USA > Rhode Island > Washington County > Lafayette, Rhode Island; a few phases of its history from the ice age to the atomic > Part 11
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has been mentioned previously. John Campbell will be mentioned later. Peter Murphy had a sizable family, but did not remain in the village long. A wooden shel- ter at the track of the Wickford Branch, at the foot of Railroad Avenue, served as a "stop-on-signal" station for trains to Wickford Junction and Wickford for several years.
John Warburton, in 1885, erected a house on the south side of the Ten Rod, just below the tenement houses. This was the scene of a genuine old-fashioned "house-warming" on its completion. It is now occupied by Alzadie (Huling) Warburton, widow of John Jr., and her sister Lillian Burdick. William Boyce and his wife and children occupied the house next east of the Warburton property. William built this house and moved down from the "flat-top" in the upper village. George Pierce and wife Bessie (Sherman) and family, now occupy the Boyce house. To the east, Byron Himes of Exeter built a house and sold it to John Gardiner who moved down from the Junction. John ran a barber shop and ice cream parlor here for some time. He sold the house to a Mr. Nutting whose son inherited it and is the present occupant, with his wife Nellie (Arnold). Next came the house built by James McCall who, with his family, moved down from the old boarding-house. His daughter Rose married John Dillon and they lived here some years. John was an enthusiastic baseball player and "fan" of his day. Madeline Champlin, a daughter of the Dillons, with her husband Leon, now own and occupy the house. Ann, another daughter of the Dillons, and present post- mistress at Lafayette, lives with her sister Mrs. Champ- lin. Rose Dillon now owns the house next east of the
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McCall house. This was formerly occupied by George Newberry and his mother. John Campbell moved with his family from one of the mill tenements to a house he built east of the former Newberry property. John and his wife had two sons, George and William, and a daughter Jennie who married Ernest Moore. Doris, a daughter of the Moores, married Philip Haggerty and the latter couple now live in the original Campbell house.
In the rear of these latter houses, Joseph Howard built a cottage near the site of the former East Lafa- yette schoolhouse. He and his wife had a son Charles, and a daughter Alice, and other children. The Howard house was reached by a short street now called How- ard Avenue. This dwelling is now occupied by Charles Chase (who married Alice Howard as a first wife), and his second wife, Helen (Tully). Helen Chase's father, Joseph Tully, lives in a house opposite the original home.
Next east on the Ten Rod is the modern home of William Campbell. Following that, across Potter Ave- nue, and facing the Ten Rod on the south, is a house built by "Mack" Potter, now occupied by Melvin Sherman and wife. Adjoining it is a house built by "Mack's" brother "Lan." Then come a house and barn built by Clarke Gardiner, teamer, who, with his wife Delia (Northup) lived here many years. They had a son Stephen who ran a meat cart and for a time operated a small store on the front of the same lot.
Going back along the Ten Rod, and to the east of the Franklin farm, was quite a stretch of land reaching to the "Rocky Swamp" of "Florida." Jarvis G. Himes, carpenter, bought several acres here, in back from
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the road. In a trimmed-out grove of oak trees, he built a French-roof house with ell. He and his wife Sarah (Bray) were faithful members of the Advent Christian Church from the days of the "Hornbeam." They had a daughter Cora who married John Sherman, and a daughter Grace who married Lorenzo Miner, brother of Jared. Before his death, Jarvis built another house in the rear, which he rented. Levador Browning ac- quired the property following Jarvis' death, and Joseph Roy (or King), a mason and all-round mechanic, lived there a while with his wife. They had one son and two or three grandchildren. The Ten Rod frontage of this Himes property has recently been developed. Deep in the woods in back of the Himes place, was a cluster of houses occupied by colored people. It was reached by a path running across lots and through the woods, from just east of the Vale of Pero to Talbot's Corner on the Post Road. This path was used by foot travelers for years as a short cut to Wickford. All the buildings of the Negro colony were destroyed by fire years ago.
Early builders on the Ten Rod frontage below the Himes property were Alfred Gardiner, whose house now has two ells. He had two sons, John and Thomas. The latter, with his wife, a daughter of John Sunder- land, occupied the property after his father's death. Later, Louis and Harry Gardiner, sons of Massena, lived there. Benjamin Gardiner built farther along. He was a stone mason. Some of his work, such as foundations, embankments, and walls, is still noticeable in the community. He had two sons, Charles and Alex- ander, and a daughter Hattie. The latter lived here a long time. Next to the Benjamin Gardiner home was the house of Thomas Sherman, a brother of William
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LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
C. He had a daughter Almira who married "Lan" Potter.
Last on this north side stretch of the Ten Rod was the house of John Sherman, brother of Thomas. He was a carpenter. He married Cora Himes, daughter of Jarvis, as a first wife. She died young. His second wife's maiden name was Dawley. He had a son Arthur, who was a prominent jeweler in Providence. He also had a daughter Bessie, who married George Pierce, and another daughter Cora Belle. This house and the Clarke Gardiner property across the road marked the limits of East Lafayette in the 80's. Farther down the Ten Rod from here, there was quite a stretch of dense woods which lined the highway on both sides. Going toward Wickford, the old Tourgee house on the north side, and the Dean settlement on the south side, were the only dwellings until Collation Corners were reached. All this stretch was then considered to be in the West Wickford zone.
The name "Florida" given to the' extreme easterly end of Lafayette, according to tradition, was the re- sult of John Sherman's oft-repeated intention of going to that State which was beginning to develop as a winter resort and the growing of oranges. To the sur- prise of his friends, from whom he had kept the secret, he married, bought land, built a comfortable home, and the trip to the Land of Flowers was heard of no more, except in the reminding name which was play- fully applied to the locality of his new home.
Thus ends the stroll, in memory, through Lafayette's Main Street. In today's actuality, many houses have been added and many new families have grown up or have settled here. This article, with possible faults,
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STORES, SHOPS, AND PEDDLERS
errors and unintentional omissions, has aimed to illus- trate the lines of Phoebe Cary:
"O years, gone down into the past, What pleasant memories come to me Of your untroubled days of peace, And hours almost of ecstasy."
19.
1
Stores, Shops, and Peddlers
STOREKEEPING WAS A rare and far-off occupa- tion for Lafayette's early settlers. Roger Williams and Richard Smith had their trading posts at Cocumcussoc, largely devoted to barter with the Indians at first. In time, East Greenwich, Quidnesset, Warwick, Wick- ford, and South Kingstown had adventurous tradesmen who increased their stocks from Providence and New- port markets where the port shipping brought in many supplies from abroad. As Roger Williams said in 1643, "There is not a sorry Hoe, Hatchet, Knife nor a rag of cloth in all America, but what comes over the dreadful Atlantic Ocean." Yet for the small purchaser of such articles, the city markets were available only by an arduous journey by land or water, so he resorted to the nearest trading post or store.
As the settlers, particularly those around Newport and in the Narragansett country, began to produce a surplus above their own needs in such things as cheese, butter, grain, beef, pork, and other farm products, in-
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cluding horses, such surplus was traded for the scant but sorely needed household supplies which the trad- ing posts had. In turn, the trading posts exported this surplus to England or the West Indies, from which places such articles as sugar, tools, guns, cloths, thread, and a great variety of other wares were received.
Around early 1700, it was possible to buy in War- wick such commodities as flour, sugar, molasses, choco- late, salt, coffee, rum, woolen and cotton cloth, Irish linens, nails, scythes, shears, gunpowder, shot, leather goods, tinware, etc. Still later, Wickford stores dealt in similar and expanded lines, which by 1800, had reached a limited variety of the stock of modern es- tablishments. Account books that have been preserved give an idea of the odd variety of goods ... crackers and biscuits, gin, loaves of bread, bitters, salt fish, rum, rock candy, brandy, brooms, Madeira wine, iron shovels, spices, lemons, shoes, hats, axes, grindstones, emery wheels, patent medicines, and so on.
There is evidence that a store was established at Collation Corners in the early 1800's, but it was in the middle of the century when Robert Rodman opened a general store at Lafayette, in connection with his mill. His son Charles later acted as manager for five years. In 1870, the store was taken over by Ambrose C. Taylor, youngest brother of Mrs. Robert Rodman. Its location was in the building across the driveway from the present mill office. Mr. Taylor and his wife occupied the living quarters on the second floor.
Ambrose Taylor was a model storekeeper of his day. Everything was always shipshape with his shelves and counters. His honorable dealings with both high and lowly brought him a widespread clientele from all
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the countryside. While his stock was characteristic of the country store of the times, he gladly supplied any article or material needed, and not in stock, by weekly trips to Providence every Tuesday. In 1873, he was appointed Postmaster at Lafayette and that conven- ience brought many people to his store. He employed a boy to fetch and carry the mail pouch between the postoffice and the two trains a day that operated a mail-car. One of these boys, now living, remembers the sort of civil service test he had to go through to assure the postmaster that the candidate could read pouch tags &c., and had a good reputation for honesty and reliability. Mr. Taylor was prominent in the local church, was superintendent of the Sunday School, and entertained the occasional visiting preachers.
Just outside the front of the store, on either side of the entrance, were two low, long plank seats which attracted gatherings of the men of the neighborhood on open-season evenings. In the cold weather, a big high stove in the center of the store was encircled by evening gatherings of the elder men who discussed the news of the day, sometimes rivalling the heat of the stove in informal discussions of politics, religion, taxes, and kindred breeders of argument.
The prosperity of the store required the services of two or three clerks. George T. Cranston was em- ployed here prior to opening a store of his own. Wil- liam Himes, of Swamptown, was another clerk. He moved over to East Lafayette where he was one of the early home-builders in that section. A Mr. Nye, of South Kingstown, was another clerk, for a time. Thomas Tillinghast served as clerk and drove the store's delivery wagon on the village route. He used
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the famous horse "Uncle Sam" that had such a good knowledge of the route that he made stops at each house in proper order, without command or guidance. His response to Tom's peculiar whistle would bring on a half-trot and half-run on the way home, more or less to Ambrose C.'s displeasure should he chance to see or hear it.
The year 1873 saw the appearance of a new clerk in the person of Burrill H. Davis, then 20 years old. He became a prominent figure in the community during the next 50 years. Burrill was born in Exeter where he received an early education in the Town schools. He was not only an "inside" man in the Taylor store, but was delivery man on a route covering Belleville, Allen- ton, Silver Spring and Shady Lea. He made this trip three days a week with a wagon often loaded to full capacity. He also acted as bookkeeper and assistant postmaster. The growth of business caused by the erec- tion of the new Lafayette mill, and the consequent in- crease in the population caused Mr. Taylor to seek new quarters. So he acquired from Clarke Gardiner a large lot of land on the north side of the Ten Rod opposite the new mill, in 1882. He erected a large 2- story building thereon, with ample store space on the first floor and commodious living quarters for himself and wife on the second floor. On the rear of the lot he built a good-sized barn for the accommodation of the horses and wagons used in his business. Five years later, in 1887, he took in Burrill Davis as partner and the name of the store became Taylor and Davis. Her- bert Davis, a nephew of Burrill, was engaged as book- keeper and general assistant, and served quite a time. John Sheldon was a clerk about this period, as was
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David Phillips who served many years. Later, James Barber was a delivery clerk, followed by Charles Boyce, son of William, who filled the needs of the vil- lage households for years. In 1891, Mr. Taylor retired and sold his interest to the new firm of Davis and Slocum. The new partner was Herbert Slocum, who had been a clerk in the store since 1886. Mr. Taylor removed to Stony Lane where he lived quietly for a while, and later resided at Norwood, R. I. Before his retirement the "post office" was removed to other loca- tions. It was returned to the store in 1901 when Mr. Davis was appointed postmaster, and served in that capacity for 28 years. George H. Berry who acquired - an interest in the store in 1929, was postmaster after Mr. Davis. Upon his relinquishment of his store in- terest to Mr. Slocum in 193 1, the latter served as post- master for 12 years. He was succeeded by Frances Wilcox and she, in turn, by Ann Dillon.
Incidentally, there are 18 postoffices in the United States with the name Lafayette or La Fayette. Those officially designated as "Lafayette" are located in the following States: Alabama, California, Colorado, Lou- isiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Ten- nessee, and Virginia. "La Fayette" is the official desig- nation of postoffices in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas. Notwithstanding the official name of the Rhode Island postoffice, the community name, in recent years, has been more commonly written as "Lafayette."
The first postoffice under the official name was opened in this Rhode Island village in 1856, and the full list of postmasters, with the dates of their appoint- ments, is as follows:
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Caleb T. Bowen
August 22, 1856.
Erastus G. Gardiner
March 22, 1859.
Robert Rodman
April 10, 1865.
Ambrose C. Taylor
March 25, 1873.
Walter C. Tisdale
April 21, 1888.
Edward S. Hall
June 14, 1889.
George H. Hall
July 22, 1893.
James B. Barber
December 23, 1895.
Burrill H. Davis
December 6, 1901.
George H. Berry
December 6, 1929.
Herbert D. Slocum
May 1, 1931.
Miss Frances E. Wilcox
November 15, 1943.
Miss Ann A. Dillon
June 30, 1945.
The firm of Davis and Slocum operated successfully, improving the store facilities and its services, in keep- ing with the more modern requirements. Mr. Davis continued the weekly trips to Providence, and was active in Town and church affairs. He died suddenly in 1929, having previously retired. George H. Berry then acquired an interest with Mr. Slocum, and the store operated for a year or two under the name of George H. Berry Co. At the end of that time, Berry withdrew and Mr. Slocum continued the business, making many further alterations. He finally sold the store and building to Allaby and Essex, in 1941, and this firm is the present owner and operator. Mr. Slo- cum took a lively interest in Village, Town and State affairs; was Representative in the General Assembly for 10 years; Senator for 6 years (President pro tem of the latter body, and Acting Governor of the State in the absence of the regular incumbent); and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
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STORES, SHOPS, AND PEDDLERS
This famed trading center has been a prominent factor in the mercantile development of the Village and Town for nearly 100 years, during which time it has been a tribute to the character and business integ- rity of its owners.
The section at and around Wickford Junction, es- pecially after the building of the Wickford Branch Railroad and the construction of the new Rodman mill, became an active trading center also. Around 1870, Joseph Arnold, of Exeter, acquired a lot of land, built a cottage house thereon, with an adjoining building for a store and tenement above, and a barn and other buildings, on the south side of the Ten Rod, close to the main line railroad tracks. He moved into the house and opened a small store in the adjoining building. In the early 70's, he rented the store to George T. Crans- ton who opened up with a general line of merchandise. In 1876, the store of Absalom Gardiner at Collation Corners was burned by an incendiary, and shortly after, a large store, with tenement on the upper floor, was erected on the site. Mr. Cranston, sensing a wider and more central field for his operations, leased the new store and moved his business from the Junction.
One of the Cranston clerks was Matthew Allen of the Allenton Allens. Another was John A. Rose, brother of "Doc" Rose, who was with Mr. Cranston for several years. While deliveries were extensive, the store itself, aside from the cash or credit purchases, was a busy place with the barter trade. Farmers and others brought in their products for exchange or swapping, and carried away their selections from the multitudinous articles implied by the follow- ing "ad":
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LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND GEORGE T. CRANSTON The Swamptown Merchant Still Lives! and still continues at
THE FARMER'S EXCHANGE AND GENERAL VARIETY STORE
To keep his large storehouse filled with goods, wares and merchandise of every kind for prompt
HOUSE AND FAMILY SUPPLY.
He will continue to serve his customers, old and new, from this large stock
AT BOTTOM PRICES.
Order teams run regularly through Lafayette, Wickford, Allenton, Shady Lea and Silver Spring.
WEST WICKFORD, R. I.
Supplementing this is the following copy of a Cranston bill-head of somewhat later date:
Groceries, Dry Goods, Boots, Shoes, Grain and Feed, Crockery, Tin and Woodenware, All Articles Found in a First Class Country Store.
Undertaking and Embalming.
Mr. Cranston died in 1894. The building which housed his merchandising activity so long has been dis- mantled and removed by the State Board of Public Roads, to make for the safety of modern automobile traffic at the busy corner and crossing. The building's height and closeness to the highway corner made this action imperative.
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STORES, SHOPS, AND PEDDLERS
The "Joe" Arnold store at the Junction, made va- cant by the Cranston removal, had various tenants later. A Mr. Ballou, of Providence, was the most prom- inent of these, as he carried a sizable stock of general- store goods, and at one time secured the removal of the Lafayette postoffice to his premises for a spell. One of the latest occupants was Rhodes Edwards, who afterwards bought the "Joe" Arnold farm on the Ten Rod, at the easterly foot of Exeter Hill and removed there. The store building at the Junction was de- molished in the construction of the modern underpass.
Nathan James, of South Kingstown and pretty close to the Exeter line, bought a tract of land from Amy Ann Hall (Beriah Brown descendant), in 1886. This land was on the north side of the Ten Rod, about half way between Huling's Corners and Wickford Junction. Three years later, he bought an additional tract. At that time, both tracts were heavily wooded. Nathan set about to clear the forest and erect a 3-story building by the roadside. This structure was designed for a store on the ground floor and tenements above. Afterward, he built two more houses and other build- ings, bought the abandoned freight-house at the Junc- tion and moved it up onto his land. Most of his car- penter work was done by Harris Arnold who received $2 for a 10-hour day. When this construction was completed, the cluster of buildings in the carved-out forest area gave it the appearance of a settlement by itself. It came to be known locally as "Jamesville," and the name has stuck.
Nathan opened his store in the new locality with a cut-price policy on all the usual staples of a genuine country store. He was a quaint character and his cus-
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tomers found much entertainment in his expressive conversation, that matched their enthusiasm over his bargain prices. He was successful from the start. Having been in the cattle business in Brighton, Mass., he developed a side-line of buying up calves and fat- tening them for veal. That assured him of a lot of farmer trade.
When the store business warranted, he took great interest in horse "trots," and came to own a small stable himself. His favorite horse "Alderton" was en- tered in races at the county fairs and became famous to old-time horsemen.
Nathan never married. He died in 1912 at the age of 58. His property passed to his sister, Mrs. (King) David Northup, and is now owned by Waldo and Eva Cooke. The store premises are no longer used for trade.
Thomas G. Hunt came to Wickford Junction in the early 90's. He was the first of a succession of Exeter men who embarked in business in this locality, and had made a neat profit from a store on Exeter Hill. He first built the imposing brick block in front of the Gardiner Huling houses. This was used as a hotel for several years. Then it was used as a grain mill, with the added facilities. Afterwards, further additions were made to it and it is now operated as a grain mill by the present owner, Wasyl Fedowicz, who uses the trade name "Wickford Junction Grain Elevator."
Mr. Hunt also built a wooden house and store on the north side of the Ten Rod, west of the old Burrill Huling house (now demolished). The store was run for a while by Braman and Palmer, then by Gillette Franklin, and next by George W. Sherman. The lat-
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ter did business under the name of People's Supply Company, in combination with the following Exeter men: Edward P. and Frank Dutemple, Willett and Horace Arnold, Franklin P. Tefft, Stephen A. Sweet, S. Everett and Herbert Brown and Philip A. Money. The People's Supply Company sold out to Charles C. Sweet of Exeter, who later sold out to Leonard C. Joslin, also of Exeter. Joslin had given up his job as a railroad bridge supervisor to go into the grocery busi- ness. He had a store across the road from the People's Supply Company. He was successful there, and was more so when he bought out Sweet and moved across the street. When the modern underpass construction necessitated the removal of the building he was then in, he bought it from Edward P. Dutemple (into whose ownership it passed from Hunt), and removed it to its present location on the north side of the Ten Rod just above Jamesville. Mr. Joslin died in 1943. His wife and son carry on the business which at times requires the services of several clerks. Incidentally, "Ed" Du- temple and his son Frank used parts of the Hunt prop- erty as a carriage repository for a while, but the coming of the automobile seriously affected their old- established line and they disposed of all their interests at the Junction.
Meantime, Hunt had built a second brick block on the south side of the Ten Rod, opposite his wooden store building which the People's Supply Company had occupied. He lived in this block at first, and ran a store on the first floor. Later, the block was used as a hotel, with a succession of landlords until its own- ership passed to Eben Slocum of Exeter Hollow. Eben moved a stockhouse down from Exeter, annexed
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it to the hotel, and thereby made six extra rooms. He also built a wooden building next to his hotel. This he rented to Gillette Franklin who was casting about for a store. With a falling off of business attributed to the automobile and the loss of the "drummer" trade, as well as that of other transients, the hotel block was converted into tenements. When the underpass was built, the block was razed. Mr. Hunt died in 1920, at the age of 74, in the firm belief that he had "made Wickford Junction."
Across the railroad tracks, on the north side of the Ten Rod, was a dwelling-house formerly occupied by two families. The lower floor of this was converted into a shop where Rhodes Edwards, at one time, ran a refreshment stand and was later succeeded by a man named Tilley. After the repeal of Prohibition, a liquor license was granted for the premises, a rare instance of this nature in the recent history of the community.
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