- 1884 - George H Wilson Sr of South Boston was successful in the trucking business, and purchased the 1/8th acre lot in the nortwest corner of Central Square from Edwin K Parkhurst on April 12 (deed 166/24). This had been the site of a store since Revolutionary times.
- The builder was local carpenter Charles E Parkhurst. He used timber, according to tradition, harvested from the bed of Leach’s Pond (now Freeman Lake) which had accidentally drained in 1709 and was refilled around 1824. A cntemporary news item stated: "The building now in process of erection in the centre of the village is about 70 by 64 feet, three stories high, with french roof, and for a country place is certainly quite and imposing structure."
- The upper two floors in the building were used as a hotel with Timothy Adams as the first proprietor. The basement, made of brick, was to be occupied by a shoe store, meat market and general store. In August, E S Hosmer took over operation of the meat market and a barber shop was established in December. A livery stable was built on the west side about four months after the main building was completed.
- 1886 - Ernest P Nettel of Lowell opened a variety store in the section of the basement to the right of the central stairway providing fancy goods, stationary, and confectionary. His wife Flora ran this variety store while Ernest managed their variety store in Lowell.
- George H Wilson was appointed postmaster on March 30. His post office was located in Nettel's variety store using equipment he purchased from previous postmaster, George A Parkhurst, whose office was across the street in S Waldo Parkhurst's Store. Patrons could keep their same post office boxes as they were all part of the purchase.
- E S Hosmer's former assistant Ervin W Sweetser bought out his meat and provision store, keeping Frank Emerson on as the clerk. Frank's brother, photographer Arthur I Emerson, was responsible for the vintage glass negatives colorized and presented here.
- In the image below, the buildings from left to right are: 24 Central Square (above the Fairbanks hay scale), 18 Central Square, 14 Central Square, and the Wilson Hotel. The large HOTEL sign is partially obscured by tree branches, the MARKET sign indicates Ervin Sweetser's meat and provision market left of the stairway, the E Nettel sign indicates Flora Nettel's variety store, and a steam laundry agency sign is just right of the tree trunk. Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.14001 was scanned at extremely high resolution for TD Bank and colorized by Color Reflections Incorporated of Philadelphia to cover an entire wall in their Drum Hill branch.
Central Square circa 1886 (Historical Society collection) colorized by Color Reflections, Inc
- 1887 - Walter S Simons, credited with renaming the hotel "Central House," took over as hotel operator this year. He was also the proprietor of the Summit House which he built on top of Robins Hill, and during the summer months ran a 14 passenger horse-drawn covered “barge” up to the summit. As an alternative to a liquor saloon at Central House, his wife Rachel ran an ice cream parlor for patrons, and also hosted dinner parties for groups arriving by train, trolley, or horse barge.
- George Wilson’s wife Lizzie died on November 4 in South Boston at age 44 after battling cancer for a year, leaving George and two sons.
- In the Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.16009 below, George Wilson is standing in front of the windmill tower with Willis Santamour in front of the black horse. There is a hammock on the porch and a doctor's office entrance to its right. The open shed wall on the right of the carriage house was used as a billboard for many years, no doubt because Walter Simons was also an official bill poster and mercantile advertiser for Middlesex County, according to directories.
Central House circa 1887 (Historical Society collection) colorized by FM
- 1888 - George H Wilson Sr sold Central House to himself and his two sons George H Jr and Frederic N Wilson, both living in Somerville, MA, on December 22 (deed 202/502).
- Three days later, on December 25, George Sr married Octavia S Spare, a widow from East Boston. Ironically, Octavia's maiden name was Octavia Sweetser, same as Octavia Sweetser, wife of Ervin Sweetser.
- 1889 - Walter Simons’ 22-year-old son Walter Jr obtained permission along with two friends to fire off a celebratory cannon salute on the Common at noon on July 3. On loading the old cannon for the third time, the hot barrel ignited the charge prematurely and the wooden rammer was driven into Walter’s head, killing him instantly and injuring the other two boys. This incident cast a feeling of gloom throughout Chelmsford as the news spread.
- 1890 - George H Wilson's appointment as postmaster ended on January 26, and the post office moved back across the street to Parkhurst's Store with S Waldo Parkhurst as postmaster. Walter Simons lease on the hotel expired in March.
- Ernest P Nettel, now out of a job as assistant postmaster and in the process of closing out his variety store, took over operation of Central House hotel in March. This apparently didn't work out, as Mr Wilson shut down the hotel business on August 8. He then used Central House as his home and office, managed the stables, and later added automobile service for passengers and trucking.
- Making a sad situation worse, the Nettel's property was auctioned off on August 15, Flora Nettel lost a male baby on September 25, and Ernest and Flora moved to Leominster on October 31.
- 1891 - Arthrur F Brown, who established a drug store in the former space occupied by the Nettels, closed his store on September 4 and left town. Registered Pharmacist William H Hills opened a family drug store on October 21 in the space vacated by Arthur Brown.
- 1893 - Druggist William H Hills was appointed postmaster on August 1st this year, and established the post office in his Central House drug store.
- 1897 - William Hills term as postmaster ended on August 5 this year, and Ralph W Emerson took over as postmaster down the street at 18 Central Square. Town Treasurer Ervin Sweetser carried "all goods usually found in a first-class market." Doctor Edward H Chamberlin was the physician practicing in Central House, Hgalmer O Karlson ran a shoe repair shop and Sarah E Phillips was a dressmaker. George Wilson advertised "Central Hotel" with a dining room, as well as his stable with "Livery, Boarding, and Baiting" services.
- 1900 - On September 13 a violent gale passing through town overturned the wooden windmill at Central House.
- 1901 - In the image below, ten carriages await rental by customers or use by owners. The windmill blown down by the September gale was replaced by this Aermotor windmill with a metal tower. This is the first appearance of a deck extending outward from the front porch in between the two stairways. This allowed residents a better view of downtown, but had the disadvantage that it was exposed to the weather, and was removed sometime after 1920. A New York, New Haven & Hartford gondola full of material was shunted onto the siding.
Central House circa 1901 (Marilyn Green Day collection) colorized by FM
- 1902 - Walter D Falls and Joseph Burkenshaw had taken over the William Hills drugstore location as the Falls & Burkinshaw drugstore. Ice cream could be purchased by the pint, quart, or gallon. In Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.2015 below, the buildings from left to right are: 18 Central Square, 14 Central Square, Central House, and the railroad freight house. George Wilson is standing on the deck extension between the staircases with his second wife Octavia by his side.
Central House circa 1902 (Historical Society collection) colorized by FM
- In Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.2012 below, the Odd Fellows Hall is at left and the new Aermotor windmill is on the right of the main building. The billboard wall on the right has a large Barnum and Bailey Circus poster partly covered over with four smaller posters.
Central House circa 1902 (Historical Society collection) colorized by FM
- 1903 - When telephones first came to town, Ervin Sweetser had a connection installed between his Central House market and home on Chelmsford Street. These earliest phones were purchased from a company in Boston, ran on two dry cell batteries, and had a hand crank generator for ringing. A local man was hired to string wires on trees, buildings, and poles (if available) and maintenance costs were covered by an informal subscription plan. Everyone was on one circuit at the beginning so when one rang, all rang.
- 1911 - A hard gale blew down one of the chimneys into the back yard, damaging the slate roof on the way down.
- 1913 - With the public water supply now making the windmill unnecessary, Mr Wilson used the space to add a garage to the stables in anticipation of the arrival of a Cadillac touring car, and the next year he added a Ford runabout.
- 1915 - The image below shows the garage with the Cadilac touring car in the former windmill location, the Ford runabout, a railroad maintenance vehicle, a race car, and two other vehicles. The three signs above the carriage house doors read: "Central Sq Garage Auto Livery, Express and Service Station," "That good Gulf gasoline," and "Willys Knight Overland Parts and Service." George Wilson had telephone service installed in 1914, and the telephone pole can be seen below.
Central House circa 1915 (Linda Prescott collection) colorized by FM
- 1916 - Edward J Robbins and Herbert E Ellis purchased Central House from George H Wilson Sr of Chelmsford, George H Wilson Jr of Wayne PA, and Frederic N Wilson of New York, NY on March 24 (deed 552/147). George Sr and his wife Octavia retired to Malden on April 5 to be closer to family. G Garland Byam and later Charles O Robbins took over management of the auto livery and express business in the Central House stables.
- The hall and stairway to the second floor, located in the center of the basement, were removed this year to make more space for the market. Also, a window on the floor above was converted to an entry door with a balcony connecting to an outside stairway on the left rear of the building.
- 1919 - In the image below, the basement level contained Ervin Sweetser’s Market with his son Hosmer as a clerk, Walter D Falls Fanily Drug Store (formerly Falls & Burkinshaw), and Sam Wong's Chinese Laundry. There were three tenants in the floors above, and Hattie Chamberlain was a dressmaker. The new exit door and balcony can be clearly seen above the automobiles on the left end of the building.
Walter D Falls Drugstore circa 1919 (Linda Prescott collection) colorized by FM
- 1923 - Vaseleke J Vlahos of Lowell purchased the Wilson Block from Edward Robbins and Herbert Ellis on October 11 (deed 693/206). Mrs Vlahos significantly remodeled the interior of the building, and it became locally known as the Vlahos Block.
- 1931 - Roger Boyd opened the Chelmsford Centre Chevrolet Company in the ground floor of Central House in May, with former stables in the rear serving as a garage
- 1941 - In April, the Chelmsford Newsweekly published an informative tribute to Roger Boyd. On the tenth anniversary of Chelmsford Centre Chevrolet Company in May, the company published a congratulatory message to the newspaper on the Chelmsford Newsweekly's first anniversary.
Chelmsford Newsweekly, April 24, 1941 page 1
 First Anniversary Edition of the Chelmsford Newsweekly, May 1, 1941 page 6
- 1942 - Roger Boyd relocated his Chevrolet dealership in February from Central Square to 20 Chelmsford Street "where we will be pleased to serve you in a prompt and efficient manner. Our new and more commodious quarters will be open at all times for your inspection."
- 1950 - Directories show that the Chelmsford Trading Post was operated by Raymond M Barrows and Mrs Dorothy J Barton from at least 1949 through 1957 in the former Central House stable.
The Chelmsford Trading Post, Chelmsford Newsweekly December 21, 1950 page 8
- 1955 - The Vlahos Realty Company Inc purchased Central House from Vaseleke J Vlahos on December 13 (deed 1320/19).
- 1975 - Traffic through "Chicken Corner" was a serious problem as the population of Chelmsford grew in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s and Central Square became a shortcut to avoid the overcrowded 2-lane Route 3. This study did not lead to a workable solution, but there was a nice view of Central House in the background.
Central Square Traffic Study, Chelmsford Newsweekly May 8, 1975 page 1
- 1976 - Businesses at Central House this year were: Councilman & Company Real Estate at 8 Central Square, Nicolosi's Custom Tailors and Chelmsford Barber Shop at 6 Central Square, and Edward D Flanagan Painting and Decorating at 1 Central Square.
Central House from the Fiske House in 1976 (Historical Commission collection) colorized by FM
 Railroad crossing still in place in 1976 (Historical Commission collection) colorized by FM
- 1979 - Vaseleke J Vlahos died on April 25 in Lowell at age 89.
- 1985 - Businesses at Central House this year were: Centre Travel Inc at 8 Central Square, The Grrr-Oomery Hair Stylists at 7 Central Square, Dominic Nicolosi's Custom Tailors and the Chelmsford Barber Shop at 6 Central Square, and Lucey and Stafford CPA at 1 Central Square. Kathleen O'Brien (president)and Anne-Lise Sexton worked at Centre Travel. Dominic Nicolosi of North Andover also had branches in Andover and Methuen, and barber James Gioia, also of North Andover, later operated Jim's Barber Shop in the same location. The CPA staff were Patrick J Wood, Roger A Lucey, and Brian J Stafford.
- 1986 - Vaseleke's daughter, Hope V Vlahos, purchased Central House from the Vlahos Realty Company on July 25 (deed 3610/161).
- 1987 - Bradford O Emerson purchased Central House from Hope Vlahos on December 15 (deed 4350/246).
The Chelmsford Independent, July 12, 2001 page 11, Bradford Emerson on porch, July 4th
- 2004 - The circa 1756 "Hill Jock" Parker House at 155 Boston Road was saved from destruction and moved 3.7 miles at a top speed of 1 mile per hour to the Old Chelmsford Garrison House campus. In this image it is moving up the hill by Central House with historic preservationist Dana Gray riding on top to make sure nothing gets snagged on the 25 foot high partially removed roof.
The Hill Jock House on the move, April 25, 2004 (Historical Commission collection)
 West side of Central House on September 11, 2004 (photo by FM)
- 2011 - Bradford Emerson maintained an office in the right rear section of Central House seen in the image above. Below, Brad is in his office during an interview for the Chelmsford Historical Society.
Bradford Emerson in his Central House office on August 4, 2011 (photo by FM)
- 2011- Businesses at Central House this year were: Creative Decor & Gift Shop at 8 Central Square, Nicolosi's Custom Tailors and Jim's Barber Shop at 6 Central Square, and Traveling Rhino & Friends at 1 Central Square.
Basement stores on October 12, 2011 (photo by FM)
 Jim Gioia in Jim's Barber Shop on October 12, 2011 (photos by FM)
 The Traveling Rhino at 1 Central Square on October 12, 2011 (photo by FM)
- 2014 - Chelmsford Centre Square Realty LLC purchased Central House from Bradford Emerson on January 31 (deed 27979/107).
- 2023 - The businesses at Central House this year were: Nicolosi's Custom Tailor at 8 Central Square, Santana's Barbershop 2 at 6 Central Square, and Alison Taylor Photography at 1 Central Square.
Nicolosi's Custom Tailor, now located at 8 Central Square, on April 9, 2023 (photo by FM)
 Santana's Barbershop 2 at 6 Central Square on April 9, 2023 (photos by FM)
 Alison Taylor Photography at 1 Central Square on April 9, 2023 (photo by FM)
 Central House Front Porch on April 9, 2023 (photo by FM)
REFERENCES:
- Ancestry.com, early property and business owners
- Book, "History of Chelmsford 1910-1970" Courier Corporation, Fred Merriam and Eleanor Parkhurst, 2011
- Book, "Images of America, Chelmsford Revisited" Arcadia Publishing, Fred Merriam, 2014
- Lowell Suburban Directories, Chelmsford section, Historical Society website "Library" page
- Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, as listed
- Newspaper, "Chelmsford Independent" as credited
- Newspaper, "Chelmsford Newsweekly" as credited
- Photo collection, Chelmsford Historical Commission
- Photo collection, Chelmsford Historical Society
- Photo collection, Fred Merriam, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Linda Prescott, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Marilyn Green Day, Westford
- State Inventory, Historical Commission website "Business" page, Central Square #2-9
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