- 1893 - The Odd Fellows Building Association purchased 7000 sq ft of land from Benjamin Fiske on July 31 (deed 247/85).
- 1895 - Work on the foundation began in July.
- The Odd Fellows Building Association granted a mortgage to Central Savings Bank for $4,200 on December 24 (deed 272/507).
- 1896 - Eben Adams opened his general store on the first floor in July.
- 1898 - In the image below, Eben Adams is holding the rope in the doorway into his Grocery and Hardware Store, and his delivery wagon is ready to go. The entrance to Odd Fellows Hall is at right.
Historical Society photo 1939.34.10 (colorized)
- 1896 - The second floor 300-person Odd Fellows Hall was dedicated in October.
- 1897 - Milliken's Bakery opened in the first-floor right side in November.
- 1898 - Mr Milliken opened an ice cream parlor accessed from outdoors on the Beaver Brook side, later becoming shoemaker William Davis' shop.
- 1903 - Starting in January, the Chelmsford Grange occupied this building until 1931 when they moved to Town Hall.
- 1905 - Odd Fellows Hall is decorated for Chelmsford's 250th anniversary in the image below. Eben Adams General Store and Ella Kinnan's Chelmsford Bakery are on the 1st floor, Dr Arthur Scoboria and barber Tony Mello on the 2nd.
Historical Society photo bbh432 (colorized)
- 1908 - Odd Fellows Lodge No 218 abandoned this hall after merging with Lowell Lodge No 28.
- 1910 - The image below shows Eben Adams Grocery and Hardware Store with barber Tony Mello seated in the open window upstairs
Historical Society photo bbh427 (colorized)
- 1912 - The Central Savings Bank foreclosed on the 1895 mortgage on November 21, selling the building to auctioneer James Emerson (deed 498/53). The same day James resold the building to former Odd Fellows' officer Frank Byam of South Chelmsford (deed 498/57).
- 1913 - Patrick H Haley was appointed postmaster on July 25, and opened his post office in the first floor storefront on the right side of Odd Fellows Hall.
- 1917 - Fred Park ran motion pictures upstairs as the Park Theater through 1921.
- 1918 -Patrick H Haley and Margaret Wright purchased the Odd Fellows Hall from Frank Byam on April 25 (deed 587/14).
- 1920 - The image below shows a walkway to the W H Davis Shoe Store at left on the side of Odd Fellows Hall, and the Dadmun Blacksmith Shop is at right on the other side of Beaver Brook.
Linda Prescott collection (colorized)
- 1922 - Patrick Haley opened a market in the same storefront as his post office.
- 1923 - Patrick Haley purchased Margaret Wright's undivided half interest in Odd Fellows Hall on October 31 (deed 692/72).
- 1925 - The latest delivery truck that replaced horse drawn wagons is on the right of Odd Fellows Hall in the image below. The Dadmun blacksmith shop was demolished in 1923 and the new commercial building that replaced it is on the right.
Jane Drury collection (colorized)
- 1927 - Eben Adams was ill this year, and after his store closed, Walter Falls moved his drug store from Central House into the Adams store location. Eben died on December 1st.
- 1933 - Patrick Haley's 20 years as postmaster ended on April 12.
- 1936 - Richmond Page bought out Walter Falls' drug store business in May and moved it from Odd Fellows Hall into the comercial building next door at 37-38 Central Square as seen in the image below.
- George L Eno purchased the first floor market from his employer Patrick Haley.
Historical Society postcard 1972.42.1048 (colorized)
- 1939 - Debow & Lahue, Incorporated, purchased the building from Patrick Haley via George Wright on December 27 (deeds 939/578 and 939/579). Debow & Lahue converted the upstairs into the Colonial Apartments.
- 1940 - George Eno made extensive alterations and improvements to his market.
- Ruby Emery and Rose Meserve operated the Women's Exchange on the first floor until 1942 when they moved across the street and established the Old Mill House Bakery.
- 1941 - According to a February 13 Newsweekly article "Eno's Market is a direct receiver of premium grade western steer beef and heavy green fed pork products and poulty. A bountiful supply of fresh fruits and vegetables at all times of the year is a feature. Fish and oysters can also be bought."
- In the August 7 issue of the Newsweekly George Eno was congratulated on his appointment as manager of a Central Square chain store the week before, thus ending Eno's Market in the Colonial Building.
- 1942 - The Colonial Apartments are seen in the image below after conversion by Debow & Lahue, with Carl A E Peterson's real estate and insurance office on the left side of the first floor. The former Eno's Market was removed with just the door remaining on the right side of the main entrancwe.
Newsweekly, May 1, 1941 p4
Historical Society photo 1997.17.3 (colorized)
- 1948 - Donna's Beauty Shop opened for business in the "Colonial Building" in October.
Newsweekly, October 14, 1948 p1
- 1957 - The State Board of Bank Incorporation approved the request of 50 Chelmsford businessmen for incorporation of the Chelmsford Bank and Trust Company to be located at 41-44 Central Square in June.
- W C Lahue, Incorporated, received approval to build a one-story addition, 27 x 20-foot, next to Beaver Brook in August.
- 1958 - The Chelmsford Bank and Trust Company opened on the first floor in January.
Newsweekly, February 20, 1958 p14
- 1959 - A vault was added in the north side of the first floor and basement.
- 1960 - Chelmsford Bank and Trust Company changed its name to First Bank and Trust Company in June.
Newsweekly, June 30, 1960 p3
- 1961 - The bank occupied the entire first floor, after 3 phases of expansion, in January.
- 1970 - A walk-up window was installed in August.
Newsweekly, August 27, 1970 p12
- 1971 - This image shows the walk-up window under the work "Bank" and customer service entrance under the word "The."
Historical Society photo 2010.3.6
- 1973 - The First Bank and Trust Company purchased the building from W C Lahue Incorporated on January 25 (deed 2049/395).
- Saturday banking hours were instituted in March.
- The First Bank and Trust Company changed its logo from an "eagle over oval" to a daisy-like "symbol of centripety" with the words "The First Bank" to its right in April.
Newsweekly, July 1, 1973 p20
Newsweekly, November 23, 1976 p48
First Bank And Trust Purchases Fiske Property
The First Rank and Trust Company is planning lo purchase Ihe Fiske property at 1 Billerica Road according to a letter received hy ihe Selectmen from the bank's president Edward S Redstone, and a meeting between bank representatives and the Selectmen will be arranged.
Mr Redstone's letter stated that a purchase agreement had been signed and continued "If we are able lo accomplish our goals, we shall be investing substantial sums in improving the existing structure and possibly alleviating most if not all of the parking problems of Central Square. On my being elected the president of the First Bank in early 1973, we, amongst other things attempted to restore the exterior of the bank to conform io ihe standards desired by most historical societies ... "
No further plans for the property were disclosed, but the Historic District Commission held a hearing last Monday night on the application of Eustace B and Nancy M Fiske for a Certificate of Appropriateness as to proposed changes in the exterior appearance of their properly at 1 Billerica Road. Permission was sought to make an entrance between the Fiske House and the First Bank building to a location 100 feet from Ihe street to park cars for business customers ...
- 1977 - Edward S Redstone purchased the Fiske house property from Eustace B and Nancy M Fiske on behalf of the First Bank on May 6 (deed 2242/393).
- A ribbon cutting ceremony was held in July for a new drive-up window on the left side of the Odd Fellows Hall.
Newsweekly, July 21, 1977 p1
Newsweekly, September 1, 1977 p18
- 1984 - FMV Realty Corporation purchased the properties from the First Bank on December 26 (deed 2922/273)
- 1996 - The Fleet National Bank, "successor in interest" to the First Bank and Trust Company, purchased the building from FMV Realty Corporation onNovember 27 (deed 8326/110)
- 2001 - S-Bank Chelmsford Central LLC, C/O Trammel Crow Company purchased the properties from Fleet National Bank on August 3 (deed 10978/259). They then leased the Odd Fellows and Fiske House properties to Sovereign Bank.
July 30, 2004 photo by Fred Merriam
- 2004 - Sovereign Bank decided to replace the Fiske Barn with a new barn-like bank structure, donating the barn to the Old Chelmsford Garrison House. The barn is seen below before disassembly
July 25, 2004 photo by Fred Merriam
- All beams were labeled and packed into a shipping container that was transported to the Garrison House and later reassembled as an event and storage facility.
July 29, 2004 photo by Fred Merriam
- 2005 - The new bank building, approximating the scale of the old barn is dedicated in May.
December 27, 2004 photo by Fred Merriam
- This is the Odd Fellows Hall once it was vacated by Sovereign Bank.
August 27, 2005 photo by Fred Merriam
- 2021 - Odd Fellows Project LLC purchased the building from S-Bank Chelmsford Central LLC on September 3 (deed 36216/48)
- They planned to construct a 100-seat steak restaurant on the first floor and four apartments in each of the two floors above.
- The interior was gutted and exterior siding removed as seen here.
November 11, 2021 photo by Fred Merriam
February 15, 2022 reconstruction photos by Fred Merriam
- 2023 - The exterior renovations were completed by April, and the progress is seen below.
April 9, 2023 progress photos by Fred Merriam
REFERENCES:
- All photos labeled (colorized) are black and white images edited by Fred Merriam
- Book "History of Chelmsford 1910-1970" Courier Corporation, Fred Merriam and Eleanor Parkhurst, 2011
- Book "Images of America, Chelmsford Revisited" Arcadia Publishing, Fred Merriam, 2014
- Lowell Suburban Directories, Chelmsford section, Historical Society website "Library" page
- Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, as listed
- Newspaper "Chelmsford Newsweekly" as credited
- Photo collection, Chelmsford Historical Society
- Photo collection, Fred Merriam, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Jane Drury, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Linda Prescott, Chelmsford
- State Inventory, Historical Commission website "Meeting Halls" page, Central Square #41-43