By Carla Charter

“So great has been the care of the Athol Bake Shop to give the people the most wholesone food, their host of customers have learned to prefer goods from this establishment because they have confidence in their products. Their bakery goods are the very best that money can buy. They are baked under the most wholesome conditions and the very best ingredients used….The Athol Bake Shop which is under the congenial proprietership of Mr. Winters, specializes in Wedding, Birthday and Party Cakes, Pastries, and General Baking.”—A 1958 description of the Athol Bakery provided the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce files (original source unknown).

Bakeries they have fond memories for many of us. Cookies, cupcakes donuts and breads, lined up neatly in a glass display case, awaited those who visited often from scratch. Among those bakeries fondly remembered in Athol is the Athol Bakery.

The bakery was owned by Atwood and Minnie Winters from the late 1950s until 1988. There isn’t a week that goes by where someone doesn’t say “I loved your French bread or chocolate frosted donuts,” said their son, Brendan Winters.

Winters worked their alongside his 11 siblings at the bakery when they were younger.

“There were 12 kids, six boys and six girls. The boys worked in the back, the girls worked out front as clerks. We all grew up in the bakery. It was an icon of the time but we didn’t realize at the time. We all worked there. I have fond memories of the quality of the products we used to make.”

Among those products made at the bakery were a variety of breads including vienna and rye seed as well as danish, eclairs, bismarks, pies, cakes, brownies cookies, donuts, including chocolate frosted donuts, filled rings and danish.

“Everything was made from scratch. The eclairs had real cream and the bismarks were made with real custard.”

Winters said that he remembers the bakery, like many food businesses, was also a lot of hard work.

“We worked 7 days a week. We were closed on Sundays but that is when we did our heavy cleaning.”

“People would stop on their way to work get a couple of donuts. The restaurants would order rolls and donuts. The bus, in the summer months, would stop at the YMCA to pick up the kids to go to the Connecticut River Valley and work in the tobacco fields. They would come in and get warm donuts with chocolate frosting,” Winters said.

The bakery also produced treats for seasonal favorites, holidays and other special events.

“We made Hot Cross Buns for Lent, Irish Soda bread, when the strawberries were out we made baking powder biscuits for strawberry shortcake. We made pies for Thanksgiving and wedding cakes,” Winters said.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.

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