This article was originally part of the "From Today's Motorcycle Ride" series, the predecessor to the Southwick Time Machine. 7:45 a.m. Off we go. We head down to the Granville Country Store , famous for its cheese, to pick up the made-to-order breakfast sandwiches we called in minutes ago. Ham, egg, and sharp Granville cheese for me; bacon, egg, and extra-sharp Granville cheese for her. Full of history, entering the store is like being transported back in time, for this is the quintessential classic New England general store. We sit at a small outdoor table overlooking the town green and eat. Established in 1851 by Carlos Gibbons, the business was eventually renamed J. M. Gibbons after his son, eighteen-year-old proprietor John Murray Gibbons, who took over the store later that same year. The young Gibbons was so successful that it was said he put neighboring Timothy C. Gillett’s store out of business. Gillett’s store stood immediately west of Gibbons’ store. This secti...

In 1912, Thomas Jensen purchased a secondhand automobile to transfer summer tourists to Granville , where he lived. Jensen's car service venture was so successful that he bought a new vehicle the following year. Jensen was standing next to his automobile, which he had parked in front of Apothecary Hall on Elm Street in Westfield, as he awaited customers around lunchtime on July 10, 1913. Meanwhile, an unidentified Southwick woman with a young girl, likely her daughter, was driving by the United States Whip Company on Main Street in an old Concord buggy when the horse attached to it got spooked, possibly by a passing trolley car or broken harness strap. The startled horse bolted down the street, and the woman reacted by pulling on the leather reins in a desperate yet failed attempt at regaining control. As they neared the post office, the horse swung around and made a beeline toward Court Street via Park Square with the carriage still attached. When the runaway horse and carriage sp...

William Storey of Southwick, Mass., was making deliveries with his milk wagon in the Highland section of neighboring Westfield on November 18, 1900, when a couple of men waved him over to the Shurtleff's place across from the Pine Hill Cemetery. (The Shurtleff home was not part of his regular milk route.) Shurtleff's Home Meanwhile, Car No. 4 had just exited the carhouse and was slowly picking up pace. The trolley driver saw Storey's milk wagon ahead of him parallel to the tracks. But just then, Storey reigned his horse in the men's direction, and as the horse turned, it crossed in front of the electric car. The driver repeatedly sounded the bell which went unheard by Storey.  The horse crossed safely, but the electric car hit the milk wagon, toppling it and drenching Storey in milk. There was considerable damage to the wagon, but no one was injured, including the horse.  William Edward Storey: May 30, 1879 - November 26, 1944.