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Allen House, photograph from the federal nomination
Allen House, photograph from the federal nomination

Photographs from the nomination case file, National Park Service records.

Allen House

A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. 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

“*' For the distance of about three miles, after leaving Deerfield meadow, Lathrop' s march lay through a very level country, closely wooded, where he was every moment exposed to an attack on either flank ; at the termination of this distance, near the south point of Hwjar -loaf Rill, the road approximated Connecticut river, and the left was in some measure protected. At the village now called Muddy Brook, in the southerly part of Deerfield, the road crossed a small stream, bordered by a narrow morass, from which the village has its name ; though more appropriately it should be denominated Bloody Brook, by which it was sometimes known.”

Inscriptions on the Grave Stones in the Grave Yards of Northampton, and of Other Towns in the Valley of the Connecticut, As Springfield, Amherst, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield, &c. (1850). Machine-read text.

one of 28 National Register listings in Franklin County · listed in 1966 · category: Building · one of 1 National Historic Landmarks in Franklin County.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • National Historic Landmark. The highest federal designation, held by about 2,600 places in the country against roughly 100,000 Register listings.
  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 30 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
  • Still standing. The Park Service records this property as extant.
  • Address. W of US 5, bounded by Mill Village Rd., "The Street", Broughton's Pond Rd., and Pogues Hole Rd., Deerfield, 01342
  • When was it listed? 1966-10-15
  • Category. building
  • Township. Deerfield town
  • National Register reference number. 66000774 - 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.

The ground it stands on

1,338 words

The chapter on Deerfield Town in Inscriptions on the Grave Stones in the Grave Yards of Northampton, and of Other Towns in the Valley of the Connecticut, As Springfield, Amherst, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield, &c., published 1850 names Deerfield. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Erected August, 183L On this ground Captain Thomas Lathrop, and Eighty- Four Men under his command, including Eighteen teamsters from Deerfield, Conveying Stores from that town to HadJey, were ambuscaded by about 700 Indians, and the Captain and Seventy-six Men Slain, September 18th 1765, (old Style). The Soldiers who fell, were described by a Cotemporary Historian as a Choice Company of Young Men, the very flower of the County of Essex. None of wliom were ashamed to Speak with the enemy in the gate. - "And SANGUINETTO teUs you" where the dead "Made the earth wet and turned" the unwilling Waters Ked. - The grave of the Slain is Marked by a Stone Slab 21 Rods Southerly of this Monument.

Passage source: Inscriptions on the Grave Stones in the Grave Yards of Northampton, and of Other Towns in the Valley of the Connecticut, As Springfield, Amherst, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield, &c., published 1850.

This monument stands 30 or 40 rods southerly from the Congretional church. South-easterly from the moniiment is seen Sugarloaf Mountain, a conical peak of red sand stone, about 650 feet in height. In 1835, the 160th anniversary of the destruction of Capt. Lathrop and his men was commemorated in this place. The Hon. Edward Everett, governor of Massachvtsetts, was appointed orator for the occasion, and General Epaphras Hoyt, of Deerfield, was appointed to make the address at the laying of the corner stone for the monument. About six thousand persons were present on this occasion. Governor Everett delivered his address under a walnut tree. About forty years after Capt. Lathrop and his men were killed, a rude monument was erected to their memory, but the different occupants of the soil removed it so many times, that it was a matter of uncertainty where he or his men were buried. In 1835, the committee of investigation, guided by the tradition of some aged people, found the spot where he and about thirty of his men w^ ere interred ; the grave was just in front of the dooryard of Stephen Whitney, Esq., and about twenty feet northwest of his front door. Their bones were in a state of tolerable preservation, but fell to pieces on exposure to the air. " A grave probably containing the bones of the ninety-six Indians who were slain on that day, was likewise found by accident about the same time, nearly one hundred rods west of the road leading from Bloody Brook to Conway , by Mr. Artemas Williams, and a little more than half a mile south-west of the grave of Lathrop."

Passage source: Inscriptions on the Grave Stones in the Grave Yards of Northampton, and of Other Towns in the Valley of the Connecticut, As Springfield, Amherst, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield, &c., published 1850.

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 Deerfield Town - 1,338 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

38 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 38 fires within 5 miles of Allen House between 2003 and 2020, burning about 37 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 burning21
Railroad operations and maintenance6
Recreation and ceremony4
Smoking4
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1
Equipment and vehicle use1

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
17 August 2020Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
1 August 2017Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
21 June 2020Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 May 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
31 May 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
31 May 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
31 May 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 May 2020Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Every fire recorded in Franklin County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 5,861 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 5,861 specimens collected within 10 miles of Allen House between 1822 and 1975: 3,269 Animalia, 1,373 Plantae, 1,066 Fungi, 115 Unrecorded, 33 Protozoa, 5 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A S Pease, A V Osmun, A. C. Smith 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 Cardamine diphylla (Michx.) A.W.WoodCardamine diphylla (Michx.) A.W.Wood1900F. F. Forbes
A photograph of the species Ptilidium pulcherrimum, not of this specimenPtilidium pulcherrimum (Weber) Hampe1822Ebenezer Emmons
A photograph of the species Carex pauciflora, not of this specimenCarex pauciflora Lightf.1825Collector unspecifiedAshfield. [Inferred county from precise loc.]
A photograph of the species Cinna latifolia, not of this specimenCinna latifolia (Trevir. ex Göpp.) Griseb.1847Russell
unnamed (fossil)1867Othniel C. Marshblack sh, [property of T.M. Stoughton, 1871 Beers County map, previously owned by Dr. Roswell Field], S side of Connecticut River, Horse Race, Montague
A photograph of the species Brasenia peltata, not of this specimenBrasenia peltata Pursh1892not recordedLeverett
A photograph of the species Carex pedunculata, not of this specimenCarex pedunculata Muhl. ex Willd.1892J. R. ChurchillMount Toby
A photograph of the species Carex prasina, not of this specimenCarex prasina Wahlenb.1892J. R. ChurchillMontague
A photograph of the species Carex torta, not of this specimenCarex torta Boott1892J. R. ChurchillMontague
A photograph of the species Hedeoma pulegioides, not of this specimenHedeoma pulegioides (L.) Pers.1892not recordedMt. Toby
Rhexia virginica L.1892not recordedMillers Falls
Spiranthes gracilis (Bigelow) L.C.Beck1892not recordedMt. Toby

All 5,861 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Allen House: 4 past producers, 2 occurrences, 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Barium-Barite, Copper, Iron, Copper, Barium-Barite. 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
Turner Falls Copper Occurence NorthCopper, Barium-BariteOccurrenceMalachite
Turner Falls Copper Occurence SouthwestBarium-Barite, Copper, IronOccurrence
Turner Falls Copper ProspectBarium-Barite, CopperProspect
Greenfield PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Mackin Sand and Gravel IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
East Deerfield Quarry and MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Town of Greenfield PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Warner Brothers IncStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Franklin County

Storms near this property

36 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Deerfield, the town this property stands in, in 36 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 25 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 3 flood, 2 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2020Thunderstorm WindWest Deerfield$70,000In Deerfield, a tree fell into a house, causing extensive damage, per an amateur radio report. Another tree caused house damage on Beaver Road, according to the Greenfield Recorder newspaper. A tree was down on wires on Mountain Road. A tree was down on Greenfield Road and a tree was down on Hillside Road. Wires were reported down on Oak Knoll Drive.
July 2013Flash FloodDeerfield$50,000Cars were flooded out in the parking lot of Deerfield Academy.
June 2005LightningDeerfield$50,000no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$25,000In Deerfield, there were numerous trees reported down with some significant damage. Multiple trees and power lines were down on Upper Road and Lower Road. A section of a roof was blown off a building on Lower Road. Trees and power lines were down, trapping a car, on Hawks Road. A tree was down on I-91 southbound between mile markers 40 and 41. Multiple trees were down on Mill Village Road.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$25,000Tree damage was observed on Hillside Road near the intersection of River Road and north of the Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation. Several tall pine trees were snapped off at the top and other large trees fell, taking down power lines. A gazebo was blown off its foundation in the backyard of a house.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$20,000Multiple trees were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$15,000Trees were downed on Route 116 and Hillside Road.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$10,000Trees were downed onto wires on Hawks Road and River Road.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$10,000A tree was downed onto Route 91 southbound at the Greenfield town line. Another tree and wires were downed on Lower Road.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$10,000Two trees were downed in South Deerfield by thunderstorm winds.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$10,000Trees and wires on Mill Village Road and Greenfield Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2021FloodDeerfield$7,000In Deerfield, a portion of Route 5 was closed due to flooding. A car was stuck in flood waters on Wapping Road at Depot Road.
September 2016Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$5,000A tree was downed onto wires on Stillwater Road.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$5,000Trees and wires were downed onto a car at the U.S. Route 5/MA Route 10 entrance to East Deerfield Road.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$5,000A tree and wires on Lower Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindSouth Deerfield$5,000Wires were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$5,000Trees on Route 5 were downed by thunderstorm winds.
February 2017Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$4,000Tree and wires down across Upper Road in Deerfield. Tree and wires down across Old Main Street. Tree down blocking River Road.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindWest Deerfield$2,500At 2 PM EST, two trees were down on Hoosac Road in Deerfield. One tree also brought wires down.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindWest Deerfield$800In Deerfield, there was a tree down on wires on Stillwater Rd.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$500In South Deerfield, trees came down on wires near River Rd.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$500Multiple trees reported down on roads in Deerfield.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWest Deerfield$500In South Deerfield, a tree was reported down on a garage.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$500In Deerfield, a tree was down on Lower Road.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindDeerfield$300In Deerfield, a tree was blocking portions of Upper Rd.
May 2024Flash FloodSouth Deerfield-In South Deerfield, a restaurant kitchen at the Tree House Brewery was flooded.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindDeerfield-In Deerfield, a tree was down blocking I-91 southbound.
July 2023Flash FloodWest Deerfield-In Deerfield, a section of Stillwater Rd was washed out.
July 2023Flash FloodDeerfield-In Deerfield, Lower Rd was closed and 14 feet of the road collapsed. A car fell into the washed out portion and the occupant was rescued.
July 2021FloodDeerfield-In Deerfield, a portion of Route 5/10 was flooded in both directions, just south of Wapping Road.
August 2020HailDeerfield-In South Deerfield, dime size hail was reported.
August 2015FloodDeerfield-Greenfield Road was flooded at Old Main Street.
August 2014Flash FloodDeerfield-Several roads closed due to flooding in Deerfield, Greenfield, and Gill.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindDeerfield-Trees down on Graves Road.
July 2010HailDeerfield-no account filed
June 1996Thunderstorm WindDeerfield-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Franklin 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

5,643 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 reproduced in full on its own page, word for word and 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.

The whole case file for this property - 5,643 words, 17 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 66000774, 17 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.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Garden Theater Block2.7 miles1983
US Post Office--Greenfield Main2.7 miles1985
Leavitt-Hovey House2.7 miles1983
Weldon Hotel2.9 miles1980
Bardwell's Ferry Bridge3.8 miles2000
Shelburne Free Public Library5.1 miles2016

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 66000774 in Record Group 79.
Franklin CountyAll 28 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.