Happy Fourth of July! This week’s photograph is of a familiar Main Street landmark, the Musgrove Building on the corner of Main and Elm Streets. In this image the building is decked out in an enthusiastic, patriotic burst of red, white and blue for Andover’s 250th anniversary celebration in 1896.
The Musgrove Building decked out in patriotic splendor.
Have you walked or driven past CVS in downtown Andover lately? Were you wondering why the items in the storefront window don’t look like items you could typical purchase inside? Well, thanks to generosity of CVS, the Historical Society has been able to take over the community window display through the holiday season.
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We may continue tweaking it just a bit – but we’re pretty pleased with the results! The left hand window highlights the many events and programs that will take place during December, from teddy bear teas to a parade of party fashions at Memorial Hall Library.
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You’ll find an oversized banner with our new an American Christmas Story logo hanging front and center in the middle window panel. Thanks go out to Toni Harris-Hadad for donating her time and creative talents in designing the new logo – doesn’t it look great? Look closely and you’ll find presents, teddy bears, toys, treats, and tea – all nestled in the boughs of the tree. Very, very clever!
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In the third and final window you’ll see three decorated Christmas tree – and if you were one of the 1000 visitors to the Historical Society last December, you might recognize some of the ornaments! One of the trees recreates our boy’s toys tree which had been inspired by some antique wooden tops, toy soldiers & blocks from the Historical Society’s collection. 
Be sure to take a look at the unique items used on all three trees… you might be able to search your old toy & craft boxes to use similar ideas at home!
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This year’s tree exhibit at the Historical Society will feature fourteen all-new trees with new inspirations pieces to match! We’re excited to have decorators from all over the community and look forward to sharing our exhibit and our programs with the public beginning on Tuesday, December 1st.
Today’s photograph is a view of Main Street. The building, once a familiar sight, was demolished in August 1936 to make room for the new Woolworth five and dime. Click here to go to the Historical Society’s Main Street Memories exhibit website for more information about this section of Andover’s Main Street.
Were you one of the many Andoverites to visit our popular Main Street Memories exhibit last year? Ford’s Coffee Shop was brought back to life, 1960s redevelopment plans were on display, and dozens of photographs highlighted the many changes that Andover’s Main Street has seen over the past 150 years.
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Now you can relive those Main Street Memories once more through out latest online exhibit! Main Street Memories Online is now available on our website and includes the many images and stories that visitors enjoyed throughout the exhibition. There’s even a place for you to share your own memories of Main Street and have them added to our online exhibit.
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Do you have other ideas for our website and future online exhibits? Share your ideas in the comments below – we’d love to hear what you have to say!
A few weeks ago, a researcher came into the library asking if we had any photographs of the Andover Lunch, located at 11 Main Street from around 1930 to the 1950s. Under earlier ownership, the restaurant was called the Andover Cafeteria. The Andover Lunch was owned by the researcher’s father. Located across the street from the Town House, it preceded Ford’s Coffee Shop as the lunch place for town employees, police, and firemen. It was also, we hear, the best place to go after seeing a movie.
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The Historical Society’s archive holds earlier and later photographs of the west side of Main Street, such as the early 20th century photograph shown here. But none date from 1930-1950. We have no photographs of the Andover Lunch or the Andover Cafeteria, but we would love to add to our collection. Do you have any photographs of the outside or inside of the Andover Lunch? If you do, please leave a comment or send an email to info@andoverhistorical.org.
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Elaine Clements, Executive Director
