Repurposed #3: Old Buildings in Kezar Falls

 #3 BRIDGE STREET, PORTER 

THE FORMER DAVIS BARBER SHOP

This building at #3 Bridge Street is next to the Ridlon Brothers Store featured in our last post.  It is currently an apartment building owned by John T. O’Donnell who has made renovations to improve the apartments for his tenants. It is a very old building in the center of Kezar Falls and has changed owners many times.

Joshua Elliott purchased the lot located on the east side of Bridge Street, between the Ridlon Brothers store and the bridge, from Samuel Ridlon for $150 in 1885.  He started the building in July.  On 7/18/1885 The Oxford County Record newspaper published the following: “Joshua Elliott has got the frame for his new building nearly up.  It will be 3 stories with a Mansard roof.”  See the building on the far right below.

Bridge Street showing, from left to right, the Malvern Hotel (now gone),

Ridlon Brothers Store and the Elliott Building.

The 1/15/1887 issue of The Oxford County Record newspaper stated “F.B. Davis has moved into the Elliott rent and opened a barber shop in the room formerly occupied by Rendall the jeweler.”

Fulton B. Davis – barber, circa 1910.

The Davis Barber Shop continued here for many years, carried on by his grandson Harry “Chick” Davis shown here in 1937.

This following view is of the Elliott Building taken circa 1934 with the Davis Barber Shop on the 1st floor, left side.  The third floor burned in 1984 and was rebuilt without it. It continued as an apartment building.  By the time that this picture was taken the Ridlon Drug Store had been built to the south between the Elliott Building and the bridge.

It is good to know that we still have quite a few of these original old buildings that form the center of Kezar Falls Village which are still in use today.