Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. 18 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1887.
One of 686 National Register listings published here for Worcester County · listed in 2011 · category: Site.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on Phillipston Town in History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889 names Phillipston. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The town was formed from portions of Athol and Templeton. It retained the name of Gerry until 1814, when it was changed to Phillipston, in honor of Lieutenant-Governor William Phillips. This town was strong in its opposition to the War of 1812, and the Hon. Elbridge Gerry having incurred the ill will of the people in Gerry in consequence of his political action, a town-meeting was lield January 18, 1814, and a petition sent to the General Court, asking that the name of the town might be changed. In this petition the policy of the government was called a "mad policy," and Mr. Gerry came in for a full share of denunciation. He was styled as one " who is reputedly hostile to the ministers and ordinances of religion." Furthermore, " they were never admirers of the moral or political character of the Gentleman whose name they bear;" "they were under no obligation to that Gentleman for any favor," and they asked that they might " be exonerated from the name." Ignatius Goulding was moderator of this town-meeting and Nahum Ward clerk.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
Upon the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, Phillipston responded promptly to the call for troops, and during the war furnished sixty-eight men. Of this number, nine lost their lives iq the service, and a monument has been erected to their memory bearing the following names : V. Piper, Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment, Company A ; Thomas H. Carruth, Fourteenth New Hampshire Regiment, Company A ; J. H. Lamb, Fifty-third Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; C. M. Buxton, Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; J. M. Newton, Thirtieth Massachusetts Regi-
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
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 Phillipston Town - 1,063 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 17 fires within 5 miles of Searles Hill Cemetery between 2015 and 2020, burning about 9 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 burning | 13 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 18 July 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 9 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 30 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 17 June 2020 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 15 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 May 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,708 specimens collected within 10 miles of Searles Hill Cemetery between 1839 and 1975: 825 Animalia, 462 Fungi, 397 Plantae, 15 Unrecorded, 9 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A., A. C. V. Schott, A. J. Stone 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 | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Osmunda regalis L. | 1900 | Bates, J.A. | Royalston. |
 | Bartramia pomiformis Hedw. | 1839 | unknown | Barre |
 | Carex gracillima Schwein. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Carex intumescens Rudge | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Carex lacustris Willd. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Carex stipata Muhl. ex Willd. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Cypripedium acaule Aiton | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
 | Peltandra virginica (L.) Schott | 1892 | A. | |
| Rosa rubiginosa L. | 1892 | not recorded | ||
| Calyptospora goeppertiana J.G.Kühn | 1895 | not recorded | US, Massachusetts, Barre | |
| Vaccinium corymbosum L. | 1895 | not recorded | US, Massachusetts, Barre |
All 1,708 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Searles Hill Cemetery: 1 past producer, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarks Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jagger Mine | Iron | Occurrence | 1845 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Phillipston, the town this property stands in, in 7 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $5,000 | A tree and wires on Willis Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $5,000 | Wires on Main Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $500 | In Phillipston, two trees were down on wires on State Rd. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Phillipston | - | At 1:27 PM EST, three-quarter inch diameter hail was reported at Phillipston MA. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Phillipston | - | Penny size hail. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Phillipston | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | - | no account filed |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
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 | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Phillipston Center Historic District | 1.3 miles | 1999 |
 | District No. 4 School | 3.2 miles | 2016 |
 | Templeton Common Historic District | 3.4 miles | 1983 |
 | Prescott Town House | 3.7 miles | 1989 |
 | Holland-Towne House | 3.7 miles | 1990 |
 | Petersham Common Historic District | 4.2 miles | 1982 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 11000665 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Worcester County | All 686 listed properties in this county. |
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