Today's story is all about grocery and bakery items, coal, wood and heating oil, along with the turn-of-the-20th-century entrepreneurial drive of Louis Bibeau.
Louis Bibeau was born to Cyprian and Eliza Bibeau in St. Julie, Quebec, Canada, in 1859. At the age of 11, his family emigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Holyoke. On October 29, 1884, he was wed to Louisa (Bessette) Bibeau, also a native of St. Julie, in a ceremony held in Montague, Massachusetts.
In 1895, a business opportunity materialized when he partnered with Joseph Masse to operate the Bibeau & Masse grocery store at 34 High Street. He was shown as residing at 304 High Street at the time.
In 1898, the partners opened a second business, Bibeau, Masse & Company, a coal and wood dealer at 61 Commercial Street adjacent to Franklin Street. By 1903, Mr. Bibeau was the sole owner of the grocery store at 41 High Street, and manager of the renamed Bibeau Coal Company on Commercial Street. He resided at 43 Front Street with his spouse and 10 children.
At the time, the coal company was owned by Thercile and Angelina Bibeau, a partnership. When the partnership dissolved in 1908, Thercile Bibeau took ownership.
Louis Bibeau continued to run the grocery store until 1915, while managing the coal and wood yard. His coal and wood business was one of the half-dozen or so larger suppliers in Holyoke. The business ran some eye-catching and witty ads between 1910 and 1915, some of which are shown below. In 1920, Mr. Bibeau retired, and the business was then operated by his son, Arthur B. Bibeau.
In the late 1920s, the use of petroleum for heating purposes was increasing. The company stored 10,500 gallons of heating and range oil at its business location. The business registered its name change to Bibeau Coal & Oil Company, Inc. on July 15, 1929.
The company advertised its anthracite coal in different sizes, depending on its uses. There was buckwheat, the smallest, which was about the size of a dime; pea, chestnut, stove, the size of a baseball; and egg, the size of a softball. Anthracite coal was harder than bituminous and had a longer burn time. Also during the 1930s, the company sold oil burners and coal stokers.
The company's property at 61 Commercial Street grew to include the office building, garage, 4 coal sheds, 2 coal sils, and 3 oil tanks.
In June 1947, the real estate at 41 Commercial Street was sold to Leo Beaulieu, owner of Electric Service Inc., which secured the space for its own use. Bibeau Coal & Oil remained in business with an office at 532 High Street and a coal yard with oil storage at 1 Fountain Street.
Arthur Bibeau, the company Treasurer, planned to build a super service station on the High Street property, which was situated at the northeast corner of Worcester Place. His brothers, Paul and Charles Bibeau, were also associated with the business.
In November 1948, the station opened with gas pumps and two service bays, offering a variety of auto products and services. The company continued to sell coal and coke, and range and heating oil.
In 1967, the company changed its name to Bibeau Service Station, Inc., with Real (Ray) and Doris Bibeau as owners. The service station continued into the late 1980s. The real estate at 532 High Street was sold to Robert Galica, Gallagher's Olde Fashioned Service, in April, 1992.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Massachusetts Cultural Research & Information System, Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office, Corporations, Boston, Massachusetts
