Framingham History Center Blog

To kick off the first month of the year we’ve done some re-arranging in our gift shop.  The piece of furniture that hosted the cash register went into storage to make room for what we believe to be the original desk from the Wheeler Store or what was also the “Little Red Store” – Framingham’s first retail store located in the Center.  

We’ve enlarged the image of the store as shown in Daniel Bell’s 1808 painting of the Center Common.  The desk is approximately 200 years old and between the height and long-legged design of the piece, it definitely creates a presence here in the shop.  
Next time you stop by the Edgell Memorial library be sure to check it out!

We recently had a couple of items restored and were happy to have them back.
The first was an ox yoke from the colonial period.This piece was really heavy but our crew which included our very hands-on Executive Director, Annie Murphy and Researcher, Kevin Swope helped finish the job.  At one point there were 5 of  us lifting and adjusting (I wish I set the camera on timer mode to capture that) but it’s up and hanging in its rightful spot at the Academy Building.

We also had a pair of benches restored that reside at the Edgell Memorial Library.  If anyone has had the experience of sitting on one of these you might have had the feeling of being on a ship since they were in pretty rough shape. 

These former church pews have slowly been deteriorating  to the point we could no longer have people sit on them, but we’re happy to report that they are back and ready to provide rest for all those who seek it when visiting Edgell.

Thanks to Paul Reidl of Reidl Restorations Services in Framingham for doing such great work!

Michelle McElroy
Operations Manager