| "Downtown" Highland Station |
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This is a view of Livingston Road looking east across "Main Street" or Centre Street (Milford Road). The building on the northeast corner was a general store, initially run by Aaron Adams. He sold out in 1886 to Eugene B. Wilhelm of the Highland Pickle Works, who in turn hired brother-in-law, James Hulbert, as store manager. When the Milford State Bank crashed in 1891, however, the store was among the assets sold to satisfy Wilhelm's creditors and Hulbert was forced to move out. The building was thereafter purchased by George H. Bancroft, who operated a store there until 1904 when he retired, selling the business to I. Roy Waterbury and George Newbound. In 1905 Newbound conveyed his interest to Frank S. Keller and the establishment was thereafter commonly called the "Keller and Waterbury" store. The building suffered damage in March, 1911, when a gasoline lamp exploded in the basement, but repairs were soon made. On June 1, 1912, however, another gasoline lamp malfunction started a fire which totally consumed the store and damaged several other nearby buildings.
