Northside Village Historic District | |
Waters-Morton House | |
Location | Stafford Street, Northside and Cemetery Roads, Charlton, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°9′53″N71°57′24″W / 42.16472°N 71.95667°W Coordinates: 42°9′53″N71°57′24″W / 42.16472°N 71.95667°W |
Area | 70 acres (28 ha) |
Built | 1735 |
Architect | Unknown |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference # | 77000195 [1] |
Added to NRHP | October 5, 1977 |
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. [1]
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.
Charlton was settled in 1735 as part of Oxford, and was separately incorporated in 1775. One of its first settlers was Jonothan Wheelock, whose house built that year still stands near the eastern end of the district. Wheelock established a tannery and distillery on a nearby brook, of which only archaeological remnants survive on their sites. In 1796 his house was purchased by John Haven, who is credited with building a number of the surviving buildings in the village. The Rider Tavern, built in 1797, became a stop on the stagecoach route between Worcester and Hartford, Connecticut, including among its visitors the Marquis de Lafayette. The tavern is now a museum operated by the local historical society. [2]
The Rider Tavern is an historic tavern in the Northside Village Historic District of Charlton, Massachusetts. The tavern, now a large three story wood frame building, was built c. 1797, and was for many years an important stop on the stagecoach road. It is owned by the Charlton Historical Society, and open for guided tours in the summer and special events.
Worcester is a city in, and the county seat of, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population was 181,045, making it the second most populous city in New England after Boston. Worcester is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston, 50 miles (80 km) east of Springfield and 40 miles (64 km) north of Providence. Due to its location in Central Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth", thus, a heart is the official symbol of the city. However, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the Valentine's Day card, although not invented in the city, was mass-produced and popularized by Esther Howland who resided in Worcester.
The historic district is centered on the two junctions of Stafford Road, the historic stage route, with Northside Road, extending south to the town center, and Cemetery Road, running north. There are thirteen buildings in the district, most of which were built before 1850. In addition to the Rider Tavern and Wheelock House, notable buildings include the Waters-Morton House, which was home both to a prominent local politician, and was the childhood home of Dr. William T. G. Morton, a dentist who introduced the use of ether as an anesthetic. The only non-residential building in the district is the former 1848 Northside District School. [2]
William Thomas Green Morton was an American dentist who first publicly demonstrated the use of inhaled ether as a surgical anaesthetic in 1846. The promotion of his questionable claim to have been the discoverer of anaesthesia became an obsession for the rest of his life.
Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula (C
2H
5)
2O, sometimes abbreviated as Et
2O. It is a colorless, highly volatile flammable liquid. It is commonly used as a solvent in laboratories and as a starting fluid for some engines. It was formerly used as a general anesthetic, until non-flammable drugs were developed, such as halothane. It has been used as a recreational drug to cause intoxication.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) designated in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The locations of NRHP properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in a map.
The Bolton Center Historic District is the historic center of the town of Bolton, Massachusetts. The district encompasses what is essentially a linear town center, strung out principally along Main Street, with a well-preserved collection of residential and civic architecture spanning more than two centuries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Morton Street is a street in southern Boston, Massachusetts. It extends from the southeastern end of the Arborway in Jamaica Plain to Washington Street in the Lower Mills Village of Dorchester. Most of the road is a connecting parkway, signed as part of Massachusetts Route 203, that provides access to Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. That portion of the road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The Old Douglas Center Historic District encompasses the historic heart of Douglas, Massachusetts. The historic district radiates away from the town common, and is bounded by farmlands and more recent 20th-century development. There are 50 contributing resources in the 192-acre (78 ha) district. Most of the structures are residential houses in Federal and Greek Revival styles. There are a number of institutional buildings, including the 1834 Greek Revival First Congregational Church, the Craftsman-style Douglas Pastime Club building at 22 Church Street, and the c. 1770s Dudley Tavern. The town common and the adjacent Center Cemetery, laid out when the town was incorporated in 1746, are at the center of the district.
The Sturbridge Common Historic District encompasses the historic center of Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Encompassing some 138 acres (56 ha), the district is focused around the town common, which was laid out when the town established in 1738. The district is roughly linear, extending along Main Street from its junction with Interstate 84 eastward to Hall Road. The district also extends for short distances along Haynes, Maple, and Charlton Streets. Although most of the properties in the district are residential, the institutional properties, including the 1838 Greek Revival Town Hall, the 1896 Joshua Hyde Library building, and the 1922 Federated Church. The oldest building in the district is the c. 1772 Publick House, a tavern which has dominated the south side of the district since its construction.
The Old Centre Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic town center of Winchendon, Massachusetts. It includes the town's first cemetery, the First Congregational Church, and the oldest surviving house in town, and only one building constructed after 1850. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Phillipston Center Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Phillipston, Massachusetts. The town was first settled in 1751 on land grants made in the 1730s, and was incorporated as a separate town in the 1770s. The surviving village center is not far from the location of the first settlement, which eventually came to include a tavern. After incorporation the center developed around what is now the junction of the Baldwinville, Petersham, and Templeton Roads, although this took time, possibly because of difficulties associated with the American Revolutionary War. As a result, the district has relatively few properties that date to the 18th century. All of these are modest vernacular residential structures. The town grew only modestly until 1830, after which time its population declined, not reaching the same level until 1980, 150 years later. As a result of the lack of growth, most of the properties in the district are Federal and Greek Revival in character. Many of the institutional buildings in the center date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Royalston Common Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic village center of Royalston, Massachusetts. Centered on a long town common laid out in 1752, it is one of the best surviving examples of an 18th-century town center in the state. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The common was named as one of the 1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.
The Bigelow Tavern Historic District is a historic district at 60, 64 and 65 Worcester Street in West Boylston, Massachusetts. It consists of a cluster of three buildings: Bigelow Tavern, the White/Gibbs Store, and Temple's Distillery. The buildings have a history of common ownership, and the area was locally important from the late 18th century into the late 19th century. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
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 Russell Corner Historic District of Princeton, Massachusetts encompasses a small 19th century commercial center that developed into a summer resort area by the early 20th century. Centered at the intersection of Merriam Road and Gregory Hill Road, the district includes fifteen contributing buildings on 124 acres (50 ha), which are predominantly residential in nature, and were mostly built before 1830. Some of the properties are found on East Princeton and Sterling Roads, and Bullock Lane. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
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. 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 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.
The Sheffield Plain Historic District encompassing the original 18th-century village center of Sheffield, Massachusetts. The linear district extends southward about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the junction of United States Route 7 and Cook Road, where the original town common is located. The district was primarily developed in the mid-18th and early 19th centuries. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Upper Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic center of Washington, Massachusetts. Centered on the junction of Washington Mountain Road and Branch Road, the town center flourished from the town's establishment in the 1750s until the center of the town's business moved closer to the newly lain railroad in the 1830s. The district includes the old town hall, cemetery, common, and pound, as well as a number of residences. A meeting house (church) and schoolhouse once stood in the area, but the 1792 church was destroyed by lightning in 1859, and the schoolhouse is no longer extant. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
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.
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.
The Railroad Hotel is a building that served as an historic hotel at the triangular lot where Washington Street joins Watertown Street in the West Newton section of Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1831, it is the only early building still standing in West Newton's village center. The Railroad Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing property to the West Newton Village Center Historic District.
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.
The Kents Corner Historic District encompasses a well-preserved 19th-century crossroads hamlet in Calais, Vermont. Centered on the junction of Kent Hill Road, Old West Church Road, and Robinson Cemetery Road, it developed as a stagecoach stop with a small industrial presence. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and substantially enlarged in 2006.