There is what appears to be a small plot of land on Rte.105 with a for-sale sign. Though the land for sale looks small in size, its history is very large. The store shown in the first picture was originally a barn and stable built in 1710 and belonging to Minister Timothy Ruggles. The photograph was taken in 1934 when the store building was 294 yrs. old. In this picture, it is the John Alden General Store. In later years it became the Rochester General Store and has had several owners.
Over the years, the buildings to the left and right have been home to a variety of businesses. In the late 1940’s, the building on the right became Rochester’s Post Office until the new one was built in the 1980’s. On the left there was a grocery store and beginning in the 1950’s George Kirby II operated a garage followed by one owned by Buster Locke.
In later years there was a bar and restaurant and a lunch counter which was a community gathering place where you were sure to get caught up on local news and gossip. These businesses closed and the buildings were sold. Their last occupants were a bakery cafe with two apartments above and a commercial bakery behind. Once again, people gathered to eat, talk and catch up on community happenings.
Unfortunately, on July 28, 2011, a massive fire consumed much of the building. The second picture shows the demolishment of what was left. That fire ended 310 years of this small Rochester center of commerce.
By Connie Eshbach
