Main Street Station (Photo by Alice Peavey)

Walter A. Peavey and his wife, Alice, were residents of the Crown Hill section of Nashua until 1910 when they, and their 5-year-old son Walter H., purchased a farm and moved to Central Street in Hudson.

Walter A. Peavey was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 1863; his wife, Alice Gorham, was native to England and became a citizen soon after immigrating to this country.

Professionally, Walter was a machinist, being employed by Nashua Iron and Steel Co., Nashua Lockshop and Fiather Machine Shop. By avocation, he was a farmer; growing vegetables and fruits on the fields behind his home. Besides being a homemaker, Alice was an accomplished photographer. The Hudson Historical Society has within its collection a number of her photographs of Hudson and Nashua. Some of these photos were reproduced from original glass negatives.

Their son, Walter H. Peavey, married Julie McAlister, of Salem, in December 1937. After their marriage, they resided in Hudson with his parents. In 1978, he presented a number of Alice’s photographs to the Hudson Society.

The Peaveys were residents of 74 Central St. in Hudson for 29 years. Walter H. Peavey passed in April 1939. From his obituary, we see he was active in the Giddings Brotherhood (Men’s Fellowship) of the Hudson Community Church and Hudson Grange. The Peaveys remained in Hudson a few years after his death. By March 1942, the Peavey homestead was sold to a young, recently married couple named Leon and Gertrude (Gerri) Hammond. The Peaveys returned to Nashua; Alice became a resident of the Mary Hunt Home until her passing sometime in the 1950s.

Walter H. Peavey and Julia lived at various locations in Nashua. During World War II, Walter enlisted in the Navel Reserve and saw active duty.

This week, I share with you one of my favorite photographs by Alice Peavey; the Main Street Station of the Worcester Nashua and Rochester Line of the B & M Railroad, located on the site of the present Citizen’s Bank opposite the Nashua City Hall and near the intersection of East Hollis and Main streets.

Going west from this station, the tracks crossed Main Street just south of the present city hall. Coming east from this station, the tracks ran alongside East Hollis Street into the Nashua Junction and then continued eastward and crossed the Merrimack into Hudson just a few roads south of the Taylors Fall Bridge. From there, it took the familiar route into Hudson Center and on to West Windham (Anderson) Station.

Soon after 1940, this station was moved from its location, turned 90 degrees and became an addition, to the Yankee Flyer Diner. I have read that it was still in use in 1953 and likely was still standing when the diner was moved to Massachusetts in 1965. Today, the area of the Yankee Flyer is identified with a large mural.

In the 1990s, the rails were removed, and in 2000, the Nashua Heritage Rail Trail opened on the site of 1.3 miles of track going west from Main Street.

Coming east into Hudson, the rails have been removed and paved to improve street usage or converted into commercial usage.

This photo of the Main Street Station was taken from a green space called the railroad garden, between the station and East Hollis Street. In this photo, we are looking westerly across Main Street.

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Ruth Parker is a lifelong resident of Hudson with family ties that date back to the colonial days. Her work, shared via the Hudson Historical Society, will be featured bi-weekly in The Sunday Telegraph.

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