COMMERCIAL OPNS HENRYS' STORE
|
Main Street 430-2008
* * * * * * * * * * *
The Story behind the name “HENRYS’.” Sixty years ago Henry Greenberg was owner and proprietor of one of several stores on the island of New Castle. It was located in the large multi-apartment building, the Greenberg Block, directly across from the Town Hall. The town designated him Chief of Police, of one, replacing "Biscuits" Amazeen, who served with no car but a bike and a whistle. Henry was very responsible and spent most of his time in performance of his duties. He was a hard disciplinarian and the word got out and around that you don't cross the line or speed in New Castle or, "Henry will get you." With the anti-Semitic stance of the owners of the Wentworth Hotel at the time, a favorite “post” of Henry, being Jewish, was just outside the Wentworth, nailing guests right and left. Within the past few years Nancy Horner Borden had hopes and dreams of bringing the island neighbors together by establishing a “country store.” With the Greenberg Block for sale, she and others tried to obtain investors to purchase the property. It was a difficult sell, so she and her husband undertook the project themselves by selling their house in Boston and purchased the building, 52 Main Street. They refurbished the old store front and created a country store naming it, “Henrys’.” (notice the title Henrys,’ is plural.) The second Henry, Henry Horner, was Nancy’s older brother. He was a lawyer in Worcester, extremely active in his profession and with interests and organizations throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and even into Maine. One of his many pursuits was encouraging New Castle residents to be neighbors. One time, he rented the Common building, hired country musicians, and invited the town to a square dance, complete with a “caller.” He and his wife Mary Ann loved opera and it was one of their favorite pastimes to attend performances throughout the Eastern seaboard. He was what could be described in today’s language as a “multifaceted” individual. He retrieved a large Nova Scotia fishing boat (50 foot or so) that had sunk off Cape Cod and converted it into a cabin cruiser; “The Blue Star.” He and Mary Ann toured the Maine coast and even to the waters of Nova Scotia. Flying by private plane (he also had an interest in aviation) to Nova Scotia to pick up the Blue Star, the plane crashed off of the Kennebunkport Maine shoreline. Only three of the five passengers survived. Henry moved on to Davey Jones’s Locker his body never being recovered. Thus is the story behind the name Henrys, honoring two New Castle “notables.”
|
|
