The Lowell Area Historical Museum is taking us on a stroll along Main Street and sharing the history of buildings in Lowell’s historic downtown. To learn more about Lowell history, visit the museum website to explore its collection of local artifacts and records.
Address: 106 W. Main
Date Built: 1905
Owner: Mrs. Carr
1st business: Millinery
Carr and Davis built a new one story building on this site after the one belonging to them burned in the big fire of 1884. That fire took out 20 buildings in the center of Lowell, 16 on the north side of Main Street westward from the Post Office around the corner on Riverside and four on the south side of Main Street. Medler Restaurant and Boarding House and Romig Barbershop were here temporarily as soon as the new store was ready; they moved back across the street when the Lee Block was finished.
The Carr & Davis building had housed millinery (women’s hat) shops of several different business women (including Mrs. Carr herself) over the years since 1885. Mrs. E. S. White was operating the millinery in 1905 when Lowell’s Great Flood catastrophe occurred. The Main Street Bridge was washed away as were the two buildings to the west of this one. This building collapsed into the river so that the roof was on level with the street and was a total loss. Mrs. Carr had no insurance, however, she managed to have a new two-story building constructed.
The flood of 1905 demolished the center of town. Two buildings to the west (right) of 106 W. Main were swept away and ended up smashed against the railroad trestle downriver.
Once the building was rebuilt, Millinery businesses were here from 1905 into the 1920s. In 1929, Ralph Townsend operated a Tire and Battery Shop. The Thrift Shoe Repair of Chas. Daudert opened in 1935. Bickford shoe repair and then Glen Gooden’s shoe repair followed from the 1940s into the 1970s. They used heavy duty sewing machines to restitch seams of leather shoes; they could renew your shoes by putting on new heels, soles or half soles.
This photo from 1943 shows a man on the roof with a firehouse trying to prevent the spread of a fire from King Milling.
In the 1980s, The Lowell Nature Pantry Food Coop lined the walls and floor with bins of bulk food. Each Coop member signed up to work at least once a month. You had to be a member to shop. These were the days before Bulk food stores.
Rookies Sportcards Plus (sports cards, comic books, games) celebrated 30 years in 2022. It was founded in 1992 with the combined efforts of Donald L. Reedy Sr, and his son Jack. Jack Reedy continues to operate the store hosting special events and activities throughout the year.
To hear more about Rookies, click this link to hear our recent interview with owner Jack Reedy.
Here’s what the address (on the right) looked like in 1908:
And here’s what 106 W. Main Street looks like today:
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