Where did YOU hang out?
Walk downtown almost any day after school lets out, and you will see a throng of
young faces in the coffee shops, eateries, and stores along Main Street. This is
not a new situation. Andover’s youth have been loyal and regular patrons of
downtown for generations.Beginning in the early
1900s, reaching its heights in the 1940s and 50s,
and slowly fading away through the 60s, the soda
fountain and drugstore counter was a focal point for
youth culture across America. Andover was no
different. It seems odd to think about teenagers
spending time in a drug store today, but in their
time, Dalton’s, Hartigan’s, and Simeone’s were all
the place to meet and greet after school.
Dalton's Drug Store
 Opened in 1910 as Crowley’s
Pharmacy, Dalton’s Drug Store was located at the
corner of Main and Park Street. Dalton’s was one of
the pre-eminent hangouts along Main Street in the
1950s. The son of the Mary Dalton, proprietor of
the Metropolitan Bakery in the early 1900s, Charles
Dalton came from a family of Andover shopkeepers.
Almost more soda shop than druggist, Dalton’s Drug
Store had booths along with the counter. Charles
Dalton himself could often be found outside the shop
under the awning, passing the time with the
students.
Hartigan's Pharmacy
 Hartigan’s was located on
the corner of Main and Chestnut at 66 Main Street.
Opened in 1924, the business lasted until 1977 when
the marble counters, chrome fixtures, leaded glass,
and detailed mahogany wood paneling were sold and
relocated to a private home in Texas.
When the shop
was closed, prescriptions were transferred to
Dalton’s successor, Hughes Pharmacy. Photo: AHS collection, #2001.170.02
Simeone's
Simeone’s was originally
located in the Musgrove Building. After twenty five
years, Simeone’s moved to its own building at the
corner of Main and Post Office Avenue which was
built in 1933 on the site of the Valpey Brothers
General Store.
As time passed, Simeone’s business focus changed from a drug store and soda counter to home medical
supplies. While Simeone’s closed in 1994, and the
site was most recently an art gallery, the name
Simeone is still
visible on the building today.
Photo: AHS collection, #1987.598.22
Other establishments
like Ford’s, The Andover Spa, the Town Grill, and
Sam’s Sub Shop were all well known places to meet
and socialize, but the nostalgia for the soda fountain
and a simpler time make everyone who was ever in
Dalton’s, Hartigan’s, or Simeone’s (or wherever your favorite place was) stop for a moment and lose
themselves in fond memories.
Do you have Main Street Memories
to share? |
