Does the town have a Facebook page or a historical society? You need the town's resident historian, who would at least know who to ask.
My hometown suburb of Chicago, Park Ridge, had a vibrant pipe shop for maybe twenty years, complete with a resident artisan pipe carver. During a certain era, it became a hang-out for counter culture young students. This was all long after I'd left town for college and military, but I'd catch the scene briefly when I'd get home to visit my family on holidays.