BlockFrom the record
One of 686 National Register listings published here for Worcester County · listed in 2013 · category: Building.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
District No. 5 School
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. 19 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1887.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 objectss, 1 building as contributing to the listing.
- Address. 2 Old Mill Rd., Shrewsbury, 01545
- When was it listed? 2013-08-27
- Category. building
- Town. Shrewsbury town
- National Register reference number. 13000622 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
The ground it stands on
9,636 wordsThe chapter on Shrewsbury Town in History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names Shrewsbury. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
Thk history of Shrewsbury properly begins with certain land grants of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, located within the territory of which the town was afterwanls formed. These grants, called farms, named after the grantees and five in number, were: (1) Davenport's Farm, 650 acres; (2) Haynes' Farm, otherwise called Quinsigamond Farm, 3200 acres; (3) Maiden Farm, 1000 acres ; (4) Rawson's Farm, 500 acres, and (5) Sewall's Farm, 1500 acres. But the quantity of land in these grants was, in fact, greatly in excess of the number of acres named, and the aggregate was, doubtless, more than 10,000 acres,
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
It will aid to a better understanding both of what precedes and what is to follow to give a brief account of the road through Shrewsbury anciently called the Connecticut Road, - in later times the Country Road, the Stage Road, Post Road and Great Road. The original road from Massachusetts Bay to the Con-
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, 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 Shrewsbury Town - 9,636 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Fires near this property
48 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 48 fires within 5 miles of District No. 5 School between 2002 and 2020, burning about 20 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 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 burning | 23 |
| Smoking | 10 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 18 September 2016 | Smoking | 3.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 25 August 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 August 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 13 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 24 July 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 July 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 5 June 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Specimens collected near this property
12 of 1,775 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,775 specimens collected within 10 miles of District No. 5 School between 1839 and 1974: 1,001 Plantae, 501 Animalia, 249 Fungi, 14 Unrecorded, 6 Protozoa, 4 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A E WOODHEAD, A. A. Eaton, A. B. Seymour 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) Lyon | 1899 | H. H. Scudder | |
 | Pooecetes gramineus gramineus (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) | 1900 | Roscoe I. Giles | |
 | Ochrolechia tartarea (L.) A.Massal. | 1839 | E. Tuckerman | |
 | Carex laxiflora Lam. | 1840 | Thomas Nuttall | Cambridge. |
 | Carex vestita Willd. | 1840 | Thomas Nuttall | Cambridge. |
 | Mycobilimbia hypnorum (Lib.) Kalb & Hafellner | 1848 | E. Tuckerman | |
 | Tamias striatus lysteri (Richardson, 1829) | 1848 | L Agassiz | PARSONS ISLAND |
 | Cladonia cornucopioides F.Wilson | 1850 | J. L. Russell | Leicester |
 | Geranium maculatum L. | 1850 | not recorded | |
 | Packera aurea (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve | 1850 | not recorded | |
 | Castilleja coccinea (L.) Spreng. | 1892 | E. C. Smith | Marboro. |
| Elymus repens (L.) Gould | 1892 | Arthur B. Seymour | Cambridge. |
All 1,775 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this property
10 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of District No. 5 School: 6 past producers, 3 producers, 1 plant. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Lead, Stone. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bd Bloomfield Co--Worcester, Ma. | Lead | Plant | ||
| Shrewsbury Trap Rock | Stone | Producer | ||
| 30 Southwest Cutoff Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Capa Corporation | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| F Ang G Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| F and G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sewall Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Shrewsbury Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Town of Boylston | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Worcester Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this property
22 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Shrewsbury, the town this property stands in, in 22 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 4 flood, 2 flash flood. The reports record 3 injuries. 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 1996 | Lightning | Shrewsbury | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Flash Flood | Shrewsbury | $100,000 | In Shrewsbury, Route 9 from the Worcester/Shrewsbury line to Route 140 was flooded. In Worcester, flash flooding resulted in motorists being rescued from their cars and homeowners trying to get water out of their basements. Sunderland Road and Bowman Lane were both closed due to flooding, while Lake Street had three feet of water standing in the street. Water on a side street to Hamilton Street overtopped the roof of a car stalled in the road. Flood waters inundated at least 70 basements with water standing 12 to 18 inches deep. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Shrewsbury | $15,000 | Golfball size hail fell in Shrewsbury denting cars. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | $10,000 | Sixteen inch diameter trees on Holden Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | $10,000 | Trees were downed by thunderstorm winds in Shrewsbury. Trees and wires were downed on Cona Avenue in Dudley. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | $5,000 | A tree and tree limbs on Hutchins Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Shrewsbury | $1,000 | In Shrewsbury, two trees were down at the intersection of Hillando Drive and Walnut Street. |
| June 2017 | Flood | South Shrewsbury | $1,000 | At 226 PM EST, significant flooding was reported on Oak Street in Shrewsbury. |
| August 2023 | Flood | Shrewsbury | - | In Shrewsbury, town hall near the police department was flooded. Municiple Dr was also flooded. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Shrewsbury | - | There were two reports of hail in Shrewsbury MA. One-inch diameter hail fell at 12:45 PM EST, and three-quarter inch hail fell at 12:43 PM. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | South Shrewsbury | - | At 12:36 PM EST, Floral Street in Shrewsbury was flooded and impassable. |
| October 2017 | Flood | South Shrewsbury | - | State Route 9 at Saybrook Road in Shrewsbury was flooded. Route 9 interchange with State Route 20...the off-ramp is flooded with cars trapped. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | - | An amateur radio operator estimated 70 mph winds in Shrewsbury. This occurred at the same time as golfball sized hail that dented cars. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | - | Trees were downed in Sutton, Shrewsbury, and Northborough. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Flood | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shrewsbury | - | no account filed |
Maps showing this location
19 surveysUnited 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.
- 1887 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1889 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1896 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1898 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500 - 8 printings
- 1908 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000 - 3 printings
- 1943 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000
- 1943 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:31680 - 3 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:31680 - 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000 - 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:24000 - 3 printings
- 1969 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:25000
- 1975 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:25000
- 1983 USGS Marlborough quadrangle1:25000 - 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000 - 2 printings
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Shrewsbury Historic District | 1.4 miles | 1976 |
 | Worcester State Hospital Farmhouse | 1.8 miles | 2017 |
 | Worcester Asylum and related buildings | 2.0 miles | 1980 |
 | Bloomingdale School | 2.2 miles | 1980 |
 | Richard Barker Octagon House | 2.2 miles | 1980 |
 | Green Hill Park Shelter | 2.3 miles | 1980 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 13000622 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. |
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.