What's It Wednesdays or maybe Where was It?
Fieldstones - Not the rocks!
Correction to Monday’s post...this is the REAL History Buzz schedule
We post two History Buzz stories each week:
Week 1: “Miscellany Mondays” by Floyd Greenwood, followed by “Andover Bewitched” by Toni Armstrong on Wednesday.
Week 2: Monday stories will vary, followed by “What’s It Wednesdays” by Marilyn Helmers.
Today being the Wednesday of week 2, today’s post is a “What’s It Wednesdays” by Marilyn.
I’m pretty sure I got it right this time! Thank you, History Buzz readers, for your patience and your support
~Elaine
This is a throw-back to a favorite Andover restaurant that is no more.
Fieldstones Restaurant, at 400 South Main Street, had a long and storied history. Once upon a time, from 1937 to 1960, it was a favorite place to dine.
Originally, it was the home of the Jaquith family. James Jaquith bought the 9 acres of land and home in 1819, from his brother-in-law. When James died, ownership passed to his sons. Then it was sold to the Gould family who owned it for two years, until it landed in the possession of the Jaquith family once again. Newton (Sr.) Jaquith purchased the property in 1882. When Newton (Sr.) died, in 1920, his wife Laura, inherited the property then valued at $3750 ($51,681 in today’s dollar.) When Laura died, the property was passed to the children, Mary Ann and Newton (Jr.) They held the property for ten years, and on March 13, 1937, sold it to Sarah "Sally" Bodwell.
This is where the Fieldstones story begins.
Sally Bodwell was born Sarah Elizabeth Bodwell, in 1904. Sally was the daughter of Henry A. Bodwell and Eva (Clark) Bodwell. The family lived at 31 Morton Street. Her father, Henry, was a prominent citizen of Andover, involved in public and civic affairs, serving on the Andover school committee when Punchard High School was built, on Andover’s finance committee, and on the Board of Public Works. Henry was also the treasurer of the Smith and Dove Manufacturing Co. having started as a young man and then working his way up.
Sally attended Abbot Academy, the Andover private high school for women, followed by Connecticut College and then graduated from Simmons College in 1927. Sally’s brother, H. Arnold Bodwell, born three years after his sister, died in a car accident at age 28 in 1935.
When Sally Bodwell purchased the Jaquith property at 400 South Main Street, Andover, she was 33 years old. It most have been a bold move for a single woman in 1937.
But Sally had 10 years of experience in the hospitality business.
After college, she worked at Schrafft’s, the chocolate candy company in Sullivan Square Charlestown for three years and then for two years at the Brittany Coffee Shop where, according to the Boston Globe, “you can get an ample supper for 60 cents or a roast beef dinner for 85 cents.”
According to the Andover Townsman, for another five years, Sally was “head of the catering at the Girls Trade school in Worcester where much of her time has been spent teaching others.”
On March 13, 1937, Sally Bodwell bought the South Main Street property.
In the three months after she purchased the property, Sally worked to redesign and refurbish the homestead and barn. She converted the main house into a restaurant with rooms upstairs for the staff. The barn was changed into an event and dining space also.
The restaurant, named Fieldstones, opened on June 24, 1937.
Sally continued refining the restaurant. Fieldstones was closed for 6 weeks in 1939, for further renovations to the kitchen. The reopening was heralded in the February 16, 1939 Andover Townsman:
“Miss Sally Bodwell of FieldStones has returned after three weeks in Bermuda. While FieldStones has been closed the past six weeks, considerable repair work had been done, especially to the kitchen.”
Then on June 29, 1939, the Townsman celebrated the second anniversary of Fieldstones:
“Two years ago this week workmen were putting on the final touches which transformed the old Jaquith place on South Main Street into a very attractive eating-place with enough of the charm of the old house left to make it one of the best-known establishments in New England. Many people have been brought to Andover for the first time by their desire to see FieldStones. Owned and managed by Miss Sally Bodwell, FieldStones has shown a steady increase in business, the volume for the second year being 25% greater than the first.”
Fieldstones was a success!
Sally, as the proprietor, oversaw everything. Her wait staff were local young women or women she had worked with at the school in Worcester. The Fieldstone menu was all Sally’s design. And you can’t beat the prices!
A 1947 article in the Andover Townsman stated that Sally left Fieldstones in 1942,
“to go to Whitinsville, MA. where she managed a large industrial café at the Whitin Machine Works…since she was contributing to the war effort, Andover resigned itself to giving up one of its most treasured peace-time luxuries, dinner at Fieldstones.”
1942 was also the year that her father, Henry Bodwell died. In 1944, Sally met and married C. Leon Houghton who had been born and raised in Whitinsville and worked at the Whitin mill.
Sally maintained ownership of the Fieldstones property until 1945 when she sold it, only to buy it back two years later. Andover once again rejoiced!
Andover Townsman, July 26, 1947:
“Good news to local diners-out who remember with gustatory longing the delicious food served at Fieldstones in pre-war days when Miss Sally Bodwell was the proprietor is the announcement that “Sally” now Mrs. Leon Houghton, has repurchased Fieldstones and, with Mr. Houghton will re-open under combined managership on June 27.”
“We extend a most cordial “Welcome Home” to Sally and best wishes for continued success! See you at Fieldstones!”
Sally Bodwell and Leon Houghton operated Fieldstones until 1960. The restaurant continued under the ownership of Edward Romeo until 1970 when Fieldstones closed. Once again, the property changed hands, sold to the Andover Lodge of Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks. The house and barn remained until 1995 when the buildings were razed for the construction of the Andover Montessori School.
The site of 33 years of dinners, anniversary toasts, wedding rehearsal dinners and birthday celebrations came to an end.
Fieldstones was no more.
Thanks for reading! What’s your memory of Fieldstones?
Whether you’re from Andover, Massachusetts, or elsewhere, everyone has a hometown favorite restaurant. What was (or is) your favorite? I loved to hear about it.
Leave a comment or email me at mhelmers@andoverhistoryandculture.org.
~Marilyn
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Resources
Andover Center for History and Culture collection and research information
Andover Historic Preservation Commission
Ancestry.com
Newspapers.com
Hi Marilyn, I had to smile when I read through this story. I did eat there a few times before it closed. My Uncle David Batchelder was an Office of the Elks Lodge and was there several times when I was there when it was their lodge. They sold Christmas trees so most of my parent's trees came from their lot. We had my Dad's retirement party there too. About 200 family and friends gather for that in November 1978. I think that was the last time I was there until I had to photograph the house and barns before it was sold and razed. In the Fieldstone's story newspaper article it mentioned Flora Raidy and her sister as waitresses. Flora Raidy married Ronald Valentine, who was born at 53 Red Spring Rd. (our former house). They built a house on Reservation Rd which my Dad helped get their roof on before winter weather came. Flora also gave me her yearbook from Punchard when I was having them scanned onto Micofilm. She then donated it to the History Center. How is that for full circle? I'm sure the photos and negatives are at ACHC too.
Hi Marilyn,
I remember going to eat at Fieldstones in the mid sixties as a teen with my parents. The ambiance and character are what I remember the most. We lived two houses down from Ed Romeo on Howell Drive and was friendly with his daughter Margaret. When we did go you could see Mr. Romeo as the greeter and organizer, always moving around and making sure you had everything you needed, very professional. We moved to Florida in 67 so I was not around when the buildings were razed. What a shame that we have to say goodbye to such properties with so much history
Dave Abbott - Louisburg, NC