81-87 Main Street

The one-story brick building at the southeast corner of Main and Center Street is the third building to occupy this site. Dr. Eli Hill erected the original building in 1823 for a drug store, using the rooms over the store as his residence. This occupied about half the frontage on Main Street that the present structure does. In 1839, he sold it to Dr. Daniel Bissell who continued the pharmacy business until he became involved in other pursuits. Wallace Walker purchased the building from Dr. Bissell in 1853 and the business became Walker’s Drugs. After Mr. Walker’s death in 1879, the block was sold to William W. Killip. The pharmacy business was sold to Arthur Rogers who continued it on this site. About 1890, William Killip demolished the building and replaced it with a three-story structure with an iron front. In 1898, this was destroyed by fire and replaced by a two-story brick structure. The Roger’s Drug Store continued on the corner and other businesses occupied the rest of the building. Mr. Killip died in 1913 and in 1917 the block was purchased by Gates Minckler who continued to operate a drug store on the site. Mr. Minckler sold the building and business to Holden Stickney in the 1940’s. In 1961, while still in the hands of Mr. Stickney, fire again demolished this corner.  Mr. Stickney rebuilt the next year – a one-story brick building with nicely detailed doorways and entablature in the Greek Revival Style. After it was purchased by the firm of Youngs and Linfoot, it was painted to emphasize these details.