Businesses in Old Sherborn

Created by Jan Burruss

Blacksmiths

One of the earliest industries set up in New England towns was the blacksmith shop. People needed forged metal tools, hinges, nails, and horse shoes. There were usually two blacksmith shops in Sherborn in the early days, one in the center of town and one in South Sherborn, near the Charles River.

James Holbrook had his blacksmith shop at 156 South Main Street. Elbridge Bickford and later Rufus Holbrook had a shop near the Memory Statue. Another was on Powder House Lane. Yet another was near the Stone House on North Main Street.

R. P. HOLBROOK,Horse Shoer & Jobber

Carriage Ironing

SHERBORN, MASS.

Steel Tools

At the “Stone House” at 55 North Main Street, Captain Partridge had a shop where steel tools were made. The high-quality steel tools made there included pitchforks, spading forks, cranberry rakes, knives, plows, and broad axes.

Carriage Shops

There were three carriage-making shops in town. One carriage shop was located in the Post Office building, at the fork of Main Street and Washington Street. This shop was located on the second floor with a steep ramp up to the rear of the building. The carriages had to be pushed up and through a huge door to the second floor shop.

Carriage ShopLeft: As Seen from Intersection of Washington

and South Main Streets Right: As Seen from Unitarian Church Steeple,

1870s

Carriage Shops

Charles Duross had a carriage shop at his home on Obed Lane.

Duross Carriage Shop on Obed Lane

Carriage Shops

At 52 Goulding Street, at the site of the gristmill, Vorestus Ware had carriage shop, wheelwright shop, and blacksmith shop. Everything needed to repair a carriage could be done right there on Goulding Street.

General Stores When people traveled on foot or by horse and wagon, Sherborn was able to support several stores at different ends of town. They were run by Mr. Sanger, Mr. Clark, Mr. or Mrs. Hawes, or the Jacksons. A little Post Office distributed mail and the daily newspapers. All types of necessary hardware, cloth, and food supplies were available. There was even candy for the children lucky enough to make the trip to the store with their parents.

Clark’s Store

Paint Making

Most of Sherborn's homes were built of wood, and gallons of paint were needed to preserve the wood. Many men in Sherborn earned their livings as painters. A paint shop was run by James C. Salisbury. It was located in the parking lot near the Memory Statue on North Main Street. Mr. Salisbury’s first building was a converted schoolhouse where the Community Center now stands. The materials used to make paint burn easily, and that first building burned down.

Mr. Shaw had another paint-making factory in the building that used to house the Dowse Shoe Manufactory, but that building burned, as well. Another paint shop was located on Zions Lane in an old schoolhouse that had been moved there.

Fire at in Paint Shop/Former Shoe Factory at Dowse’s Corner, 1907

Coffin Maker

At 54 North Main Street, across the street from the Stone House, a carpenter named Amasa Green lived. He was known for making six-sided wooden coffins in the exact sizes needed. His shop was in his basement. Mr. Green is buried in the Plain Burial Ground on North Main Street.

Commercial Cannery

Home canning to preserve food was done in most Sherborn homes. There was stiff competition at the Grange Fair to see whose apple jelly or red pickled beets were the best. One man, James Salisbury, made a commercial enterprise out of this household activity. In addition to his paint shop and blacksmith shop near the Memory Statue, Mr. Salisbury added a commercial canning industry. For a short time, this business preserved and canned tomatoes.

Watch Repair

Sherborn had watch repairmen, as did other small towns. Emerson Holden of Maple Street had many customers from Sherborn and the surrounding towns. He was also the skipper of the Atlanta, which was the passenger steamboat on Farm Lake.

~~~~ DONT ~~~~Pay * Fancy * Prices.

Watches Cleaned and OiledIN THE BEST MANNER POSSIBLE FOR

---- 75 CENTS ----NEW MAIN SPRINGS

-- 75 CENTS -- Other work at low prices and

WARRANTD BYJ. E. HOLDEN, 999 Main St.

Sherborn, Mass.

Steamer Atlanta, Clovernook Grove,

Farm Lake

Indian Head Quarry

As you drive along Coolidge Street, have you looked at the rugged, tall cliffs that rise up all the way to the top of Peter’s Hill? These cliffs aren’t natural! They were blasted using dynamite!

The cliffs hold syenite, which is an igneous rock sort of like granite. For many years in the 19th century, people thought this huge cliff of syenite might be valuable. One way syenite is used is crushed underneath roadways. There was even a railroad right across the street to transport the rocks. But, how could the people get these valuable rocks out of the cliffs?

Indian Head Quarry

The answer was to blast the rocks out of the cliff using dynamite! The idea of using dynamite caused quite some difficulty in town. For years people discussed and argued about it. Some people in Sherborn thought the quarry was a good idea because it could make money for the town and provide jobs. Other people were worried that using dynamite might cause earthquakes and that the land near the quarry would be worth less money if blasting occurred nearby. Still others feared the state of Massachusetts might just take the rock to use in building highways. What should the town do?

Indian Head Quarry

Finally, in 1924, the structures were built by the cliffs so that dynamite could be used to extract the rock. Unfortunately, the quarry only had the chance to mine a few feet of rock off the cliffs before the business closed and left town. The biggest industry in town since the Dowse shoe factory was no more.