Nahum E. Wilber came as successor of Reuben Willey as station agent just prior to Mr. Richardson's appointment as postmaster in 1881. He established a little store in the depot between the waiting-rooms, a picture of which has been preserved. After the removal of the old station house to Mr. Usher's land (between the Whitmore-Usher house and the Wyatt house), Wilber moved into the ‘flat-iron store’ next the railroad and developed an extensive business, carried on since his death by his daughter. The old railroad station became the hardware store and plumbers' shop of Dunbar & La Chappelle. Later, and still more enlarged, it became a laundry.
Duncklee & Grimes established a livery stable next Ober's, on Harvard avenue, and took over the bus-line to Medford, and when the bob-tail street car came on, their driver became its conductor. Reuben Hawes continued in this till the automobile's coming made it a garage. Further on Henry Woodward established a mason's locker, with Allen, harness maker, upstairs. Later Sidney Dean came as blacksmith and Charlton, wheelwright, while only recently Dinsmore vacated and the dilapidated shack was torn down.
About fifteen years ago the H. T. Wood house was moved and a one-story mass concrete building of four small stores erected, and was quickly followed by a community garage—these on Harvard avenue, and on the southwestern limit. At both sites the builders made the earth over, digging their sand and gravel for concrete on the spot.
To the west, on High street, only two years erected, is the brick structure of the Real Estate Trust, which has four stores and the banking rooms and vaults of the Medford Trust Company. Between this and Tyler avenue is the Land Trust office and office of Undertaker Gaffey—the western limit. The northern is on Playstead road, the printing office of Mortimer Wilber.
