The Tack Factory

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The Tack Factory
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Location 49 Tiffany Rd., Norwell, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°7′21″N70°48′33″W / 42.12250°N 70.80917°W / 42.12250; -70.80917 Coordinates: 42°7′21″N70°48′33″W / 42.12250°N 70.80917°W / 42.12250; -70.80917
Area 1.27 acres (0.51 ha)
Built 1834 (1834)
NRHP reference # 80000472 [1]
Added to NRHP December 3, 1980

The Tack Factory was a historic industrial facility at 49 Tiffany Road in Norwell, Massachusetts, United States. With its oldest portion dating to 1834, it was the last surviving 19th-century mill building in Norwell prior to its destruction by fire in 1983. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1] For most of its history it was used in the manufacture of horse tack equipment.

Norwell, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Norwell is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2010 Census. The town's southeastern border runs along the North River.

Massachusetts State of the United States of America

Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named after the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the east side of the area, and is one of the original thirteen states. The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the most populous city in New England. Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.

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The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Contents

Description and history

The Tack Factory was set on the west side of Tiffany Road, just south of Tiffany Pond. At the southern end of the pond stands a dam, probably built in the early 20th century, which replaced an older 18th-century dam probably built for the grist mill that first stood at the site. The main building, which stood across Third Herring Brook, was a single-story post-and-beam structure with a broad gable roof. Its exterior had been covered with several layers of wood shingling, and a tall 30-foot (9.1 m) brick chimney rose from the north slope of the roof. Underneath the building was a granite sluiceway, in which the old waterwheel and related equipment could be found. The main building was enlarged by three relatively small frame additions. [2]

The factory was built in 1834 by Zephaniah Talbot and Samuel Salmond, who had acquired the water rights of the 18th-century mill that previously stood on the site. The Salmond family operated the factory, producing horse tack for many years, until the mid-20th century. The last occupant of the property was a printing company. [2]

Tack refers to equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack. Equipping a horse is often referred to as tacking up. A room to store such equipment, usually near or in a stable, is a tack room.

The factory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1] It was destroyed by fire in 1983. [3]

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.

See also

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

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for The Tack Factory". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  3. "MACRIS inventory record for The Tack Factory". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-01-08.