Court and Centre 1909

This is the 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map showing the area at Centre Ave and Court St, which was very different at the time. We see a blacksmith shop, carpet cleaner and cobbler jammed on the SE corner, along with sheds on Court St. This area is now the Boone Garden of the Newtown Historic Association with one small building. It's hard to imagine it having three businesses on such a small parcel. 

The Newtown Library, circa 1882, was still freestanding. This was before the William R. Stuckert Building was jammed onto the front of the library in 1912. I often wonder why he chose to hide such a young and charming building behind a facade.

Oct 28, 1911 Newtown Enterprise

2nd Library Building

The store that's now Athleta, formerly Gap, was also different. It was a storefront appended onto the corner of a house that no longer stands. The store was called Flum's and served Newtown for many decades. Joe Flum passed away this summer. At 97, he was the longest living Newtown resident. 

Tomlinson's, later Flum's/Gap/Athleta

We see a glimpse of what some of the stores were at the time on State Street. Notions, Upholstering, Tin Shop, Clothing. Here's a nice RPPC from the era showing the storefronts on State. Note how fancy the fronts of 27 and 29 were, none of that remains.

25-31 S State St c. 1906