Wolfeboro Historical Society Photograph Archive General Areas Wolfeboro Falls Area

This is known as the Bell Shop, c. 1930. Its history is quite a tale. The first building on this site was a huge 4-story known as the Shoe Factory or the Big Shop, 200 feet long by 36 feet deep with 2 ells, 36 x 75 feet; built in 1884, burned down in 1887, then rebuilt the same year in the same size. Owned by the Town in the hopes of attracting business, it was continually controversial and a burden. In 1911, it was torn down to make way for the power station, except for a section of the west wing, which was reduced to 2 stories. The west wing, shown in this photo, was a shoe factory used by the Bell Brothers from 1923-1938, hence the name Bell Shop. The third story was added in 1925. The building stands today at 16-18 Lehner St.

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