Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign - Allston MA

Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign

103 Harvard Ave

Allston, MA

The Blanchard's Sign 8/24/17

The Blanchard's Parking Sign 8/7/17

Robert Murphy Knife Company Ad 1936 - Ayer Massachusetts

This is a 1936 ad for Robert Murphy's knife company of Ayer, Massachusetts.  This company moved to Ayer in 1906, and stayed there until they were bought by Dexter-Russell in 2018. The Ayer factory was then closed after 112 years.  As of January 2020, the building is still standing next to the ex-Boston & Maine railroad crossing at 13 Groton-Harvard Rd, with new owners who are rehabbing it.

The 1903 Crestmobile... Only $750!

Back in 1903, you could buy a Crestmobile for just $750.  Adjusted for inflation, that would be approximately $21,160 today.  While this ad does not say where their factory was, their main office was at 193 Broadway, Cambridge MA.  I wasn't able to pinpoint #193 on modern maps, but finally located it on a 1930 atlas (marked with a red star).  

NECCO Wafers... and Pineapple Loaf? (1921)

The recent history of Necco (New England Confectionery Company) is a sad example of business in Boston (where, in my humble opinion, physical real estate is worth more than lost manufacturing jobs, rail infrastructure, and history), but many Americans are still familiar with Necco Wafers, which were originally invented in 1845 and brought under the Necco banner after the company was formed in 1901.

As we can see in this 1921 ad, in addition to the famous wafers, Necco also offered a Pineapple Loaf, consisting of "wedges of juicy ripe pineapple imbedded in cream... chocolate coated". 

Both could be had for 5 cents.