Odds and Ends From The MUSEUM!
By Trudy Wyman, Curator, Millinocket Historical Society Museum
Fogg & Clifford, dealers in hardware and house furnishings, was located in an early Millinocket building on the corner of Central Street & Penobscot Avenue. The building still looks much the same today.
A 1920’s newspaper article describes the store as follows. “As a fully equipped hardware store, they carry the output of the best manufacturers and nowhere can you get better values or more favorable terms.” They carried everything from hardware to builder’s and mechanics’ tools to garden tools and farmer’s tools. Also in stock were the “best of paints and oils for your home.” A large assortment of furniture was available “as low as the lowest.” Sets of furniture or separate pieces were displayed for the housewife to select from. The customer could pay cash or pay on credit.
The three floors of the Fogg & Clifford store plus the basement were filled with the latest in all departments. The store also carried Rogers Silverware, lines of cutlery, china, cut glass and fishing tackle of all kinds!
An ad in the 1912 Northern Lights (Millinocket High School yearbook) includes no street address, but states the Fogg & Clifford business was located across Central St. from the Post Office. In the early days, the Millinocket Post Office was located in the Decker-Gonya block (area of Computer Rehab).
Sometime in the 1920’s, Fuller Furniture Company took occupancy of the building. The same 1920’s newspaper states Fuller’s were early dealers in furniture, stoves, paints, crockery, carpets, etc. They were agents for New Home and Singer Sewing Machines. The proprietor was Mr. G.G. Comstock whose family would continue to run the business for many, many years.
The business carried all types of home furnishings including floor coverings, brass and iron beds, mattresses, bedding and all kinds of décor items such as pictures, mirrors and more. Do you remember the large wallpaper sample books? These attracted the housewife who was planning a brightening up of a room in the home. (Those sample books often were turned into scrapbooks…the large pages were perfect for that. The museum has one full of all kinds of news articles!)
Remember the Fuller Furniture coupon books of later years? A shopper could buy a coupon book and then use the enclosed coupons when purchasing merchandise. Many businesses used this idea to draw customers. The museum has several Fuller’s coupon books with some unused coupons still intact. Coupons were no good if detached from the book prior to use, were good indefinitely and the book had to be presented at time of use. Each book was worth $10.00.
In addition to the above two businesses, Fred Peasley is listed in Millinocket Lots & Blocks as being at that same location in 1900. One source states that he was the builder of that store and the lumber came from trees he cut on site!
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