Hopedale Business Ads – 1907 – 8
These pages were copied from the 1907-8 town directory at the Bancroft Library.
A couple of comments and observations. The name Main Street was left over from just over twenty years earlier when Hopedale was still part of Milford. At some point since the time of the ad book, it was changed to Mendon Street. (Route 16)
On the first page there’s a list of boarding houses. The only one of the “big three” that is there is the Hopedale House. It seems that in the years before about 1930 or so, anyone who had a room to spare took in a boarder or two. I think there were probably a lot more people with boarders than listed here. Evidently only a few felt that it was worth being listed with the business ads
It’s interesting to see C. F. Roper Co. listed as Freedom near Prospect. Charles Roper’s shop was on Northrop Street, pretty much directly behind his house at 50 Freedom Street. When was the Northrop Street shop built? At the time of this book, was his shop near or in his house? There’s room enough for a small shop east of the house, but I’ve never seen that there was one there. One more thing to look into.
The address for several businesses is given as P.O. block or P.O. building. Until the present building was constructed, the post office was in the town hall for many years. However, an 1870 map of Hopedale shows it where the police station is now. The building that was on that site evidently once served as the Home School of the Hopedale Community, and shortly after the end of World War I became the American Legion home. I thought the post office might still be there in 1907, but the address given for Dr. Campbell is Hopedale (Street) next to P.O. bldg. Dr. Campbell’s office and home was next to the Town Hall. Actually, his house was where the present post office is. Judging by that, it seems that at the time the directory was published, P.O. block was another name for the Town Hall.
After seeing this page, Henry Stenberg (HHS – 1958) sent the following:
Quite a list in your latest notes of Hopedale’s past. I can give you some names (but no addresses) from the New England Business Directory and Gazetteer, 1902. Many of the people you have listed are in it but I can at least give you a few names for 1902.
Clergy–Ravi Vincent (Union church) and L.G. Wilson (Unitarian) Coal and Wood-Hopedale Stable Co.
Confectionary/Fruit–W.N. Draper (your list included him for something else)
Hairdresser–H.A. Nichols
Physician–R.C. Fish as well as K Campbell that we all knew
Stable–John M. French & Son
Teacher–H.W.B. Arnold (high school, no specific subject listed)
Wheelwright–Antoine Morin
Business Ads, 1869, 1878 Business ads – 1948