This old-timey store front photo proved to be a bit of a challenge to identify.
The notation on the back, as best I could tell, read something like “Daley, O.K. July 25, 1914”.
The listing on eBay (from where I acquired the photo) identified it as being from Oklahoma based on this notation. So, I initially focussed my search in Oklahoma. That turned out to be a mistake and the notation remains a puzzle.
There were some other important clues to explore in the closeups of this photo.
“Home of Lockwood’s Bakery And Ice Cream”
“Lockwood’s Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor”
“A. L. Lockwood - Oneida Sq.”
I scoured the newspaper archives for various combinations of Lockwood’s Ice Cream and Bakery, initially focussed on Oklahoma. A tip from Sherlock Cohn - The Photo Genealogist alerted me to “Oneida Sq.” being in Utica, York and I altered my search strategy.
The scan that I made is a very high resolution one, but does not capture all the relevant details and clues. I examined the original photo with a high powered magnifying glass and noticed an address shown vertically on the building toward the right center of the photo. It looks even clearer with a magnifying glass as “1225”.
Listed vertically on the door or window frame to the right this man’s head lists “1225”.
I started filling out a family tree for an A.L. Lockwood that lived in or near Utica, New York, around 1914. A 1910 U.S. Census from Utica Ward 7, Oneida, New York lists and Arthur L. Lockwood, age 34, living with his wife, Jennie E. Lockwood (35), and son, Fremont W. Lockwood (8). It lists Arthur as a “Merchant” in the “Ice Cream” business.
This same family shows up in the 1920 U.S. Census. They are living at a different address in the same city. Again, Arthur is listed as “Merchant” in the “Bakery and Ice Cream” business this time.
By now I felt pretty confident that I had the right family. I still, however, wasn’t sure of the location of the store. Luckily the Utica, NY City Directory for 1914 was available online and I found the following page.
Indeed, this directory has a listing for a “Lockwood Arthur L. Dairy, ice cream and baked goods” at 1225 Park Av in Utica, New York. This almost certainly is the location shown in the photo. The 144 Elmwood listed as the home address does not match up with either the 1910 or 1920 census, but perhaps they lived elsewhere during that time.
All of these details offer compelling evidence that this photo from 1914 is of the A. L. Lockwood Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor at 1225 Park Ave. in Oneida Square, Utica, New York.
Present day 1225 Park Ave. shows a parking lot next to Joel’s Spanish American Restaurant. It seems likely that the streetscape has changed over the last century and that the building depicted in the Lockwood’s Bakery photo no longer exists.
Present Day: 1225 Park Ave, Utica, New York
Related Posts: Old Timey Stores
A man poses on the lawn outside Bull and Youngblood Grocery in Middletown, NY, around 1895. The photo offers a glimpse of North Street’s shifting landmarks and everyday life more than a century ago.