Shaw Carriage and Blacksmith shop. A blacksmith used to be as common in every settlement as a general store, providing a critical service in the days of a horse-drawn economy. This one was located not far from the stagecoach stop at Jordan Hotel, # 23, a reliable source of custom.
22. Gardner Miner Store (1893-1926)
The store that stood on this site was originally erected in 1893 by Jesse H. Shaw and housed the East Windsor post office as well as a general store. Gardner Miner assumed ownership around 1918 and the store operated until the early 1930s, when it burned. The closing of the Ball Mill resulted in a decline in activity and closure of the East Windsor post office in 1933.
23. Jordan Hotel (1875-1906)
Jordan Hotel, established by Elijah Jordan, was originally called the Jordan House. It opened in 1875 as a stagecoach stop with a tavern on the first floor, guest rooms on the second, and a dance hall on the third. Charles H. Ball, owner of the nearby Ball Mill, later maintained it as a rooming house for mill workers until about 1930.
24. Hardscrabble School (1850-1920)
Hardscrabble School was established by a vote of residents in East Windsor in 1806, who approved a warrant “to raise $66.66 to build a schoolhouse 20’ x 16.” The following year a teacher, Mrs. Capen, was hired at a salary of $1 per week. Each student was required to provide half a cord of wood, cut for the schoolhouse stove, and classes ran for two or sometimes four months a year, depending on finances. The school closed in 1920 with the opening of the central Crane school (now the Town Offices building).