A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. 23 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1888.
One of 183 National Register listings published here for Berkshire County · listed in 1966 · category: Building · a National Historic Landmark.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The ground this property stands on, surveyed 110 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 118 fires within 5 miles of Herman Melville House between 2002 and 2020, burning about 80 acres in total. 3 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 61 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 23 |
| Smoking | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 6 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 September 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 1 September 2017 | Natural | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 1 September 2016 | Other causes | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 August 2002 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 4 July 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 July 2018 | Fireworks | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 29 July 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Herman Melville House: 8 past producers, 3 producers, 1 occurrence. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Iron, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Adams Lime Quarry | Limestone, General | Producer | Stratabound | |
| General Sand and Stone Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Vincent Pit & Plnt Pittsfield S&G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Vincent Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Andrews Mine | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Branch Mine | Iron | Occurrence | 1856 | |
| Branch Mine | Iron | Past Producer | Residual | |
| Branch Mine | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Shaker Mine | Iron | Past Producer | Limonite | |
| Shaker Mine | Iron | Past Producer | Residual |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the middle of the area the National Park Service maps for this listing, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Charles Whittlesey Power House | 0.9 miles | 1997 |
 | Morewood School | 1.0 miles | 1984 |
 | South Mountain Concert Hall | 1.9 miles | 1973 |
 | Colonial Theatre | 2.0 miles | 1975 |
 | Eaton, Crane & Pike Company Factory | 2.1 miles | 1990 |
 | Providence Court | 2.1 miles | 1987 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 66000126 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Berkshire County | All 183 listed properties in this county. |
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