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 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

Northside Village Historic District United States historic place

The Northside Village Historic District encompasses a rural village center on Stafford Road in northern Charlton, Massachusetts. Located at the junction of Stafford Road with Northside and Cemetery Roads is a small cluster of residential buildings, developed beginning in 1735 around a small tanning business, and later as a stagecoach stop. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Templeton Common Historic District United States historic place

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.

Five Corners Historic District United States historic place

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.

Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District United States historic place

The Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District is a historic district extending through parts of the towns of Chester, Middlefield, and Becket, Massachusetts. The district encompasses a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) stretch of railroad right of way in which there are ten bridge crossings, including nine over the west branch of the Westfield River. The bridges were built in four time periods: 1840, 1866, 1912, and 1928. Nine of the ten bridges are stone or concrete masonry work, and one is a truss girder bridge. All are, with only minor exceptions, in excellent and original condition. The bridges were built to carry the Western Railroad through on its run from the Connecticut River to the Hudson River. This section of railroad was the most expensive the company had to build, costing over $1 million in 1840.

South Worthington Historic District United States historic place

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.

Huntington Village Historic District United States historic place

The Huntington Village Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Huntington, Massachusetts, USA. The village lies on the west branch of the Westfield River, at the junction of US Route 20 and Massachusetts Route 112. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The village is the most densely populated part of Huntington, and has been its commercial and civic heart since the early 19th century. It has been divided by the river because its unifying feature, a location where bridges stood since 1810, no longer has one, and the modern replacement bridge built after a 1938 flood just south of the center, does not readily combine the developed areas on either side.

Agawam Center Historic District United States historic place

The Agawam Center Historic District is a historic district that encompasses part of the historic center of Agawam, Massachusetts. The district covers most of the buildings along Elm Street and Main Street radiating out from their intersection in both directions. The district is predominantly residential in character, although it does contain a number of commercial, industrial, and civic buildings. Many of the buildings in the district stand at a uniform setback from the street, giving the district a coherent feel.

Chester Center Historic District United States historic place

The Chester Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic center of Chester, Massachusetts. The area was first laid out by Chester's first settlers in 1763. It remained the center of commerce and civic life in the rural agricultural community until railroads were built in other areas of the town in the 1840s. The village center declined in importance as economic activity moved to areas more readily accessible to the railroad, and the town hall was eventually moved to Chester Factories. The district includes properties on Skyline Trail near the intersection of Bromley and Lyman Roads, and features Greek Revival, colonial, and Federal architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Chester Factory Village Historic District United States historic place

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.

Russell Center Historic District United States historic place

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.

Granville Village Historic District United States historic place

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.

Landlord Fowler Tavern United States historic place

The Landlord Fowler Tavern is a historic tavern at 171 Main Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 1750s, it is a good local example of Georgian architecture, and it was for about a century an important local social gathering point, and a major stop on the east-west stagecoach road. Now a private residence, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Boston Post Road Historic District (Weston, Massachusetts) United States historic place

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.

Village of Monroe Historic District United States historic place

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.

Westfield Center Historic District United States historic place

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.

Monson Center Historic District United States historic place

The Monson Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic 19th century economic and civic heart of Monson, Massachusetts, a small town in eastern Hampden County. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

West Chesterfield Historic District United States historic place

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.

Smiths Corner Historic District United States historic place

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.

Houghtonville Historic District United States historic place

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.

North Calais Village Historic District United States historic place

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.

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 2013-12-07.