Category Archives: Kezar Falls

Kezar Falls – The Stanley Block

Leave a comment

Several of the original business buildings on the Parsonsfield side of Kezar Falls Village still exist but are currently unoccupied.  Today we are looking at the most prominent building located at 18 Federal Road called the Stanley Block.  The current owners are Mark and Scott Mounce under the name of The Stanley Building LLC.  It has been in disrepair and mostly vacant for some time but was recently painted and looks more presentable.

The recently painted Stanley Building – 3/10/2025

In the mid-1860s the village of Kezar Falls was starting to grow and develop on both sides of the Ossipee River.  In 1886 George W. Towle built this large store located here at the south end of the bridge.  On the ground floor they sold dry goods, clothes, furniture and crockery and on the second floor there were offices and other businesses. In 1887 the third floor was finished for a public hall and Allen Garner bought the building from Towle.

In 1896 Preston J. Stanley and son, Orman, bought the Towle building and it became known as the Stanley Block.  At that time it housed the post office as well as a general store, jewelry store and a national chain store and the public library.

In 1910 George Towle and Allen Garner started the Kezar Falls National Bank in this building.

In 1930 the banking quarters were enlarged and modernized and the exterior façade was changed to look more like the building we see today.  A modern vault was constructed to provide adequate protection and safe deposit boxes.  The bank occupied half of the first floor and two stores occupied the far end toward the bridge.  10 offices were located on the second floor and various fraternal orders were located on the third floor.  

The Stanley Block about 1930 after the modernizing was complete

In Jan. 17, 1937 a massive fire broke out in the basement and spread throughout the building causing major damage.  The third floor was destroyed beyond repair.  As a result the building was rebuilt without the third floor making it look much like it does today.  The bank interior was completely remodeled.  In 1957 the bank counters and teller windows were again remodeled and modern machines and accounting equipment were installed.  Fire struck again in 1958 but damage was limited.

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

Remodeled bank interior

In 1962 the bank took up most of the first floor with one shop located at the far end of the building.  Erma Giles Apparel Shop was located there.  It later became a barber shop.  Robert Batchelder’s law office and several apartments were located on the second floor.  

Kezar Falls National Bank located in the center here in 1962


The Kezar Falls National Bank merged with Maine National Bank in 1972, merged again with Fleet Bank and then Bank of America.  Bangor Savings Bank took over in 1998 but relocated to Cornish in 2002 leaving the building empty except for a couple of apartments on the second floor.

The Stanley Block as it looked in 2000 when it was Bangor Savings Bank

Bangor Savings Bank sold the building to Peter Collins who owned the building for several years with apartments on the second floor that were occupied from time to time and occasionally the first floor store, as well.  It was during this period that the building began to deteriorate.

At this time it is unclear what the fate of the Stanley Block will be.   We hope the new owners have plans for its future and this Kezar Falls icon will continue to exist and thrive in the center of our community.

2/15/2025 – Kezar Falls 31 Federal Road

Leave a comment

We continue our series looking at the original Kezar Falls Village businesses and
public buildings still in existence by looking down Federal Road to the building at 31 Federal Road next to the library. It is now an apartment building owned by Leslie Croteau.

This old building has been part of the Kezar Falls Village scene on the Parsonsfield side since the 1880’s. At that time it was the “Corporation Store”. By 1903 it was Net Cotton’s boarding house. From 1908 – 1911 it was the “White Mountain Calendar Company” where the “Ossipee Valley Weekly Newspaper” was printed before it moved to Cornish. There were apartments on the second floor for the families of the manager and foreman. It later became an apartment house.

This picture of the dining room in Net Cotton’s boarding house was taken in 1903.

In 1971 the building was purchased from the Kezar Falls Woolen Company by Fred and Carol Leavitt who had a grocery store on the first floor for a short time.  Denise Day then had a gift shop here.  In 1986 it was followed by the “Peppermint Stick Restaurant” owned and run by Sandra and Wayne Mills for six years.   In 1989 it was purchased by Chester Munro who ran “The Country Falls Restaurant” here until 2009.   Today it is an apartment building owned by Leslie Croteau since 2015.  The “Country Falls Restaurant” sign still hangs on the front of the building but no longer exists.  A new roof and other improvements have been made. We hope the building will continue to serve a useful purpose in the village for years to come.

1/15/2025 – Kezar Falls Library

Leave a comment

Welcome to the new location for our BLOG Local History Matters. We have discontinued using the blogspot.com site where we have been posting local history information since 2012. Thank you Patricia Turner for managing the site for so long. However it will remain for the near future so that you can look back at archived articles. We will now continue on with posting here on our website once or twice a month.


We are currently doing a series looking at the old original Kezar Falls Village businesses and public buildings that still exist and are looking at the Parsonsfield side of the village. This time we are featuring the library building located at #2 Wadleigh Street at the corner of Federal Road. Although this building is not quite as old as some of the other buildings in the village, it will be 100 years old this year.

This picture was taken about the time it was built. The building looks much the same today with the exception of landscaping, sign, painted trim and handicap ramp. The library itself was established in 1896 by the Ladies Magazine Reading Club in one room on the second floor of the Stanley Building across the street. In 1919 it moved to a small building next to the Norton Hardware Store. In 1925 the above building, designed by the architectural firm of John Calvin Stevens, was erected on land donated by the Kezar Falls Woolen Mill and with much help from the Garner family. All the years since the dedicated volunteer directors of the library have done a wonderful job of maintaining the building and keeping it up to date and the library itself relevant to the times. We are fortunate to have such a library to serve our community today in this
special little building that is still used for the purpose for which it was built. With continued dedication of the staff and the board of directors and support from the community it should remain well into the future.