Middlesex County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populous county in the United States. Middlesex County is one of two U.S. counties to be amongst the top 25 counties with the highest household income and the 25 most populated counties. It is included in the Census Bureau's Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area. As part of the 2020 United States census, the Commonwealth's mean center of population for that year was geo-centered in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick.
The National Register of Historic Places is a United States federal official list of places and sites considered worthy of preservation. In the state of Massachusetts, there are over 4,300 listings, representing about 5% of all NRHP listings nationwide and the second-most of any U.S. state, behind only New York. Listings appear in all 14 Massachusetts counties.
This is a list of historic sites in Framingham, Massachusetts. There are several notable historic sites in Framingham, according to the Framingham Historical Society. This local society asserts:
While there are many historic spaces in Framingham, the Centre Common is the focal point for the town's past. Three of the town's most historic buildings on the Centre Common face "demolition by neglect." The Village Hall, the Edgell Memorial Library, and the Old Academy building not only house over 10,000 artifacts spanning four centuries of the town's history, but they are symbols of Framingham's commitment to educational excellence, civic engagement, and community pride.
The following properties in Newton, Massachusetts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are a subset of all properties in Middlesex County. There are over 180 places listed in Newton.
The Chelmsford Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic heart of the town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. It extends from the town's central square in the east, where the intersection of Billerica Road and Chelmsford Street is located, west beyond the junction of Littleton and North Roads with Westford Street, and from there north along Worthen Road. It includes the area that was the 17th-century heart of the town, including its common and first burying ground, and has been the town's civic heart since its founding.
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.
The Acton Center Historic District encompasses the historic heart of the once-rural, now suburban, town of Acton, Massachusetts. The district includes properties on Main Street, Wood and Woodbury Lanes, Newtown, Concord, and Nagog Hill Roads, and has been the town's civic heart since its establishment in the 1730s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Church Street Historic District in Wilmington, Massachusetts encompasses the largest cluster of high-style 19th- and early 20th-century homes in the town. The district stretches along Church Street from Hanover Street and Clark Street northeast to the town common, which is part of the Wilmington Centre Village Historic District, and includes one non-contributing house on Central Street. Most of the houses in the district are Queen Anne Victorians built in the 1880s and 1890s; the oldest building is the Maynard Spaulding House at 84 Church Street, an early 1850s house with transitional Greek Revival styling. There are three Italianate houses, and a smattering of 20th century styles, including Colonial Revival and Craftsman houses.
The Forge Village Historic District of Westford, Massachusetts, United States encompasses one of the town's historic 19th century mill villages. The focal point of the district is the mill complex of the Abbot Worsted Company, around which the village expanded after its founding in 1854. Prior to its founding the area was the site of a number of blacksmithies and iron forging operations, and was the site of a fulling mill in the 18th century. The center of the district is at the junction of East and West Prescott Streets with Pleasant Street, radiating away to ballfields on West Prescott, Abbot Street at Pleasant, and just beyond Orchard Street on East Prescott. Worker housing occupies a number of adjacent streets in the area.
The Framingham Centre Common Historic District encompasses the historic early center of Framingham, Massachusetts. It is centered on the old town common, which is west of Edgell Road, a short way north of the busy commercial corridor of Massachusetts Route 9. The district includes 28 buildings, among them important early civic structures such as the Village Hall, old Edgell Memorial Library, First Parish Church, and the former Framingham Academy building.
The Shirley Center Historic District encompasses the original historic center of Shirley, Massachusetts. The district is centered on the 1753 town common area, from which five roads radiate away. The district includes the buildings that surround the common, as well as some that line these roads. The district includes Shirley's town hall and First Parish Congregational Church.
The Marlborough Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and commercial heart of Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is centered on a stretch of Main Street between Mechanic Street to the west and Bolton Street to the east, and includes properties on adjacent streets. The center is reflective of the city's prosperity as an industrial center from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Westford Center Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Westford, Massachusetts. It is centered on a stretch of Main Street between Graniteville and Leland Roads, extending away from this strip on a number of side streets. The area has been the town center since settlement of the town began in the 1720s. Prominent in the district are the Westford Academy building and the First Parish Church, two fine Federal style structures built in 1794, and the Italianate town hall, built in 1871.
The Pepperell Center Historic District encompasses the historic core of the village center of Pepperell, Massachusetts. The district is based around the town common, which was laid out in 1740, along with the construction of the first church. It includes a number of surviving 18th century structures, including a post office building that is now a private home, and the town's oldest cemeteries. The village radiates away from the common along Park, Main, Elm, Townsend and Heald Streets.
The Common Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and institutional heart of Reading, Massachusetts. The district is centered on the town common, at the intersection of Main and Salem Streets. The common has been communally owned since at least 1737, with the original burying ground to the north. In 1769 the area's first meeting house was built, giving the area a sense of identity separate from portions of Reading that would later be set off as Wakefield and North Reading. Since then the area has become a focal point for religious and civic institutions in the town.
The First Congregational Church is an historic church in Stoneham, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1840, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and is a landmark in the town center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1984. The church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; the current pastor is the Rev. Ken McGarry.
The Common District encompasses the main civic center of Wakefield, Massachusetts. It is centered on the historic town common, just south of Lake Quannapowitt, which was laid in 1644, when it became the heart of Old Reading. The area was separated from Reading as South Reading in 1818, and renamed Wakefield in 1868. The 25 acre district includes the buildings that line the common on Common Street and Main Street, which include the town hall, public library, YMCA, post office, and several churches. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Yale Avenue Historic District is a residential historic district near the center of Wakefield, Massachusetts. It encompasses eight residential properties, all but one of which were developed in the 1860s and 1870s, after the arrival of the railroad in town. These properties were built primarily for Boston businessmen, and mark the start of Wakefield's transition to a suburb.
The Central Square Historic District is a historic district encompassing much of the central business district of Stoneham, Massachusetts. It includes the town's largest concentration of 19th and early-20th century commercial architecture, in an area that developed in importance as a commercial center after the construction of the Andover-Medford Turnpike. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Wilmington Village Historic District encompasses a significant portion of the village center of Wilmington, Vermont. The village grew as a crossroads industrial center through the mid-19th century, and experienced relatively little growth afterward. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
