BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MAY 1 5 1989 577 SOUTHBRIDGE MAOS MAA AREA FORM NO. 154 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 Town Southbridge Address 32 Paige Hil1 Road Historic Name George Sumner House Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form. Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north Use: Present residence Original residence DESCRIPTION Date ca. 1812-1830 Source maps Style Federal Architect_unknown Exterior Wall Fabric clapboard Outbuildings none UTM REFERENCE 18/745 550/4662580 USGS QUADRANGLE Southbridge Mass-Conn SCALE 1:25,000 Major Alterations (with dates) gabled addi- tion at rear of facade with fan in pedimen1 ca.
1890's Condition good Moved no Date nia Acreage lessthan one acre Setting near road, on steep rise overlook- ing river, row of altered early-19th c. workers' houses above it along Paine Hll Road. Recorded by S. Ceccacci Organization Southbridge Historical Com- mission Date May 1986 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The George Sumner House is significant for its association with the of Southbridge's history and the development of its mill economy,andoits Federal style form and ornament. It, therafore, meets National Register criteria A and C at the local levei retains integrity of location, materials, workmanship, design, feeling, and association. The boundaries marked on the attached assessors map are those of current ownership. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.
A late vernacular expression of the Federal style, this two-and-a-half story, four bay house has an entrance with fanlight in the third bay of the longer side. Oddly, greater impor- tance is given to the gable end which faces the street but contains no entrance. This four bay street facade contains a complete pediment pierced by a large fanlight with a groove-carved frame set above a carved ornamental panel with swags. It is not clear whether this treatment of the street facade is original to the construction of the house or whether it might have been a "stylish" updating of a plain vernacular building. Another house which may originally have been quite similar to this one is the Clarke-Glover House (form #D-444) on South Street; ca. 1830's . Both houses have a squarish plan and four bays on the long side with a pediment facing the street.
Because the Clarke-Glover House was HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history andnow inetin sheet building relates to the development of the community. A house was first shown in this location on the 1830 Southbridge map. Although its owner- ship was not clearly indicated on that map, several written accounts suggest that it belonged to Maj. George Sumner, also known as Deacon Sumner, who was clearly shown.as the owner on the 1855 map. Sumner, a clothier who came here from Spencer in 1802, was involved in the early manufacture of textiles in Southbridge. About 1802 George Sumner bought out the clothier's business of his brother-in-law, : Zebina Abbot, which was located just below the house at Marcy's Mills. Abbot in turn had bought the business from a John Gray who had originally established himself there in 1790.
In the - early-19th century, before the introduction of' the power loom and factories in which all the procedures of cloth manufacture were carried out under a single roof, the business of the clothier was the carding of wool into rolls to be returned to the home spinner, the dying of yarn and of homemade cloth and the final napping, fulling and dressing of the homemade cloth. About 1808 the first machines "propelled with mechanical power" for the carding of wool were Inedoduce nin te che Sogyhhrtese area, aScorerg te teorghbae be Hatorgale Sketch of Stuebridge used this new technology here. and Southbridge (1856), Sumner was the first in Southbridge to contract for the entire process of woolens manufacture: (See Continuation Sheet) BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES- maps, atlases Ammidown, H. Historical Collections, Vol II, 1870, pp.
221,363 Davis, George, Historical Sketch of Sturbridge and Southbridge, 1853, p. 199 Holbrook, J. M., Southbridge Vital Records to 1850, pp. 258-259 8/85 M:/10V INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston - Community: MRA Form No: Southbridge Property Name: Paige Hill Road George Sumner House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd) "Dea. Sumner, still living in Southbridge in 1811, manufactured the first wool designed for sale which was furnished by Calvin and Luther Ammidown, Esquires.
The terms for manufacturing were that for every pound of wool furnished, a yard of cloth, dressed, ready for use was returned." Sumner apparently provided all the services of the clother himself and contracted out the other processes, such as spinning and weaving, to individuals working in their homes. After about ten years at Marcy's Mills, Sumner erected a building nearby adjacent to the cotton mill of William Sumner and John Green. In 1814 he purchased the surplus water of the cotton mill and continued in business there until he sold his interest and retired - about 1832. In 1833 both Sumner's business and the adjacent cotton mill became the property of S. H. Babcock of Boston, who later sold out to Harvey Dresser, the company being known as the Dresser Manufacturing Company. Later, the Dresser Mill was absorbed by the Central Mills.
George Sumner was "active in the affairs of the old parish" and was an "efficient cooperator in procuring the incorporation of the parish territory as the town of Southbridge." In 1830 he married Julia F. Newell, age 28. Entries on the Southbridge Vital Records showing the deaths of several children of a George Sumner prior to 1830 suggest that he had been married previously. A Peggy Sumner who died in 1826 may have been his first wife. The house and six acres was owned in 1878 by Austin Sumner who in the 1840's had operated a dry goods and grocery business in Globe Village together with William F. McKinstry. In 1841 he married Julia Seabury. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd) apparently Greek Revivalized around the 1850's, it is impossible to know how similar the two might have been originally.
Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900- (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Southbridge MRA Worcester County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 61. Oakes, J.J., House Intered in the Natlonal Reriatar Date/Signature KeeperlaByu 8/20/54 62. Phillips, E.M., House mCer! 1i0 toe Hational Zegister 63. Plimpton, Simon, Farmhouse Fintered in the National Register 64. Richard, Stephen, House i i0 cD- hatnusi Beglstar 65. Sacred Heart Church Historic District Entered in the National Begister Attest Fkesper elmenZyer 4/2/4 Attest Ixeoper AuluuerBgur 6/22/29 Attest Leoper. AelrerByer 4121) Attest Reeper dulrBgan 0/-p9 Attest 66.
Smith - Lyon Farmhouse Entered in the National Register Keopet XulurusByen 0/2=/05 Attest 67. St. George's Greek Orthodox Church Entered in the National Register 68. St. Peter's Roman Catholic Chutcho the St. Mary's School Entered Natlonal Register /ReeperhlnByen 6/22/14 Attest Keeper @ulnByu a1s/9 Attest 69. Stone, Lorenzo R., House Entered in the National Register Keeper LlebmBzun 4/23/74 Attest 70.
Sumner, George, House nteret in the Mattonal Beglster frteper Shemaßgen 6/27t7 Attest NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Sumner, George, House MULTIPLE Southbridge MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Worcester DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 5/15/89 6/16/89 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 5/31/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 6/29/89 REFERENCE NUMBER: 89000577 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N N COMMENT WAIVER: N LACCEPT RETURN REJECT 6/2/54 DATE Entered in tha National Registen ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps OTHER COMMENTS USGS maps photographs presentation Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed Date 32 Paige Hill Road (A-154) George sumner House Southbridge, MA 1986 Soutrbridge Historical Commission ROll #5 MRA SOUTHBRIDGE MASS sumner Herse, Paige tel Road 21 MF 2F 35 73 eu ac CARPENTER'S PONO 72 INEBAUG -QUINEBAUG- " A-154 1128 MECHANIC 29 10001 36 MR JOMM L.O'DOMNELL & ASSOCIATES AUleeM MAINE ISESSORS SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS.
¡PCALE M BEE! 22 30 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000294