By Morris Rote-Rosen
Three communications, in the "Main Street" mail bag, from readers who asked that their names be not published. The first one writes: "Main Street stated that Dr. Tenney was the last of a professional and business men's group of nearly three quarters of a century, can you give us some of them who were active on the Main street of our village in 1878. It would be interesting to read the names of those who helped develop our village to its present condition. The readers of the Sentinel, I am sure, would like to know more about them and who they were." ... Anything to oblige. We may leave some out because of the lack of space but in general the following will be found interesting.
Granville was still known as Bishop's Corners, or as Granville Four Corners, in 1878 ... The population of our village was only 700 ... There were but a few merchants doing business on Main street ... Joseph Schiff clothier, was located in a wooden building which stood on the site of the present American House ... Jonas and Fuhs, conducted a general merchandising business next door to the Slocum B. Norton store which was located in the present Tatko brothers building on the corner of Main and Church street ... Judge Royal C. Betts had his law office over the Norton store where John W. Mayo also had a barber shop.
The Granville Sentinel was being published in a room over the Jonas and Fuhs store in the Norton block ... And in the same building Charles E. McFadden ran his watch and clock repair shop and jewelry store ... George W. Henry was doing a hardware business in the present Whitcomb location ... And "Dick" Durham's grocery store was in a wooden building on the site of the Sam Lichtig store.
John Watkins' cabinet shop and furniture store occupied a place of the present Stevens-Price store, it being the last business place on that side of the street ... From then on, traveling west on Main street was the residential section commencing with the H. N. Graves residence on the site of the present post office ... George W. Barker lived next to Graves and next to Barker was the home of a Mrs. Pulaski ... On the present site of the Louis D. Goldberg store, Oscar F. Thompson carried on a private banking and insurance business ... Where the Granville Inn stands was a house in which George R. Barker had his photograph studio.
Crossing the street, east of the present railroad track, on Main street, "Mike" Welch's store was in the present Barnard brothers location ... And where the Wilson Clothing company is doing business at the present time was the M. W. Clark drug store and above him H. H. Stoddard did clock and watch repairing ... J. H. Reynolds lived in the building which was razed to make room for the Farmers National Bank building and Dr. Nelson's residence was located on the site of the present Lasher store ... On the site of the present Henry D. Allen business was located the Washington hotel ... The post office was in the Charles W. Potter building now occupied by Rudd and O'Brien.
The present Lester E. Roberts building, which housed the Washington County National Bank at one time, was the site of a lot which was a roadway leading to a livery stable in the rear ... The "Jock" Warren store was an old landmark where the World War II Honor Roll is erected and next to it going east was a wooden building in which housed the millinery shop of Miss Phoebe Mulford, on the ground floor and Andrew Green had a harness shop over it, about where the present Hugh G. Williams office is located ... J. W. Percy's restaurant was about where the Beecher and Guthrie building is located on Church street ... Lawyers practicing in this village when Dr. Tenney came here were Royal C. Betts, Oscar F. and Isaac W. Thompson ... And the physicians were Drs. Goodspeed, Monroe, Cook and Nelson, Tenney being the fifth ... The first bank in this village, the First National Bank of Granville (later the Granville National Bank) was three years old when Dr. Tenney came here.
Another one who prefers to sign "A Constant Reader of Your Column", a high school student, wrote a paragraph at the time when the students were raising funds with which to purchase and dedicate the High School memorial tablet to the graduates, who gave their lives in the service of their country. "I put it in my note book", the student writes, "and the other day I brought it out and read it. Lately you have been writing on this subject in your column and I couldn't help but send it to you. Read it and remember it. Or, read it and forget it, which ever you choose. I shall always remember. And so will many others."
Part of the note read as follows: "He was the youngest of the four who were called to serve his country and he was the one who never came back. Today he lies on foreign soil. If these boys could only see and hear the tribute paid them they would be proud of the many ways in which we honor them. They are gone, but they are not forgotten. In their place stands this (high school) plaque, an everlasting memorial to those listed "killed in action". The boys from our town of Granville. Memories linger forever." ... A four or five page essay on the subject couldn't convey more than the above few lines. It should bring consolation to the skeptics who fear that we can not trust the future of our country to our young people.
The third letter comes from an old, old friend of "Main Street", who also wishes to remain "Anonymous". With the letter was enclosed the following poem:
"Give me a good digestion, Lord,
Also something to digest.
Give me a healthy body, Lord,
And sense to keep it at its best.
Give me a mind that is not bored,
That does not whimper, whine or sigh,
Don't let me worry over-much,
About the fussy thing called 'I'.
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke.
That I may get some happiness in life,
And pass it on to other folk.
Millions make wealth the end and aim,
Others, a spot in the Hall of Fame,
But to me, Kind Sir, may heaven send,
The love of a true-hearted friend."
Catherine (Mrs. P. J. Conway) wants to know how come we have forgotten to mention so many of the Silver Wedding anniversaries being observed during the month of June this year. The answer is that there were so many it would take more than "Main Street" to mention them all. However, congratulations from "Main Street" to all the twenty-five year old brides and three cheers to the baldheaded, stooped-shoulders, dilapidated old husbands, who fought a brave and noble fight for a quarter of a century which added not twenty five, but one hundred years to their life. If we had our way we would send a bouquet of twenty-five roses to the wives and a distinguished service cross to the men.
The North Granville fire department teaches a lesson in unselfish community service. Only a few years old and the department is almost debt free, having paid off $5,559.00 without one cent's cost to the taxpayer. To work as hard as these North Granville firemen did for no reason than to serve their community and to protect their neighbors' property from destruction by fire requires personal sacrifices, and is worthy of commendation. There are many civic groups whose motto is "service", but none can reach the classification of a volunteer fire department. Nice work, fellow smoke-eaters. May your hose never run dry!
Now that Roy and Jessie Finch have reported officially with their summer greetings we can look forward to blue skies and sunny weather. Roy and Jessie are that way when they are around. Year after year we look forward to greet them, remembering them both, as of another generation, when Roy was a school boy and his gracious wife was better known to us as Jessie Weller. They never fail to bring a bushel basket full of pleasant memories which even the hands of time can not tarnish. Roy is whetting his fishing appetite by practicing on perch, but now that it is the first day of July watch the water level go down a few inches when he pulls the big ones out of the lake.
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