Shaw Tearoom Postcard, ca. 1925, Collection of the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, Drew Archival Library, Postcard Collection
To entertain summer visitors and local guests in Duxbury, women opened a number of businesses such as boarding houses, restaurants, and tearooms. The interior image you see here is of Mrs. Josephine Hartwell Shaw’s popular tearoom, “Three Acres,” that was open during the 1920s on Harrison Street. Tearooms offered their clientele light fare along with gifts for sale, often made by the proprietors. Josephine Hartwell Shaw (1865 – 1941) ran her tearoom primarily in the summer months, dedicating the off-season to the design and production of her jewelry which was well-known in Boston circles.
To see some of her jewelry, visit the MFA Website.
Related Object: Mary Hackett Menu, Collection of the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, Drew Archival Library, DAL.MSS.090.004
Mary Hackett established her restaurant in a colonial-era home at 500 Congress Street in 1935. Although Hackett left Duxbury not long after WWII, the restaurant continued to bear her name until 1964. The advertisement for the restaurant seen here post-dates her ownership.
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