Low Down Articles
Echoes from the Past
Article 79 of 111
This article first appeared in the "Echoes from the Past" column of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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Store Hotel Store
This building may have been the subject of more metamorphosis than any other in Old Chelsea. It is where Thomas Brigham Prentiss had a store and post office from 1830 to 1843. Prentiss came from Chelsea, Vermont and called his new home Chelsea - not then "Old".
There is a 32 year gap between 1843 and 1875 which cannot be accounted for by any written records, to this date.
It is known that John Sweeney ran a tavern here in 1875 - which usually meant inn or hotel. This was the year the municipal council came into being.
John Sweeney was a member of the McSweeney family. Here is another instance of the "Mc" being dropped. In 1864, John married Helen (or Ellen) O'Neil. Their daughter Mary worked in the bar, serving beer over the counter at .05 cents per glass. Lizzie Durbridge, who was an English girl, married to Mary's brother, worked across the road at the Dunn House as a cook and waitress.
As well as being a tavern keeper, John Sweeney was a coachman for Gilmour's Mills in the newer Chelsea. He used to drive John Mather, the manager, to visit the logging shanties. Sweeney also brought the mail to Old Chelsea from the train station. John and his wife, it is remembered, used to sit on the verandah on summer evenings both smoking their pipes. (No cancer in them days).
Sweeney ran a store here for a period, and then the place was turned over to Jack Hendrick, who sold it to Joseph Bilodeau. Bilodeau tore out the old kitchen and built living quarters at the back. The old building has been a store and post office periodically since that time. The store was then sold to Ronald Donovan who operated both store and post office from 1943 to 1948. Once again there were alterations as Donovan had an apartment building upstairs.
In 1948 Gerry Murphy* bought the store and remained there as storekeeper and postmaster for the next 19 years at which time the Fisets bought it. After the Fisets came Bob and June Dompierre who continued to serve in the store with June as postmaster. The store was sold in 1986 to Bob's brother.
* Wait for the fascinating story of Gerry Murphy as related by Sue (Trudeau) Campbell.