Howard Johnson's.....The Landmark for Hungry Railroaders!

The Beale Street General Offices - A Hojo's Ghost Survives

In 1925, Howard Johnson borrowed $2,000 to buy a small corner drugstore in Wollaston, Massachusetts.
It sold candy, newspapers and patent medicine

Although the building shown below was not the site of the first Howard Johnson's drugstore, this building is believed to be (by some) as his second store, located on Beale Street in Wollaston, Massachusetts.

In later years the building was converted to Howard Johnson's offices. As a youngster, I remember seeing the billboard (seen below) displaying different Howard Johnson's ads

Here is an e-mail from a woman named Rose who worked in this office as a "temp."

Hello All, In the 70s I worked temp in what was then the Howard Johnson Corporate offices which were located in the same location. I worked for the guy who worried about ice cream sales. Howard himself lived in Milton as did we and once retired would sneak away and take the bus up to the shop on Route 138 in Canton (Massachusetts) and make himself useful. We all got to know him. One evening my Mom and Dad, young daughter and myself stopped in for a bite to eat. This elderly gent came over and asked my daughter if she would like to cook her own hot dog. She was thrilled. My mother was wary about it as she did not know "old Howard."
I think of the salt water taffy and ice cream and all the wonderful meals we had at the "138" store over the years

Howard D. Johnson was age 27 when he bought a drug store and newsstand in Quincy, Mass. in 1925. To increase business, he began making ice cream by hand, doubling the butterfat content, and coming up with new flavors. Soon there were lines outside his store and before long he was selling ice cream all along the area beaches. He opened a second restaurant a short time later.

The famous H/J logo still can be found in one of the doorways of this building. This particular style seems to be consistent with the type of logos and graphics Hojo used in the 1930's and 1940's.