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FORM E BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 JAN 0 2 1990 ric Kame AREA FORM NO. A 163 Swansea, Mass. MRA SWANSEA 5 Mason Street William P. Mason House 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 Present Original residence hotel, store, post office RIPTION ca. 1860 ce maps of Swansea and Bristol County e Gothic Revival mitect unknown Exterior Wall Fabric clapboard Outbuildings garage and shed (ca.
1930) (see attached map) Major Alterations (with dates) none fair UTM REFERENCE 19 311050 4626810 USES QUADRANGLE East Providence, RI-MA 1971/1970 SCALE 1:24000 Condition Moved no Date Acreage less than one acre SettingSituated on northeast corner of Old Providence Road facing Mason Street in a rural, residential area of north- western Swansea known as Barneyville Recorded by Kay Flynn/K. Broomer Organization Swansea Historical Commission Date March 1988/November 1989 JAN 2 1990 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The William Mason House, an intact vernacular example of the Gothic Revival style, was built in conjunction with the growth of the village at Barneyville to the west in the third quarter of the 19th century. The house served as a hotel and housed other services associated with the village in the late 19th century.
The house retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association and 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 1½-story, clapboarded, side-gabled dwelling illustrates the incorporation of Gothic Revival style features into the standard Swansea three-quarter cottage form. The entry on the asymmetrical, four-bay facade is marked by an off-center cross gable in the third bay. Shielding the entry is a pitched door hood on brackets with a decorative truss. Other distinguishing features include overhanging eaves, bracketed pent hoods over first floor windows, double windows on the side elevations, and 2/2 sash. A gabled 1½-story rear ell has a three-bay porch with turned posts and spindle frieze and balustrade.
Few intact examples of the Gothic Revival survive in Swansea, a town dominated by the Greek Revival and Italianate vernacular forms of the third quarter of the 19th century- HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. Located on O1d Providence Road, a segment of the colonial route connecting Swansea to Providence, Rhode Island, the Mason House was built on the site of a stagecoach tavern, known as Graham's tavern as late as ca. 1850. During the second half of the 19th century, the present structure served the village of Barneyville in several capacities. William P. Mason operated both a hotel and store in this building in the early 1870s. In 1872, Mason succeeded Mason Barney, Jr. as postmaster of Barneyville, and by 1895 had moved from Barneyville Road to this house.
The post office had been established in the 1830s in response to rapid growth in this north- western section of Swansea. The house likely reverted to residential use in the early 20th century, following the demise of jewelry manufacturing--the village's last active industry--and the folding of the street raiiway system that had traversed Swansea present Route 6 corridor about 25 yards east of this house. The Mason 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 Wright, 0.0., History of Swansea, pp.89-90 (post offices), pp.180-181 (Mason family) ca. 1849 map of Swansea and 1871 and 1895 atlases of Bristol County Helen Pierce, Swansea Historical Society, interview, 11/89.
8/85 UNTTED STANATIONAL PAEK SORUTHE INTERIOR IATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEE] REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Mason, William P., House NAME: MULTIPLE Swansea MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Bristol DATE RECEIVED: 1/02/90 DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 90000121 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: DATE OF PENDING LIST: 2/1/50 JATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/16/90 REQUEST: N SAMPLE: COMMENT WAIVER: N _ACCEPT XRETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: N SLR DRAFT: Y _REJECT 2/14/90 PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: NATIONAL: N DATE pee peverse.
REVIEWER Leturu DISCIPLINE CErche Isteptural stistary 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 Rease classify all resomce as c+ nc in light of comments below SIGNIFICANCE Please sperigy a puiodof Rignificamce. Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder