School Street Barn

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. 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

“(Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) AGRICULTURE. The School Street Barn is significant as the only remaining barn in Agawam Center.”
Narrative Statement of Significance, National Register nomination for School Street Barn. Machine-read text.

one of 123 National Register listings in Hampden County · listed in 2012 · category: Building.

Sources: the nomination case file at the National Archives · the full case file on this site · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building, 1 site as contributing to the listing.
Address. 511 School St., Agawam, 01001
When was it listed? 2012-09-10
Category. building
Township. Agawam Town city
National Register reference number. 12000782 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

427 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 427 fires within 5 miles of School Street Barn between 2002 and 2020, burning about 264 acres in total. 25 started naturally. 2 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	221
Equipment and vehicle use	108
Recreation and ceremony	25
Natural	25
Debris and open burning	25
Smoking	18
Misuse of fire by a minor	3
Arson/incendiarism	2

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
8 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
7 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
6 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
6 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
5 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
4 September 2018	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
4 September 2016	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
3 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named

Every fire recorded in Hampden County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,609 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,609 specimens collected within 10 miles of School Street Barn between 1844 and 1975: 604 Animalia, 518 Plantae, 436 Fungi, 40 Chromista, 11 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. B. Seymour; S., A. E. Kirk 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.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Sphagnum recurvum P.Beauv.	1893	Daniel C. Eaton
Taphrina johansonii Sadeb.	1894	W.G. Farlow
Lygodium palmatum (Bernh.) Sw.	1895	Deane, Walter	East Longmeadow;;;;
Carex siccata Dewey	1844	Collector unknown
Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald	1845	Collector unspecified
Galeopsis tetrahit L.	1845	not recorded
Alopecurus geniculatus L.	1850	not recorded
Lactuca hirsuta Muhl. ex Nutt.	1850	Collector unspecified
Carex canescens L.	1852	Collector unknown	Westfield.
Carex pallescens L.	1852	Collector unknown	Westfield
Eurybia schreberi (Nees) Nees	1852	C. A. Shurtleff
Alnus incana (L.) Moench	1891	unknown	Woods Hall.

All 1,609 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 30 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 30 workings within 5 miles of School Street Barn: 14 past producers, 14 producers, 1 unknown, 1 occurrence. 14 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Dimension, Flagstone, Brick Clay, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Macia Emery Mine	Emery	Occurrence	Emery
W. New England Smelting Works Inc	Copper	Producer
Chase Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
John Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Johns Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Smith Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Clay Pit	Brick Clay	Producer	Clay
Clay Pit	Brick Clay	Producer	Clay
Clay Pit	Clay	Past Producer
Clay Pit	Clay	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Hampden County

Storms near this property

59 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Agawam, the town this property stands in, in 59 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 31 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 7 flood, 4 lightning. 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
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$100,000	A storm survey team from the National Weather Service in Taunton, MA confirmed that a microburst occurred in the town of Agawam. There were two areas of straight line wind damage. One was in the area of Harvey Johnson Blvd where several trees were downed, a few onto houses. The more significant area of damage was the area around Meadow Street where 40 to 50 trees were uprooted and 6 to 12 vehicles were crushed by the fallen trees. Wires were downed in both areas. There were no reports of significant structural damage or injuries or fatalities.
June 2006	Lightning	Agawam	$100,000	no account filed
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$20,000	A tree was downed onto a trailer home on Springfield Street. A tree on Meadow Road was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2012	Flood	Agawam	$20,000	Several basements flooded on Pine View Circle.
September 2003	Flash Flood	Agawam	$20,000	no account filed
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$15,000	Trees on Silver Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. Trees were downed onto wires on Main Street and North Westfield Street.
August 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$15,000	Trees on Rowley and Suffield Streets and Barn Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. Wires were also downed at the intersection of Barn Road and Rowley Street.
August 2012	Lightning	Agawam	$15,000	Lightning struck a tree in the backyard of a house then jumped to the house resulting in a roof fire.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$15,000	Trees in Agawam were downed by thunderstorm winds. In East Longmeadow, there were several reports of trees down. This includes trees and large branches downed in the vicinity of 5th and Edmond Streets. Another tree fell on East Longmeadow High School on Maple Street (no damage to the school reported). Trees, poles, and wires also were downed on Berchland and Rodgers Roads. Another tree was downed onto a house on Maple Avenue. There was minor damage to the house. Also, several telephone poles were downed in East Longmeadow.
April 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$10,000	In Agawam, a pole and wires down on a car on RT 159.
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$10,000	Several trees on Route 57 were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$10,000	Trees on Meadow Street and Suffield Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$10,000	no account filed
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$8,000	Trees, a phone pole, and wires were downed by thunderstorm winds.
February 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$5,000	A tree was downed in Agawam, blocking a road.
August 2016	Flood	North Agawam	$5,000	The intersection of Sylvan and Park Streets was flooded and impassable. The Route 5 tunnel was flooded and traffic was rerouted to the rotary above the tunnel. The Union Street underpass was flooded and impassable with damage to the road.
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$5,000	A tree was downed onto Route 75.
March 1997	Lightning	Agawam	$5,000	A bolt of lightning struck a house in Agawam during a snowstorm and resulted in an estimated $5,000 damage.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$2,000	A tree was downed on wires on North Street Extension.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$1,500	In Agawam, a tree and wires were down on High Street and Line Street.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$1,300	In Agawam, trees and wires were down on Main Street.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$1,000	In Agawam, there was a tree down on the road, blocking traffic along Pine St. There was also a tree down along Suffield St.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$1,000	Tree down on wires on Neptune Avenue in West Springfield. Also, a large limb was down on Prospect Avenue and Quarry Road in West Springfield.
August 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$1,000	At 240 PM EST, a tree was down on Hanover Street in West Springfield.
August 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$1,000	At 11 PM EST, an amateur radio operator reported a tree down on wires on Maple Street in West Springfield.
July 2017	Flood	North Agawam	$1,000	At 645 PM EST, an amateur radio operator reported that the southbound U.S. Route 5 tunnel in West Springfield was flooded and impassable.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$800	In West Springfield, a tree and wires were down. Report relayed by amateur radio.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	North Agawam	$500	In West Springfield, multiple limbs were down on Park Ave.
April 2019	Lightning	West Agawam	$500	At 5:22 AM EDT, wires were reported down on Tennis Road at Mill Street due to a lightning strike.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$500	Six inch diameter tree limbs were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$300	In Agawam, wires were down on Suffield Street due to thunderstorm winds.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	$300	In Agawam, a tree was down on Route 5 near Bondis Island.
July 2023	Flash Flood	North Agawam	-	In West Springfield, the southbound side of Rt 5 was flooded and closed.
July 2023	Flash Flood	North Agawam	-	In West Springfield, River St was flooded.
August 2019	Hail	West Agawam	-	Golf ball size hail was reported in the western portion of Agawam.
August 2019	Hail	Agawam	-	Two inch diameter hail was reported in Agawam.
January 2018	Flood	North Agawam	-	Up to a foot of street flooding on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield.
May 2017	Hail	Agawam	-	At 656 PM EST, nickel size hail was reported in Agawam.
May 2017	Hail	Agawam	-	At 7 PM EST, quarter size hail was reported in Agawam.
June 2017	Hail	Agawam	-	At 147 PM EST, a trained spotter reported dime-size hail at Agawam.
October 2017	Flood	Agawam	-	North Westfield Street in Agawam was flooded and impassable. Suffield Street near Mill Street was flooded and closed. Flooding also reported at Mill and Poplar Streets.
July 2017	Flood	West Agawam	-	At 947 PM EST, amateur radio operators reported cars stuck in flood waters on Mill Street and Poplar Street in Agawam. At 952 PM EST, Henry Street and Suffield Street were reported flooded and impassable. At 1002 PM EST, North Westfield Street was impassable with flood waters three feet deep; multiple cars were stuck in the water. At 1037 PM EST, the intersection of Kensington and Mill Streets was flooded and impassable.
August 2016	Flood	North Agawam	-	The River Street underpass was flooded and impassable with several cars stuck in flood waters.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	A large limb on Springfield Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2007	Hail	Agawam	-	Penny to Nickel size hail reported in Agawam and West Springfield.
July 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	Tree downed on Silver Street.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	Large trees down.
August 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	Two trees were reported uprooted as winds gusted to 55 mph.
August 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	Large tree limbs were knocked down in Robinson State Park as reported by a Park Ranger and in Agawam as reported by a Skywarn spotter. One large tree limb was also reported downed on Amostown Road in W. Springfield.
July 2014	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
July 2014	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
August 2008	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
August 2008	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
August 2003	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
August 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	Agawam	-	no account filed
August 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Agawam	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hampden 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.

From the nomination file

11,715 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "X" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) A B Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
(Expires 5/31/2012) Hampden, MA County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE LAW SOCIAL HISTORY Period of Significance ca. 1880-1962 Significant Dates 1949 - sold to Hampden County Criteria Considerations Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply. Property is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years.
Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) Cultural Affiliation Architect/Builder Period of Significance (justification) The period of significancé begins with construction of the barn, ca. 1880, and ends in 1962, which is the standard 50-year cutoff for historical significance. The significant date of 1949 is the point at which the barn became part of the jail farm. Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary) 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No.

Read the complete 11,715-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 11,715 words, 44 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 12000782, 44 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Leonard, Capt. Charles, House	1.2 miles	1975
Mills-Stebbins Villa	1.3 miles	1973
South Main Street School	1.3 miles	1985
St. Joseph's Church	1.5 miles	1983
Mills-Stebbins Villa	1.6 miles	1973
State Armory	1.6 miles	1976

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 12000782 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Hampden County	All 123 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.