Old Centre Historic District

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Old Centre Historic District

First Congregational Church 1850, Winchendon MA.jpg

First Congregational Church 1850
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Location Baldwinville and Teel Rds., Winchendon, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°39′43″N72°2′21″W / 42.66194°N 72.03917°W / 42.66194; -72.03917 Coordinates: 42°39′43″N72°2′21″W / 42.66194°N 72.03917°W / 42.66194; -72.03917
Area 44 acres (18 ha)
Architectural style Greek Revival, Georgian, Federal
NRHP reference # 87000901 [1]
Added to NRHP September 18, 1987

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 (c. 1752) in town, and only one building constructed after 1850. [2] The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. [1]

Winchendon, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,300 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs. A census-designated place, also named Winchendon, is defined within the town for statistical purposes. The Winchendon State Forest, a 174.5 acres parcel, is located within the township as is Otter River State Forest; both recreational areas are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

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.

Contents

Description and history

Land making up the town of Winchendon was granted to Massachusetts veterans of the 1690 Battle of Quebec from Ipswich, and was originally called Ipswich Canada. Early settlement did not take place until 1752, the same year the town common was laid out on the highest point in the town. Richard Day's house, probably built in 1752, still faces the common, and was considered the finest in the town at the time of its construction. Connected to other communities by a network of roads, the village did not grow significantly until after the French and Indian War, and the town was not incorporated until 1764. The village thrived in its early years, providing services to local farmers and to passing stagecoaches, but declined in the later 19th century, when economic activity and major transportation routes became focused in other areas of the town. [3]

Battle of Quebec (1690) October 1690 battle near Quebec City, Canada

The Battle of Quebec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Quebec's defences were tested.

Ipswich, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,175 at the 2010 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island (Massachusetts). A residential community with a vibrant tourism industry, the town is famous for its clams, celebrated annually at the Ipswich Chowderfest, and for Crane Beach, a barrier beach near the Crane estate. Ipswich was incorporated as a town in 1634.

French and Indian War North American theater of the worldwide Seven Years War

The French and Indian War (1754–1763) pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France, each side supported by military units from the parent country and by American Indian allies. At the start of the war, the French colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British colonies. The outnumbered French particularly depended on the Indians.

The historic district is centered on the triangular common that is the surviving remnant of that designated in 1752. It is located at the junction of five roads: High Street, Hale Street, Baldwinville Road, Teel Road, and Old County Road. It extends for short distances west on Hale Road and south on Old County Road, and a longer distance east on Teel Road to include the cemetery. The district's most prominent building is the 1850 First Congregational Church, but the common is faced by a number of fine Georgian and Federal houses.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts Wikimedia list article

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.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. "MACRIS inventory record for Old Centre Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  3. "NRHP nomination for Old Centre Historic District". National Archive. Retrieved 2017-10-09.