Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency _ previously determined eligible by the National . Local government Register - University _ designated a National Historic Landmark Other _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Metcalf Pump House (preferred) Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet.
(Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.19 298100 4672810 Zone Easting Northing Middlesex County, Massachusetts County and State 2. Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting "Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title organization Kathleen Kelly Broomer, Preservation Consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC Massachusetts Historical Commission date January 2000 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state MA _ zip code.
02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Town of Holliston, Massachusetts street & number703 Washington Street telephone 508-429-0608 city or town_ Holliston _stateMA _zip code 01746 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings.
Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.NPS Form 10-900 1024-0018 (Rev. 10-90) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page 1 OMB No.
1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts 7. Description Metcalf Pump House, Washington Street, Holliston (ca. 1871, MHC #304) is a wood-frame fire station (engine house) constructed ca. 1871. Washington Street (Route 16) is a heavily traveled regional artery, and the ump house is situated close to the busy intersection with Summer Street (Route 126). The grade of the small property declines sharply from the street, and there is a small gravel driveway at the street edge of the property. The surrounding neighborhood is comprised of various uses, including residential, light industrial, office, and retail buildings. Properties immediately adjacent to the Metcalf Pump House are residential in use. Encompassing 576 square feet, the Metcalf Pump House is a one-story, gable-front building with rectangular massing, two bays across and two bays deep.
A square hose-drying tower with a concave mansard roof rises from the right rear (north) corner. The building rests on piles of fieldstone, though the north corner, directly beneath the hose tower, is supported by a four-foot-square foundation of mortared brick. Metcalf Pump House reportedly was built on the stone piles, rather than on a continuous foundation, so water dripping from the interior of the building could drain through the cracks between the floorboards. The building is sided with six- inch-wide horizontal boards and has an asphalt shingle roof. The fascia and soffit are trimmed with crown molding. Centered on the façade is a large double barn door for admitting the hand pump (fire engine). This door is constructed of one-by-six-foot beaded boards set in a diagonal chevron pattern and nailed to two-by-four-foot frames.
There is a single "gooseneck" light fixture with a metal shade over this doorway. To the right is another entry for foot traffic, containing a five-paneled standard door. There are no other entrances. Each side elevation has two windows and there is a single window opening on the rear elevation. Windows, which currently are boarded over, contain 1/1 wood sash. A historic postcard view indicates these windows may be replacements for original 6/6 sash. Trim on the doors and windows consists of plain six-inch boards. The building's Italianate-style ornament is concentrated on the hose tower, which is in deteriorated condition. Cornice brackets survive on the tower. The single tower window on the façade has a round-arched window opening that is partly boarded over.
The building interior consists of a single room, the walls and ceiling of which are covered with horizontal, random-width beaded pine board sheathing. Six-inch boards predominate. The floorboards are planks of random width. Interior door and window trim consists of plain pine boards. There is no evidence to suggest that the interior has ever been painted. Four eight-inch-square posts support the hose tower, which is open to the interior of the building. The tower framing is post and beam. Other interior features include four hanging porcelain light fixtures with enameled metal shades.
Left of the double-door entrance to the building is a brass plaque affixed to a small boulder, which reads "Donated to the Holliston Historical Commission by Jacob and Celia Richmond of Longmeadow, MA 1995." Following the town's re-acquisition of the property in 1995, the pump house (except the hose tower) was stained red, and the windows were boarded over for security purposes. The building remains vacant. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 7/8 Page 2/1 OMB No. 1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are recorded on the property, sites may be present.
Environmental characteristics of the property represent several locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, distance to wetlands) that are favorable for many types of prehistoric sites. Although the property declines sharply from the street, soils in the area are generally well drained and Chicken Brook, a tributary stream of the Charles River, lies less than 1000 feet east and south of the property. Six prehistoric sites are also recorded in the general area including several along Chicken Brook south of Washington Street. In general, however, the potential for locating significant archaeological resources, either prehistoric or historic, on the nominated property is low. Historic impacts from construction of the pump house on the relatively small lot (4792 square feet) have probably had a adverse effect on any prehistoric resources that may have been present.
Potential historic archaeological resources on the property might include archaeological features associated with construction of the pump house, evidence of utilities and artifacts associated with activities conducted at the house. Most of these resources are of limited research value and marginal importance. (end) 8. Significance Metcalf Pump House, Washington Street, Holliston (ca. 1871, MHC #304) is the oldest extant fire house in Holliston and one of only a small number of 19**-century public buildings surviving in the town. Built by local carpenter Samuel A. Sanger, the engine house is typical of 19*-century firehouse design in Holliston. Metcalf Pump House, now vacant, was associated historically with Hydrant No. 3, a 19"-century fire engine that remains in town ownership.
Retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, Metcalf Pump House meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places and is significant at the local level. Holliston is located in the extreme southern end of Middlesex County, on the eastern edge of the Central Upland region of southern New England. The town is situated on a highland area drained by tributary streams that flow southward into the Charles River. Land grants were made in the vicinity as early as 1659, and the area was included in the town of Sherborn, incorporated in 1674. The second division of common lands of Sherborn in 1682 included all the land later known as Holliston, which was incorporated in 1724.
The early economy was based on grain production and cattle grazing, and settlement followed the pattern of dispersed farmsteads that characterized the region as a whole in the 18* century. There were five tanneries in the town by ca. 1771, a byproduct of extensive local cattle raising, and shoe manufacturing was introduced in 1793. [Thomas Hollis Historic District National Register nomination] In the second quarter of the 19* century, Holliston began a shift from a predominantly agrarian economy to one of agriculture and large-scale manufacturing. Boot, shoe, and straw hat production emerged as major sources of employment and economic development.
Between the 1830s and the early 1880s, the town's industrial base (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 2 OMB No. 1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts expanded beyond the cottage industries (boots and shoes, straw braid and bonnets) of the late 18* and early 19t centuries. Among the other factories present in Holliston during this period were a forge and auger factory, a manufacturer of copper pumps, a manufacturer of woolens, and a waxed paper manufacturer. Improved railroad connections facilitated expansion of the town's industries.
In 1847-1848, the Boston & Worcester Railroad (later the Boston & Albany) opened its South Framingham-Milford branch line, establishing stations at East Holliston, Holliston Center, and Metcalf (in the western part of town). Most of the town's ensuing industrial development was located along the path of the railroad. The arrival of the railroad and the growth of local industry generated rapid population growth and a concomitant building boom. The town's population more than doubled between 1800 and 1840 (1,782 persons), and nearly doubled again by 1860 (3,339 persons). [MHC Reconnaissance Survey Report] Establishment of municipal fire protection efforts in Holliston was one result of growth in the town's population and industrial base. In 1832, the town purchased its first fire apparatus, a "bucket tub" or bucket fire engine.
Water was poured into the engine from buckets and then directed at the fire. An engine company of twelve was established to man this engine, which was retired at an unknown date, likely by 1846. In 1846, two fire engines were acquired. Excelsior No. 1 was located at Jar Brook in East Holliston, a small industrial center with a railroad station. Neptune No. 2 was located on Washington Street at Chicken Brook in the western half of town (east of the extant Metcalf Pump House). The companies organized to run the engines were independent private societies initially. [Hulber] Engine Company No. 1, of forty-three men, was based at the engine house constructed in the 1850s in East Holliston. During the 1870s, Steamer Company No. 2 occupied this engine house, which was located on Central Street near Curve Street. The building was destroyed by fire in 1902.
[Pinkham and Chamberlain; Images of America; 1884 directory] Engine Company No. 2, of thirty-seven men, manned the engine located in the western half of town, at Chicken Brook. The engine is believed to have been housed in a barn originally. The heavily populated town center remained unprotected until May 1858, when Engine Company No. 2 was relocated from the western end of town to a new engine house at the town center. [Pinkham and Chamberlain] The town established Engine Company No. 3 in 1859, to replace Company No. 2 in the west end. The new company was equipped with the town's original 1832 "bucket tub," apparently brought out of retirement. The inadequacy of the old bucket tub became evident the same year, when Appleton Bragg's Hotel in Braggville burned in a spectacular fire.
Braggville, a village in the western part of Holliston on Washington Street near the Milford town line, included three large boot and shoe factories in addition to the hotel. [Transcript article] An article on the Town Meeting warrant for March 1860 called for the town's purchase of a more modern Hunneman engine, to be located near Metcalf Station. For reasons now lost to time, the motion was passed over. [Pinkham and Chamberlain] The events of the Civil War delayed the town's acquisition of a new engine for the Metcalf section of town until 1867. At that time, the town of Holliston purchased the modern Hunneman Company hand tub, designating the (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 3 OMB No.
1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts apparatus Hydrant No. 3. Local tradition holds that the town acquired the engine from a group of Harvard University students, who had used the apparatus to participate in local fire musters. The students reportedly pushed the engine into Boston Harbor following a poor showing in one contest. They subsequently retrieved the engine and sold it to the town of Holliston. [Hulber] Initially Hydrant No. 3 was housed in barns in the western end of town. In about 1871, the town authorized construction of a new engine house, the present Metcalf Pump House, near Metcalf station. [Pinkham and Chamberlain] A company of thirty men was assigned to the engine. [Hulber] By 1880, the size of the company had been reduced to ten men. [1884 directory] During the year ending February 1, 1872, the town paid Samuel A.
Sanger the amount of $903.90 to build the present engine house. Other payments made by the Fire Department that year, according to the town's Annual Report, included one to C. C. Abbott for land for an engine house ($300), and another to Francis Cutler et al. for foundation and grading work ($397). During 1872-1873, the town authorized payment of an additional $25 for "finishing number 3." [Pinkham and Chamberlain] Samuel A. Sanger (born 1825), a carpenter, was a Holliston resident. He was the oldest son of Samuel H. Sanger, [Massachusetts census] In addition to building the Metcalf Pump House, Samuel Sanger did other carpentry work for the town of Holliston. In 1871-1872, the town paid Sanger for repairs on the East Holliston engine house, then occupied by Engine Company No. 1, as well as repairs to the town's schoolhouses. Sanger also received payment in 1871 to repair bridges in town.
[1871-1872 Annual Report] There was a disastrous fire in the town center commercial district in 1875, which consumed twenty-two buildings [Rees] and led to further expansion of Holliston's fire-fighting capabilities. Following the fire, the town acquired a hook and ladder truck as well as a second steam engine. (The town's first steam engine, a Silsby, had been acquired in 1870 and arrived in 1871). By the 1880s, the town of Holliston had four fire-fighting companies. At the town center were Steamer Company No. 1 and Hook and Ladder Company, housed on Central Street near Washington Street. Steamer Company No. 2 was based at East Holliston, on Washington Street near Curve Street. Hydrant Company No. 3 was at the present Metcalf Pump House. [1884 directory] The town of Holliston phased out its use of the Metcalf Pump House by the turn of the 20t* century.
The building reportedly was mothballed in 1899. [Images of America; Pinkham and Chamberlain] In his Annual Report for the year ending February 1, 1901, the Fire Department chief noted that repairs had been made to the engine house, but the department roster did not show a company assigned to the engine stored there. The other engine houses staffed by the town at that time were occupied by Steamer Company No. 1 and Hook & Ladder Company, both at the town center (building demolished), and Steamer Company No. 2 at East Holliston (building destroyed by fire 1902). After about 1907, the Metcalf Pump House (Hydrant No. 3) is mentioned only sporadically in the annual reports of the Fire Department. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 4 OMB No.
1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts drying leather hoses, which rotted if not properly cared for. It is hard to tell where or when the idea of hanging hose vertically originated, though towers were being constructed on new fire stations by the 1850s. [Zurier, p. 65] In addition to serving a functional purpose, the tower quickly became a vehicle for architectural expression. The towered East Holliston engine house (burned 1902) was a front-gabled building that also featured a false front at the façade. The Central Street engine house at the town center (demolished) had bracketed eaves and a tower with a concave mansard roof, similar to the tower at the Metcalf Pump House.
[Historic photographs in Images of America] Today, the Fire Department operates out of the Central Fire Station, Central Street (1930, MHC #161); Gates/East Holliston Station, Washington Street (1945); and McCormick Station, South Street (1954). The Fire Department also uses the so-called Foundry Building on Central Street for additional office space and storage. A majority of Holliston's surviving historic municipal buildings date to the first half of the 20 century. Metcalf -century municipal buildings identified in the town to date. The other is Town Hall, 703 Washington Street (1855, MHC #28, Edwin Payson, architect and builder). Town Hall, the Metcalf Pump House, and the old Central Street engine house (demolished, see above) all demonstrate the popularity of the Italianate style of architecture in Holliston's municipal buildings constructed in the third quarter of the 19* century.
In 1950, members of the Fire Department restored the Hydrant No. 3 fire engine. The apparatus remains in town ownership and currently is in storage. [Pinkham and Chamberlain] Metcalf Pump House was sold in 1954 to a local resident, who used the building for storage. The former engine house was allowed to deteriorate until 1995, when Springfield attorney Jacob Richmond, an heir of the original purchaser, donated the building and land to he town of Holliston. The pump house, which remains vacant, has been maintained with volunteer labor. Th uilding is now under the jurisdiction of the town's Board of Selectmen. One reuse proposal involves creation o a museum devoted to the history of the Holliston Fire Department.
(end) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 9 Page 1 OMB No. 1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts 9. Major Bibliographical References Advanced Appraisal Group, Inc. (Deborah L. Cantwell, appraiser). Summary Appraisal Report. Lot Al Washington Street, Holliston, Massachusetts 01746. Prepared for the town of Holliston. August 1, 1995. Annual Rer the oethe Fiding Fernary 1, nual Report of the Receipis and Expenditures of the Town of Holliston, nnual Rollistor. tor Fine Dear Ending February 1, 190 Innual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the Town o Dattner, Derek. "Pump house in disrepair." The Holliston TAB. October 18, 1994. p. 3. "Holliston Fire Dept. History." Undated newspaper clipping, likely ca.
1900, from Holliston Transcript. Copy on file with Holliston Historical Commission. Holliston Historical Society. Images of America. Holliston. Dover, NH: Arcadia Publishing, 1997. Hulber, Joanne. A Brief History of the Holliston Fire Department. Unpublished manuscript. 1987. Lainhart, Ann S., compiler. 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts State Censuses for Holliston. Boston. 1990. Massachusetts Historical Commission. Reconnaissance Survey Report: Holliston. Unpublished manuscript. February 1980. The Milford, Natick, Framingham, and Holliston Directory. Boston: W. A. Greenough & Co., 1884. National Register of Historic Places nomination, Thomas Hollis Historic District, Holliston (listed 1989). Pinkham, Virginia and Frank Chamberlain (Holliston Historical Commission). MHC Inventory Form for Metcalf Pump House (MHC #304). April 1997. Rees, Dorothy Drinkwater. Holliston, Massachusetts 1724-1974.
The Story of a New England Town. Holliston, MA: The 250th Anniversary Committee, 1974. Zurier, Rebecca. The American Firehouse: An Architectural and Social History. NY: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1982. (end) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 10 Page 1 OMB No. 1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts 10. Geographical Data Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the town of Holliston's assessors' map. Boundary Justification The boundary includes the parcel that has been associated historically with the pump house.
(end) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number photos Page OMB No. 1024-0018 Metcalf Pump House Holliston (Middlesex Co.), Massachusetts Photographs Photographer: Kathleen Kelly Broomer, July 1999 Negatives on file with: Holliston Historical Commission 1. View looking north (note hose tower at rear of roof) 2. Rear elevation, view east, with hose tower 3. View south showing brick foundation beneath hose tower and stone pilings elsewhere on foundation. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Hydrant No.
3 House NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: 1/21/00 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/18/00 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: DATE OF PENDING LIST: 2/02/00 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 3/07/00 REFERENCE NUMBER: 00000113 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: OTHER: N N REQUEST: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PDIL: SAMPLE: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT RETURN REJECT DATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : Histrically and architectually significant 19th century firehouse N N RECOM. /CRIPERIA AcCept AjC REVIEWER Vatuck Andues DISCIPLINE Histerian TELEPHONE DATE 3/660 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N - METCAL PUMP HOUSE WASHINGTON STREET, HOLLISTON TOWN OF HOLLSTON ASSESSORS' MAP "REDUCED BY TOWN) 1 1 -WINTHROP + 5 E 1 SEE SHEET? HOLTICTON 18AL N - 11,00.
Metcalf Pump House washing ton street HollIston, MA photo:July1999 (K.K.Broomer) Neg: Holliston Historical commission ViewN (hote hose tower at rear of voof) lof 3 Wetcalf Pump House Washington Street Holliston, MA thoto: Jwly 1999 (K.K.Broomer) Neg: Holliston Historical counmission Rear elevation, view E, with hose tower 2013 metcalf Pump House street tolliston, Mo Plots: July 1999 (k.k. Broomer) Neg: Holliston Historical Commission vieu 5 showing brick foundation beneath hose tower audstone pilings elsewhere on foundation 3 MARY M. GREENDALE HENRY A. DELLICKER CARL F. DAMIGELLA NRpl. PAUL D. LE BEAU TOWN ADMINISTRATOR 3J 31 BF OFFICE OF BOARD OF SELECTMEN RECEIVER APR 0719% MASS. HIST. COMM. April 6, 1999 Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Dear Ms.
Friedberg: I am pleased to report to you that the Holliston Board of Selectmen voted on March 22, 1999 to endorse the request of the Holliston Historical Commission that the Metcalf Pump House be recommended for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Holliston Historical Commission was successful in obtaining the building and surrounding land as a donation to the Town and they have utilized the efforts of volunteers to maintain the building. We are pleased that they have taken the initiative to seek the listing on the National Register. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. Please feel free to contact the undersigned if you have any questions or if you require any additional information.
Very truly yours, Town Administrator PDL/pc XC: metcalf.wpd Holliston Historical Commission TOWN HALL, 703 WASHINGTON STREET, HOLLISTON, MASSACHUSETTS 01746-2167 (508) 429-0608 FAX (508) 429-0684 NAT. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission JAN 2 | 2000 NA ONA AE SERVCRLÁCES January 11, 2000 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Metcalf Pump House, Washington Street, Holliston (Middlesex Co.), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer.
The owner of the propertywas notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and was afforded the opportunity A letter of support from the Holliston Board of Selectmen has been received, and is included with the nomination. Sincerely, betsy tredheie Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure Cc: Jacqueline Sullivan, Holliston Historical Commission Mary Greendale, Holliston Board of Selectmen Tina Pierdinock, Holliston Planning Department Kathleen Kelly Broomer, Preservation Consultant 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 - (617) 727-8470 Fax: (617) 727-5128 - TDD: 1-800-392-6090 www.state.ma.us/sec/mbc
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