326..324..322 E. Main

326 E. Main – 2nd house west of Washington St.
324 E. Main - 3rd building west of Washington St.
322 E. Main – 4th building west of Washington St

This block, once known as the Old Wooden Row, was the first business block in Dansville (Lowell). Built between 1846 and 1870, it contained 11 wooden buildings along the south side of Bridge (Main) Street between Monroe and Washington Streets.

The second building west of Washington St. (326 E. Main) was listed as a dwelling from 1885-1910. John Blakeslee moved here from Carson City with his family in 1891. He bought two buildings, 326 and 324 E. Main, from Henry Booth. He occupied 326 as a dwelling and used the other as a wagon, paint and blacksmith shop.

Soon Blakeslee purchased the adjoining building to the west, 322, called the “Checkered Front” building and used it for his blacksmith shop. Mr. F. W. Lovett had a shop and office on the 2nd floor. He was a painter but did frescoing and graining as well as painting. He painted in residences, churches and even “omnibuses.”

Going back in time to the 1850s, the “Checkered Front” building was home to the Toussaint Campau grocery and dry goods store. Toussaint was a brother of the famous Louis Campau of Grand Rapids. He was married to Emily Marsac, sister of Daniel Marsac. Emily and Daniel’s sister Sophia was the wife of Louis Campau. In 1866, the grocery store of Samuel Sweetland & Joe Smith was in the building.

A later owner of these buildings was John R. Scott, who learned the blacksmith’s trade while growing up on a farm. He died in 1905, however, his wife still owned the smithy in 1909 when it was purchased by the Peckham, family owners of the Lowell Cutter Co. They used it for storage of lumber and materials while a contractor built them a new factory-the Lowell Auto Body factory.

The years 1909 and 1910 were a busy and noisy time on this side of town. Not only was the Auto Body Factory being built but the new City Hall and Dr. Draper’s new smithy was going up across the street. Dr. Draper was using the “Checkered Front” building as a veterinary office and blacksmith shop until he could move into his new shop which today is the Roger’s Neighborhood Realty building.

In 1912, the Lowell Cutter Co. demolished the fire charred house (326 E. Main) and old barn (324 E. Main), which adjoined the Auto Body factory on the east. It is likely the ‘Checkered Front’ was demolished about this time also. For a time, the lots were used for hitching horse teams until the space was needed for factory purposes.
Since then, these lots have become part of the parking lot and Superior Furniture Company and now Big Boiler Brewing-Hop Hog Restaurant.

Images:

The #1 arrow points to the residence and #2 arrow points to the carriage and painting shop. Horseshoeing was first done by the blacksmith in the shed behind the shop. (1885).  By 1892, the little blacksmith shop was gone and the “Checkered Front” building  (#3 arrow) became the smithy. The #2 building became a barn.

The Sanborn maps of 1885 and 1900 show the Carriage & Painting and Blacksmith shops in two buildings and then the smithy moved into the “Checkered Front” building.
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The “Checkered Front” building was the home of Blakeslee’s new shop, 1892.