This block has served as the commercial heart of Walpole since at least 1807, when early merchants began building substantial stores along this prime stretch of Main Street. A succession of prominent businessmen, including Col. David Buffum, Philip Peck, Josiah Bellows III and Amasa Allen, operated shops here, linking the site directly to many of the village’s most notable homes and families. These enterprises formed the economic backbone of early Walpole, supplying dry goods, groceries, and general merchandise to the growing community.
A vivid account of the block comes from Thomas Bellows Peck, writing in 1895 about his boyhood memories from fifty years earlier. His description captures both the scale of the early commercial buildings and life before the arrival of the railroad:
“I can barely remember the ‘brick block’ so called which stood on the site of what is now known as ‘Davis’ Block.’ It was a long building three stories in height and at the time it was burned in 1849 was used for three stores. Judge Vose’s law office was in the second story over the south store. I distinctly remember the night when it was burned, but can recall little about the building except seeing heavy teams just arrived from Boston with loads of merchandise standing in front of it waiting to unload. This was before the completion of the Cheshire railroad, when all goods were brought from the city on wagons drawn by four or more horses. I recall, too, that the room over the middle store was at one time occupied for a brief period by a traveling artist who took daguerreotypes, then a comparatively new invention. He must have been one of the first who came to town. He took excellent pictures which have remained clear and distinct to the present time.”
The destruction of the “brick block” in 1849 paved the way for the construction of the present commercial row—known for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth-century as Davis’ Block. The storefronts continued to house general stores, law offices, specialty shops, and small trades, mirroring the economic life of a rural New England village adapting to industrial-era transportation and commerce.
47 Main Street remains the vibrant center of village life. The block includes:
- The United States Post Office, a community anchor
- The Restaurant at Burdick’s, a regionally known destination that draws visitors to Walpole
- The Walpole Chocolate Shop & Café, the local retail outlet for L.A, Burdick handmade chocolates
- Galloway Real Estate, a brokerage serving the community since 1961
- The Walpole Grocery, a beloved market
Additional small businesses occupy the upper floors and continue the block’s two-century tradition of local enterprise.
Together, these establishments demonstrate the continuity of Main Street as both an economic hub and a gathering place, linking contemporary village life with its early nineteenth-century commercial origins.
Aaron Howland House 