Daniel Holmes, the spirit of Main Street
1. Daniel Holmes (1828-1917) practiced law in offices on Main Street from 1852 until his death. He was Village Clerk for twenty years, Justice of the Peace for thirty years, Vestryman at St. Luke's Episcopal Church for fifty years, and member of the Council of the Brockport State Normal School for more than fifty years, the longest tenure in the history of the institution. His frail figure was a common sight on Main Street for many decades.
2. A visual key to Main Street during this era:
Photo post cards: Indicated here with red letters, all but one are about life size. T.H. Dobson produced and sold a large number of them through his well-known drug store situated on Main Street. The approximate locations of the camera and angles of view are shown on the map.
Illustrated trade cards: Are reproduced here slightly smaller than life size. They were the forerunners of today's business cards. Caption numbers indicate their Main Street address.
Sanborn maps [this one is 1914]: These were produced every few years for fire insurance purposes. Structures were color-coded: Red = brick, blue = stone, yellow = frame. Street addresses are indicated in front of each store front.
Because these post cards, trade cards and map were produced at slightly different times during this era, some addresses may not match up. Just like today, some businesses dissolved or moved to different locations. Building numbering may also have changed somewhat.
3. In the early 1950s local author A.B. Elwell wrote about family owned businesses having long term success. Among them: Davis Grocery (83 yrs.), Dobson Drug (78 yrs.), Decker Hardware (61 yrs.). Elwell went on to say: "We often hear rumors that a shopping center is coming... . If that ever occurs, I predict that our present well-established stores will seek to change their location." None of the above businesses existed after the late 1960s.
A. Main Street looking south, possibly from the raised canal bridge. It was not long after the note on this card was penned that automobiles started replacing the horse and wagon.
B. West side of Main Street looking north from Clinton Street. From left to right: Owens Co., Hippodrome, ??, American Hotel. This is the block where the Post Office is currently located. This original liftbridge was replaced in 1915.
C. Main Street, looking northeast from Main & Erie Streets.
D. Main Street, looking southwest from near Main and Market Streets.
#97; Daily
#93; Brennan & Adams
#93; Onderdonk
#89; Crabb
#74; The First National Bank of Brockport
(now JP Morgan Chase Bank).
#66; Boyd
#64; John R. Davis groceries
#58?; James E. Patten drugs and books
#56; Thomas H. Dobson drugs
#52; Charles Decker hardware
#50; Roscoe E. Hurd shoes
#42; Stock's
#38; Benedict
#12; Kettner
#5 &7; Smith
Comments 0 comments