North Chester Historic District

Last updated

North Chester Historic District
ChesterMA NorthChesterHD.jpg
House and the new Smith Road bridge
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Chester, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°19′35″N72°55′53″W / 42.32639°N 72.93139°W / 42.32639; -72.93139
Area282.5 acres (114.3 ha)
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Georgian
NRHP reference No. 96001465 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 6, 1996

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. [1]

Contents

Description and history

Most of the properties in the district are strung in a widely spaced rural manner along East River Road, extending from a home and former factory site in the north to a village core with church and cemetery in the south. A few unbuilt parcels of land on Smith and North Chester Roads also contribute to the district, as did the Howe truss iron bridge that carries Smith Road across the middle branch of the Westfield River until its replacement in 2009. In addition to a variety of primarily 19th century residential and agricultural buildings, the district also includes a number of industrial archeological sites, based on the area's history of water-powered mill development. [2]

Chester was settled in the 1760s, with early settlers of the North Chester area including members of the Elder, Smith, and Mann families. One of the most substantial buildings, known as the Cushman Tavern, stands at the junction of East River, North Chester, and Smith Roads; it was built by Thomas Elder about 1773, and served stagecoach travelers on the River Road, which was the preferred route between Springfield and Pittsfield. A short way north of the Smith Road bridge are the remains of a breached dam, where the first sawmill and gristmill stood, built by John Stevens. Later small industry was supported by dams further up and down the river, but these faded in importance after Chester Factory was served by the railroad, and came to dominate the town in industry. Non-residential buildings in the district include a 19th-century schoolhouse and a 1909 chapel. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Huntington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,094 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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

The Five Corners Historic District is a historic district encompassing the central district of the village of South Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is centered at the junction of Cold Spring, Green River, New Ashford. The junction has been a prominent center in the area since 1760. Prominent buildings in the district include the South Center School, the Store at Five Corners, and the Second Congregational Church. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

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

The South Worthington Historic District is a historic district encompassing the formerly industrial, but now rural, village of South Worthington, Massachusetts. The village is centered on the junction of Huntington Road, Ireland Street, and Thrasher Hill Road. The district extends along Ireland Road as far as Conwell Road, and one contributing element, the dam which impounds Little Galilee Pond, extends into neighboring Chesterfield. The area had a number of small mills along the banks of the Little River, a tributary of the Westfield River, but only one complex, the Theron Higgins Mill on South Worthington Road, has survived from the 19th century. Most of the buildings in the district are residences dating to the 19th century; also included are three churches, including the particularly elegant Greek Revival South Worthington Methodist Church (1848). The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

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

The Chester Factory Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic village of Chester Factories in Chester, Massachusetts. Chester was settled in the 1760s, and the factory village was a location where water power was harnessed at an early time for grist mills and sawmills. The village got its name from the Chester Glass Factory, which operated in the area through the War of 1812. It benefited from the construction of a turnpike leading to Chester Center in 1804, and was transformed by the arrival of the railroad around 1840. The village became an important provisioning stop for trains, and the village further benefited by the fact that the railroad bypassed Chester Center. The economic and civic life of the town gradually shifted, and Chester Factories is where the town hall and library were built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

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

The Russell Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic village center of Russell, Massachusetts. It is centered at the junction of Main Street and Lincoln Avenue, and is bordered by the Westfield River to the east, and the rising foothills of The Berkshires to the west. The village's 19th century development was spurred by the railroad and sustained by local papermaking businesses. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, and was named as one of the 1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.

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

The Granville Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic Granville Village area in eastern Granville, Massachusetts. The area was developed in the 19th century as an industrial village, centered on the drum factory of Noble & Cooley on Dickinson Brook. The predominantly residential district includes a number of Greek Revival houses; it also includes the Colonial Revival public library building. It is located roughly in the area around the junction of Maple St. and Main and Granby Rds., including part of Water Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landlord Fowler Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Landlord Fowler Tavern is a historic tavern in Westfield, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 1750s, it is a good local example of Georgian architecture despite some unsympathetic modifications, and it was for about a century an important local social gathering point, and a major stop on the east-west stagecoach road. Now divided into apartments, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<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">Village of Monroe Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Village of Monroe Historic District, also known as the Smith's Mill Historic District, is located in Monroe, New York, United States. It is an irregularly shaped 81-acre (33 ha) area containing 36 properties, primarily residential but with some churches and commercial buildings, in the center of the village, just east of its downtown. In 1998 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<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">Westfield Center Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Westfield Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing 157 acres (64 ha) of the civic, commercial, and industrial heart of Westfield, Massachusetts. It represents a major expansion of the Westfield Center Commercial Historic District, which included only two blocks of buildings along Elm Street in downtown Westfield. The district includes buildings representing the city's growth in the 19th century as a center of the whip-making industry, and its early years as a center for statewide educational institutions, as well as its growth as a regional center of western Hampden County. The commercial district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008; the expansion and renaming of the district took place in 2013.

<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">Lyme Center Historic District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Lyme Center Historic District encompasses a modest crossroads and industrial village in rural Lyme, New Hampshire. The predominantly residential district stretches along Dorchester Road, on either side of its junction with Baker Hill Road. The village's rise in development started in the early 19th century as it was at a crossroads of the east-west Dorchester Road, and the north-south Baker Hill Road and Acorn Hill Road. The village grew rapidly in the 1820s, with a number of simple Greek Revival houses, and in 1830 the Baptist Church was built. The other major civic building in the village is the Lyme Academy, built in 1839, albeit with more Federal than Greek Revival styling. Grant Brook, which runs parallel to Dorchester Road, provided a source of power for the growth of small industrial efforts, including a sawmill at the corner of Dorchester and Baker Hill Roads. This industry provided a second minor building boom in the late 19th to early 20th century. Most of the houses in the district are vernacular Greek Revival or Cape in their styling; probably the most elaborate Greek Revival house is the 1857 Beal-Pike House at 41 Dorchester Road.

<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">Smith's Corner Historic District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Smith's Corner Historic District is a historic district encompassing a historic 19th-century rural village center. Covering about 105.5 acres (42.7 ha), the district is centered on the junction of Main Avenue, South Road, and Chase Road in northwestern South Hampton, abutting its border with East Kingston. The village was important as a stagecoach stop. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

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

The Houghtonville Historic District encompasses a cluster of residential properties that are all that remain of one of the early industrial areas of Grafton, Vermont. Located west of Grafton Village on Houghtonville Road, it includes ten well-preserved 19th-century houses, some located on properties where early mills once stood. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

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

The Brookfield Village Historic District encompasses the 19th-century village center of Brookfield, Vermont. Arrayed on the eastern shore of Sunset Lake, it includes well-preserved examples of Greek Revival architecture, and is best known for the Sunset Lake Floating Bridge, a pontoon bridge that provides access to the village from the west. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

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

The North Calais Village Historic District encompasses a linear 19th-century mill village in Calais, Vermont. It extends mainly along North Calais Road, paralleling Pekin Brook below Mirror Lake, where ruins of its former industrial past are still evident. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

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

The Williston Village Historic District encompasses the village center of Williston, Vermont. The predominantly rural community is home to a well-preserved array of Federal and Greek Revival buildings, constructed mainly in the first half of the 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, with a minor enlargement in 1992.

The Moscow Village Historic District encompasses a former 19th-century industrial village in southern Stowe, Vermont. Centered on the Little River at its Moscow Road crossing, the village prospered into the early 20th century as a woodworking center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

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 North Chester Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved December 7, 2013.