The building at 8 Westminster Street stands on a parcel sold in 1952 by Mrs. Emma Graves (1863-1961) specifically for the construction of a new Walpole fire station. At the time, the site was occupied by an old livery stable, a reminder of the era when horses and wagons were essential to village life and when Westminster Street served as an active service corridor just off Main Street. Mrs. Graves late husband, Russell George Graves (1862-1943) had owned the livery stable and reportedly kept 32 horses there. Having the new firehouse set back from the road was a practical choice, allowing trucks to maneuver easily and reducing noise and visual impact on the street.
The resulting mid-century building served the town’s fire department for decades, representing an important moment in Walpole’s civic modernization. As equipment grew larger and emergency services became more centralized, the fire department eventually relocated to more suitable quarters elsewhere in town.
Following its decommissioning, the building was acquired by The Walpole Foundation. The former firehouse was converted into commercial space, and it is now home to financial advisor Edward Jones, while the structure retains the clean, utilitarian lines typical of small, mid-twentieth-century municipal buildings.
The site marks the transition between Westminster Street’s nineteenth-century residential and commercial buildings and the civic improvements of the twentieth-century, an illustration of how the village has continued to evolve while maintaining its historic character.
Aaron Howland House 