East New Market
Property Reports
42 Main Street
Fletcher & Bramble
(Also known as the M.S. Fletcher Store, E. Holland & Co., Mary K. Willey Store, and the Pure Oil Service Station)
Several
stores have operated at the southwest corner of the Main Street and
Academy Street over
the years. The land was originally part of the
Fletcher's Folly
property. The store on the corner has been known as the Major
S. Fletcher store, Fletcher & Bramble, the E. Holland & Co., the store of Mary K.
Willey, the Pure Oil Station, and likely other names. The
structure survived the 1914 fire due to the heroic efforts of Cad
Howard. However, the store could not survive neglect and the
wrecking ball. The structure was torn down before 1970.
The 1940s Pure Oil Station photo on the right shows the structure
that appeared on the 1877 map.
This structure and another lined the Academy Street frontage of this lot. The other structure operated as a store in 1922 and possibly much longer. The second store was built about 1920 by Thomas Collins. It was also torn down before 1970.
James Cheesman (b. 1895) stated that Everett Holland ran a grocery store here. Later Harry and Nettie Oliver ran the store and lived on the second floor. Still later it was turned into a garage and run by Charlie Rickwood.
Note from Neil Frampton
In the 1920's Mary K Willey's store was located at the SW corner of the intersection. She had my father buy out her entire stock when he came to East New Market in 1932 and opened in the old Willis Hardware building. Her old store was moved back at sometime and became Rickwood's garage by 1940 on the SW corner and is now an open lot. At the time of the fire, the Willey store may have been actually owned by a Mrs. Elizabeth Smith.
Cambridge
Chronicle - 6 December 1914 - Big Conflagration at East New Market -
Only the most heroic efforts by the citizens prevented the store of E. Holland & Co. from being destroyed, as the front of the building, which is directly across the street from the Hotel Chesadel, was on fire several times, and is quite badly charred. Had it not been for Mr. L. Cad Howard, who stood upon the porch and kept a small stream of water from a force pump going on it, the store would have undoubtedly have been burned, and in doing so, Mr. Howard had the whole of one side of his face badly burned.
Cambridge Chronicle - 1915 - Another Fire at East New Market -
The heat from the fire was so intense that practically every window in the front of the store of Mrs. Mary K. Willey, which was on the corner opposite Webster & Reid's Store, was broken, and the woodwork somewhat scorched. Mrs. Willey's store occupies the lower floor of the building, while the Dorset Club occupies the second floor. The Willey store was owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Smith.