Westport Point Historic District

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Westport Point Historic District

Captain James W. Manchester House, Westport Point MA.jpg

Captain James W. Manchester House
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Location Westport, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°31′24″N71°4′29″W / 41.52333°N 71.07472°W / 41.52333; -71.07472 Coordinates: 41°31′24″N71°4′29″W / 41.52333°N 71.07472°W / 41.52333; -71.07472
Area 86 acres (35 ha)
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Greek Revival, Late Victorian
NRHP reference #

92000815

[1]
Added to NRHP June 25, 1992

The Westport Point Historic District is a historic district encompassing an early coastal village in Westport, Massachusetts. Set at the confluence of two branches of the tidal Westport River, the village has a rich architectural history from the late 18th century to the early 20th. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. [1]

Westport, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Westport is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,532 at the 2010 census.

Westport River river in the United States of America

The Westport River lies between Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay in Westport, Massachusetts.

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

The area that is now Westport, Massachusetts was originally part of neighboring Dartmouth, separating in 1787. One of the area's earliest settlements was on the barrier island at the mouth of the Westport River, with the point between its two branches developed as an agricultural area, with a ferry between the two established in 1712. The point's potential for additional housing and maritime services resulted in significant development beginning around 1770. Over the next 100 or so years, the area developed as a center of coastal shipping and the outfitting of ships that were typically built at shipyards further upriver. Little of the maritime infrastructure associated with these activities has survived. After the American Civil War, and with the decline in demand for wooden ships, the area's economic focus changed to one as a seaside resort and vacation area. [2]

Dartmouth, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Dartmouth is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, and was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts settled. Dartmouth itself is part of the Farm Coast New England comprising a chain of historic coastal villages, vineyards and farms. June 8, 2014 marked the 350th year of Dartmouth's incorporation. It is also part of the Massachusetts South Coast. The local daily newspaper is "The Dartmouth Chronicle" and "Dartmouth Weekly".

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The most studied and written about episode in U.S. history, the Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

The historic district extends along Main Road, the principal historic thoroughfare on the point prior to the construction of Massachusetts Route 88 in the 1960s. The district extends linearly along Main Road for about a mile, ending roughly at Charles Street. Although a number of side streets emanate from this spine, only properties on Valentine's Lane and Cape Bial Lane are also included in the district. The district is 86 acres (35 ha) in size, with 173 historically significant buildings. Most of these are one and two-story wood frame houses; there is only one commercial building, the c. 1840 Cory Store, and one church, the Westport Point Methodist Church (1884, Gothic Revival). The most common architectural style found is the Greek Revival, whose height of fashion in the area was between 1835 and 1860. [2]

Massachusetts Route 88 American road

Route 88, is a north–south state highway in the town of Westport in southeastern Massachusetts. At just over 11 miles, it is the longest Massachusetts state route to be situated in only one town.

See also

List of Registered Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts:

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