Newberry Sign Consigned to North Adams Museum
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The future of a recognizable part of the city's past was guaranteed Tuesday night when the North Adams Historical Society voted to accept the former J.J. Newberry sign.
The sign — really just the letters spelling out the old store's name — caused a certain amount of heat in comments and letters on local media sites when it was learned the shop in which it currently resides is planning to close.
Moulton's General Store in the former Newberry space on Main Street not only had the old sign hanging on an interior wall, the owners had modeled their own sign to match the distinctive gold letters. The Newberry letters, however, are owned by writer and city enthusiast Joe Manning, who rescued them nearly a decade ago when no one else wanted them.
Not even the Historical Society.
"We didn't think we could get it in the door," said society President Charles "Chuck" Cahoon. What they hadn't realized was that the letters were removable (at least with some difficulty) and had imagined a very long sign needing a very large space.
This time around, the society was eager to provide a home for the Newberry letters alongside city memorabilia, such as the Jarisch Paper Box Co. sign, within the North Adams Museum of History and Science in Building 5A at Western Gateway Heritage State Park.
"They belong in North Adams ... in the best place where they will be visible to people coming through here," said Cahoon. One member reminded the board how important it was to retain the city's distinctive landmarks, bemoaning the lack of foresight that allowed the famed Lulu the cigar store Indian to slip away. "We lost Lulu and she's gone forever."
Manning was relieved to have the sign taken off his hands.
"I didn't want the letters in the first place," he said, "and neither did my wife."
The Florence resident had come into possession of the "very heavy" letters by chance. David Carver of Scarafoni Realty, which owns the building, was doing work on the structure that had sat empty for years. Manning asked Carver about the letters — and became their owner. He also picked up some other leftovers — posters from the lunch counter, a shopping basket, and an inventory ledger that appears to have been the store's last — which he also turned over to the museum.
"I feel like I rescued them from oblivion," he said. The letters sat in his basement until Mark and Catherine Moulton began renovating the space to open their store. They were interested in displaying the sign and signed an annual lease for the princely sum of a $1 a year — that Manning says he's never bothered to collect.
While willing to take the sign, the Cahoon said it would be unseemly to pull it down while Moulton's is still operating. Plus, noted Manning, the lease doesn't run out until Aug. 21, adding that the Moultons are glad the society is taking the sign.
The members unanimously voted to take possession of the sign once the store is shuttered and thanked Manning for rescuing a piece of North Adams history.
"I'm very pleased I don't have to haul them around anymore," he said.
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