Back in the Day #4-Smith Mills Village Traditional Cache

Back in the Day #4

This corner was once part of a village called Smith Mills Village. When I was doing the research for this cache I found out that Smith Mills Village was actually Dartmouth Center.  It was also where all of the cloth was made for the mills of New Bedford but that was before my time.

 Back in my day Smith Mills Village was part of a sleepy farming community called North Dartmouth.  At these four corners there wasn’t any four lane highway which is Route 6 but just a 2 lane road going east and west.    There was no mall or pizza restraunts, strip malls or big box stores in the area.  Most of all there was no Dunkin Donuts plus the traffic moved pretty fast with no congestion because in those days not many people owned a car.

Since I didn’t live in Dartmouth I had to go to the library and do some research about the village.  I do remember certain business but their names allude me so a book on the subject of Dartmouth helped.

On the north east corner was Pop Casey Dinner, Armand’s Variety Store, the Post Office, S.M. Liquor Store and Frank Costa’s Barber Shop.  Mr. Casey coached a winning little team and every boy in the area wanted to be part of that team, myself included.  Across the street from the current pizza business was the Smith Mills Hardware Store.  I think as a kid I may have gone in there at few times with my dad.  There was 2 things I remembered about the building one that it was red and the other thing is that whenever you went into the store there would be a bunch of old men sitting around talking.  Across the street on Faunce Corner Road was the A&P Super Market where the abandon travel agency once stood.   At the very corner of the mall was the Fairway Restaurant

Also a little east of Faunce Corner Road was the North Dartmouth Library which was built in 1921.  The library was moved to give way to progress and to allow more space for the Dartmouth Fire Department.  Plans are under way to restore and maybe make it into a visitor’s center somewhere on Route 6.