John Eliot Historic District

Last updated

John Eliot Historic District
Bacon Free Library - South Natick, MA - DSC09574.jpg
Bacon Free Library
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationUnion, Pleasant, and Eliot Sts., Natick, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°16′20″N71°18′56″W / 42.27222°N 71.31556°W / 42.27222; -71.31556
Area71.22 acres (28.82 ha)
Built1651
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No. 83000812 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 23, 1983

The John Eliot Historic District encompasses what was the historic early village center of Natick, Massachusetts. Now the heart of the village of South Natick, it now exhibits a diversity of architecture from the 18th to early 20th centuries, laid out along historic 17th-century colonial routes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The South Natick village center is located in southeastern Natick, formed by the junction of Eliot Street (Massachusetts Route 16) with Union and Pleasant Streets. It is located just north of a bend in the Charles River, and has a documented history of both colonial and prehistoric settlement. The roadways probably predate 1651, likely serving as Native American trails. In that year, missionary John Eliot established a settlement of Praying Indians, the first of its kind, on this site. The present bridge across the Charles is located where an early footbridge was built, and the South Natick Dam is at the site of what was once a natural falls and fishing weir. The Native settlement, originally with about 180 individuals, had shrunk by 1797 to just 20. The town, incorporated in 1781, was then dominated by white settlers, its center relocated to a more geographically central site. The first dam in the village was built in 1752, and the area now occupied by a town park on the banks of the river was an industrial site, with a fulling mill and sawmill. [2]

The historic district is essentially X-shaped, radiating away from the central junction on the four roadways. Its center is dominated by the Federal-style John Eliot Church (1828), and the Gothic former John Eliot Congregational Church (1862), and the Renaissance Bacon Library, built in 1880 to a design by Robert G. Shaw. The library is built partly over the grounds of the colonial-era Indian burying ground, one of the places of particular archaeological significance in the district. The village also includes the homes of two important 19th-century writers: one of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and another (a National Historic Landmark) of Horatio Alger. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natick, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. 10 miles (16 km) west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. Massachusetts's center of population was in Natick at the censuses of 2000-2020, most recently in the vicinity of Hunters Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Britain Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The South Britain Historic District encompasses the core of the unincorporated village of South Britain in Southbury, Connecticut, United States. The village arose in the 18th century as an industrial center serving the surrounding agricultural community, powered by the Pomperaug River, and rivalled the town center of Southbury in importance. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Village–Academy Hill Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttonwood Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

Buttonwood Park Historic District is a historic district on Kempton Street, Rockdale Avenue, Hawthorne Street and Brownell Avenue in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Its focal point is Buttonwood Park, a 97-acre (39 ha) municipal park planned by Charles Eliot in the 1890s, and part of its surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood was developed in the first decades of the 20th century as a complement to the park, and contains a fine selection of Colonial Revival and Craftsman style houses. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanover Center Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Egremont Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The South Egremont Village Historic District encompasses most of the village of South Egremont, Massachusetts, a well-preserved village whose architecture has seen relatively little alteration since the 1840s. It is located along Massachusetts Route 23 in the plains east of the Taconic Mountains. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath Center Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Heath Center Historic District encompasses a rural village with predominantly 18th- and 19th-century structures in Heath, a small agricultural town in hills of northwestern Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The district is centered on the junction of several roads, around which the center of the town grew. South Road arrives from the south, East Main Street and Bray Road from the east, Ledge Road from the north, and West Main Street from the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Chester Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The North Chester Historic District is a historic district encompassing the rural village center of North Chester in the town of Chester, Massachusetts. One of the rural community's early settlement nodes, it thrived into the early 19th century around a stagecoach tavern, a few small mills, and farming, and retains buildings and archaeological remains representative of this history. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Historic District (Hamilton, Massachusetts)</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Hamilton Historic District encompasses the early historic center of Hamilton, Massachusetts. It includes properties at 540-700 and 563-641 Bay Road, extending along the road from Orchard Road in the south to Cutler Road in the north. Numerous Greek Revival buildings are located within the district including the First Congregational Church of Hamilton, built in 1843. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Post Road Historic District (Weston, Massachusetts)</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Boston Post Road Historic District encompasses a portion of the historic roadway known as the Boston Post Road, which ran Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York. The surviving alignment in Weston, Massachusetts extends along the entire length of United States Route 20, except for a bypassed section that passes through the town's village center. The 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of roadway retains much of the generally rural appearance it had during the late colonial period, and the town center retains significant elements of historic character as well. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taftsville Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Taftsville Historic District encompasses a historic 19th-century industrial village that is mostly in Woodstock, Vermont. Flanking the Ottauquechee River and extending up Happy Valley Road, the area developed around a metal tool factory established by members of the Taft family in 1793. Important elements from its early history include the Taftsville Store, built by the Taft family in 1840, and the Taftsville Covered Bridge, built in 1836. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettle Creek Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Kettle Creek Historic District encompasses one of the earliest settlement areas of the town of Weston, Connecticut. It consists of a small crossroads village center, extending north from the junction of Weston Road and Broad Street to the junction with Old Weston Road, and includes a small number of well-preserved 18th and 19th-century houses. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Chesterfield Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The West Chesterfield Historic District is a historic district that encompasses the 19th century industrial and residential heritage of the village of West Chesterfield in the town of Chesterfield, Massachusetts. Centered at the junction of Main Road and Ireland Street, it was one of the town's main industrial sites for many years. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennington Village Historic District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Bennington Village Historic District of Bennington, New Hampshire encompasses the 19th-century center of the village. Growth of the village followed a typical pattern for rural New Hampshire towns, based in this case around the growth in the early 19th century of the paper industry, which continues to be a significant economic force in the community. The district is centered on the junctions of Main, Center, and School Streets with Bible Hill Road and Francestown Road. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Ipswich Center Village Historic District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The New Ipswich Center Village Historic District encompasses the historic center of the rural town of New Ipswich, New Hampshire. The center village is the town's most densely populated area, with a history dating to the town's founding in 1735. The district extends along Turnpike Road between King and Porter Roads, and southward in a roughly triangular shape, the southern point of which is at the junction of Main Street and Willard Road. The village includes a large number of residences, which were mainly agricultural at first, but also include a number of properties built as summer resort houses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also includes most of the town's historic civic buildings, including its historic town hall, and the Barrett House, now a museum property owned by Historic New England. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewell Town District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Jewell Town District of South Hampton, New Hampshire, encompasses a colonial-era industrial village with a history dating to 1687. It is centered at the junction of West Whitehall and Jewell Streets, which is just south of a bend in the Powwow River, the source of the power for the mills that were built here. The area was settled in 1687 by Thomas Jewell, and by the early 19th century included a variety of mills as well as a bog iron works. The district now includes only remnants of its industrial past, and features a collection of 18th and early-19th century residential architecture. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Hill, Boston</span> United States historic place

Fort Hill is a 0.4 square mile neighborhood and historic district of Roxbury, in Boston, Massachusetts. The approximate boundaries of Fort Hill are Malcolm X Boulevard on the north, Washington Street on the southeast, and Columbus Avenue on the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchendon Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Winchendon Village Historic District encompasses the 19th-century commercial center of Winchendon, Massachusetts. It extends along Front and School Streets from School Square to Spring Street, and continues north on Central Street as far as Summer Street. This area was developed primarily because of industrialization that took place along Miller's River beginning in the late 18th century and extending into the 1830s, and then expanded further with the arrival of the railroad in the area in the 1840s. This growth caused the area to eclipse the town's colonial town center. The area had risen to sufficient prominence by 1850 that the town hall was built there, which would be followed by other municipal buildings, including the 1913 Beals Memorial Library. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Weston Village Historic District encompasses the town center and principal village of Weston, Vermont. Centered on Farrar Park, which serves as the town green, it includes a diversity of architectural styles from the late 18th century to about 1935, and includes residential, civic, commercial, industrial and religious buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Center Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

Otis Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic village of Otis Center in the Berkshire hill town of Otis, Massachusetts. The village began as a crossroads settlement in the 18th century, and has served as the town's civic center since its incorporation. It features a diversity of architectural styles from the late 18th century to the early 20th. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for John Eliot Historic District". National Archive. Retrieved September 26, 2017.