BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
Ces.c - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A. Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer July 21, 1987 Ms. Carol Shull, Keeper National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Shu11 Caro I am writing to correct an error made in the preferred name of a recent listing to the National Register of Historic Places. The preferred name for 1307 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts (Worcester County), should be Old Town Hall not Athol Historical Society Museum. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, vamni Valerie A.
Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer Massachusetts Historical Commission VAT/AET/dr JUL 2 4 1987 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 (VPS Form 10-000- United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 7/24/07 Section number Page Name change from Athol Historical Society Museum to Old Town Hall NAME CHANGE APPROVAL ful Kerper Fatsiek Avues 4/4/87 secar fethof Srunge 214/87. NASO Form - 177 "R" June 1984) NAME CHANGE: From Athol Historical Society Museum - To: OLD TOWN HALL UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET O1d Town Hall (new name) Worcester County MASSACHUSETTS Working No. 7/24/87 Fed. Reg.
Date: 242 Date Due: _ Action: __ACCEPT ... -RETURN REJECT 2-4-82 L resubmission nomination by person or local government - owner objection Federal Agency: L appeal Substantive Review: -sample -request Lappeal LI NR decision Reviewer's comments: Sehniel erros se property Correction mose appropuiately Recom./Criterian Hpprove Discwier ujage eturalkestory recognizes propeity'A Nomination returned for: - technical corrections cited below historia importance. _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition Status Accessible Present Use 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? 7.
Description Condition -excellent -good -fair -deteriorated Oruins unexposed Oyes -no Check one -unaltered -altered Check one -original site -moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance - summary paragraph completeness L clarity -alterations/integrity -dates - boundary selection 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) L summary paragraph - completeness L clarity J applicable criteria J justification of areas checked Jrelating significance to the resource context J relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception Dother 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 13. Other date -Maps -Photographs -Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed _ Date Phone: GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet NPS Form10-900 (3-82) *piNes 102--0-6 0-31-8 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 receivedMAY 4 1987 date entered JUN 1 1981, historic Athol Historical Society Museum (Preferred) and or common 2.
Location 0ld Town Hall street & number 1307 Main Street N/A_ _ not for publication city, town Athol state Massachusetts 3. Classification Category Ownership district - public X building(s) X private structure both site Public Acquisition object N/ process being considered code N/A vicinity of 025 county Worcester code 027 Status _ occupied - unoccupied -work in progress Accessible yes: restricted --yes: unrestricted no Present Use _ agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial - military X museum -park - private residence religious . scientific - transportation _other: 4. Owner of Property name Athol Historical Society Inc. 1307 Main Street street & number Athol N/A city, town vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Worcester County street & number Main Street city, town Worcester state 6.
Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Comnionwealth #1 title has this property been determined eligible? Massachusetts - yes - no date 1974 _tederal _ state _ county _local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Cormission city, town 30 Boylston Street, Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Condition excellent 0ld Town Hall Check one , Athol, Massachusetts Check one deteriorated N/A unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance The Athol Historical Society Museum, also known as Old Town Hall, occupies a prominent site overlooking Main Street south of the present center of this industrial city 72 miles northwest of Boston. The building faces east on a Tow rise and is set back approximately 60 feet from Main Street. Two flights of granite steps lead from Main Street to the building's front entrance.
Liberty Street bounds the 3/4-acre property to the south, while a residential neighborhood of single-and two-family dwellings, most built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, abuts the property to the north and west. huilding is surrounded by Tawn and some Tow shrubbery; a paved drive circles the property on three sides. Erected in 1828 to serve as the First Parish's fourth place of worship, the building is a remarkably intact example of a Federal-style meetinghouse, despite a history of multiple uses. The building is essentially rectangular in plan, five bays wide and six bays deep, with a gable-front orientation and three-stage tower. The entry facade is dominated by a projecting three-bay frontispiece with enclosed pedment. The wood-frame building is sheathed in lapboards: it rests on a foundation of fieldstone (oriainal) and concrete block (the result of 1960 repairs).
There is a partial basement. The symmetrical five-bay main (east) facade is dominated by the slightly advanced 2 1/2-story pedimented vestibule. Its three bays are defined by simple pilasters. At entry Tevel there are three rounded-arch openings headed by simple keys, containing doorways with fanlights. The central entry opening is slightly broader than the two that flank it. The second story retains fully enframed 12/12 sash. Centered in the vestibule's flushboarded pediment is a hinged oval Tight. A broad entablature unifies the vestibule with the main block; it is not carried around to the building's secondary elevations.
Pes tene er ri sheatfal n c bpora acher flushboard; its cornice is broken at the peak by its intersection with the uilding's three-stage bell tower, which consists of a square base, a cupola whose round-headed openinas echo those of the entryway, an eight-sided dome, and a weathervane. Low balustrades enclose the belfry deck and dome. The building's northern and southern facades are virtually identical. Both are six bays deep, with two ranks of 12/12 sash symmetrically arranged. The foundation (granite on the north side, concrete replacement on the south) steps back to the rear, reflecting the building's siting on a low rise.
continued NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form or NPS uee ordy recaived date entered 0ld Town Hall Continuation sheet Athol, Massachusetts Item number 7 Page OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 1 The main block's rear facade is partially obscured by a shallow projection, a later addition, which encloses a rear staircase and bathroom. The projection's sloping roofline reflects the function of its interior. Of the main block's fenestration, only two 12/12 sash survive on the second story, those on the first story now being blocked by the staircase. A single doorway in the main block's northwest corner provides access to the first-story auditorium, while a second doorway leads to the stairway.
The rear elevation is framed by plain cornerboards and the gable roof's narrow cornice and shallow returns. Despite its history of changing use, the building retains its auditorium (65 by 48 feet) with two aisles and original pews. A spiral staircase just inside the front door provides access to the helfry. A small pipe organ, built by E. & G. G. Hook in 1847, survives beside the pulpit. When first constructed, the building's meeting space was completely rimmed by a gallery on the second-story level. In 1846, however, this was replaced by a full second story, supported by eight fluted cast-iron columns rising from the main hall's There is no attic: the roofing members are clearly visible from the second story. A carriage shed that formerly stood near the rear, western edge of the property was demolished at some time in the early 20th century.
continued NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form 01d Town Hall, Athol, Massachusetts Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 For MPS uee gnly recaived date enterec 7 2 Page Archaeoloay No prehistoric archaeological sites are currently recorded on the property. Sites have been reported at several nearhy locations along the Millers River and may be present on this property as well. Any surviving sites would be significant as the patterns of prehistoric occupation in Athol are poorly understood. There is also potential for historical archaeological sites. Controlled testing could help to document the location and configuration of non-extant carriage sheds and other structures.
Occupation=related features, particularly trash pits and privies, may also survive. Analysis of these data would help to detail the ways in which this public building was used during the first half of the 19th century. 8.
Significance 0ld Town Hall ,Athol, Massachusetts Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 X 1900 Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below archeology-prehistoric community planning archeology-historic conservation agricuiture economics X architecture 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) conmunity development Specific dates 1828 Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Athol Historical Society Museum, also known as Old Town Hall, retains integrity of location, desian, materials, workmanship, and feeling, and holds historical associations with the historical development of Athol.
Built in 1828 as the First Parish's fourth meetinghouse, the building remains intact despite a history of changing uses (Unitarian church 1828-1901, town hall 1846-1922, women's club 1922-1955, and Athol Historical Society Museum, 1955-present). The property thus fulfils Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local Tevel. The nominated property was Athol's fourth meetinghouse. Built on Main Street in 1828, it replaced a 1772 house located on the common in Athol's "Upper Neither the first nor the second meetinghouse survive (the first, a log structure completed ca. 1741, also burned; the second, construction date unknown, is of uncertain history but is presumed to have been gone by the eve of the Revolution). Originally part of the six-mile-square Payquage plantation (granted in 1733, first settlement 1735), Athol was established as a town in 1762.
Initial settlement developed south of the location of the nominated property, by Mill Brook, but gradually moved northward toward the Millers River. By the eve of the Revolution, the community, like many in northern Worcester County, could be characterized as "poor agrarian" (historian Bettye Pruitt), with dispersed settlement and moderate agricultural production (primarily corn). opening decades of the 19th century, however, a linear turnpike village was beginning to develop over the hill where the meetinghouse center had been established, linking waterpower sites on the Millers River to the north and Mill Brook to the south.
The meetinghouse center would remain Athol's primary focus until the mid 19th century, when railroad connections along the Millers corrldor would open the town's textile, paper, wood, and iron industries to outside markets and make the growing Depot Center the town's business and manufacturing focus. With the shift of the community's center north to the Millers River, the meetinghouse area several hundred feet above the river would, by the late 19th century, become an attractive site for residential development. Like many towns in central Massachusetts, Athol experienced a religious split in the third decade of the 19th century. In Athol, the rift began as early as 1782, with internal disagreements over the seemingly mundane matter of the minister's salary. After his dismissal in that year (and the formation of the continued 9. Major Bibliographical References Lord, Willian G. A.
History of Athol 2 Massachusetts Sonerville, Mass: Somerville Printing Co., 1953. 10. Geographical Data less than one acre Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name Athol UT M References A 1,8 Z13925,9 Zone Easting cLL ELL 1471910,99 Northing LLILIL GLULLILLIIL Verbal boundary description and justification See assessor's map Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 BL LILu Zone Easting -LLILL FLU LLILLLI LILLL Northing LLILL LuLu List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title J. R. Greene, Athol Historical Conmission with Betsy Friedbern, Director. National Register organization Mass. Historical Comnission date street & number 80 Boylston Street telephone March 1, 1937 517-727-8470 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.
valurie- State Historic Preservation Officer signature Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer Talmage title date Apuil 28,1987 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register tattichAndus fa) Keepor of the National Ragister Attest: Beth Surok Chiet of Registratio GPO 911-399 dara (6/12/87 date 6/17/87 NPS Form 10-900-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form 01d Town Hall OMB No.1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 orNPSuseony recBivec date antered Continuation sheet , Athol, Massachusetts 8 Item number Page adjoining town of Orange, directly related to these disagreements), Athol's First Parish went without a minister for five vears. In 1787, a liberal was called as the parish's second minister.
Dissension grew steadily, and by the late 1820s, the difficulty of securing a minister who would satisfy all contributed to the formal withdrawal of a minority to form the Evangelical Congregational Church. Shortly before the split, the church's third meetinghouse had burned, and within the next several years, splinter societies would erect two houses of worship. The nominated property was built in 1828 by subscription on land donated to the church by a local citizen, Col. Samuel Sweetzer, to house the church's liberal Unitarian faction. By 1833, the minority Orthodox group, the Evangelical Congregationalists, had erected their own church nearby. The latter, raised and altered to the Italianate style in 1859, continues to serve the Congregational Church. 1 the church signed over partial interest in the property to the town.
Prior to the 1827 destruction of the parish's third meetinghouse, the church had provided space for town business. Between 1827 and 1847, this function was served by the second district school (located on the common at Main and Grove Streets and apparently no longer extant), whose second floor was the site for occasional town meetings. In 1847, the school building was sold by arrangement with the church, and in that same year, the second floor of the nominated property was altered to accomodate the town hall. Its original interior had consisted of a two-story open space ringed by a gallery--a spatial arrangement common to meetinghouses of the period. In 1847, however, cast-iron columns were installed to support a full second story. The church's first floor interior retained its two aisles and end-wall orientation.
The building continued to serve as both a church and a municipal facility until 1901, when church services were disbanded (the congregation was consolidated with the Second Unitarian Church in 1922). Rail service arrived in the Millers River corridor in 1848, and even as the town's center of development shifted northward to the Depot Village, the nominated property continued to be used as a town hall. By 1922, however, agitation by war veterans for a memorial building coupled with and civic development north of the nominated property led to the of a new town hall at the intersection of Main and Exchange Streets (closer to the Millers River). The building remained in municipal hands, with the lower floor rented to the Athol Women's Club. The upstairs hall served as a polling place and meeting hall.
In 1957, the town deeded the property to the Athol Historical Society, which uses the space today for museum displavs and archival storage. continued NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form 01d Town Hall Continuation sheet OMB NO. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 For NPS vae orty recaived daté entered Item number Atber, Massachusettsg Page 2 The nominated property is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of the Federal-period ecclesiastical building form. Its gable-end plan with slightly advanced three-bay pilastered vestibule and square bell tower is typical of church buildings of the period.
In its design, the building reflects the gradual reorientation in ecclesiastical buildina practices after 1800 from meetinghouse (with entrance on the long side and pulpit opposite) to church plan (with end-wall entrance and nave). The use of Federal stylistic features at a relatively late date of construction is not unusual for a peripheral community such as Athol.
120 66.6 66.6 32 66 87 69.96 92 S 925 66 475 74 FROM ASSESSORE MAR #32 ATHOL HISTORICAL SOCIETY LUT#102 SCALE = 100' DEAIS 70 140 32 34 MAIN 58 S 36 75 85 73 85 100 63: 76 00 15 74 99 72+ 72÷ 77 99 15 68 102 GREEN 184 107 71 35 30 9 108 21 H 742 101 37 191.5 STREET 171 117.06 104 80 150* 132 131.26 78 72.5 80 65.8 78 75 =99 222 98 N 220 142 106 1.32 A 355 191 79 110 S 9,7 132 66 66 41 13 20 s 21 101 258 S 44 89 - N 91 92 94 140 69.96 69.96 73 S 21.4 101 72 173 224 120 169 100 60 167g 32 S 34.75 / 92 S F82 166 8168 38 112 + 126 95 153 S STREET 156 151 68 215 117 202 KENNEBUNK 221.5 118 213 229+ 119 127 189+ 128 181+ STREE 185 109 198 1AO 116 144 90 121 743 / 130 30 RECEIVED MAY 4 1987 NATIONAL REGISTER 87000876 IASO Form - 17 'R" June 1984 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Athol Historical Society Museum Worcester County MASS A CHUSETTS Substantive Review Working No.
MAY - 4 1987 Fed. Reg. Date: 242/88 Date Due: 6/4/87-6/18/87 Action: 6-17-87 - RETURN _REJECT Federal Agency: DNR decision - resubmission -nomination by person or local government - owner objection - appeal Substantive Review: Lsample Reviewer's comments: -request Lappeal and as represertatu Recom./Criteria weu presewed tederal- era Nomination returned for: - -technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below rinzaete enodoftine from 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition Status Accessible Present Use 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? 7. Description Condition -excellent -good Lfair - deteriorated -ruins J unexposed Lyes L no Check one -unaltered -altered Check one -original site -moved date.
Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness ] clarity -alterations/integrity L dates - boundary selection 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) L summary paragraph L completeness - clarity Lapplicable criteria - justification of areas checked L relating significance to the resource context J relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception Dother 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 L Maps L Photographs -Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Signed... - Date Phone: GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Property name: Athol Historical Society building Street Address: 1307 Main Street Community: Athol Photographer: Roderick McColl Date: March 1985 Location of negative: Athol Historical Commission file Photo number | of | Description of view: Front of building from street. RECEIVED MAY 4 1987 NATIONAL REGISTER P685548 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Idl Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A.
Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer Apr 1l 27, 1987 Ms. Carol Shul1 Chief National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Wash ington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Ms. Shull, Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Athol, Athol Historical Society Museum, 1307 Main Street. Boston (Roxbur y), Abbotsford, 300 Walnut Avenue. Brockton, Brockton Edison Electric Illuminating Power Station, 70 School Street. Cambr idge (Cambridge MRA Amendment), Harvard Graduate Center, 10-26 Everett Street. This is a resubmission. Corrections have been made. westbor ough, West Main Street Historic District, Blake, Church, Fay, Grove, Heath, West Main, Milk Parkman, PhilTips, South, West and Whitney Streets (233). Park Building, 32 Main Street, HPCA #10305MA and Henry Block Building, 9-17 South Street, HPCA #10409MA.
Winchendon, Old Center Historic District, roughly bounded by Old County, Baldwinsville, Hale and Teel Roads. Al1 have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Comments received to date are attached to the nomination forms. RECEIVED MAY 4 1987 NATIONAL REGISTER Sincerely, betey Fredkerg Betsy Friedberg Naticnal Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission BF/ aet 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470