It's been 118 years this week since Milton Chew stopped into Bradshaw's Store and spent 25 cents to buy a new washboard. The store was at the corner of Berkeley Road and Bridgeton Pike in Mantua, on a spot now occupied by a Walgreen's parking lot.

Bradshaw's was a general store. As the ledger for the last week of May back in the day shows, it sold everything from cracked corn to wallpaper. The proprietor would also advance cash for paying a bill or rent labor to get a job done. One of the more unusual purchases during the week, by S. Frazier, was a 40-foot tree to be made into a flagpole.

You may recognize the last names of some of the store's customers during that long-ago week, since many have family members that still live in our township. Besides Mr. Chew and Mr. Frazier the ledger shows Mrs. J. Hewlings, Mrs. M. Eastlack, William Gallenthin, Mrs Swartz, E. Roman, F. B. Ridgeway, William Norris, and H. Reed, among others. Have a look:

The Bradshaw Store closed for business many decades ago and became simply a private residence and later burned in an arson fire. These two ledger pages were among a handful of water-damaged papers firemen rescued from from the ruins of the house. If you're interested in seeing this record in person, stop by the Mantua Township Historical Museum's open hours from 10 AM - 12 noon on the first or third Saturday of the month, or from 7-8:30 PM on the first Thursday evening of the month.