Bristol Historical Society

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Bristol Historical Society Bristol Historical Society

The mission of the Bristol Historical Society is to promote an interest in local history and encourage an appreciation for its importance. The Bristol Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets significant historical resources to enhance the present community and provide a historical context for future growth.

October 17 - F. A. Shaffer Company/Shaffer BeaconFA Shaffer Company is a plumbing company located at 242 Main Street. Th...
10/19/2026

October 17 - F. A. Shaffer Company/Shaffer Beacon

FA Shaffer Company is a plumbing company located at 242 Main Street. The company was founded by Francis Asbury Shaffer in 1913. Shaffer would sell out to another founder of the firm, Harry Herold. Herold ran the business for 33, until retiring in 1951. His sons, Harry Herold Jr. and Russell Herold had joined his father in the business and carried it on with other partners. In 2021, Shaffer merged with Beacon Mechanical of Granby. The company is still in business and still located on Main Street.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 16 - Rex RoofingRex Roofing was founded in Bristol in 1925 and located at 683 Broad Street. The company was star...
10/17/2026

October 16 - Rex Roofing

Rex Roofing was founded in Bristol in 1925 and located at 683 Broad Street. The company was started by Harry Ogden Rex and would also come to include a branch in Stamford. Rex also founded NERSICA, a national association of roofing contractors. He was also an avid stamp collector and president of the New Britain Stamp Collectors Club. Rex retired from the Bristol Branch in 1952. The business was sold to J. Eric Sweeney. Bristol’s branch would remain in business into the 1960s and the Stamford branch would survive into the mid-1970s.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 15 - Norman's Men's ShopNorman’s Men’s Shop was located at 107 North Main Street in the 1950s. It was owned by M...
10/16/2026

October 15 - Norman's Men's Shop

Norman’s Men’s Shop was located at 107 North Main Street in the 1950s. It was owned by Manuel “Mannie” Norman Cohen of New Britain. The store closed in 1958. Cohen remained in the clothing, working for Mag & Sons uniform shop for many years.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 14 - Stewart Paint ShopGeorge Stewart was a Civil War veteran. He was born in New York where he learned the pain...
10/15/2026

October 14 - Stewart Paint Shop

George Stewart was a Civil War veteran. He was born in New York where he learned the painting trade. He worked in Farmington and New Britain before coming to Bristol in about 1885. He opened the Stewart Paint Shop soon after he arrived, where he sold paint and painting supplies. He ran the store until he died in 1910.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 13 - Scarritt LumberScarritt Lumber Company was founded on 120 Lewis Street by David J. Scarritt in 1946. Scarri...
10/14/2026

October 13 - Scarritt Lumber

Scarritt Lumber Company was founded on 120 Lewis Street by David J. Scarritt in 1946. Scarritt was a local man, a graduate of Bristol High School. He married Edith Redman and she also had an active role in the business, serving as bookkeeper and secretary. In 1976, they expanded to another store in New Britain and the lumber yard at some point became Scarritt Lumber and Home Center. David Scarritt retired in 1974. The lumberyard closed in the early 1990s, but the Scarritt name lives on—Jim Scarritt and his wife Elizabeth had brought hot tubs into the Scarritt Home Center over the years and the Scarritt Spas and Hot Tubs on Broad Street was born from that line of business. The site later became a Shaws Supermarket.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 12 - Ruth Ericson FloristRuth Ericson Florist (later just Ericson Florist) was located at 133 North Main Street....
10/13/2026

October 12 - Ruth Ericson Florist

Ruth Ericson Florist (later just Ericson Florist) was located at 133 North Main Street. The shop was opened by Ruth A. (Moore) Ericson around 1940. Before opening her own florist shop, Ericson worked for Bertha Wasley’s florist shop. When Ruth Ericson retired, her daughter, Barbara Stevens, took over the shop. Ericson Florist was open into the 1990s, although the space would eventually be taken over by Hubbard Florist. The store is pictured here in 1982.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 11 - McLellan's Five & DimeMcLellan’s Five & Dime Stores was founded in 1917 by William Walker McLellan. By the ...
10/12/2026

October 11 - McLellan's Five & Dime

McLellan’s Five & Dime Stores was founded in 1917 by William Walker McLellan. By the 1930s, there were 200 stores in the United States. McLellan lost control of his stores during the Great Depression, and they were sold to the US Corporation which continued to run them until they were sold to the McCrory company in 1958. Bristol’s McLellan’s spanned all three owners, from McLellan to McCrory, and was in business from 1929 to 1966. The store was located at 169 Main Street. McLellan’s made popcorn daily and the store was noted for the smell, which spilled out onto the sidewalk.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 10 - Maynard Insurance AgencyThe Maynard Insurance Agency was located at 29 North Main Street in the 1940s, 1950...
10/11/2026

October 10 - Maynard Insurance Agency

The Maynard Insurance Agency was located at 29 North Main Street in the 1940s, 1950s, and into the early 1960s. The agency which handled real estate and insurance was owned and operated by Emma Gosselin Maynard though her husband, Montcalm Maynard is listed as the owner in some places. Montcalm served as City Treasurer.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 9 - Sears Surplus StoreWhen the Grand Way Department Store closed in the early 1970s, the Bristol Centre Mall lo...
10/10/2026

October 9 - Sears Surplus Store

When the Grand Way Department Store closed in the early 1970s, the Bristol Centre Mall looked for a replacement anchor store. They would not bring in the replacement for about a decade, but when they did, it was the Sears Surplus Store, which opened its doors in 1984. It would provide the mall’s second anchor store—the first was Sage Allen. At the time it opened, the Bristol Surplus store was the 107th in the country. The store featured “peanut brittle next to the car tires and pretzels near the shoe department” as one newspaper story put it. At its height, the store employed over 70 people. After a gentle rebranding as the Sears Outlet, the store, along with Sage Allen, left the mall in 1993.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

October 8 - W.O. Goodsell Feed & Grain Company/Bristol Grain & Supply CompanyWilliam Orlando Goodsell came to Bristol in...
10/09/2026

October 8 - W.O. Goodsell Feed & Grain Company/Bristol Grain & Supply Company

William Orlando Goodsell came to Bristol in 1884 when he purchased a farm on Chippens Hill. He then started the W. O. Goodsell Feed and Grain Company on North Main Street in 1887. The elder Goodsell also bought his family a home at 21 North Street. The grain and feed store was a family affair and William Goodsell sold it to his sons, Samuel J. and Lester W. Goodsell, who renamed the firm the Goodsell Brothers Grain and Feed Company. In 1924, the two brothers sold the establishment to the Bristol Grain and Supply Company, owned by Richard Beamish and William Porter. Both brothers stayed on, however, to help manage the company. The store remained in business into the 1950s. More memorably for many mid-century Bristol residents, Samuel Goodsell also opened a second-hand shop at his family home and the barn (and various small garages) behind it. Known for its hubcaps for sale out front, this colorful store—descriptions vary from “antique store” to “junk shop”—remained under Goodsell’s management from the 1930s until 1961. At that time, he was offered around $100,000 for the property from developers. He declined the offer and sold the property to the Bristol Baptist Church for $1. He is shown here in 1963, in front of the former Bristol Grain and Supply company, which was being demolished that year as part of Redevelopment.

Bristol's history has no shortage of industrial achievement. For 2026, however, we will focus on the retail businesses in Bristol. From restaurants to shoe stores, from jewelers to theaters, these businesses often made up the fabric of daily life in Bristol and served as an important sector of its economy.

Address

98 Summer Street
Bristol, CT
06010

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(860) 583-6309

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