Orange Historical Society
Orange, Connecticut
Jim Dale Clothes, located on the Post Road and the Firelite Shop at the intersection of Old Tavern and Racebrook Road were fashionable clothing shops of the 1906s. The name "firelite" harkens back to the time before the dress shop when it was a fireplace and accessories store. The sign for the shopping center has retained the original candle flame, which at one time was lit and moved. Green's Luncheonette and Cabins, an early style motel, was located on the upper end of Indian River Road and Racebrook Road, south of the Post Road. Just across the road was the trailer park still there today. The pastoral scenes were along the Indian River which ran behind the property. Peterson's Restaurant Pilgrim Lodge Restaurant Known later as The Oasis and seen in the three cards above, was located at the southwest corner of the Post Road at South Orange Center Road. The change in the automobile models is evident. The Oasis was "family style" with excellent food and reasonable prices. The Black Horse Inn Popular 1950's restaurant that once stood on the Boston Post Road near where Lushe's Diner was. It was considered to be one of the fanciest restaurants in the area and families from around Orange chose it for their special celebrations. Amoco Station Reportedly located in the vicinity of Dogwood Lane. Bud's Diner next door looks like another local eatery that took advantage of the heavy Post Road traffic. One of the more unique pictures of the Post Road is Gandy's Truck Stop located in the area now occupied by Party City. The ice loading dock in front of the garage was to manually dispense ice to the trucks both on top of the cargo and below. Orange Police Station Photo on the right is Open House for the newly built police station in 1950. Its location was on the land now occupied by the Firehouse just east of the four-bay garage. Wilson H. Lee Printing Company One of the most significant landmarks on the Post Road was that of the Wilson H. Lee Printing Company. It was erected in 1929 and equipped with the latest machinery for the production of high-grade printing. The tower was architecturally significant as well as functional, holding water used in the printing process. The location is now occupied by Home Depot.

The Woodruff Tavern

History

goes

back

to

the

early

days

of

the

town

built

around

1767.

In

Enoch

Woodruff's

estate

he

left

the

house

to

his

widow

and

the

bar

room

to

his

daughter

Polly

with

a

large

quantity

of

rum

to

his

daughter

Anne

which

suggests

that

the

house

may

have

been

a

public

house

before

the

Milford

Turnpike

(Route

1)

was

built

in

1802.

Its

nickname

of

Half-Way

House

is

derived

from

the

distance

between

New

York

and

Boston.

In

its

prime

the

tavern

was

a

popular

place

for

lavish

social

events

but

by

1850

travel

on

the

turnpike

waned

in

favor

of

railroad

transportation.

In

1938

it

was

a

boarding house providing bed and board for twelve people. Webster Bank is located on the former tavern property.

McDonald’s
please email your old photos to images@orangehistory.org

please email your old photos to images@orangehistory.org

Orange Historical Society - Small Town America and Proud | Orange Connecticut
Gift Shop
Bryan Andrew
Jim Dale Clothes, located on the Post Road and the Firelite Shop at the intersection of Old Tavern and Racebrook Road were fashionable clothing shops of the 1906s. The name "firelite" harkens back to the time before the dress shop when it was a fireplace and accessories store. The sign for the shopping center has retained the original candle flame, which at one time was lit and moved. Green's Luncheonette and Cabins, an early style motel, was located on the upper end of Indian River Road and Racebrook Road, south of the Post Road. Just across the road was the trailer park still there today. The pastoral scenes were along the Indian River which ran behind the property. Peterson's Restaurant Pilgrim Lodge Restaurant Known later as The Oasis and seen in the three cards above, was located at the southwest corner of the Post Road at South Orange Center Road. The change in the automobile models is evident. The Oasis was "family style" with excellent food and reasonable prices. The Black Horse Inn Popular 1950's restaurant that once stood on the Boston Post Road near where Lushe's Diner was. It was considered to be one of the fanciest restaurants in the area and families from around Orange chose it for their special celebrations. Amoco Station Reportedly located in the vicinity of Dogwood Lane. Bud's Diner next door looks like another local eatery that took advantage of the heavy Post Road traffic. One of the more unique pictures of the Post Road is Gandy's Truck Stop located in the area now occupied by Party City. The ice loading dock in front of the garage was to manually dispense ice to the trucks both on top of the cargo and below. Orange Police Station Photo on the right is Open House for the newly built police station in 1950. Its location was on the land now occupied by the Firehouse just east of the four-bay garage. Wilson H. Lee Printing Company One of the most significant landmarks on the Post Road was that of the Wilson H. Lee Printing Company. It was erected in 1929 and equipped with the latest machinery for the production of high-grade printing. The tower was architecturally significant as well as functional, holding water used in the printing process. The location is now occupied by Home Depot.

The Woodruff Tavern

History

goes

back

to

the

early

days

of

the

town

built

around

1767.

In

Enoch

Woodruff's

estate

he

left

the

house

to

his

widow

and

the

bar

room

to

his

daughter

Polly

with

a

large

quantity

of

rum

to

his

daughter

Anne

which

suggests

that

the

house

may

have

been

a

public

house

before

the

Milford

Turnpike

(Route

1)

was

built

in

1802.

Its

nickname

of

Half-Way

House

is

derived

from

the

distance

between

New

York

and

Boston.

In

its

prime

the

tavern

was

a

popular

place

for

lavish

social

events

but

by

1850

travel

on

the

turnpike

waned

in

favor

of

railroad

transportation.

In

1938

it

was

a

boarding

house

providing

bed

and

board

for

twelve

people.

Webster

Bank

is

located

on

the

former

tavern property.

Firelite Shop | Orange CT Jim Dale Cloths | Orange Connecticut Firelite Shopping Center | Orange CT The Black Horse Inn | Circa 1950 | Orange CT Orange Police Building | 1950 | Orange CT Wilson H Lee Printing Company | Build 1929 | Orange CT
McDonald’s
Bud's Amaco Station | Circa 1950 | Orange CT
please email your old photos to images@orangehistory.org

Email us your old photos to images@orangehistory.org

Orange Historical Society | Orange CT 06477
Orange Historical Society
Orange, Connecticut
Orange Historical Society - Small Town America and Proud | Orange CT
Bryan Andrew