Presentation(8.5MB PDF) by Debra Towle

100 Years of
Towle’s
Hardware
1911-2011
Ca. 1890’s Corner of Weld & Main Street
Dixfield, Maine
Note Bandstand at rear of National House where parking lot is today
Fenced in lot on right is where Towle’s
Hardware originated
Henry Stanley’s Tackle & Bike shop is on left with the gingerbread
trim. Randall’s Law Office is on right--later used as light shop.
Ca. 1900--Tackle & Bike Shop moved across the street and purchased
by Albion Stockbridge for a hardware store. Charles Towle
purchased it in 1911, and Towle’s Hardware is born.
Dixfield Lumber Company (Towle-Fairbanks
Sawmill) on the Webb River
Ca. 1908-09
Ca. Late 1940’s--Intersection of Main and Weld Street
Telephone office, Antique Shop & Gulf Station are now
Towle’s Corner Store
Bishop’s Jewelry Store on left
Randall’s Law Office on right
Now all part of Towle’s Hardware Store
Charlie Towle
Founder of Towle’s Hardware Store
Alice Lucas
High School Graduation
Alice Lucas Towle
Top Center
Graduated from
Farmington Normal
School
Picture of
Rumford Falls Trust Co.
Officers & Tellers
4th of July float 1920
Display panels from store cupboards
mounted on store truck and charlie on float
4th of July Float 1924
Charlie’s Memorabilia
Advertising
Sample-Ink Blotter
given out for
advertising
1920’s
Cement roads installed by Jim Kerr
Hardware Store and Marion Harlow Tribou Gift shop on right
(later , the Bluebird Restaurant)
Written by John Towle
from back side of previous picture
1930’s Motorized Display Ferris Wheel built
by Charlie Towle (on left)--Used as window
display in the Hardware Store
This is not the original delivery truck, but
Mickey Towle purchased and restored this
similar make and model
Weld Street- January 18, 1956
No Snow
John L. Towle
Graduate of Dixfield
High School 1932
Ryder College 1936
Dixfield still had all of its elm trees
John Towle’s Era--Bluebird Diner next to
store on right
John Towle
with pipe
Usually a corn cob pipe
Mickey
Towle
Butch Towle
1969
New front tiles and windows
have been installed
John joined the American
Hardware Co-op
• Advertising Flyer Ca. 1960’s
John & Betty
Towle
Norman
“Butch”
John Towle
Graduate of Dixfield
Regional High School
1963
Graduate of Babson
College 1967
A portion of John’s lifelong
hobby of tool collecting. Some
are on display in the New
Hardware Store and the rest of
the collection, over 1000 pieces,
is on display at
the Dixfield Historical Society.
Today’s Towles
Chip, Butch, Joni,
Sarah, Emily, Charlie,
Donna, Mike, Linda
1998 at opening of the
John L. Towle Antique
Tool Museum
1977 Tree Removal
Storage trailers where the
Blue Bird Diner was
Store repair shop at right
“Out buildings” behind
grain building
Building with sliding
door~original storage
building~moved but still in
use today~2011
1983 Butch is standing in front of Grain shed (old light shop)
Wayne Dog Food on display
In background on right are the storage sheds once used as Carriage
Sheds for the National House. They were originally open on the
back side and faced what is now the town parking lot.
1983 Back yard storage
1/2 Railroad car on left housed
the 1980 bucket loader (could
change out bucket and add fork
lift attachment in summer) forks
can be seen under door. This was
our first fork lift.
The loader is still used today
for snow removal.
1983 New lumber warehouse
construction
Butch on loader/fork lift
Lumber warehouse
construction in 1983
New lumber and plywood
warehouse
Hurchial Noyes put the
trusses up with his pulp
truck
Lumber/plywood warehouse
construction in
1983~trusses being added
Old building material sheds
on right
1990 Aerial view
Butch’s 50th birthday present from Chip
Winter Blizzard 1993
Butch’s Jeep~John’s Jeep
New plywood & lumber storage
Loader was housed in 1/2 railroad car pictured on left
Winter blizzard 1993
John’s truck
John used to haul 1-1/2 tons of grain in it as well as deliveries. He
used to say “it’s all in how you pile the load.”
New Canopy
installed in 1995
1997 Weld Street & Main Street Road
Construction for new sewer line
1997~Replacing cement sidewalks and new curbing. Town wanted hot
top curb but we wanted and paid for granite curbing all around our
property so it would last. Granite curb is still perfect today.
Hot top curb needs replacing.
1998 Road construction done
Quonset Hut was added in May 1988
1998 Road Construction done
Hardware store new look
Refurbished Grain building
Blue Seal Feed & Monitor heaters on display
Towle’s Hardware
Store
ready for spring season
Butch, Donna, Chip & Joni Towle
2000 New Warehouse & Grain Building
This structure was incorporated into the
New Hardware Store in 2008 and is now a
receiving room, window and screen repair
shop, and storage area.
Butch & Mickey 2003 Town of
Dixfield Bicentennial
Chip & Butch on “moving
day” for the new
Towle’s Corner Store
October 2007
John “Chip”
Towle
Graduate of Dirigo High
School 1988
Graduate of St.
Michael’s College 1992
Masters in Education
from St. Michael’s 1997
Butch & Donna Towle
Chip & Debra Towle
Beginning the 2008 New Store Project
Getting ready for footings for New Store
looking at store from the porch of the back
apartment on the second floor
Footings being installed for New
Store Looking at store from back
yard
Frost wall up next to back
door of Old Store
New Store location
in relation to Old store
Entry of New Store as shown in relation to
the Old Store back door
Pouring floor of New Store
Legend showing layout of New Store
area and back yard
Cement boom truck pumping cement to
areas of New Store floor
Framing started on New Store
double 2x8’s used for studding
Double studding required to support
clear span inside store building
Framing of New Store in Progress
Trusses being applied to grain
building
Front Entry being worked on
Door in open area of foreground is
entry to Butch’s office
Entry of New Store as shown in
relation to old store. Porch for
upstairs apartment had to be removed
to complete entry
Corner of Old Store had to
be removed to complete entry
way. This was done while the
Old Store was still open.
Looking down length of
back on New Store to
Lumber Shed
Receiving Door & walk in
Door to Grain Shed
Inside grain building
after its completion
Looking at New Store & Old Store from Weld
Street as the merging is completed
New & Old Store merging before raizing of
Old Store
End of New Store
shown from
Town Parking Lot
Right front side of New Store
showing part of 40 foot display
and storage area to be open
daily and at right Butch’s
office
hardie board siding being applied to
New Store
From Weld Street showing end of building to
which the New Store is being attached
Two 20 foot overhead doors in front of
display area
Butch’s office on corner and stairs leading
to attic from Grain Building on back of store
Butch & Chip standing between
the New Store and the Old Store
New Store ready for peg
board & ceiling tile
installing ceiling grid for
suspended ceiling
Strapping being applied over
OSB board to accept new peg
board for display
floor has been completed &
peg board started to be
installed in walls
Shipping counter being
installed
Inside New Store as insulation and
HVAC work is under way and Eddie’s
Office
Gondolas being set up
& merchandise being
moved from Old Store
Inside New Store as
merchandise continues to be
moved from original store
Looking down front of New
Store as new merchandise
continues to be added
New Store on left~Original Store in center
New Convenience Store on right
Beginning of the end for the
Old Hardware Store
A BitterSweet Day
The Old Store
completely razed
Cleaning up the basement
area of the old store
New Hardware Store from back yard
Top granite step from Old Store put in by
John Towle in early 1960’s being placed at
entrance to the New Store in his memory and
to merge some of the past with the present
2011 Business Person of the Year
Chip & Debra Towle with his Parents Butch & Donna Towle
Experience~Knowledge~Innovation
“New Kids on the Corner”
Tracy, Lucas, James
Eddie, Butch & Chip
The New Towle’s Hardware & Lumber Company
is open for business
The Corner of Weld and Main
2011