BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 JAN 0 2 1990 Town Address Historic Name 18 ARLA A Swansea, Mass. MRA SWANSEA 61 Old Providence Road Norton House FORM NO. 6 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, antique shop Original Farmhouse DESCRIPTION Date ca.
1779 Source paid research Style Georgian Architect unknown Exterior Wall Fabric wood shingles Outbuildings modern garage Major Alterations (with dates) none (see attached map) Condition good Moved no Date Acreage less than one acre Setting_Open lot at the corner of two _secondary access roads to/from U. S. Route 6 to the east. UTM REFERENCE 19 310990 4626800 USES QUADRANGLE East Providence, RI-MA 1971/1979 SCALE 1:24000 Recorded by H. Pierce/K. Flynn/K. Broomer Organization Swansea Historical Commission Date 1978/March 1986/October 1989 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The Norton House, 61 Old Providence Road, is an intact Georgian style house built in conjunction with the growth of the village at Barneyville to the west beginning in the second half of the 18th century. The house is further associated with Barneyville as the residence of Benjamin F.
Norton, part-owner of a jewelry-manufacturing concern in the village in the early 20th century. Retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association, 61 Old Providence Road meets Criteria A and C on the local level. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community. This 2½-story, side-gabled, vernacular Georgian house is a five-bay, center- entry structure with central chimney and double-pile plan. Windows have shallow surrounds and contain 12/12 sash. The door surround, perhaps a Federal period addition, consists of a blind elliptical fan over a four-pane transom and three-quarter sidelights.
The house at 61 Old Providence Road is of the traditional form in Swansea; the five-bay, center-entry, central chimney house type prevailed well into the Federal period, although later houses generally exhibited an end-gable overhang not seen here. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the deyelopment of the community. Probably built by a member of the Barney family, which had settled the area one-quarter mile west of the house in the third quarter of the 18th century, 61 Old Providence Road is one of the earliest intact houses in this northern section of Swansea. The house is located on a segment of a colonial road connecting Swansea to Providence, Rhode Island. Activity associated with the Barney family and particularly the family's shipyard focused on the Palmer (Warren) River to the west.
With the closingof the shipyard in 1861, Barneyville became a local center for jewelry manufacture with the establishment of D. R. Child & Co. After several transfers, the business was purchased in 1911 by Benjamin F. Norton and J. A. Wheeler, who changed the name to the North Swansea Manufacturing Co. Norton resided in this house. The company flourished until the early 1920s when the Providence & Fall River Street Railway, which had brought employees to the factory, went out of business. The Norton house fell into disrepair until it was purchased and restored by the Grenon family in 1966. The Norton house has been excluded from the Barneyville Historic District, located one-quarter to one-half mile to the west, due to the amount of contemporary infill construction between the house and the district's eastern boundary. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Swansea Town Reports.
Notes from the Grenon family. 1849 map of Swansea, Swansea Public Library. 1871 and 1895 Bristol County atlases. 8/85 MPS Form 10-900-8 (8-88) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page. Swansea MRA Bristol County, MASSACHUSETTS 21. Luther, William, House OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 1/2/90 ntered in the National Regiater 221 Norton House Entered 1n the Natlonal Regiates 23. Short's Tavern Entered in the National Registes Date Listed Ikaopor AubueBaqus 2/10/90 Attest Kooper Alousgun sfo19 Attest iKeeper AuluneBgun 2/10/90 224. Simcock House Attest Reeper Intered in the National Regiates AeluuByen 2/16k0 25. Smuggler's House Attest Leeper Entered in the Batlonal Register SuleerBgar 21650 26. South Swansea Union Church Attest Entered in the Natlonal RegisterKeeper Kelmuaßyar 316k0 Attest 27.
Swansea Willage Historic Distfiffred in the Hational Register Keeper AeluuBjus s/10/50 28.
Walkden Farm Mason, William P., House Attest Entered in the Nat1onal Registes fuscoper AelauByar7/10k0 Attest hstentern Moe forkeeper Bitk Savage 1940 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Norton House NAME: MULTIPLE Swansea MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Bristol DATE RECEIVED: 1/02/90 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/02/90 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 1/18/90 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/16/90 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 90000078 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: REOUBET: W BATEIBOBIEW, BER DRAPE: HA REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SIR DRAFT: N COMMENT WAIVER: N ACEPI RETURN _REJBCI 2/14/4L DArE Entorod 1n thet Hational Register ABSTRACI/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 6l Ondl Providence Rol + 5 Mason st (bactaramel) Bomeyulle Histeric Pistrie SWANSEA, MA Kay Fum March, 1988 Semnsen Puslic Lbrass Hortheast view vorta Hese 61 Old Providence Road (MHC#A6) Swansea, Mass.
MIRA March 1988 VILWNE 22::10 9 MASON 15 595 096 834.82 500- 310 100 150 80g 100 87.37 8' 8 738.49 8G 13229 116.12 20 240 "EO. MAP 35 360 G.A.R.HIGHWAY 176.50 8H STREET 10° 3 100 T0° 8B BE 102/ 100 132.95\190 PROVIDENCE OLD 380' MHC 6lold Providence Rd. 10° ROAD 480' KEY -= house. #= garage. osg PROPERTY MAP - TOWN OF SWANSEA BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS JAMES W. SEWALL COMPANY OLD TOWN,MAINE SCALE 1 INCH =200 + FEET POR ASEESSING PURPOSES ONLY 21 35 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000296