Built in 1855 (Greek Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. 20 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1886.
One of 686 National Register listings published here for Worcester County · listed in 1983 · category: Building · built in 1855, Greek Revival architecture.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on Uxbridge Town in History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names Uxbridge. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
There are several mineral springs near the centre of the town, and the water furnished by iheUxbridge Water Company proves, upon analysis, to be about absolutely pure, being nearly equal to that of the famous Poland Springs, and pronounced by local physicians to be nearly as effectual in the cure of kidney and urinary troubles. At no distant day these springs will be appreciated, and a sanitarium will invite the health-seekers to come and be cured. Uxbridge ranks among the older towns of the county, having been incorporated three years before the county itself.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
In 171G it seems that the western part of the town of Mendon and the eastern part had a disagreement about the road to be built to Taft's bridge, over the Great River (Blackstone), which led to the appointment of a committee of conference. This difficulty having been adjusted, the next recorded difference which arose was in 1720, when, as appears by the '-Mendon Annals," "the inhabitants of the west part of the town (now Uxbridge) began to agitate the question of dividing the town, or of being allowed to be a precinct by themselves; but upon their petition to that effect, the town took no action."
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 Uxbridge Town - 13,661 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 55 fires within 5 miles of Butler Block between 2002 and 2020, burning about 46 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 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 | 15 |
| Smoking | 13 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 19 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 30 August 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 2 August 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 26 July 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 July 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 19 July 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 14 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 481 specimens collected within 10 miles of Butler Block between 1844 and 1974: 253 Plantae, 176 Animalia, 38 Fungi, 9 Protozoa, 3 Unrecorded, 2 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh. | 1896 | Henderson | |
 | Coryneum pulvinatum Kunze | 1897 | D. Murray | |
 | Sceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) Lyon | 1899 | H. H. Scudder | |
 | Trichophorum planifolium (Spreng.) Palla | 1844 | Collector unspecified | Uxbridge |
 | Carex vesicaria L. | 1848 | J. W. Robbins | |
 | Potamogeton epihydrus Raf. | 1848 | J. W. Robbins | Uxbridge |
 | Potamogeton bicupulatus Fernald | 1854 | W. J. Robbins | Uxbridge |
 | Carex brevior (Dewey) Mack. | 1855 | J. W. Robbins | |
 | Carex normalis Mack. | 1855 | J. W. Robbins | |
 | Carex siccata Dewey | 1855 | J. W. Robbins | |
 | Carex straminea Willd. ex Schkuhr | 1855 | J. W. Robbins | |
 | Hyla versicolor LeConte, 1825 | 1857 | Weinland, David Friedrich |
All 481 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 27 workings within 5 miles of Butler Block: 21 past producers, 4 producers, 1 unknown, 1 prospect. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Lead, Zinc. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uxbridge Prospect | Lead, Zinc | Prospect | ||
| Armour Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Barnett Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Boston Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| De Gaetano Brothers Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Direnzo Brothers Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Douglas Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gilbon Mountain Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Guiou Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Helca Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Uxbridge, the town this property stands in, in 6 storm reports between 1996 and 2021: 4 thunderstorm wind, 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Uxbridge | $800 | In Uxbridge, a tree was down on wires on High Street. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | North Uxbridge | $500 | In Uxbridge, a tree was down on Hartford Avenue West. |
| August 2006 | Hail | Uxbridge | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Hail | Uxbridge | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Uxbridge | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Uxbridge | - | 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.
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 - 1,279 words, 9 pages, reproduced complete.
Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 83004110, 9 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Linwood Historic District | 0.2 miles | 1989 |
 | North Uxbridge School | 0.4 miles | 1983 |
 | Rogerson's Village Historic District | 0.5 miles | 1971 |
 | E. Brown House | 0.5 miles | 1983 |
 | Rivulet Mill Complex | 0.7 miles | 1983 |
 | Samuel Taft House | 0.7 miles | 1983 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 83004110 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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