always ready to go 678-businesses in the center 680-1941 corner store became Eriksens, had previously been SS Parkhurst, then SW Parkhurst, EE Gray SIDE TWO 10-blacksmith shop 14-always busy, horses required much work 18-in winter, horses shoes might have to be sharpened every week 31-blacksmiths, George Wright, Santimore 47-the Ark, a house on the Corner of Acton Road (Ruby Emery Tape refers to it,Once a restaurant) 56-Dr Harris,horse doctor,office at the site of Care Cleaners 63-Martha Dadmun owned the house in the Center which is now medical offices (across from Mill House) 73-Purity and Marshalls area once a meadow 79-there was a bakery in the further end of the Odd Fellows Block 102-next door to 21 Chelmsford Street was a tailor Shop operated by Roy Parkhurst "it was quite a business" 117-Lottie Adams and the Adams Library 129-Eriksen remembers buying Waters' History of Chelmsford for three dollars 154-delivered groceries to Town Farm, it was a "good place" 161-remembers Old Martha (this recollection occurs also to Liza and Leslie Hannaford) 168-six to ten inmates 170-remembers delivering a lot of plug tobacco 177-didn't sell cigarettes 184-men worked around the barn, and the women helped out inside 197-Martha was about 65 or more 216-knows little of North Chelmsford, never went there 239-knew the Stewarts who lived at the corner of Newfield St and Groton Road 254-Moulder's Iron Factory was on Middlesex St., near the Lowell line 272-recreation as a youth, sledding and skiing 279-double runner, low sled, round runners, it was fast 287-runners were sharpened by use 293-started from the top of Bartlett Hill, 8 to 12 people on one sled 298-steered with rope 302-rode down Bartlett St., into square, up around the circle, or over the hill onto Chelmsford Street 309-had to plan around electric car schedule 316-the two houses on Adams Street, just before the Library coming from the Center were owned by Paul Dutton, a part time reporter for Courier Citizen, also worked part time at Parkhurst's store 322-esarned ten cents an inch for news reporting 323-Lowell Courier Citizen was a good newspaper; the Lowell Sun "isn't worth a damn"; Courier carried all the news from surrounding towns 332-Dutton didn't like people sliding by his house so he dumped ashes from his coal burner all over the street but the kids covered the ashes over with more snow 340-skiing on Robins Hill, down High Street 352-no fancy equipment, just a strap across the toe 357-on Sundays there were 50 to 100 people at Robins Hill 361-skating on Mill Pond 367-ran off into Beaver Brook 372-should have cleaned it out and replaced the dam during WPA Days 375-large crowds skated there 384-kerosene lamps, was all the light there was in one room 391-no central heat; warmth was provided by stoves; a cook stove in the kitchen, a stove in the dining room and one in the kitchen 395-no heat in the bedroom, "You'd grab all your clothes in the morning and run down by the stove to get dressed" 398-had to pump water by hand 399-all washing was done by hand 403-"didn't know any different" 408-no police in town,only a constable" but if you wanted him, you'd have to wait about a week begore they found him." 444-Chelmsford Ginger Ale, C.G. Armstrong started the business around 1900 making Ginger Beer there was a large fire in 1912 452-rebuilt and began manufacturing Chelmsford Ginger Ale 455-"Armstrong was a good man"; he was in part responsible for getting Chelmsford Water Dustrict through 458-Wilson Waters lived on the corner of Billerica St.and Chelmsford St., across from the Bookstore 461-Armstrong lived just beyond the Episcopal Church 463-Sidewalk between Water's House and the Church was very muddy so Armstrong put in a cement sidewalk for the minister 468-Armstrong was a "good man for the Town", sold out his business to Canada Dry during the 1930's 472-Armstrong was from New Brunswick originally; he always hired local people 480-Depression,WPA I there were lots of projects, workers earned between 15 and 20 dollirs a week 490-PDR was pretty well liked 494-Chelmsford was a Republican town,a good town 499-Jim Dunnigan from North was a Selectman as was Eben Adams 505-difference between Selectmen of earlier years and those of today 507-"These old Yankees were good people" 510-Eben Adams, Selectman,answered citizen complaints personally 528-Chelmsford Ginger Ale drew water from springs on Robin Hill End of interview |
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