Thomas Fardon's Drug Supply & Home

Thomas Fardon's Drug Supply and Home. Rugby's Hidden History. Records show that the interesting combination of home and store that stood here was built in 1881 by Thomas Fardon. He was one of a number of New England colonists drawn to Rugby, and came from Deering, Maine., He was well known in the colony as the proprietor of the Rugby Drug Supply, as editor of the Rugby newspaper for a year and a half, and as an active member of the Rugby Public Purposes Association and other community institutions., He also ran a "Rugby Library" out of his store location, charging 5c per book or magazine to check them out, until the Thomas Hughes Public Library opened., Fardon's editorial voice in the newspaper was often anglophobic toward the English colonists, negative toward the English Board of Aid's management of the colony and occasionally toward Thomas Hughes himself., His drug store ads, in addition to listing such kitchen needs as Fardon's Family Baking Powder, included a selection of drugs and chemicals - Roback's Blood Purifier, Pinkham's Compound, Ayers Pills, Bulls Worm Candy and Swayne's Ointment plus "perfumery and other family requisites" to name only a few., Fardon left Rugby to return to Maine in 1885 after leasing his home and store to Charles Skene, who operated the post office there for a time. In 1887 Fardon advertised his property for sale "at a low price", but deed records show he did not sell it until 1895., Like many Rugby buildings over the years, Fardon's Drug Supply, newspaper office and home burned in the early decades of the 20th century. But for a time, it was one of early Rugby's more than 50 substantial and attractive buildings., [Captions]: , This drawing of Thomas Fardon's home and business appeared in an 1882 edition of the London Graph., Several unidentified gentlemen are perhaps getting their mail in this 1892 photograph of Thomas Fardon's building. Note the large storefront windows at left.