An 1873 billhead of the J.H. Gould & Co. to Job Abbott. John H. Gould, a dealer in meats and vegetables, began his business in 1871 at the southeast corner of Main and Spring Streets in the Allen Merrill Building, now the site of the post office. Following the Civil War, there was a sizeable increase in the number of these small businesses. This increase in the number of businesses and the specialization of these businesses illustrates a hightened prosperity in the town of Dexter. One important factor in Dexter's increased prosperity was the building of the railroad from Newport to Dexter in 1869.

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