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A man named Walter Gates once had a barber shop in his North Windham home. His wife and daughter were teachers. As a sideline, the family made ice cream to sell to the summer residents. This became popular and profitable.

In the 1920s, Gates leased a piece of land from the Atherton family, built a small building and went into the ice cream business. Gates Ice Cream became well known and cars of customers lined up on both sides of Route 302, then called the Roosevelt Highway. Eventually, this site became Rich’s Restaurant, then a residential rental property, and today is the site of the Lakes Region Medical Center.