According to "Rural Oasis," the first service stations appeared in Windham by the mid-1930s. In 1935 there were three garages, but by 1943 only one of the original three remained open. While the one station that remained open, which was owned by Leon Meserve, operated without any real competition for several years, this changed when Howard Hemeon opened Castle View Service Station on Range Road, at the intersection of Route 111 and Route 111A. Howard and his wife Rose purchased the Federal period brick home that is now the Windham Restaurant in 1945. Shortly after moving in, Howard opened his service station next door to his home. Evidently the Hemeons did not make much of a success of their automotive garage, as they sold their home in 1949, along with the garage. The garage was eventually rented to Ernie Alix, who operated his own service station on the premises, until the building was sold again, and he relocated his business further down Range Road.
