Nomination for Stetson Hall

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) RECEN.D United States Department of the Interior National Park Service 883 OCT 28 2011 National Register of Historic Places NAT. REGISTEP NATION ACES Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1.

Name of Property historic name other names/site number Stetson Hall (preferred) Randolph Town Hall 2. Location street & number 6 South Main Street not for publication city or town state Massachusetts Randolph code MA county Norfolk 3. State/Federal Agency Certification vicinity code 021 zip code 02368 As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this V nomination _ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property does not meet the National Register Criteria.

I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: - national _ statewide Vlocal Brona Simon Signature of certifying official/Title Brona Simon, SHPO, MHC Odober 20, 2011 Date State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property _ meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby gertify that this property is: entered in the National Register _determined eligible for the National Register _determined not eligible for the National Register - other (explain:) Edsou x.

Beall _removed from the National Register 12).1/ Date of Action 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name of Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) private public - Local public - State public - Federal Category of Property Check only.one box.) X building(s) district site structure object (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing 1 Noncontributing 0 0 0 0 1 2 buildings sites structures objects Total Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part ofa multiple property listing) N/A 6.

Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) GOVERNMENT/town hall COMMERCE/business/office building EDUCATION/school RECREATION AND CULTURE/hall SOCIAL/meeting hall Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register N/A Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) RECREATION AND CULTURE/hall COMMERCE/business/office building GOVERNMENT/municipal building 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) CENTURY/Greek Revival Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) foundation: STONE/granite walls: WOOD/clapboard roof: other: ASPHALT SHINGLE 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraph Stetson Hall, 6 South Main Street, (1842, RAN. 25) is a Greek Revival-style civic building prominently positioned at the town center. Located in a mixed-use area of commercial, institutional, and residential construction, Stetson Hall anchors the southeastern end of Crawford Square,formed bytheintersection of North Main Street (State Routes 139 and 28), South Main Street (State Route 28), Union Street (State Route 139), and North Street.

The building occupies an elevated site on a granite ledge, which forms the sub-grade foundation of the building. Granite curbing defines the western frontage on South Main Street, approximately 60 feet from the building, and granite curbing and a granite retaining wall define the northern frontage on Union Street, approximately 40 feet from the building. Stetson Hall's northwesterly orientation on the site allows the building's street (west and north) elevations to be viewed from the north, on North Main Street, from a distance of nearly one mile. Landscaping along the street elevations consists of turf areas dotted with deciduous trees and shrubs. A curved driveway passing in front of the building is now largely confined to pedestrian use; a vehicular driveway from South Main Street leads to paved parking lots along the southern and eastern edges of the property.

Directly in front of the façade, between the curved driveway and South Main Street, is the town's Civil War Memorial (1911, RAN.900, photo 7), consisting of a bronze soldier (Frederick Kohlhagen, sculptor) mounted on a stone base and flanked by cannons. Also in front of the building is a flagpole that is noncontributing due to its 1961 erection. Narrative Description Stetson Hall is the largest and most monumental example of the Greek Revival style extant in Randolph. The 2½-story, temple-front building features a pedimented portico with six fluted lonic columns and a monumental granite stair (photos 1 to 3). The main block, five bays across and seven principal bays deep (excluding the full-width portico), is approximately 60 feet across and 90 feet long, with a granite-block foundation and a full basement.

At the southeast corner of the main block, a two-story, gabled lateral wing, constructed in 2001 and known as the elevator and toilet room addition (photo 3, right; photo 4, left), replaces an earlier series of lateral additions constructed between 1862 and ca. 1893. The elevator addition, which is two bays across and three bays deep, has a concrete slab-on-grade foundation. The gable roofs of both the 1842 building and the 2001 addition are sheathed plywood covéred with tar paper and green/grey architectural-grade asphalt shingles. Evidence revealed in 1996, when the building was last re-roofed, suggests the roof was originally clad with wide pine-board sheathing covered with wood shingles. A red-brick chimney projects from the south slope of the roof, approximately twenty feet from the front of the pediment.

The octagonal cupola (photos 3 and 4), added to the roof ridge in 1866, features round-arched openings framed by heavy millwork molding, and containing ornamental grilles bearing flower motifs. In addition to the plain frieze and asphalt shingle roof seen elsewhere on the building, the cupola retains a pair of air horns, installed at the peak of its roof in 1915-1916 as part of the municipal fire department alarm system. Stetson Hall's original pine clapboards covered wide pine or chestnut-board sheathing set horizontally. They were replaced in the 1880s. The fasteners used to install aluminum siding in 1972 caused extensive splitting and breakage to the underlying clapboards on the sides (north and south elevations) of the building; these clapboards were replaced with cedar clapboards in 1998 during an exterior rehabilitation project. The 2001 addition also has cedar clapboards.

Dominating the façade (west elevation) is the full-width, pedimented portico. Its six fluted columns are of the lonic order, with large volutes and no bases, each resting on a low, square granite block. The columns carry a broad, plain entablature, which extends to the remaining elevations at eave level. At the center of the pediment is a "globe window," (continued) 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State whose curved muntins give the window the appearance of a globe. Its glazing is supported by four curved horizontal muntins and five curved vertical muntins.

These muntins display the same narrow pointed profile found on surviving original window sash on the façade and rear elevation (see below). The globe window, which had been removed from the pediment during renovations in 1928, was discovered in the attic storage space above the portico, subsequently restored by Henry Rota, and returned to its original position in November 1999. Behind the portico, the front wall of Stetson Hall emulates the portico with corner pilasters constructed of tongue-and- groove boards incorporating bases and capitals of millwork trim. Three paired entries on the first floor roughly divide the facade into thirds. The center entry incorporates a twelve-light, 6/6 transom, while six-light transoms survive over the smaller flanking entries. Each entry retains six-paneled double doors. On the second floor, over each entry, is a large window containing 8/8 wood sash.

These windows, as well as the entry openings, have heavy rounded moldings with . beaded edges and bull's-eye corner blocks. Narrow six-light secondary windows, placed between the entries on the first floor and the principal windows on the second floor, are hinged to swing out. These Colonial Revival-style windows are not present in a 1927 photograph of Stetson Hall, and appear to date to the 1928 renovations. While the two narrow first- floor windows are replacements for earlier, larger windows with double-hung sash, the narrow second-floor window openings were new in 1928. A stone tablet, mounted on the wall north of the center entry, records the contributions to the town of Amasa Stetson, donor of the building in 1842. This memorial, originally centered on the frieze of the portico, was shifted to its current position after 1927, and probably by 1954, when the town restored the tablet.

Side (north and south) elevations of the main block (photos 2 and 3), like the facade, are clad in clapboards, with a continuation of the corner pilasters and broad frieze. Windows on the first and second floors are aligned vertically over the four-light basement windows in the granite foundation. Windows on the first floor contain 8/8 wood sash, while those on the second floor contain 12/12 wood sash, reflecting the taller space of the assembly hall at that level. Windows are trimmed in four-inch-wide, low-relief millwork moldings with mitered corners. The only entry on these elevations is situated at the northeast corner of the north elevation, where a recessed doorway with molded cornice and flat-board surround was installed, ca. 1912, between the rear corner pilaster and the first window bay.

This entry, which retains a six-panel wood door and three dressed-granite steps, was restored and renovated in 2007 to provide basement egress. The town's police department maintained an office in this corner of Stetson Hall from the 1910s to 1960. The rear (east) elevation (photo 4) retains clapboard siding and corner pilasters carrying a broad frieze beneath the pedimented gable. Dominating this elevation is a two-story projecting pavilion (1916), three bays across and one bay deep, displaying wood louvered gable vents with flat-board trim in the pediment. An integral porch on the first floor displays four square piers that frame the rear entrance to the building; the two inner piers are paneled, while the two outer piers continue the flat profile of the corner pilasters above. The universal access ramp and the wood balustrades are later additions.

The piers support the enclosed second floor, which corresponds to space at the rear of the assembly hall stage on the interior. The second-floor element retains clapboard siding and the same ornamental features of the main block: corner pilasters, broad frieze, and pedimented gable. Narrow molding provides a transition from the trim board on the first floor to the clapboard siding on the second level. Flanking this pavilion on the second story are narrow, 12/12 windows with wood sash. The porch deck is composed of four-inch-wide fir boards. Farthest from South Main Street and Union Street is the two-story elevator and toilet room addition (photo 3, right, and photo 4, left), built in 2001 as a lateral ell projecting from the main block.

Designed to complement the main block while being readily distinguished, the addition achieves visual separation from the main block on its west elevation (photo 3, right), which is slightly stepped back at the first window bay, and its east elevation (photo 4, left), which is stepped back by the width of the main block's comer pilaster. The addition's pedimented end wall with broad frieze on the south elevation echoes the treatment of the gable ends of the main block. Comers of the addition are trimmed with simple pilasters that have flat boards, but lack the molding caps and bases seen on the pilasters of the main block. Window openings are all of the same size, containing 6/6 wood sash set into vinyl tracks, and are trimmed in flat boards.

On the rear (east) elevation of the addition, a paneled steel utility door with bracketed door hood leads to the electrical room, and (continued) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Name of Property Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State a low dormer at the juncture of the áddition and main block forms the top of the elevator shaft. This addition also houses restroom facilities on both the first and second floors that meet accessibility requirements. Plan and Interior Finishes On the first floor, Stetson Hall has a center corridor that extends through the main block from front to back (photo 5). Offices flank this hallway for much of its length, with two exceptions.

At the southwest (right front) corner of the main block, behind the center and south (right) entries on the façade, is the foyer, which incorporates a stair to the assembly hall on the second floor. At the southeast (right rear) corner of the main block is the G. A. R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall, which is maintained as a small museum with static displays in built-in, glass-enclosed cases. The G. A. R. Hall provides access to the elevator and restroom facilities in the 2001 addition. Most of the first-floor circulation spaces and rooms in the main block retain plaster walls with wood trim and pressed tin ceilings. The tin ceilings, added to the building during the 1928 renovation, display two different patterns. One pattern, consisting of a recessed series of squares divided by plain beading, is found in the foyer and corridor.

The second pattern, present on the office ceilings, consists of a four-petal flower motif with a curved-bracket border. Trim on each pattern incorporates a fluted cornice with a curved-bracket border. Original office entries opening into the corridor have wood doors with opaque glazed upper panels, and rectangular transoms above. On display in the G. A. R. Hall is a pair of hooded and footed marble tablets (1867), each approximately ten feet high, and flanked by cannon barrels rendered in marble, inscribed with the names of Randolph's Civil War dead in gilded lettering. The tablets originally flanked the stage in the second-floor assembly hall, and were moved to the first floor in the early 20"h century. Also displayed in the G. A. R.

Hall is a portrait of the building's donor, Major Amasa Stetson, commissioned by the town of Randolph in 1843 and painted by James Frothingham (1786-1864) of Charlestown. Two stairs connect the first and second floors: the principal stair for the public half-turn stair with landings at the main block's southwest (right front) corner; and the straight stair (built in 1916) in the main block's northeast (left rear) corner. In addition, an elevator in the 2001 addition connects both levels. Small rooms at the front of the building on the second floor are devoted to catering service, storage areas, and an additional restroom. The finishes of the stair halls and second- floor corridor at the rear of the assembly hall (parallel to the façade of the building) are similar to finishes present on the first floor.

Entries to the assembly hall contain four- or six-paneled wood doors, with both single and paired configurations present. Wood trim includes chair rails and heavy molding, framing the entries and windows. The double-height assembly hall and stage (photo 6) occupy most of the space on the second floor. Oriented with the stage at the east end and the balcony at the west end, the assembly hall has a plastered vaulted ceiling, configured during renovations in 1866, when the bottom chord of each roof truss was cut away to increase ceiling height. Some architectural detailing dates to the late 19* or early 20th century. A Colonial Revival-style cornice ringing the hall consists of a dentil course surmounted by serpentine profile molding, inset plaster panels bearing a recessed Greek key motif, and crown molding set against a top cap.

The molded plaster proscenium arch (1913, executed by plaster modeler A. M. Zottoli) incorporates relief ornament depicting fruit and foliage, and gilded borders depicting bundles of reed intertwined with ribbons. The spandrels (upper outer corners) of the arch are painted. Moldings applied to the wall above the stage add further visual interest. The depth of the stage was increased in 1916 with the addition of the two- story projecting pavilion on the rear elevation (see above). Wood trim on the doors flanking the stage incorporates inset panels above each door, capped with a heavy cornice. Chair rails and picture rails also are present. (continued) 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Name of Property Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Two stairs connect the second floor and balcony level: the continuation of the principal stair at the southwest (right front) corner, and a half-turn stair with landing at the main block's northwest (left front) corner. The latter stair originally extended to the first floor as well; the run below the second floor was removed during the 1928 renovations and replaced with storage spaces. The balcony is an open space with a wood floor consisting of low, broad steps. Wood trim includes matchboard wainscoting with a dado cap enclosing the two stairs, and horizontal boards used for the wainscoting on side and rear walls.

Civil War Memorial Located on the front lawn directly in front of Stetson Hall, the memorial (1911, RAN.900, photo 7) consists of a bronze statue on a granite pedestal, flanked by mounted cannons and cannon balls. The eight-foot statue, sculpted by Frederick Kohlhagen (name inscribed at base), depicts a Civil War soldier in battle attire, advancing on his left foot and carrying his rifled musket in his right hand. The twelve-foot pedestal has a base approximately six-feet-square, tapering to slightly over three feet square at the top. A projecting stone course bears incised five-point stars around the four sides of the pedestal, just below the top. On the front of the pedestal is a spread-winged eagle and shield carved in relief above the inscription: IN MEMORY OF OUR/SOLDIERS AND SAILORS/1861-1865.

The north face depicts an anchor and chain in relief, and the south face depicts crossed cannon barrels in relief. Flanking the statue are cannons on stone mounts, bearing the initials "G. A. R.," and adjacent piles of cannon balls. The memorial contributes to the property's significance. The flagpole (late 20"* century) is situated immediately north of the statue, between the statue and a mounted Archaeological Description While no ancient Native American sites are known on the Stetson Hall property, sites may be present. Forty ancient sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile). Most sites are located to the east of the nominated property in uplands bordering the Cochato River and its tributaries. Environmental characteristics of the property exhibit some locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, proximity to wetlands) that are favorable for the presence of Native sites.

While no streams, rivers, or ponds are currently located within 1,000 feet of the property, USDA soil survey maps identify wet areas near the property that may have been substantial wetlands, possibly ponds, at some point in the past. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction is needed to fully assess the wetland potential for this area. Level to moderate slope characterizes the property; however, the USDA soil survey also characterizes this area as urban land, testifying to the amount of development that has occurred in the area. Current ground surfaces may be a function of urban construction. Given the above information, the small size of the property (less than one acre), and the extent of historic construction, the potential to recover ancient Native American resources is low. The potential for locating historic archaeological resources on the Stetson Hall property is moderate to high.

Structural remains may survive from the large mansion built by Samuel Bass in 1782, on the site now occupied by Stetson Hall. Two potential sites exist for the Bass mansion. In 1842, the mansion was moved off its original 1782 site to the rear of the building lot prior to construction of the Stetson Hall town house. A portion of the town house may have actually been built on part of the original Bass mansion foundation. The Bass mansion was later moved to a third site on Depot Street, where it was subsequently demolished. Structural evidence of barns, stables, outbuildings, and archaeological evidence of occupational-related features (trash pits, privies, wells) may exist with both the Bass mansion sites and Stetson Hall. Archaeological evidence of construction features (1842) and evidence of remodeling in 1866 and 1928 for Stetson Hall may also exist.

(continued) 6 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Name of Property Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Amateur archaeological excavations conducted on the Stetson Hall property testify to the integrity of archaeological resources located in the area. In 2001; during excavation for the foundation of the elevator addition to Stetson Hall, a trash pit was discovered overlaying a small outbuilding foundation, possibly a privy. The basal layers of the structure contained artifacts dating to ca. 1780, with the upper layers of the deposit containing artifacts dating to ca. 1842 sealed by a sterile layer of sandy soil that formed the backfill to Stetson Hall.

One interpretation of the structure and related artifacts is that it was the privy and later the trash deposit for the Samuel Bass mansion (ca. 1782). Nearby, one hundred bags of artifacts were recovered. During excavation of utility trenches near the southeast boundary of the site, a large number of artifacts were found dating to ca. 1880-1920. Some of the artifacts were reportedly consistent with household debris and horse harnesses used to draw fire department apparatus. A firehouse stood just south of Stetson Hall from ca. 1872 until 1972. (end) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "X" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) A B Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

(Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) ARCHITECTURE COMMERCE EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION POLITICS/GOVERNMENT SOCIAL HISTORY Period of Significance 1842-1961 Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years.

Significant Dates 1842 (construction of Stetson Hall) 1866 (remodeling) 1928 (remodeling) Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder John Edmund Kelley (1928 remodeling) Period of Significance (justification) The period of significance extends from the date of construction to fifty years from the present. Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary) N/A 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name .of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance and applicable criteria.) A well-preserved civic building in the Greek Revival style, Stetson Hall, 6 South Main Street,(1842, RAN.25), is Randolph's first town house, and one of very few 19*-century institutional buildings surviving in the town. Major Amasa Stetson (1769-1844) of Dorchester (now Boston) funded construction of the hall as a gift to his native town, and provided an endowment, known as the Stetson School Fund, for the administration of the building, as well as for the boys' academy established there.

As Randolph grew from a small agricultural town to a nationally dominant manufacturer of boots in the 1850s, Stetson Hall served as a focal point for the community's civic and social life, and continued to be associated with the municipal functions of the town throughout the period of significance. Retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, Stetson Hall meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places at the local level. Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Architecture - Stetson Hall is the only Greek Revival municipal building extant in Randolph. The façade, or west elevation, is certainly its most impressive, dominating the streetscape of North Main Street for a distance of nearly one mile.

The facade's most prominent features are the six Ionic columns at the portico, and a circular window in the pediment with muntins that correspond to the lines of a globe. The building retains many of its historic features both inside and out, including remnants (now covered) of trompe l'oeil decorative painting applied in 1866 to the walls and ceiling of the second-floor hall. Comparable domestic architecture in the community is generally only one or 1½ stories tall with an asymmetrical plan. Only a handful of Greek Revival dwellings in the town have a columned porch, generally on one side of the house. A short distance from Stetson Hall, the 2½-story Matthew Clark House, 23-25 North Street (ca.

1840, RAN.18), built for a shoe manufacturer, is one of the better-preserved, large-scale Greek Revival-style houses in Randolph, with a wrap-around columned porch, though not displaying a temple-front configuration. The 1½-story dwelling at 43 Roel Street (third quarter 19" century, RAN.319) displays a wide, plain frieze with corner pilasters, and fluted columns marking integral entry porches at the two front corners of the house. One feature that Stetson Hall shares with its domestic contemporaries is in the interior and exterior decorative trim elements, especially those framing windows and doors, of which comparable examples may be found in several homes along North and South Main Streets. Commerce - From its inception, Stetson Hall was to serve the citizens of the town "in the conduct of their public business," and also serve as a place of business.

According to Amasa Stetson's donation in 1842, offices, or "apartments," were to be let to businesses or other tenants, the profits of which were to go towards the support of Stetson Academy, andthe building that housed it. For more than 50 years, rents from the first floor offices of the Randolph National Bank, predecessor to the Randolph Savings Bank, helped to support the cost of maintaining the building, along with rentals of the second-floor assembly hall, and income from investments administered by the three-member elected Board of Trustees. Tenants also included local religious societies that did not have permanent facilities, among them the Church of the Unity, or the Unitarian Church, which held services in the hall for many years until building a church at 120 North Main Street (ca. 1889-1892, RAN.126).

Education - Stetson also made a provision for the establishment of a boy's academy, where boys would be taught "practical subjects" that would properly prepare them for the business world. He indicated that if the town wished to pay for the education of girls and modify the academy into a public high school, he would have no objections. Both Stetson Academy and its successor, Stetson High School, occupied rooms in the rear third of the first floor of the building. In 1862, a small cloakroom or vestibule was constructed at the southeast corner of the building to provide a separate entrance for students, as well as storage space for clothing. Stetson High School occupied the rear third of the building's (continued) 9 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service/NationalRegister ofHistoric Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State first floor until the end of the winter term in early 1909, when the town opened a new building for Stetson High School at 41 South Main Street (1906-1908, RAN.129). Entertainment/Recreation - As a center of local cultural life in 19# century Randolph, Stetson Hall hosted a variety of lecturers as part of the efforts by local organizations to bring literary studies to the town, particularly during the period from 1855 to 1875. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy presentations was that given in October, 1872, by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), as part of a lecture series sponsored by the Grand Army of the Republic. For more than a century, Stetson Hall also served as the town's principal venue for both musical entertainment and professional and amateur dramatic performances.

One of the most popular acts of the early years of the Hall was the Hutchinson family ("Asa B., Lizzie C, and little Freddie"), a traveling troupe that performed a variety show of popular music. The musical entertainment with the longest tenure performing at Stetson Hall was the annual Christmas Day concert, given from 1852 to 1910 by the Old Stoughton Musical Society, the oldest continuous musical organization in the United States. Later in the century, minstrel shows, both professional and amateur, were presented. Stetson High School plays were performed on the stage of Stetson Hall even after the high school moved to new facilities in 1909, continuing there until the construction (1953) of the town's third high school building, the present Randolph High School at 70 Memorial Parkway.

From 1920 to 1938, Stetson Hall's second floor also served as Randolph's first movie theater, where first silent films were shown with live piano accompaniment, followed later by "talkies," often in combination with a dance or other social entertainment. Politics/Government - As Stetson Hall was the seat of town government for more than 150 years, the second-floor assembly hall held debates that shaped the landscape and the history of the community and the nation. In 1860, both Lincoln and Douglas supporters rallied at Stetson Hall in the days preceding the November election. In 1866, controversy over the Town Meeting vote to enlarge Stetson Hall was one of the precipitating events that led to the separation of the village of East Randolph, incorporated in 1872 as the town of Holbrook.

Town Meeting was conducted at Stetson Hall from 1842 until 1954, when the venue was shifted to the auditorium of the newly completed Randolph High School at 70 Memorial Parkway. Municipal offices initially occupied space on the first floor of Stetson Hall. As the town grew in size and complexity, town offices expanded to meet the need, eventually exceeding the capacity of the first floor offices, and leading to the partitioning of the second-floor assembly hall in the mid 1950s to create more office space. Most municipal offices were relocated to another town building in 1995, allowing the historic rehabilitation of Stetson Hall, including a restoration of the second-floor assembly hall to its historic configuration.

From 1858 to 1861, the building briefly served as the armory for the Randolph Light Infantry, a volunteer military company, when the group was mustered into service at Stetson Hall as Company D of the 4" Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, along with Company E of the 35" Massachusetts. During the Civil War, Stetson Hall housed a recruiting office for Union Army soldiers. Social History - During the early years of Stetson Hall, Randolph, like the rest of the nation, was engaged in various efforts for social reform. Following the potato blight in Ireland, meetings were held at Stetson Hall to coordinate local relief efforts for the famine sufferers.

The local "Cold Water Army," or temperance movement, held programs at Stetson Hall in the 1850s, and scattered references in citizen reminiscences of the time suggest that there may have been meetings at Stetson Hall in support of the abolition of slavery. During the Civil War, local churchwomen and the Ladies' Library Association met at Stetson Hall to gather supplies, make bandages, and pick lint for the use of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. A similar practice was carried out in World War I by the local chapter of the Red Cross. As one of the largest halls in town, the second floor was frequently the site of church suppers and church fairs during the 19th century. Following World War I and World War II, citizens welcomed back their returning soldiers with banquets at Stetson Hall.

(continued) 10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Developmental history/additional historic context information (if appropriate) Randolph is a suburban community located approximately fourteen miles south of Boston, twelve miles southeast of Dedham, and seven miles west of Weymouth. The town is bordered by Milton and Quincy on the north, Braintree on the northeast, Holbrook on the southeast, Avon and Stoughton on the southwest, and Canton on the northwest.

In 1634, the area now encompassing Randolph, the Highlands section of Braintree to the northeast, and Holbrook to the east, was known by the native term Cochato, meaning "swift flowing" The name referred to the river (now a brook) in Randolph located near the Holbrook boundary. Drainage in Randolph is predominantly to the northeast via the Monatiquot River in Braintree to Massachusetts Bay, though the Cochato River flows northerly to meet the Monatiquot. Randolph is located on irregular, glacially shaped uplands, and soil is rocky with numerous outcroppings [MHC Town Report]. Located along the axis of routes south of Neponset to the interior shore, Randolph was claimed by Braintree (set off from Boston and incorporated 1640), though most acreage was Boston common land.

Original boundaries of Randolph included on the south, the Old Colony Line (1640) dividing the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies, and, on the west, the Dorchester Grant Line (1636) dividing Dorchester and Boston [MHC Town Report]. The Randolph area was settled comparatively late for eastern Massachusetts, and was slow to develop. The territory now Randolph was part of the Braintree south precinct (1708), and the Braintree new south, or third, precinct (1727), with a meetinghouse located at what is now Crawford Square. Though the area saw little settlement before 1700, the period from 1712 to 1727 was one of significant population growth, with an influx of people from Braintree as well as Scituate, located approximately 25 miles to the east in Plymouth County. The local economy consisted of farming and grazing in the summer; and hunting, trapping, and lumbering in the winter months.

There was little milling in Randolph due to low water volume; scattered gristmills and a sawmill existed in the 18" century. Shoemaking became firmly established in the Randolph area around the mid 18 century, and by the 1770s, the handicraft, or cottage, stage of the industry was well advanced. Custom work was done for specific customers, often out of kitchen ells or special shops known as "ten-footers." Extant development from this period takes the form of scattered farmsteads along the principal road from Braintree to points south (following North Street to South Main Street). The local shoe industry expanded in the late 18" century, particularly with the introduction of bootmaking. By the 1790s, boots made in Randolph were being sold in Boston.

The division of labor in boot and shoemaking, and the establishment of central shops in which the various phases of the process were "put out" to domestic shoemakers to complete at home, characterized the domestic stage of the industry in Randolph. While the industry propelled the local economy during this period, agriculture and limited milling continued. As Braintree's new south precinct, Randolph had a meetinghouse and schools, hired and supported a minister, and hired schoolmasters. The precinct became increasingly self-reliant in administering its own affairs. Residents of the town's north precinct succeeded in separating from Braintree and forming the town of Quincy in 1792, spurring on a similar effort in Braintree's third (new south) precinct. Incorporated on 9 March 1793, the town of Randolph was reportedly named for Peyton Randolph (ca.

1721-1775) of Virginia, speaker of the House of Burgesses of the Virginia colony, and chairman of the first and second Continental Congresses in 1774-1775 [Cooke, 23; Hayward, 249; Nason, 427; Colonial Williamsburg]. Randolph numbered 1,021 inhabitants in 1800. Establishment of regional turnpikes through Randolph in the early 19th century spurred growth in the corridors, radiating from the town center (known as the west village) and the western (continued) 11 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State section of town, known as Tower Hill.

The Blue Hill Turnpike from Boston followed North Main Street and South Main Street (now Route 28), and the South Boston & Taunton Turnpike followed High Street. Another shoemaking center developed on the east side of Randolph, known as the east village. In 1818, a separate Congregational parish with its own meetinghouse was established at the east village. Union Street (now Route 139) connected the two villages. Central Square, now known as Crawford Square, continued to be the institutional focus and center of concentrated settlement of the west village. By 1825, the meetinghouse was shifted to the west side of the square from its original location at the northern corner of Central Square (now occupied by a park between North Street and North Main Street)S with construction of the Third Meetinghouse (1825, RAN.43).

This new site is currently occupied by the Fifth Meetinghouse or First Congregational Church of Randolph, 1 South Main Street (1936, RAN.44); the older building, its steeple removed, was moved nearby to 31 North Street to make room for construction of the fourth meetinghouse (burned 1936). The 1840 map of Randolph provides details on the town in the years immediately before construction of Stetson Hall. Randolph's 3,232 inhabitants occupied 500 dwelling houses and included 677 families. Industry included 35 "extensive" boot and shoe factories, a large number of smaller boot and shoe establishments, two sawmills, two shingle mills, two gristmills, and a morocco (leather) factory.

There were ten public schoolhouses, the private Randolph Academy (incorporated 1833) in the west village, with an enrollment between 80 and 100 hundred students, and an athenaeum in the east village with 220 volumes. The two villages each had a Congregational church, a Baptist church, and a post office. The town also supported the Randolph Bank (incorporated 1836) and one hotel, both located in the west village. Town Meeting created a committee in March 1842 to determine a location for construction of a town house or town hall. For 114 years, civic business had been conducted in the meetinghouse [McCarthy, timeline]. The need for a town house not only reflected the increasing separation of church and state, but also an increasing sophistication of local government that required greater record-keeping and storage capabilities.

This increasing size and complexity of town government led to town offices eventually dominating all of the floor space at Stetson Hall during Randolph's dramatic growth as a "bedroom suburb" in the years following World War II. In addition, the total population of Randolph had practically doubled between 1825 and the construction of the 1840 Third Meetinghouse. By 1840, when the towns population stood at 3,232, and 865 polls, contributing to the need for a larger assembly hall for Town Meeting. Major Amasa Stetson (1769-1844) of Dorchester offered to provide the town of Randolph with a town house for the use and enjoyment of the citizens, and for "the conduct of their public business." Born in the Braintree precinct (later incorporated as the town of Randolph), Stetson was the son of John Stetson, a shoemaker, and Rachel Paine.

After learning the trade, he moved to Boston, where he was a boot manufacturer with his brother, Samuel Stetson. Amasa Stetson married Rebecca Kettell of Boston in 1798; the couple, who had no children, resided in Dorchester, where Amasa Stetson is buried. As a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, Stetson participated in the expedition against Shays's Rebellion in 1787; was a captain in the Legionary Brigade of Boston in 1799; and served as major of the Third Sublegion of Infantry in 1803. During the War of 1812, Stetson received an appointment from President James Madison to the office of Commissary for the District of Massachusetts.

Serving in that position until his resignation in 1816, Stetson purchased military supplies, superintended the production and distribution of clothing and equipment, issued ammunition, and rendered myriad services, apparently often advancing his own funds and borrowing on his own credit, according to a detailed legal claim seeking remuneration from the Federal government, which was prepared on his behalf in 1827 [The Claim of Amasa Stetson].. Stetson was also elected state senator. He amassed a large fortune (valued at over $500,000 at his death), and engaged in various activities of a philanthropic nature.

His contributions to the infrastructure of the town of Randolph included construction not only of the town house (named in his honor by vote of Special Town Meeting in 1843), but also the stone wall that borders Central Cemetery on North (continued) 12 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State Street, and other civic improvements. Beyond Randolph, Stetson funded construction of an interdenominational church in a town named for him in Maine, and donated the town clock in Dorchester [Vital Records of Randolph; Pattee, 349; Roberts, vol. II, 286; McCarthy timeline]. As the donor of Stetson Hall, Amasa Stetson was a pivotal figure in its placement, construction, and early operation.

Rather than concurring with the selection of a building site identified by the town's committee, Stetson preferred a site to the south, which enjoyed a more commanding view, which was then occupied by the mansion of Samuel Bass, Esq. (1760-1842). Samuel Bass was a son of Col. Jonathan Bass, a Revolutionary War officer and the town's largest landowner. The younger Bass led the effort of the south precinct of Braintree to achieve incorporation as the town of Randolph in 1793. At the time of his marriage to Sarah Lawrence of Lincoln in 1782, Bass had a large mansion built on the site now occupied by Stetson Hall. He served the new town as a selectman, treasurer, and its first representative to the General Court. After his death in February 1842, the site of his house at the center of the west village became available for the new town house.

During the summer of 1842, the Bass mansion was moved to the rear of the building lot, and the town house was constructed, possibly incorporating some of the original house's foundation stone in the foundation walls of the new building. The town house was completed in December 1842. The Bass mansion (now demolished) was later removed to Depot Street to serve as a freight house. The new town house was turned over to the selectmen in 1843, the 50# anniversary of the incorporation of Randolph [Cooke; McCarthy timeline]. In addition to funding construction of the town house, Amasa Stetson established a $10,000 trust fund to endow a boys' academy in the building, with the provision that girls could be educated as well if the town voted to establish a public high school.

The Stetson School Fund served as a cornerstone for public education in Randolph when the school became a public high school. The regulations Stetson established for the use of the facility, including its elected three-member Board of Trustees, still form the basis for the building's use and operations. Isaac Wetherell conducted the first high school in Randolph in 1832 in the vestry of the third meetinghouse (see above) at the west village [Proceedings, 80]. The success of this educational venture led to the incorporation of the private Randolph Academy in 1833. The academy occupied a building on North Main Street at the west village, in the approximate location of the present School Street. According to turn-of-the-century reminiscences of local resident Gilbert Alden Tolman, the design of Stetson Hall was based on that of the academy building, which was destroyed by fire in 1852.

Both of these "Grecian" buildings had second-floor halls and T-shaped corridor plans (consisting of central and transverse corridors) on the first floor. The Randolph Academy building, however, was approximately two-thirds the size of Stetson Hall. Stetson Hall was the first building to house the public (town-operated) high school in Randolph. Funded through the endowment provided by Amasa Stetson, Stetson Academy, which later became Stetson High School (1859), allowed the town of Randolph to fulfill its obligation to provide a public high school, under Massachusetts law enacted in 1827, as . amended through 1859 [see Inglis, 35-37, 44]. The rear third of the first floor of Stetson Hall housed the town's high school until early 1909, when a new building constructed specifically for educational use opened at 41 South Main Street (RAN.129, see also below).

The construction of Stetson Hall reflects the growth of Randolph in the second quarter of the 19t century. It was an era of increased prosperity for much of the population, fueled by the boot and shoe industry that dominated the local economy. In Stetson Hall, this newfound prosperity found expression in the establishment of the Randolph Savings Bank, which occupied the offices in the northwest corner of the building's first floor from its incorporation in 1851 until 1876. (continued) 13 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State Greater prosperity also meant greater access to leisure-time activities, such as the fraternal and self-improvement organizations that either met in the second-floor assembly hall or leased offices on the first floor. The Randolph Reading Room Association also had an "apartment" on the first floor of Stetson Hall during the 1850s and 1860s. The holdings of this private library association constituted the core of the town's first public library collection, which opened in 1876 at Central Square, across South Main Street from Stetson Hall. Turner Free Library was named for Royal Turner (d. 1871), a local businessman and one of the incorporators of the Old Colony Railroad in 1845.

He served as one of the first trustees of the Stetson School Fund, and as such was an administrator for local education. He also served as an officer of the Randolph Reading Room Association. Turner's children provided an endowment to the town for the establishment of the public library that still bears the family name, though the present library building was constructed in 1964 to replace the earlier building lost to fire. During the Civil War, Stetson Hall served as the armory and mustering place for Company D of the 4** Massachusetts Regiment prior to their departure to Boston, where they were one of the first companies from the South Shore to be mustered into Federal service. The following year, a second unit made up of Randolph's best young men was mustered at Stetson Hall under the command of Capt. Horace Niles as Company E of the 35th Massachusetts Regiment.

In less than a month, the company would see action at South Mountain, Maryland, and a short time later would be in the thick of the fighting as part of Bumside's division at Antietam, where the company suffered the loss of 20% of its number, including Capt. Niles and Lt. William Palmer. Less than a year later, Company D of the 4 Massachusetts Regiment was again mustered, this time for service in the Port Hudson (Louisiana) campaign. During that campaign, Sgt. George Mason Lovering became Randolph's first Medal of Honor recipient, and later that year was promoted to command a company of what was then known as the U. S. Colored Infantry. A recruiting office was maintained in Stetson Hall during the Civil War. The assembly hall also served as the gathering place for levees and fairs held to accumulate supplies for the U.S. Sanitary Commission and others.

Since 1867, Stetson Hall has housed a pair of town-funded, hooded and footed marble memorials bearing the names of Randolph's Civil War dead. Originally positioned to flank the stage in the second-floor assembly hall, the memorials were moved to the first floor in the early 20" century and are displayed in the G. A. R. Hall. In 1866, a tumultuous Town Meeting voted to "enlarge the Hall" and to construct a cupola on the roof for ventilation, a feature decried by its opponents as a "duck blind for sportsmen." So vehement was the opposition of the residents of the east village, then known as East Randolph, that the questionable vote approving these modifications is said to have been what caused these residents, led by industrialist Elisha Niles Holbrook, to petition for incorporation as the town of Holbrook.

The matter of separating from Randolph was discussed intermittently from January 1867 onward. Elisha Holbrook (1800-1872), the new town's namesake and principal benefactor, died just three weeks before the act of incorporation was approved on 29 February 1872 (a leap year day), though his pledge of $50,000 to build a town house, furnish a library, and pay debts on behalf of the new town set a precedent for subsequent generous gifts from other members of the Holbrook family. [Holbrook Square NR nomination; Cook, 163-164] The enlargement of Stetson Hall in 1866 entailed cutting the bottom chords out of the roof trusses to increase the ceiling height in the second-floor assembly hall, producing the vaulted-ceiling profile seen today. William S.

Brazer (1824- 1887), a glazier and ornamental painter with a shop on Bromfield Street in Boston, executed the "frescoeing" of the walls and new ceiling of the assembly hall, using a combination of architectural motifs, possibly with the addition of an "SHS" (Stetson High School) monogram. Brazer was engaged in the business of painting and decorating for over forty years [Roberts, vol. IV, 150]. Little is known about his work, and the trompe l'oeil painting on the walls and ceiling of Stetson Hall are the only examples identified in Massachusetts to date. Fragments of the ceiling trompe l'oeil were uncovered in 1998 and professionally photographed in situ for further study. Stetson Hall maintained its principal functions as an assembly hall and Town Meeting location, town high school, and offfices into the first decade of the 20th century.

The high school occupied the rear third of the first floor, where the (continued) 14 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State building's central corridor was crossed by a transverse corridor that defined the high school spaces. The transverse corridor was eliminated in 1928 (see below). Stetson Hall was the first building in Randolph to be electrically lit, with the installation of wiring and lighting fixtures by Charles Doughty and Edson N. Roel just prior to the town's centennial celebration, scheduled for July rather than March to facilitate the planned activities. Doughty operated the generation station near the corner of Highland Avenue and Warren Street.

The lights were turned on 19 July 1893, for the town's centennial ball. The high school vacated Stetson Hall at the end of the winter term in early 1909. Also located at the town center, the new high school building, constructed at 41 South Main Street (1906-1908, RAN.129), is situated about one-half block southwest of Stetson Hall. A fire at the new building in 1924 led to a period of repairs and the construction of an addition, during which time high school classes returned to Stetson Hall for about two years.

Even with the new facility at 41 South Main Street, school plays continued to be performed on the stage at Stetson Hall until the early 1950s, when the present Randolph High School opened at 70 Memorial Parkway, behind the 1906 building While Stetson Hall housed two large marble tablets (1867) commissioned by the town as Civil War memorials, local Post 110 of the Civil War veterans'organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (G. A. R.), sought to place another Civil War memorial (1911, RAN.900, photo 7) at Stetson Hall that would "ornament" Central Square as well as the town house parcel. On March 20, 1911, Town Meeting appropriated partial funding to match private donors, and appointed a six- member committee to undertake the project.

The sculptor of the bronze was Frederick Kohlhagen (1843-1927), a German native who headed the bronze foundry at Gorham Manufacturing Company and taught for seventeen years at the Rhode Island School of Design. J. N. White & Sons of West Quincy supplied the granite pedestal. The monument to the town's soldiers and sailors was dedicated October 21,1911 [MHC inventory; "Roster"]. Some modifications were made to Stetson Hall from 1912 to ca. 1916. Changes in the requirements for emergency egress led to the addition of exterior fire escapes (since removed) on the south elevation, and construction of a rear stair and stair hall in the northeast corner of the building. An exterior door was added to the Union Street (north) elevation in this stair hall. The new stair hall necessitated construction of a partition wall immediately north of the stage in the second- floor assembly hall.

The marble Civil War memorial tablets (1867) flanking the stage were then relocated to the first floor. A molded plaster proscenium arch was added at the stage, and the building was piped for steam heat and indoor plumbing. Local plumbing contractor Richard E. O'Brien, general contractor Wilbert M. Feener, and L. Richmond & Co. had roles in these modifications, as did John Boyle of Randolph, who was hired to "re-decorate" Stetson Hall and install a new lighting system. One of Boyle's subcontractors, carpenter Frank Diauto, would gain local renown as a contractor and home builder from the 1930s through the 1950s, owning a lumber yard off Warren Street and constructing the Diauto Block (1952) of commercial buildings at the corner of North Main St. and Memorial Parkway.

In 1915-1916, the air horns on the cupola were installed as part of the fire department alarm system, blowing a series of blasts corresponding with the locations of pull boxes around town. The air horns also sounded at 12:50 p.m. to alert local factory workers to the end of the mid-day break. The first major renovation of the building took place in 1928, following plans drawn by John Edmund Kelley, a Randolph resident and architect with an office in Boston. For several years, Kelley was also a trustee of the Stetson School Fund.

His architectural design tended to favor elements of the Colonial Revival, which may be seen in some of the trim elements of Stetson Hall, as well as both interior and exterior decorative elements on the three elementary school buildings he designed for the town of Randolph: the McNeill, the Tower Hill, and the Devine, as well as improvements to the Belcher School, all of which were carried out between 1928 and 1934. Kelley also designed the Colonial Theatre in Natick (1929, razed 1987).

During the 1928 renovations to Stetson Hall, the present foyer was created at the front of the building, the northwest stair was eliminated between the first and second floors and replaced with storage spaces, the central corridor on the first floor of Stetson Hall was extended to the rear of the building, and the transverse hallway was (continued) 15 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State eliminated. The G. A. R. post received permission from the Board of Selectmen to move their headquarters from North Main Street to one of the former high school rooms on the first floor, now known as the G. A. R. Hall.

The globe window in the pediment of Stetson Hall was replaced with another window in 1928, but remained stored in the attic of the building to be rediscovered, restored, and reinstalled in 1999. Research has not yielded the name of the original architect or builder of Stetson Hall. Despite its elegant appearance, the building's wood frame was constructed in the same manner as many local barns, with roof trusses buttressed with king posts. Stetson Hall still retains much of its original framing elements, though some have been damaged in subsequent renovations. Of particular note are the roof trusses, which had their bottom chords removed as part of the enlargement of the second-floor hall in 1866. This action compromised the structural stability of these members, causing them to spread, and putting bracing elements at risk of failure.

By 1900 the top plates of the sidewalls had spread apart by nearly a foot, requiring the installation of tie rods and turn buckles to bring the walls back into alignment. Unfortunately, the tie rods were not tied into the truss structures, and additional steel bracing was installed in the 1930s to mitigate other strains on the framing elements. The Great Depression saw Randolph, like many other communities, forced to change methods of poor relief from the work farm or poorhouse model to a welfare model, consisting of the disbursement of goods and services to needy families from the welfare office at Stetson Hall. During the two World Wars, men were mustered into service at Stetson Hall, and welcomed home upon their return with celebration dinners. During World War II, the Draft Board operated from an office at Stetson Hall.

In 1970, during the height of the Vietnam War, Stetson Hall became the locus of anti-draft and antiwar protests on the steps and around the Civil War monument. The most drastic alterations to Stetson Hall occurred in the third quarter of the 20* century. In 1954, the town opened the new Randolph High School at 70 Memorial Parkway. This building was the third home of the public high school in Randolph, following Stetson Hall and then Stetson High School at 41 South Main Street. Since the new high school facility provided a modern venue for Town Meeting and other large gatherings, the second-floor assembly hall, stage, and balcony were partitioned for use as municipal office space. A painted plywood panel bearing the town seal was installed in the pediment over the portico, concealing the opening originally occupied by the 1842 globe window and its 1928 replacement.

Aluminum siding was installed over the clapboards in 1972, and some trim at the rear of the building was removed to facilitate the installation. In the late 20" century, the town of Randolph had the opportunity to return Stetson Hall to its historic configuration and function as a community meeting hall, with leased offices on the first floor. There was no further need for the building to house the high school, as the town's high school had been based for over 50 years at 70 Memorial Parkway, where it remains. There also was no further need for Stetson Hall to house most municipal offices, as the former Stetson High School, 41 South Main Street, which had been converted to elementary school use when the high school moved to Memorial Parkway in the 1950s, was itself renovated and dedicated in 1995 as the new Town Hall and police headquarters.

For the last decade, Stetson Hall has housed a mix of municipal and private tenants. The Trustees of the Stetson School Fund developed a reuse plan for Stetson Hall and received permission from the town to once again lease out office space on the first floor. The roof was repaired and re-shingled in 1996, and volunteers removed partition walls and drop ceilings from the second-floor assembly hall, balcony, and stage area in 1997. In 1998, aluminum siding was removed, and the ca. 1880s clapboards repaired or replaced as needed. Missing trim elements were replicated and restored where possible. The original 1842 globe window was restored by Henry Rota and returned to the pediment over the portico in November 1999. (continued) 16 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State One challenge was the need to accommodate modern accessibility requirements with minimal intrusion into existing building fabric. This was accomplished at the expense of the ca. 1862 cloakroom ell addition at the southeast corner of the building, with its own subsequent modifications, which was of insufficient size for the needed facilities. After a public hearing before the Randolph Historical Commission under the provisions of the town's demolition bylaw, permission was given to remove the ell and to replace it with a larger structure, provided that such a structure would complement the original 1842 building in both its massing and architectural design. In November 2000, a volunteer crew led by George Hoeg demolished the ell.

In 2001, the town undertook the structural repair of the 1842 building and construction of the elevator and toilet room addition on the site of the ca. 1862-1893 cloakroom ell, funded in part by a supplemental appropriation of the Massachusetts General Court, matched with local funds and administered through the Massachusetts Historical Commission. A Preservation Restriction was executed at that time to preserve the building's appearance. Both the structural repairs and the elevator and toilet room addition were designed by the architectural firm Gale Associates of Pembroke, Massachusetts, assisted by MacRitchie Engineering of Quincy, and engineer John Queen of Norwell. Coro Construction of East Greenwich, Rhode Island completed the structural repairs, and Travi Construction of Norwell, built the elevation and toilet room addition.

Due to dwindling municipal funds, no further work of significance was undertaken until 2005, when the Trustees secured a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) from the Massachusetts Historical Commission grant to repair and restore 28 double-hung windows. The window project was completed in 2007. Volunteer labor, donated materials, local fundraising, and assistance from the Copeland Family Foundation of Milton, Massachusetts facilitated the restoration of Stetson Hall. In addition to the funds provided through the General Court and the Massachusetts Historical Commission, other funding utilized in the project included two grants from the U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, borrowing by the town of Randolph, and appropriations from the town's Community Preservation Fund, established in 2005. Work on Stetson Hall was completed in 2009.

In December of that year, the second-floor assembly hall was the scene for a special ceremonial Town Meeting, held to mark the end of the town meeting era in Randolph; the town adopted a new charter and has since converted to a Town Manager/Town Council form of government. The town of Randolph continues to own Stetson Hall. The Trustees of the Stetson School Fund, still an elected board with three members, operates the building and coordinates rentals of the first-floor offices and the upstairs hall, with a view toward developing the property as a community and regional center for the arts and a location for specialty events. Stetson Hall received a 2010 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award in the category of rehabilitation and restoration.

Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological resources described above may contribute important social, cultural, and economic information related to Randolph's population as it evolved from an 18th and early 19"-century agricultural base to a nationally dominant manufacturer of boots in the mid 19t century. Additional historical research, combined with archaeological survey and testing, may locate the precise site of the Samuel Bass mansion (1782) and determine whether portions of that structure or foundation were incorporated into the later Stetson Hall building (1842). Similar research may also identify the location and internal configuration of barns, stables, outbuildings, and occupational-related features (trash pits, privies, wells) associated with the Bass mansion.

Detailed analysis of artifacts associated with the above structures and the contents of occupational-related features may contribute information related to the architectural characteristics of the Bass mansion, its related structures, and the lives and activities of the inhabitants that occupied them. (continued) 17 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Name of Property Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Historical and archaeological research outlined above may contribute similar information related to Stetson Hall's role as the focal point for Randolph's civic and social life.

Architectural features of the building, combined with detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features associated with the buildings use as the Stetson Academy and its successor, Stetson High School, may contribute important information related to the history of education in Randolph from the mid 19" century through early 20# century. Important information may also exist related to the role Stetson Hall played as the center of local cultural life in 19th-century Randolph. Stetson Hall was the seat of town government for more than 150 years, and structural changes to the building and the contents of occupational-related features indicate a high potential for more information about Randolph's town politics and government throughout much of the 19" and 20th centuries.

Architectural characteristics of Stetson Hall, combined with detailed analysis of the contents of occupational- related features, may contribute important information that documents aspects of Randolph's period of prosperity during the second quarter of the 19t century. (end) 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.) Butman, Harry. History of the Town of Randolph, Massachusetts. Brockton, Massachusetts: Times Modern Co., 1952. Claim of Amasa Stetson, of Massachusetts, on the United States, for Money Advanced, in Fulfilling the Orders of the Government While Discharging the Duties of Commissary General of Purchases, in Time of the Late War with Great Britain; and for Services Rendered. Washington: Jonathan Elliot, January 1827. Cook, Louis A., ed. History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918. Vol. I. New York-Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918. Cooke, Henry M., IV. Beneath the Elms: A Pictorial History of Randolph, Massachusetts. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning Co., 1993. Hayward, John.

A Gazetteer of Massachusetts, Containing Descriptions of all the Counties, Towns and Districts in the Commonwealth; also, of Its Principal Mountains, Rivers, Capes, Bays, Harbors, Islands, and Fashionable Resorts, to which are added Statistical Accounts of Its Agriculture, Commerce and Manufactures; with a Great Variety of Other Useful Information. Rev. ed. Boston: John P. Jewett & Co., 1849. Inglis, Alexander James. The Rise of the High School in Massachusetts. Columbia University Teachers College, Contributions to Education No. 45. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1911. Massachusetts Division of Inspection. Building inspection plans, 1889-1987 (also known as the Public Safety Plans). Card file index and architectural plans for buildings accessible to the public.

[Note: Plans for 1928 renovations to Stetson Hall are referenced in the index, but the plans are either missing from the collection or misfiled, and were not available for inspection (June 2010).] Massachusetts Historical Commission. Holbrook Square Historic District National Register nomination. 2006. (continued) 18 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Forn NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-001 (Expires 5/31/2012) Stetson Hall Norfolk, Massachusetts Name of Property County and State Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Assets of the Commonwealth and Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS). Randolph inventory. Ongoing. -. Reconnaissance Survey Report. Randolph. 1979. McCarthy, Richard J., Jr. Massachusetts Historical Commission. 32^d Annual Preservation Award. 2010 Nomination Form.

Town of Randolph. Stetson Hall. 1 March 2010. Nason, (The Rev.) Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Boston: B. B. Russell, 1876. Pattee, William S. A History of Old Braintree and Quincy, with a Sketch of Randolph and Holbrook. By the author, 1879. Proceedings at the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Organization of the First Congregational Church, Randolph, Mass. Boston: Beacon Press, 1881. Via www.books.google.com. Randolph, Peyton. Biographical entry. Via www.history.org/almanack/people/bios/biorapey.cfm. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. 2010. Randolph Register and Norfolk County Advertiser (1857-1866, 1872-1876). Randolph, Town of. Annual Report of the Town of Randolph, 1850-1960, 2009. -. Office of the Town Clerk. Manuscript records: Town Meeting records (1842-1893). Trustees of the Stetson School Fund, Trustees Record Book (1843-1943).

Trustees of the Stetson School Fund, Trustees Account Book (1843-1950). Trustees of the Stetson School Fund, Invoices and other papers (1843-1880). . Trustees of the Stetson School Fund. "Project Completion Report: Stetson Hall Window Repair & Restoration Project." Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund, Round 11. Submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. 30 June 2007. Roberts, Oliver Ayer. History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts, now Called the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. 1637-1888. Vol. II, 1738-1821, and Vol. IV, 1866-1888. Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son, 1897 and 1901. [biographical data on Amasa Stetson, vol. II, and William S. Brazer, vol. IV] "Roster of [Gorham] Craftsmen (entry for Frederick Kohlhagen)." Gorham Silver/Research & Consulting. Via The Owl at the Bridge, www.owlbridge.com/roster06.shtml. Tolman, Gilbert Alden.

"Reminiscences of Randolph." Serial publication in the Boston Record (1898-1906). Vital Records of Randolph Massachusetts to 1875 (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2005). (Unpublished transcription by Waldo C. Sprague from the original records held at the Randolph Town Hall, donated from the estate of Mr. Sprague to NEHGS in 1962). (continued) 19 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Forn OMB No. 1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name, of Property Maps and Atlases (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State 1840 Plan of Randolph, Massachusetts. Surveyed by E. Beal, Jr. 1854 Map of the Town of Randolph, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Surveyed and drawn by R. M. Woodford. Philadelphia: Richard Clark, 1854. 1858 Walling, Henry F.

Map of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. NY: Smith & Bumstead. 1876 Sherman, W. A., supt. Atlas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. NY: Comstock & Cline. 1882 View of Randolph, Massachusetts. Birds'-eye view drawn by J. C. Hazen and E. H. Bigelow. Boston: J. C. Hazen. 1888 Robinson's Atlas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. NY: E. Robinson, Publisher. 1938 Map of the Town of Randolph, Massachusetts (assessors' plans). Braintree, Mass.: H. L. White, Civil Engineer. [available at Norfolk County Registry of Deeds] Fire Insurance Maps for Randolph, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. (microfilm) NY: Sanborn Map Co., for the following years: 1892, 1897, 1903, 1909, 1919, 1919 corrected to 1948, and 1960.

(end) Previous documentation on file (NPS): preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67 has been requested) previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #. recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #_ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # Primary location of additional data: X State Historic Preservation Office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Name of repository: Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of Property Less than one acre (Do not include previously listed resource acreage.) RAN.26 (Stetson Hall), RAN.900 (Civil War Memorial) UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 1 19 331330 Zone Easting 4669560 Northing 2 3 4 Zone Easting Northing 20 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Stetson Hall Name of Property Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The boundary of the nominated property is shown as Parcel 1 and Parcel 2 on the accompanying sheet 62 of the Town of Randolph assessors' maps.

Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) The boundary encompasses two adjacent parcels continuously associated with Stetson Hall since its construction in 1842; these two parcels remain under the custody and control of the Trustees of the Stetson School Fund. A third adjacent parcel owned by the town of Randolph, shown as Parcel 3.1 on sheet 62 of the town of Randolph assessors' maps, is excluded from the nominated property. Parcel 3.1 was acquired by the town in recent decades and is currently used for parking. 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Henry Cooke, IV, Chairman, Trustees of the Stetson School Fund, and Chairman, Randolph Historical Commission; with Kathleen Kelly Broomer, NR editing consultant; and Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization street & number city or town e-mail Massachusetts Historical Commission date October 2011 220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone (617) 727-8470 Boston state MA zip code 02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: - 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. Key all photographs to this map.

- Continuation Sheets - Additional items: (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items.) 21 United States Department of the Interior NPS Form 10-900 NPS Form ark Service / National Register of Historic Places R No. 102-0018m Stetson Hall Name of Property (Expires 5/31/2012) Norfolk, Massachusetts County and State Photographs: Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Name of Property: City or Vicinity County: Photographer: Date Photographed: Stetson Hall Randolph Norfolk State: Kathleen Kelly Broomer June 2010 MA Description of Photograph(s) and number: 1 of 7 2 of7 3 of7 4 of 7 5 of7 6 of7 7 of7 Facade (west elevation). View S. digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetsonl Façade and Union Street (north) elevation. View SE.

digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson2 Façade and south elevation, including 2001 addition at right. View E. digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson3 Rear (east) elevation, including 2001 addition at left. View N. digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson4 First-floor corridor, from rear of building. View NW. digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson5 Hall, from balcony. View SE. digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson6 Civil War Memorial at South Main Street frontage. View SE.

digital file name: MA_Randolph (Norfolk County)_Stetson7 Property Owner: (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name street & number city or town Town of Randolph (Attn: Town Council President, c/o Town Manager) 41 South Main Street telephone(781) 961-0911 Randolph state MA zip code 02368 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.460 et sea.).

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including 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 Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC.

22 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Stetson Hall MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Norfolk DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 10/28/11 12/06/11 REFERENCE NUMBER: 11000883 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 11/21/11 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 12/13/11 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: REQUEST/ N PDIL: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: SAMPLE : N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N KACCEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : REJECT 12:7.4/DATE Entered in The Natonal Register Historic Places RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE TELEPHONE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPS.

STETSON HALL RANDOLPH (NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO JUN 2010 FACADE (WEST ELEVATON) VIEW S MA_RANDOLPH (NORFOUCCOUNTY)_STETSON1. Aif PHOTO 1 STETSON HALL RANDOLPH (NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO 2 JUNE 2010 FACADE & UNION ST. ELEV. VIEW SE MA_RANDOLPH(NORFOLKCOUNTY)_STETSONZ. tif PHOTO 2 EPSON 3 STETSON HALL RANDOLPH(NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO JUN 2010 FACADE & S ELEV. INCLUDING 2001 ADDIMON at RIGHT VIEW E MA_RANDOLPH(NORFOLKCOUNTY)_ STETSON3. tif STETSON HALL PHOTO 4 RANDOLPH (NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO JUN 2010 REAR (E) ELEV. INCLUDING 2001 ADDIT. at LERT VIEW N MA_RANDOLPH(NORFOLK) MA_ STETSON4. tif HLEVATOR STETSON HALL PHOTO 5 RANDOLPI (NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO JUN 2010 IST FLOOR CORRIDOL, HIEW NW MA- RANDOLPH(NORFOUKCOUNTY)_ STETSONS.

tif STETSON HALL PHOTO 6 RANDOLPI(NORFOLK) MA KATHLEEN KELLY BROOMER PHOTO JUNE 2010 HALL, FROM BALCONY. VIEW SÉ MA_RANDOLPH(NORFOLKCOUNTY)_STETsONG.tif STETSON HALL PHOTO 7 RANDOLPH (NORFOLK), MA KATHLEEN IELLY BROOMER PIOTO JUN 2010 CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL VIEW SE MA_RANDOLPH(NORFOLKCOUNTY)_ STETSON7. tif NOSd RECEIVED 2200 Timine TCRAN OCT 2 8 2011 NAT. REGISTER CF AISTORIC PLACES The Commonwealth of Massachusetts NATIONAL PARK SERVICE William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission October 20, 2011 Mr. J. Paul Loether National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW, 8* floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr.

Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Stetson Hall, 6 South Main Street, Randolph (Norfolk), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, Betey Fredhey Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Kathleen Broomer, consultant Henry Cooke IV, Randolph Historical Commission Andrew Azer, Randolph Town Council Michelle Tyler, Randolph Planning Board 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc