Vintage Fall River

Here are more images:

1st Congregational Church 1900’s

Durfee Textile School 1910 on Davol St.

City Hall 1950’s

Main Street 1950’s

Notre Dame 1907

City Hall 1908

South Park 1860’s

Globe Corners 1908

Main Street 1930’s

Post Office 1910

Fall River Hospital 1910

New Union Hospital 1910

Main Street 1900’s

South Park Pavillon 1908

Talbot store photo

EXTREMELY RARE PHOTOGRAPH – Showing the east side of a cornerstone Fall River business- the Talbot & Co. Clothing House. It is labeled on the back in pencil simply “1916- Second & Pleasant St.” Talbot’s, with its main entrance at 60-66 South Main St. in the former Pocasset Block, operated from early 1900 until about 1940 when Paul Woltman bought the business and moved his existing men’s store from the List Building on Third Street to the more visible location on City Hall Square. In the photo a young man dressed in overalls but wearing a bow tie can be seen leaning on a broom in what appears to have been a rear doorway at sometime in the past because no stairway leads down to the sidewalk level. In the corner display windows boys suits on forms, some shirts and a folded pair of trousers were on display along with a sign that reads in part- ‘School Times- Strong, Durable Styling.’ Having worked at Paul Woltman’s for several Christmas seasons back in the late 1950’s, I remember these display windows facing Bedford Street as being very narrow and without much room to create attractive clothing displays. Some sort of work was in progress at the time (roofing, painting ???) as evidenced by the temporary wooden fence extending out from the building. At the near corner under the barrier can be seen a wooden tool box with a handle. At the far corner (Pocasset Street) a man with his hands on his hips watches the photographer at work. The vertical sign at that corner advertised ‘K. P. (King Phillip) Ales’ (a local product) and was near the entrance to a basement tavern which was later known as the Tap Room. Across Pocasset St. in the right distance can be seen the corner of the old City Hall with a man leaning against its wall, a parked horse & wagon, overhead trolley power lines and, across the street, the massive old Post Office and Custom House. Nothing in this photo exists today – the site is partly occupied by the new ugly City Hall, ops- make that Government Center with the interstate highway, Route 195 underneath. Mounted on heavy backing board measuring  8 x 10 inches, this old photo measures 4.75 x 6.75 inches. Marked at the lower right is ‘W. B. Douglas Studio’ which was not a Fall River business. The mounting board bears very minor corner & edge wear from handling over many years as well as a tiny edge crease on the back side. The photo itself is in near mint condition. A seldon, if ever, seen image of the back of the Pocasset Block- Talbot Block- later Woltman Block and a valued addition to any serious Fall River collection.

I’ve added a few more images of old Fall River.  Aside from the great Mann murals out of public view at the old Kuss Middle School, other great murals of old Fall River can be seen HERE.

Ferry Street Rail Road Station – early 1900’s.

Notre Dame Church fire – 1982

More vintage pictures of Fall River…….

Rock Street 1910

City Hall after fire of 1886.

Steamship Pilgrim

Hotel Wilbur

Academy Building

Academy Building Interior

Main Street – 1905

92 Second Street – 1930’s

Lincoln Ave – House on left still stands and is easily recognized.

Main Street – 1940’s

Old Central Police Station

Bedford Street – 1888.

Main Street – 1890’s

1909 Bliffin Street family