Main Street, Beach Street, Water Street, Union Street, Cromwell Lane.
This map is derived from part of a December 1914 map of Vineyard Haven made by the Sanborn Map Company of New York.
Numbers and KEY added by Stan Lair, c. 1980.
KEY.
Notes in Quotation Marks by Stan Lair, c. 1980.
204. "E. Issokson Tailor - Brooks Carter - Shirley's Hardware."
"The building on the corner of Main and Union, now Carter Park, was a fish market. It was also Schwimler's[?] Bakery, Ashton's Photographers' Shop, Matthew's Real Estate, with a small store in the front, and a former Barnacle Club headquarters. It was moved to a spot next to Rheno's, next to Mrs. Rheno's, around the corner of Mrs. Mayhew's property, where it was E. H. Manter's Shoe Store with a job printing shop in the back. It was moved from there to the rear of Cronig Brothers' store where it was a restaurant operated by the LeBell[?] Family, and then a printing shop later operated by R. W. Martin. It was moved from there to the present Post Office parking lot, on the corner of Lagoon Pond Road and Beach Street, where it remained for three years and then was moved to its present location, the Island Color Center.And then E. Issokson, tailor, who branched out into cleaners. Mr. Issokson was noted for repairing sails. Sometimes I understand he'd even spread them out on Main Street to sell them, right in front of his store. I don't remember that, but that's what I have heard. He would repair these sails for boats, and during the Port Hunter days he was noted for making a leather jacket from two Port Hunter vests for about five dollars or so. And there were plenty of Port Hunter vests around, believe me. They were bringing them in by the bale, hundred in a bale. The Port Hunter was a vessel that was sunk during the war off of East Chop by a tugboat going out, and all of the natives took advantage of the opportunity and went out and fished stuff out of the holes. I'll make a tape on that later, as I remember it. Next to this building was Carter Electric Store, and is now Shirley's Hardware."
205. "Norman Johnson - Carpenter Shop (moved)"
[1907 Directory: "Johnson, Norman, carpenter and builder, Union, h. Main." Ad, p. 104.]206. "Alton C. Tuckerman - Plumbing - Tin Ware - Sheet Metal - Flea Market - Sun Dog.
One end was a small 10¢ Store run by Teresa Tuckerman."
"Alton Tuckerman's Plumbing and Sheet Metal Shop. The front part was a so-called 'tin shop.' He had pots and pans and things like that hanging from the ceiling and all over the place. And one little section near the SBS store was operated by his wife, Theresa Tuckerman, was a small ten cents store. And it is now Allen Mayhew, Ltd. The sightseeing buses used to stop in that area to pick up passengers. They were Stanley Steamers, and I believe the name of the line was the Red Star Line. Too bad they're not running today, along with the old trolley car, gasoline being what it is."
[1907 Directory: "Tuckerman, Alton C., kitchen furnishings, Main, h. do."]207. "Ralph Look Home - The Sea Chest - Neptunes Sea Chest."
"The Ralph Look House, which is now the Sea Chest. It's a gift shop now. The Looks lived there for a good many years."208. "Ed. Jones Smith - Wharfenger - "Ice Berg" Smith -- 1785 House."
"Ed Jones Smith House. He was the man that was a wharfinger on the wharf. It is now the 1785 house, and at one time it was Flora Jordan's house. Right at the present it is owned by Mrs. Frank Johnston. It is still there today. That is one house that wasn't destroyed in the 1883 fire."
[1907 Directory: "Smith, Edward J., treas. Vineyard Haven Wharf Co., h. Union."]209. "Rear of Ernest R. Beetle House - Dr. Roth - Now a Town Parking Lot."
"The Dr. Roth House, which was there for a good many years. Now all those houses lined up right along there, including the 1785 House. They were all right in a row. At one time of course the water - they tell me this - the water was almost up to the front of these houses, and at one time a sail ship during a storm did put her bowsprit through the Great House. Hard to believe, but that's the story they tell, and they say the scar is still there. That must've been a long time ago!"210. "The S.B.S. Co. Smith Bodfish Swift Co. Grocers - (Murray's)"
"The Swift Bodfish and Swift Grocery Store, S. B. S. "Soak 'Em, Beat 'Em, and Skin 'Em," we used to call it. This was their main store of an Island chain. They had the grain store. They had stores in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, and a bakery in Vineyard Haven. Then it was a series of gift shops and right now it is Murrays of the Vineyard.Next is the famous Linden Tree, and under this tree or very near it Ben Turner, remembered by many as a happy-go-lucky colored man, and respected by all, had his shoeshine stand. He was at this location in the summer, and operated there for quite a few years. As of yet I haven't come up with a picture of it, but maybe someone will come up with one someday. I'd like to have one!"
211. "The Capawock Movie Theater"
"A small building used by Charles S. Norton as a real estate office, and then later by Walter Norton as an ice cream parlor. Later the movie theater was built at this spot.""Just across the little alley that goes down by the movie theater and parallel to it was one of the old trolley cars converted into a diner and that was operated by Ornan Slocum. He was brother of Joshua Slocum, the man that sailed alone around the world."
212. "Charles S. Norton Stable - Norton + Bradley Riding School - Bowl and Board."
213. "Leavitt T. Norton Home - Customs House - W. G. Manter - Paints."
"The home of Leavitt Norton, and then Charles Norton Real Estate. The next was a paint shop operated by George Churchill, and the Customs Office was on one side, operated by Howes Norris."214. "Willie Davis -- 'House of the Forty Panes'"
215. "Judal Brickman - Cobbler + Shoes - Mosher Photo."
"Brickman's Shoe Repair Store. Later it was Harry Osman's Shoe Repairs, and now it is Mosher's Photo Shop."216. "Dr. Lane's Stable under Simon Rheno's Carpenter Shop. (Street Floor)"
"Where Lillian's is now was a vacant lot. The present building was built by the Red Mens' Organization, and they had a meeting room upstairs and they rented the lower floors. Then at one time it was Jeanette's Restaurant. It is now Lillian's, of course.Next was Lane's Stable. Dr. Lane kept his horses under the main floor, which was below street level. The street floor was occupied by S. L. Rheno who had a woodworking shop there."
217. "Mansion House Barn - Clement West Stableman - Coffee Shop."
"The Mansion House Barn, and at one time it was operated as a livery stable by Clem West."
218. "The Mansion House - Mrs. Samuel Look Prop. (Tisbury Inn)"
219. "Branscomb House - Gilbert Smith Owner - Ritter House - Tisbury Museum)"220. "Luther C. Athearn -- Curtis Athearn"
[1907 Directory: "Athern, Luther C., h. Beach."]223. "The Great House - Built by Abraham Chase in 1760 - Passed down to George Smith then sold to Capt. Charles Smith -- Then to Mrs. Loretta Daggett then sold to Frank O. Tilton. It was flaked and moved to West Chop in the '20's and is now the home of the Trotter family. The Tisbury Police Station is now on its former location."
"About where the police station is now, would be what the called the Great House, which was moved from there. That is one they did preserve though. They moved that one down to West Chop, almost across from the lighthouse, a little further down the road. It's still called the Great House, I believe. It belonged to Mrs. Warner for a number of years. I believe her daughter, Mrs Trotter owns it now."224. "Captain Benjamin Cromwell -- Razed. Now Robinson's 5+10 on the site."
"Directly back of what is now the A&P was the Captain Benjamin Cromwell House, a nice big old house. I don't know why they tore it down, but they did. In fact, all those houses are gone, and they were al very, very pretty houses, I thought."225. "Joseph Allen -- Rev. Chase - Cromwell Lane"
226. "Benjamin A. Norton -- Custodian Vineyard Haven School on Center St.
'Grandpa' Norton was also the truant officer."227. "Bungalow built for Alice Zimmerman at this location by W. G. Manter."
228. "The Daggett House -- G. D. Calhoun House ---- 'The Makery'"
"The Seth Daggett House. It is now owned by the Williamsons, and is called the Makery."229. "Charles and Betsy Gifford - Water St."
"The old house, still there, belonged to a Mrs. Gifford. Mrs. Gifford was a very religious person, and I believe she was related to the Bensons, that'd be Norman Benson and Elmer Benson. She could have been Mrs. Charles Benson's mother. I'm quite sure she was."
[1907 Directory: "Gifford, Charles, ship carpenter and boat builder, Beach at Water, h. Water."]230. "Mary Manning -- 'Dolph Manning'"
"A small building that was occupied by Ben Cromwell, young Ben Cromwell, or the second Ben Cromwell 'cause there was three of them actually. It was a small house, and it set right about where the Harbor Light is at the present time, the small restaurant there."
[1907 Directory: "Manning, Mary, h. Water."]231. "The Dr. Roth Barn + Town Lock Up - Razed for the Town Parking Lot."
"Now we're on the Roth property, Dr. Roth. On the lower part of his property there was an old barn that was just about ready to fall over, for a good many years. It was leaning way to the southard, there. Ready to collapse. I think in it was an old car, 1903 Rambler was in there for a long time that belonged to the old doctor. In one corner of that building was a village lockup. It was a small room with a barred window, high off the ground. I never saw it being used, but I imagine it was used at some time."232. "The S. B. S. Grain Store - Ed. Dahill Mgr. -- Curtis Athearn clerk."
"The grain store. The grain store was owned by the SBS Company. It was operated by Ed Dahill for a good many years. Curtis Athearn was employed there. He was there a long time also. Now Curtis thought he was a great bass singer. I guess he did have a fairly decent voice. He used to sing in the Baptist Church choir, and all sort of plays. They would always get Curtis as part of the chorus. Anyhow, he grew a beard, and he always claimed it was to protect his throat. In his business, why a beard was sort of a detriment, because in a grain store there was always a lot of dust. Poor Curtis' beard always had sort of a grey tinge to it. But anyhow, in those days a bearded young person was a rarity. Of course today it is quite common. He was a strong person. He could throw those big bags of grain around like they were full of air. He was pretty rugged."
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