
As I was walking around Concord, Massachusetts last month, I did what most Thursday Doors participants do, I took pictures of doors. Every door I noticed. I figured that, as has often been the case, I would be able to fill in the blanks later. I already knew that my favorite source for history and historic photos, the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP), would not be helpful. While most of the buildings in Concord’s historic district are listed in the registry, “the PDF assets have not been digitized.” That’s a curious explanation, since PDF assets are, by their very nature, digital.
I think what the NRHP means is that the PDFs have not yet been entered into the records management system. I have a strong urge to explain that further, since that’s been a significant part of my career, but it – would – be – boring.
In the not-boring but somewhat ironic twist, I did manage to find several historic photos from inside The Wright Tavern – you know, the building I featured last week. Not exactly perfect timing, but the photos are so interesting, that I did include them in today’s gallery.
There are two other buildings for which I managed to find some information. One is the main branch of Middlesex Savings Bank. According to one of the bank’s web pages:
“We were founded as Middlesex Institution for Savings in 1835 in the Town of Concord. It was a time when banking focused more on businesses than on consumers. Our founders, not uncommon for residents of Concord at the time, in an act of true community spirit, set out to create a bank where people of modest means, who had no other alternatives, could have a safe place to save.”
The other building, actually a small group of buildings, belong to Concord Academy. The academy is a private boarding and day school for high school students. It was formed in the 1920s and located in several buildings that had been private residences. The academy started out as a school for girls, but in 1971 became the first private girl’s school in New England to begin co-ed enrollment.
I think my favorite building in the gallery is that of Main Streets Market & Café. Again, according to their website:
“We are the 4th generation of The Anderson Family to own the building & have been serving food to locals and travelers from this location in Concord for over 100 years! 5th generation Andersons will likely be waiting on you during your visit to Main Streets.
Formerly L. Anderson and Sons & Andersons Market also known as “Andersons” or “The Market”, Concord’s grocery store and catering for the first 3 generations is now a sit down restaurant, Main Streets Market & Café”
The other door that I like is the entrance to Helen’s, a little restaurant on Main Street. I’ve eaten at Helen’s prior to one of the meetings that we held in Concord (at the Colonial Inn).
Thursday Doors is a fun and sometimes challenging weekly blogfest organized by door aficionado and photographer extraordinaire, Norm Frampton. If you would like to participate in Thursday Doors, you simply need to gather a door photo, a few photos, 18-20 photos, and put them in a post. Then, visit Norm’s page up in Canada and follow his instructions for adding your doors to the collection. Norm makes it easy and, don’t focus too hard on the Thursday part. You can enter your post anytime between 5:30 am Eastern Time on Thursday and Noon on Saturday.
Thanks for stopping here.
[…] and so that means it is time to join in with Norm’s #Thursdaydoors (here) and thanks to Dan for getting his post up so early so I had the door link right there to […]
LikeLike
I agree with your choice of houses, Dan. How great to then go down to the market and cafe during lunch!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks GP. The little shops and restaurants give such a lively feel to the downtown area.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great photos, Dan. Hundreds of years and the buildings are still magnificent. Imagine the conversations of one generation to the next! Thank you for this journey!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thakns Gwen. That’s exactly what I was thinking about the store that’s been in the same family for over 100 years. Little kids, playing in the store and then growing up and owning it.
LikeLike
Thanks for introducing us always to the rich history in the places you live and visit. There is so much of it around us and most people hardly think of it but really find it fascinating when brought to light. Happy Thursday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Cheryl. History was never a favorite subject of mine in school, but I really enjoy exploring the history of places I visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too. I love experiencing history. But remembering details is difficult.
LikeLike
Beautiful photos of doors. The houses you see in your life look something out of history, because they are… I guess!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ally. It’s so cool to walk through these towns and realize how long the buildings have been here, and what happened since they were built. It only the walls could talk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Part of me would love to go back to 1775 and just wander around and then . . . perhaps not. It was a hard time. Much better to look back through your lenses!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You would have had to wander to the Tap Room, Pam, and forget all your worries :)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Enjoyed the mono pics (and left a comment there) and laughing at the part with the pdf – but then got how you explained it
:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Yvette. I love finding the historic photos. Especially considering how much work went into getting them and all the care in preserving them until today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes – and then when shared via a blog – so many others get to see a bit of yesteryear
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great doors, windows and buildings, all made even more interesting and unique after reading the history on them.
But the feature that caught my eye is the corner trim on the Wright Tavern Southeast fireplace and the section above it. It’s like looking at an old album where all the pictures are set into black protective corners, which are glued to the page, allowing you to (fairly) easily remove a photo and put it back. I just love it!
🐾Ginger 🐾
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to go back and look at that, Ginger – you’re right! That’s exactly what it looks like – good eye. There’s so much history in this little town, it’s really amazing. Thanks!
LikeLike
Beautiful doors, Dan! Are those window apartments over Helen’s? Easiest takeout ever…… Those doors to the basement…..my aunt had doors like that but we always called it a cellar. My house had a basement–doors were inside the house to get to it. Is there a difference between a cellar and a basement? Finding a house with a basement here in sunny FL is a source of wonder and amazement…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are good questions Lois. I think those are apartments over Helen’s. I had tolook up the cellar v basement thing. According to (who knows) “If more than half of the floor height is above ground level, it is a basement. If less than half is above ground, it’s a cellar.” I guess I have a cellar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Concord Academy has a window opening onto the fire escape. So is it still a window ? Or is it a doorow ? Or it could be a windor… Good pictures Dan. Happy Thursday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow – people are asking so many questions today. It’s too close to the weekend, John. Ask me again when I’m at the bar. If the opening leads away from the fire, it’s a good place to go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As the fireman tend to say – if the opening leads to the fire its a good place to go… did I just type that ?
LikeLike
Great shots Dan. They all have that look and feel of New England charm. The library and bank are my favorites because for me, columns almost always win ;-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Norm. The Library of Congress has the building plans for the bank. I tried to add them to the post, but the images are very small, and do not scale well. The site was being unresponsive when I tried to get larger versions. I think you would have like those. Maybe next week, as I seem to be finding what I need about a week too late.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just read your post from last week late last night and am headed over to that post next to leave a comment, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the history in both that and this post.
I’m trying to imagine where the bar was in Wright Tavern, but oh, those fireplaces would have been prime seating!
I love the Bank, the Library, and the Academy best in this post. The red brick, tall columns in white are stately classics as is the black and white Academy. I love it! I think it has a certain elegance to it rather than stately.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are photos of the taproom, but they are in a collection of postcards that cannot be reproduced. You can find one here but I had to reload the page a few times. It was really just a bar like you might have in your family room. Not a larger bar like we would expect in a tavern today.
Thanks for dropping by, Deborah.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting! I didn’t have that pictured in my mind at all. Thanks for the link!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I didn’t either. I was expecting a much large bar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the savings bank with its huge pillars, Dan, and those interior shots are fabulous in black and white. Gorgeous fireplace with the spinning wheel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jean. I love it when I can find historic photos. The bank building really is impressive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your coverage of Concord, Dan. The Wright Tavern interiors remind us that homes were heated with fireplaces back in the 1700’s. Can’t imagine being warm. The main street is a treasure for sure. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I would agree, John. I can’t imagine they were very warm. I’m glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for the mention on Twitter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely buildings and interesting black and white photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Manja. I love finding the old photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Dan. I hope you’ve had a thriving Thursday. What a beautiful collection of buildings. II’m chuckling at myself. Your mention of digitizing took my strangely wired brain to the old Captain Power TV series, where the fate of the unfortunate was to be digitized. LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY28RG5U5vM
Hugs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – I was unaware of Captain Power. That;s funny. That would seem to indicate that “my kind” took over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful doors post, Dan. That final photo of Concord Academy is one of their best doors. While you couldn’t get a clear shot with the tree branches, it is definitely one of the best doors. The market and cafe is not only charming, it is a hallmark of Concord. How wonderful that it has stayed in the family for generations.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Jennie. Our local hardware store has three generations working in it right now. The original owner is 94. I always laugh because he calls me “sonny” – I was trying to get better shots of the academy but there was lots of traffic. I also get nervous when pointing my camera to a school building.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When we moved to Groton, the local hardware store was the same way, owned by generations. Our son could ride his bike there when he was eight to get nails for Hubby, and they would bill us. 94, and you are called Sonny – that’s just wonderful! I know exactly what you mean about pointing a camera at a school, especially if you’re a male. Makes me sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The old man at the hardware store is really funny. He makes remarks that no one in today’s younger generations would understand, but they remind me of when I was growing up. You should have seen the look on a 20-something year old’s face when he asked for a bag (for one item) and the guy said “you don’t need a bag for that!”
I am always careful not to get students in pictures I take of schools. We (AIIM New England) hosted an event on Privacy, and one of the things we learned about (particularly at boarding schools) is the fact that some of the students are there under protective orders and don’t want their location revealed. It’s a scary thing to think about, and it does make me sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love those old guys. They could teach kids a thing or two. I hadn’t thought about the depth of privacy issues at boarding schools. Scary and sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good work here, Dan. I love the pictures and the history that you share. Hopefully, when I work on my first Thursday Doors post, I hope I can do ten percent of your quality.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure you will do fine, Sharukh – your posts are always interesting, and you must have a good selection of doors to choose from.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At the moment, I’m a bit confused and nervous but I want to try it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No need to be nervous, it’s a very laid-back blogfest. You can post a single door. You can just post the image. Or, you can write whatever you like about one or more doors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m working on it to get it ready by 18th of this month.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay!
LikeLike
Hi D – thought of you (your post) with this:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha – thanks Yvette! That’s a great way to start my day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like your taste in door choices – and the mixing in with B&W photos was fun too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Shelley. I love finding the old photos. I found some others, but the site listed heavy restrictions do I skipped them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have a knack for finding great shots!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that, when I tell you my favorite is Maj. Pitcairn’s Toddy Stairs, I’ve told you all you need to know about me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hs haha. That works for me 🙂. I was so mad at the site that had those postcards but refuse to let anyone use them for any purpose without written permission.
LikeLike
I got thrown by the PDFs not being digitized, too.
The black and white photos of the fireplaces are extremely appealing to me. I like Helen’s restaurant because it’s yellowish and it looks friendly to me. I like the library. My beloved library is rather modern and of course, now dated eternally. I like that house, too. That’s a serious house. I bet it has a lot of doors and interesting corners on the inside as well. As for the fire escapes, I really like that they painted them white. That was well done, they look so clean. Good choices, all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I can vouch for the food at Helen’s. I need to try the other place. That big house must be amazing inside, unless it’s been carve up into apartments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, I know it’s Thursday Doors but I really like those interior shots at Wright’s Tavern. So cool!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I really like when I find historic photos. I figured there was a door in there, but I would have included them anyway.
LikeLike
Thanks for the tour and history, Dan. I haven’t been to many colonial towns but I do like their architecture and character. The Tavern looks interesting with all of those fireplaces and it would have been cool to have it in operation today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I was happy to find those old photos from inside the Tavern. I love that these buildings have been preserved. It takes a lot of work, and no small expense to do that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I grew up in a house in Iowa with that type of basement door….happened to be by the southwest corner of the basement which was the location we always went to when the tornado sirens went off….even as a kid I thought why have a door close to where we have to huddle????? Love the interior shots of Wright Tavern…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m laughing at that question, Kirt. It does make you wonder. Of course, I’m picturing the scene from the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is trying to get in the shelter.
I love it when I find the historic pictures of these buildings. The woodwork that was done, with the tools that they had access to, amazes me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly and we grew up watching that……
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Auntie Em….auntie Em…..:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some great pics here, Dan. I especially like the B&W shots of the fireplace and the staircase.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Paul. I was so happy to find those historic photos.
LikeLike