Photos - Dist. 4 - Businesses. Thos. Russell Store. Built 1774. Torn down 1906. Old mount. Photo facing northeast, cobblestones - Col. Thomas Russell Store& House. 677 Mass. Ave. Thomas Russell (son of Jason Russell) kept a store nearby on Massachusetts Avenue on the corner of Water Street The store was yet another site which suffered some damage on April 19, 1775. It was also here that townsfolk gathered after the event to discuss losses of both life and property. Thomas established the store in 1773, but the site was likely built as a store operated by another owner starting in the 1750s. It was said at one point to be the oldest grocery store in Massachusetts and also served as an informal post office and community center with its second floor hall. Building was torn down in 1906.