BusinessES of State street

Why is it so important to learn about these businesses if they were not a part of the financial portion of State Street?

The businesses of 176-190 were some of the most striking businesses. Not only what the business may have been but also the people who owned them and those who also may have worked there. The business is not the only story that made the place, the people who owned it also created memories and a living through these businesses. 

Fowle, Hibbard, & Co. 174/176

Observe the image to the right, then to the left in the photograph is what Fowle, Hibbard and Co. stood as in this 1912 photograph. 

Fowle, Hibbard and Co. was one of the businesses which was in this building for not just a few years, but a few decades. The name that this building is listed under, starting in the map of 1883 provided by Atlascope, which was seen on the main page, is that of a Luke Warren Fowle. It is not until the map of 1938 that a change is seen in the name, which is Hospital Life Ins. Co. 

In the Boston Directory record of: Sampson and Murdock 1905, it states that a Rebecca Rogers held an occupation at 176 State Street, which in the 1905 map, provided by Atlascope, it states that was still under the name of Luke Fowle. Rogers' occupation was that of a stenographer, which is someone who has an expertise in abbreviated writing which increases the speed of writing. 

census record for Hibbard family

The second contributor towards Fowle, Hibbard and Co. was a Salmon P. Hibbard. Unlike Fowle, Hibbard was born in 1838 in Quebec and moved to Massachusetts later in life. He lived in Massachusetts with his wife, Harriet A. Hibbard and daughter, Mabel P. Hibbard. He sadly passed away because of heart failure in 1900, as stated in the Boston Globe. Both Fowle and Hibbard were well known grocers during this time. 


1912 photograph, 176-190 State St

Luke Warren Fowle, as stated, was the man whose named the is associated with 176 State street. When Fowle, Hibbard and Co. was finally established in this building, he was about 35 years old, with his wife and at the time only one daughter. Fowle and his family also had a servant living with them. 

census record for Fowle family

Fowle was born in Massachusetts approximately in 1837 and lived in the greater Boston since he was married up until the time of his death in 1921. 

newspaper article, Dec. 20, 1900, about death of Salmon P. Hibbard
newspaper announcement, Nov. 4, 1872, of land sales including 174-176 State St

The selling of 174 and 176 state street

As seen in this newspaper article, published in 1872, the parcel of 174/176 was sold to Luke Fowle and Salmon P. Hibbard from J.K. Porter & Co. 

This may get confusing because on the city directory provided by Tufts Digital Library, states that Fowle, Hibbard & Co. was already established in 176 State Street in 1870. 

Fifty Associates: 182 State Street

Located on 182 State Street, Fifty Associates was a recorded keeping records of donations and other documents relating to money and financial records. It was a corporation that was established in 1831. Fifty Associates was not only located on State Street but also in other parts of Boston, such as 

Some of the original contributors to Fifty Associates were: Benjamin Rich, John Heard, Shadrach Shattuck and Alpheus Cary. 

historic photograph of State St buildings, including special annotation marking 182-184 State St

190 State Street

The business of 'New York Refining Co.'. What one should keep in mind is the fact that this Boston Directory is of the year 1883. It is one of the earlier written down and marked in a map business'. Yet, up until the year 1902, it was owned by Moses Williams, which then in 1902 it turned into a Trust. By the time of the recording of the map of 1908, Jas. G. Freeman Trs. had bought the building. 

city directory listing for New York Refining Co.
Stickney & Poor advertisement in Boston city directory

181/205 State Street: Joshua M. Sears

Joshua Montgomery Sears was born into the business of his father, also Joshua M. Sears. His father became one of the weathliest families who were merchants off of the wharves. 

Joshua, the one whose name is on the buildings of not only 181, but also of 205/207, came to be one of the highest taxpayers in the greater Boston area. 

Works cited

"REAL ESTATE.: SEVERAL TRANSACTIONS, PAST AND FUTURE--THE FIFTY ASSOCIATES." 1874.Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Jul 13, 5. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/real-estate/docview/491934869/se-2.

Boston (Mass.). "182-184 State Street, Fifty Associates." Photograph. October 7, 1912. Digital Commonwealth, https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_c679febe-966d-46fe-ae71-623cb85f694f/ (accessed December 12, 2022).

Boston (Mass.). "196-204 State Street." Photograph. September 26, 1912. Digital Commonwealth, https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_f5791429-43c4-4a4f-a5fa-b49a26f0b621/ (accessed December 12, 2022).

Boston (Mass.). "201-189 State Street." Photograph. September 26, 1912. Digital Commonwealth, https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_780e7804-c2cd-4c69-9996-dabc50daf0d4/ (accessed December 12, 2022).


"SALES OF HOUSES AND LANDS.: AUCTION SALE. SUFFOLK COUNTY. MIDDLESEX COUNTY." 1872.Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Nov 04, 8. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/sales-houses-lands/docview/491858092/se-2.


"PUBLIC BEQUESTS IN LUKE W. FOWLE'S WILL." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Dec 04, 1921. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/public-bequests-luke-w-fowles-will/docview/504264363/se-2.

"The Boston Directory, embracing the city record, a general directory of the citizens, and a business directory for the year commencing July 1, 1870." Tufts Digital Library, Sampson and Murdock 1870. https://dl.tufts.edu/streetsviewer/3197xx41j/3197xx41j/chapter/d.1870.su.Fowle 

"Luke W. Fowle, in the 1870 United Stated Federal Census" HeritageQuest, 1870. https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com/discoveryui-content/view/26008243:7163?tid=&pid=&queryId=bdaa3c4db8f95e4cc225f640618893a3&_phsrc=GOK167&_phstart=successSource


"REAL ESTATE.: SEVERAL TRANSACTIONS, PAST AND FUTURE--THE FIFTY ASSOCIATES." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Jul 13, 1874. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/real-estate/docview/491934869/se-2.


"SALMON P. HIBBARD DEAD.: WELL-KNOWN BUSINESS MAN OF BOSTON EXPIRED SUDDENLY AT A HOTEL IN JACKSON, MICH--HEART FAILURE THE CAUSE. IDENTIFIED BY HIS LETTERS. MR HIBBARD WAS FOUND IN BED AS HE HAD LAID DOWN TO SLEEP." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Dec 20, 1900. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/salmon-p-hibbard-dead/docview/499410492/se-2.


"The Boston Directory" Internet Archive, 1887, 1662. https://archive.org/details/bd-1887/page/1661/mode/2up?q=%22state+street%22 


"PUBLIC BEQUESTS IN LUKE W. FOWLE'S WILL." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Dec 04, 1921. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/public-bequests-luke-w-fowles-will/docview/504264363/se-2.