Shrewsbury Historic District | |
| First Congregational Church | |
| Location | Shrewsbury, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°17′53″N71°42′50″W / 42.29806°N 71.71389°W |
| Area | 14 acres (5.7 ha) |
| Built | 1721 |
| Architect | Hemenway, Daniel; et al. |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000309 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1976 |
The Shrewsbury Historic District encompasses the historic early center of the town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It consists of the town common, laid out in 1721 at what are now Main and Prospect Streets, and buildings adjacent or nearby. The district was declared locally in 1972, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [1]
The town of Shrewsbury was settled in 1721 and incorporated in 1727. Its town common was one of the first parts of the town to be laid out, along what was then one of the Boston Post Roads, connecting Boston to Springfield. The area remained residential and civic in character, with the town's economic center focused on the Post Road (now Main Street) just west of the common. The properties surrounding the common have retained broad lawns and an open character, typical of the 18th and 19th century. [2]
The visual focus of the historic district is the First Congregational Church, located at the north end of the common. It was built in 1766, using materials salvaged from the town's first meetinghouse, built on the same site in 1722. West of the church stands the 1830 brick schoolhouse, now housing town offices and the local historical society. On the west side of the common is the town's main firestation, a modern construction, and the much-extended 1797 Sumner House, built for the town's second minister and now converted into a funeral home. Northeast of the church, at the junction of Boylston and Grafton Streets, and across Grafton Street east of the common, stand three early 19th-century houses. At the junction of Main and Grafton Streets stands the Shrewsbury Public Library, built in 1903 and a fine example of Renaissance Revival architecture. [2]
The Lunenburg Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic center of Lunenburg, Massachusetts. The district is centered on a stretch of Main Street which connects two triangular intersections. It includes many of the town's oldest buildings, including the c. 1724 Cushing House, and the c. 1730 Stillman Stone House. Three of the town's most significant institutional buildings were built before 1850: the town hall, the Congregational church, and the Methodist church. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Clinton Village Historic District encompasses the historic portion of the town center of Clinton, Connecticut. It is roughly linear and extends along East Main Street from the Indian River in the west to Old Post Road in the east. The area represents a well-preserved mid-19th century town center, with architecture dating from the late 17th to mid-20th centuries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
Westminster Village–Academy Hill Historic District encompasses the historic first town center of Westminster, Massachusetts, as well as its later early-19th century commercial core. Centered at the junction Main and South Streets with Academy Hill Road, it contains fine examples of Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture, including the 1839 town hall. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Hubbardston Town Common Historic District encompasses the town common of Hubbardston, Massachusetts, the adjacent 1773 First Parish Church, and the town's first burying ground. It has been the center of the town's civic and religious life since its incorporation in the 1760s, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The district was named as one of the 1,000 Places to Visit in Massachusetts by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.
The Hanover Center Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Hanover, Massachusetts. Established in 1721, the town center includes the town hall, library, and church, as well as its first cemetery and the c. 1700 Stetson House, one of its oldest buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The Templeton Common Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Templeton, Massachusetts. Laid out in the 1750s, the area has been the focus of the town's civic and economic affairs since, and includes its finest assortment of 18th and early 19th-century architecture. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district was in 2010 named as one of the 1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.
The Sutton Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the center of the village of Sutton, Massachusetts. The district, which covers 435 acres (176 ha), is centered on the junction of Boston Road, Singletary Avenue, and Uxbridge Road. Boston Road is a major east–west route through the town, and the other two roads run north–south through the village center. The Colombian building was built in 1957. A typically rural village center, its civic and institutional buildings are clustered near the intersection on its south side, in the general area of the town common. The town common and cemetery were laid out in 1719, after settlement of the township began in 1716. There are a few surviving houses that date to the middle of the 18th century or earlier; exact dates for most are uncertain. There are only a few institutional buildings: the 1829 Congregational Church, the 1983 Town Hall, built on the site of the town's first purpose-built town hall (1885), and Rufus Putnam Hall, an 1824 school building and Masonic lodge that now houses the local history museum. Only one commercial structure the 1839 Brick Block, stands in the village. There is also a historic animal pound, a rectangular stone structure used to pen stray livestock, which dates to the early days of the town.
The South Amherst Common Historic District encompasses the village common and surrounding buildings of South Amherst, Massachusetts. This area developed as a rural residential village hub in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Brimfield Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic center of Brimfield, Massachusetts. The district is centered on the town common, and includes properties radiating out from that center on Main Street, Brookfled, Wales, Sturbridge and Warren Roads. Brimfield Center was first laid out in 1721 along a Native American trail that ran through the area, and developed over the years into what is now US Route 20, or Main Street. The district includes properties ranging from early colonial houses to the town hall, built in 1878. The center has retained some coherence because the Brimfield Fair, a major antiques market that takes place three times a year, takes up significant open space in the areas near the center. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
The Marlborough Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and commercial heart of Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is centered on a stretch of Main Street between Lincoln Street in the west and Bolton Street in the east, and includes properties on adjacent streets. The center is reflective of the city's prosperity as an industrial center from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Common District encompasses the main civic center of Wakefield, Massachusetts. It is centered on the historic town common, just south of Lake Quannapowitt, which was laid in 1644, when it became the heart of Old Reading. The area was separated from Reading as South Reading in 1818, and renamed Wakefield in 1868. The 25 acre district includes the buildings that line the common on Common Street and Main Street, which include the town hall, public library, YMCA, post office, and several churches. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Central Square Historic District is a historic district encompassing much of the central business district of Stoneham, Massachusetts. It includes the town's largest concentration of 19th and early-20th century commercial architecture, in an area that developed in importance as a commercial center after the construction of the Andover-Medford Turnpike. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Piety Corner Historic District encompasses one of the oldest settled areas of Waltham, Massachusetts. It is centered on a major road intersection, the junction of Totten Pond Road with Lexington and Bacon Streets, and includes the city's largest single concentration of well-preserved 19th and early 20th-century houses. It extends south from Totten Pond Road along Bacon Street as far as Greenwood Lane, and along Lexington Street to Beaver Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Grafton Congregational Church, known locally as The Brick Church, is a historic church on Main Street in Grafton, Vermont. Built in 1833, it is a fine local example of vernacular Greek Revival and Gothic Revival religious architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Grafton's current Congregationalist congregation now meets primarily in the "White Church" at 55 Main Street.
The Lower Main Street Historic District of Lee, Massachusetts encompasses the historic center of the town. It is centered on the junction of Main and Park Streets, where the center of the town was laid out when it was established in 1760. Although a meeting house was erected on this site, that structure was torn down, and the space was converted into a town common, a function it continues to serve today. The district also includes a portion of the business district, running along Main Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Canaan Street Historic District encompasses the historic original town center of Canaan, New Hampshire. It is a basically linear district, running along Canaan Street roughly from Prospect Hill Road in the north to Moss Flower Lane in the south. The town flourished first as a stagecoach stop, and then as a resort colony in the late 19th century. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It included 60 contributing buildings.
The Haverhill Corner Historic District encompasses the early civic center of Haverhill, New Hampshire, United States. The district is focused on the junction of New Hampshire Route 10 and Court Street, which was historically a major through route. Court Street is flanked at the junction by a pair of large grassy common areas which are bounded by School Street and Route 10. Buildings, predominantly Federal in character and built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, are arrayed around these commons, and historic buildings line Route 10 and Court Street for a short distance away from the commons. Prominent buildings in the district include the 1827 Federal-style First Congregational Church, the 1840 former courthouse that now houses the public library and local historical society, and the Romanesque Revival 1897 Haverhill Academy Junior High School building. The area declined in importance after the railroad bypassed it, resulting in the gradual relocation of civic functions to the Woodsville area. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Orford Street Historic District encompasses a particularly attractive stretch of Orford Street in Orford, New Hampshire. It was described as early as the 18th century as "the most charming country village", with a tree-lined promenade that is still a focus of the town center. The district consists of about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of Orford Street, between its junctions with New Hampshire Route 25A and Archertown Road, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The Plymouth Historic District encompasses a cluster of five civic buildings and the town common of Plymouth, New Hampshire, United States. The buildings are arrayed on the west side of Plymouth's town common, laid out not long after the town's settlement in 1763. The 2-acre (0.81 ha) district includes the town hall/court house, the Pemigewasset National Bank building, and the US Post Office building, as well as the Old Grafton County Courthouse. The Plymouth Congregation Church also falls within the district bounds, but is not considered contributing. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Southborough Center Historic District encompasses a historically significant portion of the town center of Southborough, Massachusetts. It extends from the Fay School grounds in the west, along Main Street to the railroad crossing east of Lanisquama Road. The area has been the town center since its founding in 1727, and now houses a diversity of 19th and early 20th-century architecture. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.