Nomination for Bowers School

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections 1. Name For NPS use only received OCT | 3 1983 date entered historic Bowers School and/or common Same 2. Location street & number 411 Water Street city, town Clinton N/Anot for publication N/A vicinity of state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category Ownership district - public X building(s) X private structure both site Public Acquisition object in process N/Abeing considered code 025 county Worcester code 027 Status _ occupied unoccupied X work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted yes: unrestricted .no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military museum park private residence religious scientific transportation X other: Vacant 4. Owner of Property name Gerald Hardy street & number 366 Chace Street city, town Clinton N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Registry of Deeds street & number 2 Main Street city, town Worcester state Massachusetts 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of title the Commonwealth # has this property been determined eligible?

- yes date July 1978 federal X state county X no local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Conmission Boston city, town state Massachusetts 7. Description Bowers School, Clinton, MA Condition X _ excellent -good fair 6 deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered X altered Check one original site - moved date 1892 Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Bowers School stands approximately in the center of its original ½ acre lot on the south side of Water Street in Clinton. Asphalt paved parking lot and playyard surround the building which is set back 75' from the street on a slight rise. Early settlement of this area centered around the mills along the nearby Nashua River; today the school is surrounded by a residential neighborhood of one and two family houses, dating primarily. from the late nineteenth century. Built originally as a small one-room frame school house in 1847, the Bowers School was completely remodelled in 1892 to its present form. The building rises two stories from a low foundation of fieldstone (below grade) and cut granite to a combination gable and hip roof covered in gray Vermont slate. The main body of the building is executed in red brick laid in running bond.

In plan, the building is rectangular with a large two-story projecting entrance pavilion on the north elevation facing Water Street. A massive brick chimney rises from the center of the main block. The syrmetrically aligned fenestration consists of rectangular windows arranged in pairs and triplets set in sharply cut openings with sandstone lintels (wide) and sills (narrow). Truncated rectangular windows with brick lintels light the basement. A major decorative feature of the building is its brick cornice, consisting of three courses: bracket-like corbelling, a broken band of sawtooth pattern, and a continuous line of corbelling at the roofline. The facade (north) is dominated by the central entrance pavilion.. The entry itself con- sists of double doors recessed in a large plain rectangular opening and flanked by round arched windows, and surmounted by two pairs of rectangular windows.

Centered in the roof flank is a low triangular glazed dormer.:The entry treatment appears to result from a 20th century rebuilding. The side elevations of the central pavilion contain paired windows at mid-story height. The flanking sections of the main body contain paired windows at each story. Ihe east and west elevations are identical, containing one window opening with three sets of sash on each floor.. The south elevation has four openings with paired windows on each story and a central fire exit and steps (iron) at the upper level. The interior of the school is divided into two classrooms. on each floor, each equal in size (27½' square). The large entry foyer contains two stairways leading to the upper floor. Storeroom, maintenance and toilet facilities are located in the basement. :." 8.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Bowers School, Clinton, MA Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 1900 Areas of Significance - Check and justify below -archeology-prehistoric X community planning . archeology-historic conservation agriculture _ economics X _architecture X _ education art engineering commerce - exploration/settlement communications .industry _ invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1847, 1892 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Joshua Thissell (1892 reconstruction) Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Bowers School was designed in 1892 by local architect Joshua Thissell. Thissell employed a standard period scheme for small scale schools, but elevated the Bowers School above the norm by employing brick rather than wood as a contruction material. Addition- ally, the Bowers School was used as a model for subsequent turn of the century schools in Clinton. Most importantly, the Bowers School reflects the rapid growth of industry and population in 19th century Clinton. Built on the site of one of Clinton's five mid-19th century schools (none of which survive), this one directly reflects the commmity's association, us meetst iriteria lesign, setting materials, 1. and C oi the National Register of Historic Places.

later part of Millville and Clintonville, and eventually incorporated as Clinton in 1850. During the early part of the nineteenth century, Clintonville, which was situated on a mill stream, began to develop its own identity as industries prospered. By 1800 Clintonville contained two districts of the Lancaster School Committee. The commnity continued to grow, outstripping Lancaster, and by 1850 the newly incorporated town of Clinton boasted five schools which were turned over to the new town by Lancaster. The Bowers School originated in 1847 on land donated to the town by Sidney Harris, a descendant of the area's first white settlers. The school krown as the Harris Hill School; was built to house students during the 1847-48 academic year.

At this time the school conmittee embarked on a bold new educational policy: this primary school adopted a graded three tier system and mandatory examination. Such a curriculum was a new idea in the educational field as well as a radical concept for the factory workers whose children attended the school and who viewed education as having much less importance than earning a living. Although records from the era indicate a high degree of popular resentment towards this early example of government intrusion into people's daily lives, the system later became the model followed by other school districts in the area. The town's industrial base and population expanded rapidly during the late nineteenth century so that by 1892 eleven school buildings had been erected.

The Bowers School underwent a few renovations during this period: it was painted in 1868; in 1879 a new coal stove replaced wood stoves; in 1885 a new outhouse was added. By 1892 the population of the district had outgrown the school, so the Bowers School was extensively rebuilt to accommodate the expanding population. The resulting building, designed by Joshua Thissell, was lauded for providing a healthy atmosphere and became a model for other schools built in this period. In 1892 the School Committee commented that: "Not one of the school buildings of the Town is so well arranged with respect to that very important requirements, light, as is this. The plan of placing the school-rooms on the south side... is in accordance with the best principles...

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Reports of the School Conmittee, Lancaster, 1842-1880. Lancaster School Committee Records, 1844-186/. Ford. Andrew Z., History of the Origin of Clinton, MA, 1653-1065, W.J. Coulter Press, Clinton, MA. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property . 5 Quadrangle name Clinton, MA UT M References A19| 12/891,8,0 Zone Easting 1416/919|5,810 Northing Quadrangle scale 1:25000 LLILjLILiLIL Zone Easting Northing LLILLL LLLu E LLLlLu GLU 1 L HLU Libd bt lu Verbal boundary description and justification Beginning, at a stake on the south side of said road, the northwest corner of the lot, about 54 feet northwesterly from a ,white oak tree on said lot, and running thence s. 820 45' E., 132 feet to a corner; thence s.

740 w., 165 feet to a corner; thence List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state N/A code county 11. Form Prepared By Virginia A. Fitch, Freservation Planner name/tite Mari .I. Lyer,, Preservation Assistant, and Mr. Cerald Hardy. organization Massachusetts Historical Conmission date August 1983 code street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state X local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature Patuu Lwestouske State Historic Preservation Officer 9/30/83, title Massachusetts Historical Cormission date For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register Xelvues Dyeu Entered in the fukeeper of the National Register National Register Attest: Chief of Registration date 11/10/83 date NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only recelved date entered Continuation sheet Bowers School, Clinton, MA Item number 8 Page 1 The architect responsible for the 1892 renovations, Joshua Thissell (1823- ? ), moved to Clintonville from Lowell, Massachusetts in 1847, after studying engineering with a Mr. Bennett of Lowell.

He was responsible for the majority of the civil engineering done in Clinton for a period of several years after that. Also an architect, he drew Plans Ior many of the buildings which were erected in the town during the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1858 he became a justice of the peace. Little else is known about his life. The school was eventually named for Rev. C.M. Bowers, who served as author, newspaper modern Kindergarten, and minister of First Baptist Church for 50 years. educator, long-term school conmittee member, advocate of a system similar to the NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Continuation sheet Bowers School, Clinton, MA Item number 9 Page 1 Parkhurst, W.E.

ed., Clinton Historical Society Papers, Vol. 1 (1900), W.J. Coulter Press, Clinton. Clinton Courant, W.J., Coulter Press, Clinton. Annual Town Reports of the Town of Clinton, W.J. Coulter Press, Clinton, 1850-1893. NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Bowers School, Clinton, MAItem number 10 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 1 N. 82° 45' W., 132 feet to a corner; and thence N. 74° w., 165 feet to the place of beginning. Containing half an acre of land by survey of J. Ihissell, October, 1847, the original lot set aside for the school. See also enclosed Assessor's Map of the Town of Clinton.

WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Bowers School Worcester County MASSA CHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: _ sample request Working No.. OCT | 3 1983 Fed. Reg. Date: 3-5-85 Date Due: 11/10/83 11/2//83 Watarod InAgtion:ACCEPT 11110/83 Netlonal Register - RETURN REJECT - Federal Agency: - Lappeal -NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer. Discipline Date_ see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible?

yes ] no 7. Description Condition Jexcellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one J original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) J summary paragraph completeness clarity J applicable criteria justification of areas checked J relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance J justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature title date 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Signed - Date- Phone: - Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Bowers School 411 Waters Street Clinton, MA Photo by: Brian Jacobson, March, 1983 Negative filed with Clinton Daily Item