BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a nineteenth-century public building. Not a photograph of this place.

Nobscot Union Chapel

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“Twenty-live years ago South Kraminghaui liad already shown signs of an ambition to be something more than the unjiretentious farming village of earlier days. 'I'hus more than ten years before the war the village bad become a point of some size on the railroad mai) of the State. lUit it was destined to become at an early day one of the greatest of New England railroad centres.”

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men (1890). Machine-read text.

one of 1100 National Register listings in Middlesex County · listed in 2023 · category: Building · one of 3 National Historic Landmarks in Middlesex County.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 871 Edgell Road, Framingham, 01701
  • When was it listed? 2023-11-03
  • Category. building
  • Township. Framingham city
  • National Register reference number. 100009508 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

The ground it stands on

30,115 words

The chapter on Framingham City in History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1890 names Framingham. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

May 22, 1701. The town "voted to give a call to Mr. John Swift to abide and settle with us, the inhabitants of Framingham, as our legal minister." Chose Abial l^amb, David Rice, Benjamin Bridges, John Town, John Haven, Peter Cloyce, Sen., Samuel Winch and Thomas Drury to give the call in behalf of the inhabitants.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1890.

As a result of the contest about the ministerial land, growing out of the claim and seizure of said lands by the lessee of Mr. Danforth, a divided sentiment had obtained in the church, aggravated by difficulties with the first pastor. The settlement of a new minister was the occasion of the culmination of the alienated feeling. The majority was uncompromising, and the minority seceded and took steps which led to the organization of a .second Congregational Church in October, 174G. A small meeting-house was built, and Mr. Solomon Reed was ordained pastor of the new church in January, 1747. The new organization numbered over eighty members, and maintained a separate existence about ten years, when a part returned to the old church and a part united in forming the Fir.st Baptist Society in Framingham.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1890.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Framingham City - 30,115 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

136 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 136 fires within 5 miles of Nobscot Union Chapel between 1995 and 2020, burning about 151 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 11 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning58
Missing data/not specified/undetermined40
Arson/incendiarism11
Recreation and ceremony8
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Smoking4
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Equipment and vehicle use2
Natural2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2020Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2018Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
22 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Every fire recorded in Middlesex County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,209 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,209 specimens collected within 10 miles of Nobscot Union Chapel between 1898 and 1975: 832 Animalia, 264 Plantae, 106 Fungi, 4 Chromista, 2 Protozoa, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. B. Seymour & M. D. Feigley, A. F. Newton and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 18221900not recordedWayland
A photograph of the species Actaea pachypoda, not of this specimenActaea pachypoda Elliott1898Ernest Charles Smith
A photograph of the species Antennaria howellii, not of this specimenAntennaria howellii subsp. canadensis (Greene) R.J.Bayer1898Williams, E.F.
A photograph of the species Antennaria parlinii, not of this specimenAntennaria parlinii subsp. fallax (Greene) R.J.Bayer & Stebbins1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Antennaria plantaginifolia, not of this specimenAntennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Hook.1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Aquilegia canadensis, not of this specimenAquilegia canadensis L.1898M. I. GunnNatick
A photograph of the species Agonopterix atrodorsella, not of this specimenAgonopterix atrodorsella Clemens, 18631900E. J. SmithSherborn
A photograph of the species Apantesis Walker, not of this specimenApantesis Walker, 18551900E. J. SmithSherborn
A photograph of the species Apatelodes torrefacta, not of this specimenApatelodes torrefacta J.E.Smith, 17971900E. J. SmithSherborn
Araiospora pulchra Thaxt.1900Thaxter, RolandStony Brook, Mass. [Massachusetts]
A photograph of the species Archips cerasivorana, not of this specimenArchips cerasivorana (Fitch, 1856)1900E. J. SmithSherborn
A photograph of the species Bleptina caradrinalis, not of this specimenBleptina caradrinalis Guenée, 18541900E. J. SmithSherborn

All 1,209 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Nobscot Union Chapel: 7 past producers, 2 plants, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Peat. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hawkridge Bros--Ashland, Ma.IronPlant
Panlini Loam CoPeatPast ProducerPeat
Arthur Scofield PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Ashland PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPlant
Ashland Sand and Gravel CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Framington PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
New England Sand & Grv Co. Pit & PlSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Stonebridge PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Town of WaylandSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Middlesex County

Storms near this property

30 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Framingham, the town this property stands in, in 30 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 10 thunderstorm wind, 9 flood, 6 hail, 2 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2010Thunderstorm WindFramingham1 hurt, $25,000Numerous trees and limbs were downed by thunderstorm winds on the south side of Framingham. A tree fell on a person on Beaver Street. The person sustained minor injuries.
August 2015FloodFramingham$75,000Pearl, Sanger, Waverly, Beech, Henry and Thompson Streets and Union Avenue were all flooded and impassable. Cars were stuck in flood waters on Union Avenue. Waverly Street was closed near Marble Street where several cars were stuck. Cars were stuck in flood waters on Route 9, Union Avenue, Beech Street, and Henry Street. The intersection of Bishop Street and Lawrence Street was closed. Several cars were stuck in flood waters. Parts of Route 9 were flooded with four to five feet of water.
September 2013Flash FloodFramingham$30,000Another round of heavy rain resulted in renewed flooding across Wellesley and Natick. Information on flooding in Wellesley can be found in a similar report for Norfolk County. In Natick, a car became stuck in flood waters on South Main Street. Flooding occurred under the Willow Bridge. Route 9 near the Natick Police Department, Pearl Street, and Plain Streets were all flooded and impassable.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindFramingham$15,000A tree and wires on Hollis Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
September 2013FloodFramingham$10,000Route 9 was flooded in both directions at Route 126, making Route 9 impassable. Speen Street at Cochituate Road was also flooded with a car stuck in the flood waters there.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindFramingham$10,000no account filed
July 2005LightningFramingham$10,000no account filed
July 2021Thunderstorm WindFramingham$5,000In Natick, a tree was down on a house at 88 Kendall Lane.
November 2021FloodFramingham$5,000In Framingham, there was a public report (via MPING)- location unspecified - of a river/creek overflowing with cropland/yard/basement flooding.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindFramingham$5,000A large tree was downed onto Winthrop Street at Bethany Road.
January 2014LightningFramingham$3,000An isolated lightning strike blew the chimney off a house on Cherry Street.
June 2024Flash FloodFramingham-In Framingham, a section of Rt 9 near Natick was flooded with 1 foot of water.
August 2023FloodFramingham-In Framingham, parts of Henry St were flooded.
July 2021FloodFramingham-In Framingham, Rt 9 (Worcester Rd) at Rt 126, as well as the ramps on Rt 126 were closed due to flooding. A car was stuck at this intersection. Also, Gates St at Parker Rd was impassable.
November 2018FloodFramingham-In Framingham, Route 9 was closed at Oakcrest Drive due to flooding.
August 2015FloodFramingham-Route 135 near Bishop Street was flooded with water up to the bottoms of car doors.
September 2015FloodFramingham-Route 9 was closed due to flooding at Route 126.
February 2008FloodFramingham-Route 30 near Cochituate Road was flooded.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindFramingham-Thunderstorms produced weak wet microbursts across the Southern portion of Middlesex County on the afternoon on the 29th. Trees were downed in Framingham where a tree split a car in half. Trees were also downed in Sherborn and Ashland which resulted in power outages.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindFramingham-Large limbs down blocking Leeland Street.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindFramingham-Numerous wires and trees down in Framingham...especially the south side of town. Lightning caused a fire resulting in extensive damage to a home. Additionally, there were unconfirmed funnel cloud sightings this evening in Arlington Heights, Concord and Stoneham and in all of Boston's north and northwest suburbs. There were numerous reports of pea- to marble-size hail from southeast Middlesex and southern Essex Counties between 1744 EST and approximately 1945 EST, mainly from the northwest to northeast of Boston. Lightning caused numerous power outages and fires but were unable to be detailed due to unknown times and lack of detailed data. Torrential rains fell in parts of Boston's northern suburbs near Route 128.
August 2015HailFramingham-no account filed
May 2006HailFramingham-no account filed
May 2006HailFramingham-no account filed
July 2006HailFramingham-no account filed
July 2006HailFramingham-no account filed
May 2001Thunderstorm WindFramingham-no account filed
June 2000HailFramingham-no account filed
June 2000Thunderstorm WindFramingham-no account filed
January 1999Heavy RainFramingham-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Middlesex County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Ellis, Moses, House1.7 miles1983
Saint John's Episcopal Church2.1 miles1990
Stone's Bridge2.2 miles2017
Gibbs, Paul, House2.3 miles1983
Framingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and Gatehouse2.5 miles1990
Goodnow Library2.6 miles2002

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 100009508 in Record Group 79.
Middlesex CountyAll 1100 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.