This September 1910 plan of John E. Smith’s Estate shows a very different downtown area than we recognize today. At that time, Market street ran from Old Parish Cemetery to Nahatan st, then turned diagonally Westward toward Washington street, cutting across the lot where the Town Common is now and ending close to the present-day intersection of Cottage and Washington st.
In the the July 5, 1923 plan below, you can see Central street at the center in its original location between Market st and Broadway. Today the street would have passed through the Municipal parking lot behind the current Norwood Theater, exiting onto Nahatan st near the Town Square Diner.
Plans were underway by July of 1922 to make major changes to the area.
The new Town Common (Memorial Park) is shown on this October 25, 1924 plan. A new street (“Proposed street”) would connect Market and Central street on the East side of the Common, and a new, wider extension of Cottage street would run East to Broadway. Nahatan street would be widened between Washington and Broadway, and Washington would be widened between Nahatan and Cottage streets. Market street was also widened btween the Town Hall and the Fire Station. There are parking spots on Cottage, Central and Nahatan streets today, and a cab stand and bus stop on Washington street because of this widening.
Central street would now curve to meet the Cottage street extension.
Eventually, the name “Market street” was dropped and the street was named Central street from Old Parish Cemetery to Guild Square.
