BlockBefore
Photograph of D. E. Makepeace Company
Photograph by Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger), Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Makepeace, D. E., Company

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. 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

“Makepeace Company is a historic industrial building at 46 Pine Street in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Built in 1899-1900, it is one of the city's best examples of a jewelry factory building of the period.”

Wikipedia article D. E. Makepeace Company, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 272 National Register listings in Bristol County · listed in 1985 · category: Building · one of 8 National Historic Landmarks in Bristol County.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 46 Pine St., Attleboro, 02703
  • When was it listed? 1985-07-18
  • Category. building
  • Township. Attleboro city
  • National Register reference number. 85001577 - 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

2,670 words

The chapter on Attleboro City in A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts (Vol. 2), published 1924 names Attleboro. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Attleboro has schools of a high order, parks in which native and visitor take great pride, a library of unusual excellence, progressive hospitals and banking institutions, a public works administration, a hustling newspaper. Attleboro, with its population of 21,000, has a present total valuation of $22,917,800, the Massachusetts income tax law of 1916 having taken considerable personal property out of local assessments. The total estimated appropriations for the departments are over $865,000; the city has a sewer system whose value is placed at $500,000; it has a $175,000 high school; the city's own library was paid for by public subscription: its macadamized streets are particularly well kept; the grade crossings have been eliminated and the work paid for; the Chamber of Commerce and City Planning board are practical working institutions. The manufactured produce turned out here in 1920 was $35,364,707, and the number of people employed in the different industrial establishments was 6,930.

Passage source: A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts (Vol. 2), published 1924.

A bill was filed in the 1914 Legislature by Representative Worrall. desiring that Attleboro be made a city, and a charter was drawn by the legislative committee on cities, headed by Senator William A. Bellamy of Taunton, with Representative George M. Worrall, former Representative Edward A. Sweeney, John J. Coady, Esq., and Charles C. Cain, Jr. The Legislature passed the bill, and Governor David I. Walsh signed the law, June 17, 1914, in which the old name of Attleborough was changed to the present form. In Attleboro the city charter was accepted November 3, 1914, by a vote of 1581 to 784. Hon. Harold E. Sweet was elected the city's first executive, his opponent being J. H. Leedham, Jr., and the result of the vote being 2,326 to 804. Former Town Clerk Frank I. Babcock, Esq., was elected city clerk and treasurer; Charles R. Manchester was elected city collector, and the first city councillors were: At large, Philip E. Brady, Stephen H. Foley, Harry P. Kent, William H. Saart, Charles O. Sweet, Oscar Wolfenden; by wards, William H. Garner, William A. Spier, S. B. Jacobs, Samuel M. Holman, Joseph E. Gaynor. In 1917, Mayor Sweet was reélected without opposition, receiving 1933 votes. In 1918 Hon. Philip E. Brady was elected mayor over Samuel M. Holman, the result of the vote being 1123 to 1013, with 134 votes for G. M. Gustin. Mayor Brady was reélected in 1921. The total vote cast for Mayor Brady upon his reélection was 1662. His opponents and total votes cast for them: William H. Saart, 1362; George A. Sweeney, 1370; Samuel M. Holman, 851; Eliza G. Daggett, 84. Hon. George A. Sweeney was elected third mayor of the city, beginning with the year 1923. Total number of votes cast for Mayor Sweeney, 1893; for other candidates: Harlan A. Allen, 1454; Philip E. Brady, 1433; William H. Saart 1041.

Passage source: A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts (Vol. 2), published 1924.

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 Attleboro City - 2,670 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

32 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 32 fires within 5 miles of Makepeace, D. E., Company between 2015 and 2020, burning about 45 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined16
Recreation and ceremony6
Debris and open burning4
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Arson/incendiarism1
Smoking1

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
23 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlPLAINVILLE
21 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
12 September 2017Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlPLAINVILLE
9 August 2016Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
9 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
11 August 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
15 July 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.8 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 June 2015Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlPLAINVILLE

Every fire recorded in Bristol County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 774 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 774 specimens collected within 10 miles of Makepeace, D. E., Company between 1844 and 1975: 367 Plantae, 321 Animalia, 86 Fungi. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A. A. Eaton, A. E. Sears 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
A photograph of the species Calla palustris, not of this specimenCalla palustris L.1844Thurber, G.
A photograph of the species Chamaecrista fasciculata, not of this specimenChamaecrista fasciculata (Michx.) Greene1846not recorded
A photograph of the species Apocynum cannabinum, not of this specimenApocynum cannabinum L.1855F. C. SeymourRehoboth
A photograph of the species Solidago latissimifolia, not of this specimenSolidago latissimifolia Mill.1867Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Carex muskingumensis, not of this specimenCarex muskingumensis Schwein.1871Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Carex swanii, not of this specimenCarex swanii (Fernald) Mack.1871Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Carex tribuloides, not of this specimenCarex tribuloides var. tribuloides1871S. T. Olney
A photograph of the species Carex virescens, not of this specimenCarex virescens Muhl. ex Willd.1871S. T. OlneyEast Providence
A photograph of the species Coreopsis rosea, not of this specimenCoreopsis rosea Nutt.1871T. C. Porter
A photograph of the species Solidago elliottii, not of this specimenSolidago elliottii Torr. & A.Gray1871Congdon, J.W.East Providence
A photograph of the species Salix humilis, not of this specimenSalix humilis Marshall1873S. T. OlneyEast Providence
A photograph of the species Hypoxis hirsuta, not of this specimenHypoxis hirsuta (L.) Coville1874not recorded

All 774 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 16 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Makepeace, D. E., Company: 12 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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
Adamsdale MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Allen R. Nelson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Boro Sand and Stone IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Boro Sand and Stone, Inc. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Courtois Sand and Gravel CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Del Soullier PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Del Soullier and SonsSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Dorrance IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Gary Nelson Excavating CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Morse Co Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Bristol County

Storms near this property

50 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Attleboro, the town this property stands in, in 50 storm reports between 1997 and 2023: 21 thunderstorm wind, 13 flood, 6 flash flood, 6 hail. The reports record 2 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2010FloodNorth Attleboro2 hurt, $23,580,000Four to eight inches of rain fell across Bristol County resulting in several small streams rising above flood stage, including the Mill River in Taunton, the Canoe River at Norton, the Wading River at Norton, and the Segregansett River at Dighton, all of which set records.||Basements flooded in Taunton, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Norton, Mansfield, and Acushnet. Numerous streets were closed due to flooding in Taunton, Fall River, Dartmouth, Norton, Dighton, Raynham, Somerset, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Freetown, Westport, Berkley, Mansfield, Rehoboth, and Swansea, including Route 6 in Westport, Interstate 195 at Exit 3 in Swansea, Route 24 in Dartmouth, and Route 140 in Freetown (exit 8). The North Attleboro Town Hall sustained $350,000 worth of damage from flooding and Richards Memorial Library was closed for several weeks after the basement was flooded with water and sewage. A pond at Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro overflowed, threatening zoo buildings. It was able to be pumped out, keeping water out of most of the buildings. One building was flooded with two feet of water, damaging boxes of gift shop items and supplies.||Route 44 on the Taunton/Raynham line was closed for the second time in a month due to flooding from the Taunton River. An amphibious vehicle from the Boston Duck Tours was called into service to ferry residents from isolated neighborhoods to nearby supermarkets and pharmacies.||One bridge (Wheeler Street) was destroyed and three others damaged in Rehoboth when the Palmer River flooded. Portions of two of the damaged bridges (Danforth and Elm Streets) were undermined and washed away and the Summer Street bridge sustained structural damage. Two people were rescued when they fell into the Palmer River while trying to rescue their dog. They were transported to Rhode Island Hospital.||Sixteen year round residents at the Canoe River Camp Ground in Mansfield were evacuated. Three apartment buildings on Riverbank Road in Attleboro were completely surrounded by water overflowing from the Ten Mile River. The Seven Mile River in South Attleboro overflowed its banks, flooding Pitas Avenue, isolating twenty homes. Six structures in North Attleboro were evacuated because of flooding.||In hard-hit Fall River: Numerous roads were flooded, including Columbia Street and Mount Hope Avenue. Storm water overwhelmed storm drains, blowing out of the manholes with such force that it ripped up pavement, gravel, and utilities. Twenty nine homes lost power and gas service when the utilities were ripped up. Bricks from sidewalks along Columbia Street floated down Canal and Columbia Streets, collecting in piles on Broadway and Anawan Street. Doran Elementary School was flooded and the sewage treatment plant became overwhelmed with flood waters. A vehicle became stuck in floodwaters, trapping the occupants. Railroad tracks were under water at Interstate 195 and at Route 6. The southbound lanes of Route 24 were closed from President Avenue to Route 195. A 25 foot wide sinkhole developed on Jackson Street. At least 300 people were evacuated from their homes. The mayor declared a state of emergency.||In Freetown: 85 school-children were taken to a shelter after flooding made it impossible for buses to take them home. The Assonet Bay Shores neighborhood (home to about 1000 people) was cutoff to regular traffic by floodwaters and the collapse of a Narrows Road/Causeway Road bridge. Eleven students at the Crystal Springs School (a learning center for children and adults with learning disabilities) were stuck at the school for an evening after the bridge collapsed. They were able to be transported back to the main part of the city when two mountain rescue vehicles owned by the state police were dispatched. The vehicles remained in place for several days to transport residents between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. A bridge 20 yards downstream from the Forge Pond Dam crumbled, leaving a four foot gap in Forge Road. Fifteen households in Assonet Village were evacuated as Forge Pond continued to rise. Schools were closed early Tuesday, March 30 and for the day Wednesday, March 31 due to flooding. ||There were three minor house fires in Mansfield that were the result of floodwaters reaching burners and electrical panels in basements.
March 2010FloodAttleboro$11,790,000Several small streams rose above flood stage in Bristol County, including the Wading River at Norton, the Mill River at Taunton, and the Segregansett River at Dighton.||Collections at the Attleboro Arts Museum were damaged by flood waters. River Bank Road in Attleboro and Franklin Avenue in North Attleboro were flooded by the Ten Mile River. Several other roads in Attleboro and Norton were flooded. Several basements in North Attleboro were flooded. Portions of Route 44 and Dean Streets on the Taunton/Raynham line were closed for several days after becoming flooded with several feet of water. Several other streets in Taunton were closed due to flooding. The Wilson Road causeway in Fall River also was closed. ||In Freetown, three families were evacuated after Long Pond overflowed its banks, threatening the homes. Two homes in Taunton were evacuated.
February 2016Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$15,000Multiple wires were downed throughout North Attleboro. A tree and wires on Wilmarth Street in Attleboro were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$10,000no account filed
September 2023Tornado (EF0)North Attleboro$5,000An EF-0 with maximum winds of 75 mph briefly touched down in a|rural area of North Attleborough on Ellis Road which caused tree|damage south of High Street. The tree damage was limited to the|tops of three trees having been twisted off and lofted into nearby|pasture. After speaking with the homeowners they described seeing|the sheets of rain change direction before seeking shelter in|their basement. The tree damage along the path was consistent with|wind speeds between 65 and 75 mph, resulting an EF-0 rating on |the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
September 2018FloodAttleboro$5,000At 12:37 PM, heavy rain caused street flooding at the intersection of Peck Street and North Main Street in Attleboro. A car was trapped in the floodwaters.
February 2016Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$5,000A tree and wires on Chartley Brook Lane were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$5,000A large tree on Anawan Road was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2013LightningNorth Attleboro$5,000Lightning struck a house on Elmwood Street, igniting a fire. The house sustained minor damage.
August 2012FloodAttleboro$5,000Pleasant and Forest Streets were flooded. A car was stuck in one foot of water on Forest Street.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$3,000A tree branch was downed onto wires on Gaywood Avenue by thunderstorm winds.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$3,000A tree on Turner Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$3,000Trees and wires on Paine Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$2,000In Attleboro, a tree was down on a house on Smith Street. A tree was down on Maple Street near Brookhaven Street. A tree was down on James Court. Trees and wires were down on Parker Street.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$1,000In North Attleboro, there were trees down on wires on Jefferson St.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$1,000In North Attleboro, multiple trees were down on High Street.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$800In Attleboro, a tree was down on wires on Berwick Rd.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$800In Attleborough, a tree and wires were down.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$800In North Attleborough, a tree was down on High Street and a tree was down on wires on Ash Street.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindNorth Attleboro$500In North Attleboro, there was a tree down on Rt. 1 South.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$500In Attleboro, a tree was down on wires near Mechanic St.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$500In Attleborough, a tree was down blocking the road.
November 2020Thunderstorm WindAttleboro$500In Attleboro, a tree was down on Willard Road where it becomes Haggerty Highway.
September 2023FloodNorth Attleboro-In Plainville, the exterior of a home was flooded on Old Farm Rd.
September 2023FloodNorth Attleboro-In North Attleboro, there was a car stuck in flood waters on East St.
September 2023Flash FloodNorth Attleboro-In North Attleboro, multiple apartments were flooded on Chestnut St.
July 2023Flash FloodNorth Attleboro-In North Attleborough, Chestnut St was closed due to flooding with cars stuck in the road.
July 2023Flash FloodSouth Attleboro-In Attleboro there was significant street flooding at the intersection of Newport Ave and Irving Ave.
September 2022Heavy RainAttleboro-In Attleboro, a 24 hour rainfall total of 5.37 inches was reported.
December 2020FloodSouth Attleboro-In Attleboro at 1152 AM EST, a section of Collins Street was flooded and impassable.
June 2020FloodNorth Attleboro-In North Attleboro, a spotter reported flooding on Route 1A, which resulted from 1.5 inches of rain in 15 minutes.
June 2019HailNorth Attleboro-At 3:05 PM EST, an amateur radio operator reported 1-inch diameter hail in North Attleborough. At 3:10 PM EST, a member of the general public reported 1.5-inch diameter hail in North Attleborough. At 3:19 PM EST, an amateur radio operator in Attleboro reported 1 inch diameter hail.
August 2019FloodAttleboro-In Attleboro, Forest Street at Field Road by flooded and impassable for a time.
October 2017FloodAttleboro-Flooding in Attleboro occurred on Forest Street at the railroad underpass.
October 2015FloodAttleboro-Forest Street was closed due to flooding.
August 2012Flash FloodSouth Attleboro-Route 1A was flooded over the curbs.
July 2012HailAttleboro-Nickel to quarter size hail fell in Attleboro.
May 2011HailAttleboro-Penny size hail covered the ground.
April 2010FloodNorth Attleboro-Four to eight inches of rain fell across Bristol County resulting in several small streams rising above flood stage, including the Mill River in Taunton, the Canoe River at Norton, the Wading River at Norton, and the Segregansett River at Dighton, all of which set records.||Basements flooded in Taunton, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Norton, Mansfield, and Acushnet. Numerous streets were closed due to flooding in Taunton, Fall River, Dartmouth, Norton, Dighton, Raynham, Somerset, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Freetown, Westport, Berkley, Mansfield, Rehoboth, and Swansea, including Route 6 in Westport, Interstate 195 at Exit 3 in Swansea, Route 24 in Dartmouth, and Route 140 in Freetown (exit 8). The North Attleboro Town Hall sustained $350,000 worth of damage from flooding and Richards Memorial Library was closed for several weeks after the basement was flooded with water and sewage. A pond at Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro overflowed, threatening zoo buildings. It was able to be pumped out, keeping water out of most of the buildings. One building was flooded with two feet of water, damaging boxes of gift shop items and supplies.||Route 44 on the Taunton/Raynham line was closed for the second time in a month due to flooding from the Taunton River. An amphibious vehicle from the Boston Duck Tours was called into service to ferry residents from isolated neighborhoods to nearby supermarkets and pharmacies.||One bridge (Wheeler Street) was destroyed and three others damaged in Rehoboth when the Palmer River flooded. Portions of two of the damaged bridges (Danforth and Elm Streets) were undermined and washed away and the Summer Street bridge sustained structural damage. Two people were rescued when they fell into the Palmer River while trying to rescue their dog. They were transported to Rhode Island Hospital.||Sixteen year round residents at the Canoe River Camp Ground in Mansfield were evacuated. Three apartment buildings on Riverbank Road in Attleboro were completely surrounded by water overflowing from the Ten Mile River. The Seven Mile River in South Attleboro overflowed its banks, flooding Pitas Avenue, isolating twenty homes. Six structures in North Attleboro were evacuated because of flooding.||In hard-hit Fall River: Numerous roads were flooded, including Columbia Street and Mount Hope Avenue. Storm water overwhelmed storm drains, blowing out of the manholes with such force that it ripped up pavement, gravel, and utilities. Twenty nine homes lost power and gas service when the utilities were ripped up. Bricks from sidewalks along Columbia Street floated down Canal and Columbia Streets, collecting in piles on Broadway and Anawan Street. Doran Elementary School was flooded and the sewage treatment plant became overwhelmed with flood waters. A vehicle became stuck in floodwaters, trapping the occupants. Railroad tracks were under water at Interstate 195 and at Route 6. The southbound lanes of Route 24 were closed from President Avenue to Route 195. A 25 foot wide sinkhole developed on Jackson Street. At least 300 people were evacuated from their homes. The mayor declared a state of emergency.||In Freetown: 85 school-children were taken to a shelter after flooding made it impossible for buses to take them home. The Assonet Bay Shores neighborhood (home to about 1000 people) was cutoff to regular traffic by floodwaters and the collapse of a Narrows Road/Causeway Road bridge. Eleven students at the Crystal Springs School (a learning center for children and adults with learning disabilities) were stuck at the school for an evening after the bridge collapsed. They were able to be transported back to the main part of the city when two mountain rescue vehicles owned by the state police were dispatched. The vehicles remained in place for several days to transport residents between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. A bridge 20 yards downstream from the Forge Pond Dam crumbled, leaving a four foot gap in Forge Road. Fifteen households in Assonet Village were evacuated as Forge Pond continued to rise. Schools were closed early Tuesday, March 30 and for the day Wednesday, March 31 due to flooding. ||There were three minor house fires in Mansfield that were the result of floodwaters reaching burners and electrical panels in basements.||Damage amounts can be found in the March Storm Data when most of the damage occurred. Rivers and small streams remained in flood into April.
February 2008FloodNorth Attleboro-Chestnut Street was closed at East Street because of flooding.
June 2008Flash FloodNorth Attleboro-Many locations in North Attleborough were flooded as one inch of rain fell within 20 minutes. Streets that were flooded include Route 1A across from Dunkin Donuts, Route 1 at Elm Street, Chestnut Street, and Commonwealth Avenue.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindAttleboro-Microburst occurred on the Stone-E-Lea Golf Course in Attleboro. Approximately 50 trees were downed on the course.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindAttleboro-Trees and wires down on Robinson Street.
June 1998Flash FloodAttleboro-Three Mile River
July 2008HailNorth Attleboro-no account filed
June 2006HailAttleboro-no account filed
July 2004HailAttleboro-no account filed
September 2002Heavy RainSouth Attleboro-no account filed
June 2000Thunderstorm WindAttleboro-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindAttleboro-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Bristol 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

4,428 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.

Description of the property

The D. E. Makepeace Building is a three-story, flat-roofed industrial building which is U-shaped in plan. The north and south wings are of heavy-timber construction and faced in wood clapboards. The east wing is of concrete construction with brick exterior walls. The original boiler plant is intact within the courtyard space. The building is in excellent condition. It has been recently refurbished for residential use. It retains its integrity of location, design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and association. The D. E. Makepeace Building is located within an area of mixed commer- cial/residential/industrial use. It sits on a level site and runs the full block's length along Pine Street between Dunham and Gardner Streets.

The building rises well above the smaller one and two-story structures directly around it, creating a prominent visual impact from all directions. The property exemplifies an industrial building type which was developed in the Attleboros in the late nineteenth century. Its three wings reflect an incremental expansion of the plant, beginning with the south wing on Dunham Street and the adjacent boiler plant in 1899. They were followed by a nearly identical north wing in c.1903. which forms the east elevation was added c.1915. Later additions which detracted from the factory's historic integrity and which consequently 1oi1o7, Plant inho brick anecton anton and connected to the west elevation of the 1915 wing. Several non-sig- nificant sheds and platforms in the courtyard were also removed.

In the 1970's, the clapboard buildings had been entirely concealed behind vinyl siding and inappropriate slider windows. The vinyl siding and slider windows were removed during the renovation and the original clap- board treatment and window design were refurbished. The building's south elevation was historically the main facade and contains the original entrance near its west end.

Read the complete 4,428-word case file.

Statement of significance

Architect unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The D.E. Makepeace Building meets National Register Criteria A and C. It is significant for its association with the development of the ry industry as Attleboro's primary economic force and for its architee-- tural character as a distinctive building type. It is one of the most both as a major unaltered serve the local jewelry industry, and as a leader in the economic de- velopment and prosperity which the industry has enjoyed. Attleboro's development as an industrial conmunity and its eventual identity as the "Jewelry Capital of the Worla" are based on over two centuries of jewelry manufacturing in the area.

Attleboro was estab- lished as a town in 1694, and its primary economy remained agricultural throughout the eighteenth century. Textiles dominated the economy from 1800 to 1850, with major mills located at Hebronville and Dodgeville. Meanwhile, the jewelry industry established in North Attleboro in 1780 gradually grew in importance and by 1869 was comprised of over 25 small shops making all types of jewelry products: jewelry; buttons; badges; towards Attleboro in the 1840's and 1850's, employing over 700 people 1euoig and 1850-9% 20 gold and silver chains and The focus of activity shifted and producing goods valued at nearly $1 million.

The 1870's and 1880's saw a continued shift to Attleboro Center, close to the freight transfer point as Attleboro emerged as a key rail .center on the Bostón and Providence Railroad. Another thirty firms were estab- lished during these two decades, including the D.E. Makepeace Company. By 1894, when the city celebrated its bicentennial, it was acknowledged as the birthplace of the American jewelry industry. pansion continued in the industry through the World War I years.

Read the complete 4,428-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 4,428 words, 19 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 85001577, 19 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
Robinson Buildingunder 500 feet2023
US Post Office--Attleboro Main0.1 miles1987
Northbound and Southbound Stations0.2 miles1989
Northbound and Southbound Stations0.2 miles1989
First Parsonage for Second East Parish Church0.2 miles1980
East Attleborough Academy0.3 miles1985

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 85001577 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Bristol CountyAll 272 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.