"The Brown Block, located across from Avon Street at the site of the Wakefield Cooperative Bank, was one of the last buildings to be torn down as Wakefield moved into the 1940's. The Brown Block has also been referred to as the W.C. Jordan Block. Although the building was erected during the latter part of the 1800's, the site housed the Town's first post office in 1812. The post office was thought to have been located on or near the site of the Brown Block. The First National Stores were located there in 1938, and the building had housed several other business establishments throughout the years. The Wakefield Citizen & Banner was located there during the 1880's. The building was also the second home of the local telephone exchange which moved there in 1897, and leased the building for another five years. When it opened, the two-room office, complete with its magneto switchboard, accommodated 87 subscribers. The Brown Block was torn down in the early 1940s." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1997 Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Item Company.
![[Aerial photo of Wakefield business district, 1930s]](https://bpldcassets.blob.core.windows.net/derivatives/metadata/commonwealth-oai:3r079d76z/image_thumbnail_300.jpg)
