Granville Then & Now - July 30, 2020

Washington County National Bank opened its doors in 1928

By Erik Pekar, Town Historian

There was much going on with business moves in 1928. The June 8 issue noted these changes: "The Wilson Clothing company has leased for five years from H. Berkowitz the building they are now occupying. W.F. Sweet has leased of Mrs. Edith Williams the store now occupied by the A. and P. grocery and this latter firm will move to Sweet store, now owned by Wilson Clothing company. The new Washington County National bank opened its doors Tuesday afternoon and Lester E. Roberts will begin immediately to remodel his new property, the former bank building, for occupancy about the first of July. It is reported that the A. and P. will install a meat market in their new store."

Since there are few among us who would recognize all the business names in the paragraph above, explanation follows. At the start of June 1928, the Wilson Clothing store building was next to the W.F. Sweet store; both buildings stood on the lot now occupied by the 26 Main building. The old Washington County National Bank building and the Edith Williams block were to the right of the old McFadden block; these buildings were to the right of the Morse (Scott) building. The Washington County National Bank had moved to the marble bank on the corner of Main and North Streets. Lester E. Roberts was in turn preparing to move his jewelry store to the former bank building. Of all the businesses mentioned in the 1928 news item, the L.E. Roberts jewelry store was the last one to close, after two ownership changes about 30 years apart, in the mid-1990s. The Edith Williams block would be better known as the R.E. Rudd building, after the longtime electrical and appliance store that was located there. The Roberts and Rudd buildings are also gone now, having been claimed by conflagration in 2012.

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“Granville’s Great Firemen’s Carnival Opens Saturday Night”, proclaimed an advertisement in the July 23, 1970 Sentinel. This announcement heralded the beginning of the week-long Firemen’s Carnival, which for many years was an annual attraction in Granville, located at the carnival grounds on East Potter Avenue. “Meet your friends and everybody at the fabulous Granville Firemen’s Carnival – You’ll find fun, frolic and scads of entertainment.” For the longest time, the carnival was touted as being fun and family friendly, with nothing of bad taste being allowed. Among the rides and the booths was a miniature train called the “Cannon Ball Express Train”.

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The former TD Bank building on Main Street is in the process of being sold. The property was put up for auction in late June, with a starting bid of $25,000. This was lower than last December's starting bid of $100,000, and a far cry from the $500,000 asking price for the building when it was listed in late 2017. The TD Bank building, built in 1972 by the former First National Bank of Glens Falls, is in a deteriorated condition, including structural issues. Hopefully, the new owner will invest in this property, and replace the building, thereby investing in our Main Street.