There was a time in when the unusual shaped building that sits on the corners of Green and Franklin streets was the very essence of a community. This was a building that holds many precious memories for many Somersworth seniors, and they can still be on occasion referring to the building by one of its old identities. It could St. John the Baptist Hall or perhaps Lambert’s Variety Store are two of the most popular.
The building was built in 1899 and until the 1970s sat opposite St Martin Church was the life and soul of the French-Canadian community in Somersworth for many years. The Summersworth Museum has many family wedding pictures that were taken outside the building, which looked very different back in the 1940s and 1950s. The reason so many pictures were taken here was so many wedding receptions were held upstairs in the St. Baptist Hall, and this was especially true as the second World War raged.
Downstairs on the side facing Franklin Street, the building held a variety store that saw several owners throughout its life including the Jenau, Perreault and Lambert families, who through the generations served many Hilltoppers’ needs. The store stocked everything from penny candy to over-the-counter medicines and everything in between. Mr. Lambert has a reputation with the kids of being somewhat impatient and if they took too long to decide on their choice of penny candies he would fill the bag himself and hand it to the child. The store also included a soda fountain and ice cream cones that would be filled with Sealtest ice cream.
I can only imagine the scene when the Sunday masses were concluded at St. Martin, just across the street. This was a time when the church and corner/variety store was an important part of any neighborhood’s identity. Both served as the glue that held the community together and in many ways centered its inhabitants.
On the Green Street side of the building, a barber shop was (and in some ways still is) the working man’s club. Men would get their haircuts but more importantly catch up on the unofficial gossip that was rife in the days before social media. This barber shop was just one of many in the city at the time and this one belonged to Noel Chasse Sr., who would operate it until his death in 1931. It was then passed onto his son Noel Chasse Jr., who would operate out of the shop for the next 50 years. The shop was also home to the Catholic War Veterans Post 1755 at one point and was then reincarnated into an upholstery shop.Get the News Alerts newsletter in your inbox.
At one point there could be found in the building a grocery chain called First National Store. This was the old style grocery store by all accounts I have heard. A customer would order her groceries from the clerk at the counter who would then go and collect and bag them. On the bag would be the price of the groceries in pencil which were then added up and your total due could be found on the bag itself. This type of store would eventually be replaced by the self service grocery stores that we are familiar with today.
The building would also be home to Bisson’s cobbler’s shop, Cloverdale (which I can find scant information on) and Joe Gagne’s filling station which featured a crank- up glass pump outside on the sidewalk.
Interestingly, I have been told and heard stories of there being a pool room and bowling alley in the cellar of one of the establishments, along with a hidden card room in the back of one of the businesses. As it was told to me, a local law enforcement officer at the time would visit the card game, empty his pockets and ask to be dealt in for a few hands. As with all these things the participants were apparently sworn to never tell where the games took place.
Upstairs, the Jean the Baptist Hall was home to La Societe St. Jean Baptiste, which was a fraternal and benevolent organization. Apart from holding weddings each and it seemed to those in the community every Saturday afternoon, the hall hosted Beano games on Sunday nights. Bus loads from Maine would turn up to play the popular game and many a good night was had by all.
Things may have changed nowadays but we still have three function halls in the city which are popular wedding/party and baby shower locations. These three are the Hall at Great Falls on Market Street, 1889 Ballroom above the VFW on High Street and the American Legion hall on Constitutional Way. All three are available to rent and are helping to continue the legacy that the unusual building that is now apartments began over 100 years ago.
Things are pretty quiet in the city at the moment, but I want to let you know that as the weather warms up so will the events planned for this year. So stay tuned and if you are organizing an event in Somersworth please feel free to drop me a line so I can tell others about it. I have it on good authority that the Somersworth Recreation Department is set to announce their summer camp and Easter egg hunt details very soon so stay tuned for that and more.
That’s all I have for this week so until next time, please remember to be kind to one another as you never truly know what another person is going through.