Scituate Historical Society

SCITUATE — All that is left of the old Bayfield Shop is a razed, rubble-strewn plot of land, where an aged water well sits pools in a corner as the sole marker of the past. But if you listen closely while walking the grounds, the ghosts whisper: There’s the scraping of knife on wood, as Jesse Parmalee Litchfield works dawn till dusk making street signs in his shop. There’s lively chatter, as the feisty Dorothy Meurch, Litchfield’s daughter, challenges a customer to buy a hand carved crumb tray she’s been hoarding for decades. While the last two of 10 buildings at 675 Country Way went down this week, the memories of this Scituate landmark — a 103-year presence in town — hold strong. Bayfield woodworking shop, founded in 1904 by Litchfield and Henry Turner Bailey, is where the bronze cast “Entering Scituate” signs originated. While you will not see them on roads any more, many longtime residents remember them from their childhood. This is where Meurch, who took over the shop after the death of her father, crowded the rambling sheds and main buildings with antiques ranging from pewter dishes to china dolls. The Bayfield Shop was a must-stop for locals and visitors alike. Celebrities performing at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset — Liberace, Bernadette Peters, Johnny Cash, Joan Rivers — would make room on their tours for a call to “Dottie’s shop.” Now, the site is poised to host a single-family home. Priscilla Schultz of Hanson, Meurch’s daughter and the last of …