Our first photograph this week comes from a postcard sent from Saugus to Sanford Maine in 1913 and was undoubtedly a black and white photo with color added before publishing. Views of this type have always been popular and the two structures have even been shown on tiles (hotplates) from time to time.

Our civil war monument has always been considered one of the best in Massachusetts and Saugus Town Hall is considered an architectural treasure. Hard as it is to believe, I can still recall a time when a few people thought it was an eye-sore which should be replaced!

Our second picture shows a century old view of Fiske’s Store on Jackson Street. The store carried thread and yard goods and also served as the Cliftondale Post Office. Martha Fiske was postmistress from 1883 to her death in 1914. A Miss Kentfield was Martha Fiske’s assistant. This view can be found in A Gathering of Memories and appears here with permission.

Another postcard view-a rare one in this case shows Washington Square in East Saugus. The Square is formed by the junction of Lincoln Avenue, Ballard Street and Chestnut Street. Ballard Street is facing away from the camera on the left. If the view is confusing to some readers it is because the camera captured the scene before the commercial block was built. Provenzano’s Barber Shop occupied the right hand side of the block for many years. The large house on the right was once the home of W.F. Newhall who wrote a fine history of Saugus which appeared in Hurd’s History of Essex County (1888). The Old Rock Schoolhouse was almost opposite this house on the other side of Lincoln Avenue. This postcard was postmarked 1910 but the publisher is unknown.

As I have written in earlier articles, east Saugus saw the rise and progress of Methodism in the early 1800’s. In early days, the Old Rock Schoolhouse played an important part in this. A paragraph written by Benjamin Franklin Newhall explains what happened a little later:

About 1818 it was deemed advisable to organize a distinct church and have it placed Under the charge of the circuit preacher at Malden, he preaching at the Rock School-House once in four weeks, added thereto such evening lectures as he could give himself, and procure to be given. This arrangement was considered a great acquisition, and a Sunday’s preaching once in four weeks was always pleasurably anticipated. The circuit preachers of that day were earnest, warm-hearted me, deeply devoted to the work they had espoused, and satisfied with nothing short of success. They sympathized deeply with the common people, and made themselves perfectly at home in every family which they visited and became acquainted with. Their open, free, social intercourse with the people was one of the great secrets of their success.