The big yellow building across from the bank started out as the Barton Building. Richard Barton started his furniture business in the late 1700s. In the mid-1800s, Barton furniture was in the West End Market (north side of West Main next to Cambridge Creek). When that burned, Bartons erected this building.
In 1875 the Agan Brothers founded their furniture business in the building (were the Agans related to the Bartons?).
Agan Brother 1875-1910
E.C.Oatman 1910-1938
O.K. Spurr 1938-1965
Charlie Ackley 1965-???
The Furniture Business and the Funeral Business were always linked
A few years before Charlie Ackley took over.
I love this photo because it reminds me of one of my favorite Cambridge folklore stories. When children entered the store, their parents shopped and chatted with O.K. or Charlie. The children often found their way into the front display windows. We (er, they ;- ) would sit in the chairs or at the table, being very still like mannequins. As passersby on the street would stop to admire the window display, we (er, they ;- ) would jump up to scare them.
Oh the simple ways we found to amuse ourselves “back in the day”
I love this photo because it reminds me of one of my favorite Cambridge folklore stories. When children entered the store, their parents shopped and chatted with O.K. or Charlie. The children often found their way into the front display windows. We (er, they ;- ) would sit in the chairs or at the table, being very still like mannequins. As passersby on the street would stop to admire the window display, we (er, they ;- ) would jump up to scare them.
Oh the simple ways we found to amuse ourselves “back in the day”
