It’s the end of an era in Chester—or more accurately, the ends of two eras—this weekend with the significant sales marking the completed chapters of two iconic Chester families.

This weekend will be the closing sale at Cummings & Good and the Chester Historical Society’s Barbara and Edmund Delaney Estate Sale. Both families have been longstanding parts of the fabric of the town.

Cummings and Good

A gateway to Chester’s downtown, the landmark Greek Revival Building at 3 Main Street has been home to Cummings & Good for what seems like forever. The upstairs/downstairs businesses of husband and wife team Jan Cummings Good and Peter Good has been a successful piece of Chester’s village district.

The creative pair met in art school in the ’60s and the rest, well it’s history. They have made a life in Chester using their artistic prowess to create original graphic design products for businesses and institutions in the upstairs studio, while the downstairs retail shop has made a name for .

This weekend, they are saying goodbye to all that, with what Jan Good is calling the “last hurrah” gathering and sale, with markdowns on goods, giveaways and the sale of treasures from their design/art archives. This event will be going on both Saturday and Sunday.

Not to worry though. The duo, which has won numerous awards and even designed the town seal, is not leaving town completely. They are just retiring and leaving their “big business,” but will still call themselves townies.

“Thank goodness they are not leaving; we would hate to lose them,” said Chester Historical Society Vice President Cary Hull, a long-time friend of the couple.

On the same weekend, over at St. Josephs Parish, 48 Middlesex Avenue, another equally unique sale will be going on. The Chester Historical Society’s Delaney Estate Sale on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., represents the end of a different kind of era.

The Delaneys were instrumental in the founding of the Chester Historical Society 48 years ago and both served as society presidents over the years. They also wrote and edited Chester publications, and helped form the Collomore Concert Series.

After Edmund Delaney’s untimely death in December 2000, Barbara Delaney helped organize the purchase of the 1860 Griswold Mill building that became the Chester Museum at The Mill. She passed in March of 2018.

The historical society has been given the privilege of selling all the items from the Delaneys’ house and barn that are not being kept by family members.

According to 36-year historical society member Sosse Baker, this sale will have a host of very interesting and exquisite antiques including furniture, oriental rugs, paintings, prints, mirrors, bric-a-brac, lamps, and more.

The collection marks the couple’s unique past. Barbara Delaney was managing editor of Antiques Magazine until she moved to Chester, and Edmund Delaney was a descendant of engraver Thomas Kelly.

“This is a wonderful old collection of great pieces, many of which are one-of-a-kinds,” Baker said.

The society will be keeping a small memento from this collection—one from Edmund’s engraving collection that was signed by Woodrow Wilson.

Sosse explained that this was an engraving of a document that was given to anyone who was injured or killed in the war.

“This is a great piece for the historical society and we are honored to have it,” Baker said.

“Both sales this weekend in Chester will be very interesting and are not to be missed,” Baker said. “They are once in a lifetime sales that will both have unique and special items.”

For more information about the estate sale, call 860-558-4701.