The building to the left of the picture is Hooper and Clark, the towns general store. This store was opened in 1775, replacing a smaller one on the site and ran until the 1920’s.
We came across some ledgers of the store and were amazed to see the record of items sold to patrons. They had supplies of everything from ribbons and peanut butter to iron bars from the local ironworks.
It was also a bank before the day of the Bridgewater Savings Bank. They actually made loans from the store, as it was connected with the financial resources of the ironworks.
It also served as the stage coach stop, so it was the source of information or news from outside the town before the days of newspapers.
Another interesting fact is that December 25th was a regular business day for these workers and there was no celebration of the Christmas holidays until the late 1800’s.
~Respectfully Submitted ~David Moore
