FRANK JACKSON
FOUNDER AND FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE WOONSOCKET HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Frank Jackson was born on June 1, 1851, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was the son of Cyrus Franklin and Jessie C. (Anthony) Jackson. At a young age his family moved to Owosso, Michigan, where they remained for five years. Shortly after Frank’s father enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, the family moved back east to Westboro, MA. In 1867, the family moved to Providence, RI, where Mr Jackson took up employment Albert L Calder, pharmacist.
In 1873, Mr. Jackson arrived in Woonsocket and purchased the pharmacy of W. D. Smith on Main St. He later entered into partnership with Frank A. Childs and purchased the pharmacy of Godfrey Mellor. This partnership dissolved in 1877 and not long afterward he removed the pharmacy to 90 Main St where it remained as Jackson’s Pharmacy until his retirement in 1908.
In 1912, Mr. Jackson was elected president of one section of the National Association of Dairy, Food and Drug Officials. He also served as treasurer and first vice-president of the organization. He was a charter member of the Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and served three years as its president and 38 years on its Board of Trustees.
Mr. Jackson was a charter member of the Woonsocket Trust Company in 1912 and served continuously on the Board and was elected vice-president of the bank in 1926. He served as president of the Enterprise Realty company and also was a director for the National Union Bank which was later absorbed by the Woonsocket Trust Company.
His interest in old Woonsocket and the history of the city and its environs caused him to collect many interesting items, such as photographs and documents, which he was always generous to loan or explain. He was the first president of the Woonsocket Historical Society and wrote a historical column for the Woonsocket Call newspaper. He was a life member of the Sons of the American Revolution and at the time of his death was chaplain of the local D.A.R. chapter.
A prominent Mason, Mr. Jackson was a life member of all the various Masonic bodies in Woonsocket. He was a member of St James Episcopal Church and a member of the John Alden Association on his paternal side. He was a member of the board of directors of the Woonsocket Public Health Nursing association and former chairman of the Little Compton Public Health association. He served as director of the Woonsocket Playroom association and was an honorary member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Jackson died suddenly at his home, 399 South Main St, on February 3, 1941, at the age of 89 years old.
