New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire

Daniels Garage — 2019

Old Garages & Gas Stations

In the olden days of horse-drawn transportation New Boston had more than a few blacksmiths and stables, and a carriage painter, too. Beginning in the 1910s automobiles became a common sight in our town, so gas stations replaced haystacks and mechanics' garages were built where once there'd been busy blacksmith shops. Now in the 21st-century all the gas pumps have disappeared, so you need to drive your Toyota to Goffstown to buy "high test" or else plug in your Tesla, if you've got one.

The old blacksmith shop became A.P. Smith's garage

Where there's now a garden center next to New Boston Hardware and Dodge's Store there once was a blacksmith shop with a carriage paintshop on the upper level; note the ramp to the left. Automobiles outnumber carriages in this photo from the 1920s.

By 1936 A.P. Smith had installed gasoline pumps, as seen in this newspaper photo about the Flood of '36.


(Photo from Paula LeBaron's collection)

In 1936 you could buy Socony gas from Lawson Smith, at what's now 26 River Road. The "Standard Oil Company of New York" eventually became Mobil. Linda Rollins remembers her father buying her a nice cold Coke from "Coca Cola" Smith when she was little.

Match holder in Sam Dane's sugar house

George Houghton and Les Tower at the Houghton Brothers Garage in the 1940s. (Photo from Linda Rollins)

The Houghton Brothers Garage became Daniels Garage, which it still is today, at 84 River Road.

Winston "Pappy" Daniels wrote about the Daniels Garage and one particular customer, Reverend George Lewis of Lewis Road:

The minister had this old black car that was made in the 1920s; I think it was a Franklin. It was all worn out and you couldn't get any parts for it. He would be in my family's garage every two or three weeks getting something done for it. On one occasion, they got his windshield wipers going, but after awhile they gave out again. There were no parts for this car available and he never wanted to buy anything new, so when he came in he started complaining about "why can't you fix something to last."

I guess my brother Victor wasn't in a very good mood that day because upon hearing the complaining, he opened the garage door and told him "you get this worthless piece of junk out of here and I never want to see it again!!" Myself, being a 16 year-old at the time, thought that would be the end of that. You can imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks later, I came to the garage after school and there they were, working on this "black beauty" again.

I think it is a tribute to the fair-mindedness and character of the people then, that they could, in a moment of frustration have a disagreement, but have enough respect for each other to be able to work together again. I'm not sure we have that kind of patience with each other today.

4th of July Parade — 1964 (Barbara Mace collection)

Norman LaBossiere and later Paul "Stubby" Rogers had a garage at what was 7 River Road until it burned. Daniels Garage had a bad fire, too, in 1980.

When I moved to New Boston in the 1980s I could still buy gas at the Barss Variety Store on the Mont Vernon Road. (That's not my rusty Subaru; mine was black.) — Dan R. 2024

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