Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. 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.
one of 1100 National Register listings in Middlesex County · listed in 1986 · category: Building · one of 3 National Historic Landmarks in Middlesex County.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 61 fires within 5 miles of House at 60 William Street between 2015 and 2020, burning about 33 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 |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 27 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 19 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | NEEDHAM |
| 3 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 3 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | NEEDHAM |
| 23 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 23 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | WELLESLEY |
| 21 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | NEEDHAM |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 2,556 specimens collected within 10 miles of House at 60 William Street between 1898 and 1975: 1,274 Animalia, 709 Plantae, 504 Fungi, 29 Protozoa, 17 Bacteria, 14 Chromista, 9 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A B Seymour, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 | 1900 | not recorded | Wayland |
 | Lysimachia × producta (A.Gray) Fernald | 1900 | A. P. Chute | |
 | Trientalis borealis Raf. | 1900 | A. P. Chute | |
| Aglaospora profusa (Fr.) De Not. | 1898 | Collector unspecified | ||
 | Antennaria howellii subsp. canadensis (Greene) R.J.Bayer | 1898 | Williams, E.F. | |
 | Antennaria parlinii subsp. fallax (Greene) R.J.Bayer & Stebbins | 1898 | not recorded | |
 | Antennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Hook. | 1898 | not recorded | |
 | Aquilegia canadensis L. | 1898 | M. I. Gunn | Natick |
 | Acanthis flammea flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1900 | ZAPPEY, W R | ROSLINDALE |
 | Acer carpinifolium Siebold & Zucc. | 1900 | A. K. Harrison | Harvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge. |
 | Acer palmatum var. dissectum (Thunb.) Miq. | 1900 | A. K. Harrison | Harvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge. |
 | Agaricus brunnescens Peck | 1900 | Morris, G. E. | Waltham |
All 2,556 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of House at 60 William Street: 5 past producers, 5 plants, 1 producer. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Iron, Lead. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nrc Inc--Newton, Ma. | Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium) | Plant | ||
| (Facility) Cambridge Smelter Co | Lead | Plant | ||
| Industrial Serv. Centers--Cambridge | Iron | Plant | ||
| Massachusetts Broken Stone Co | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Somerville Smelting Co. | Lead | Plant | ||
| Weston Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Wheelock-Lovejoy--Cambridge, Ma. | Iron | Plant | ||
| Burton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| C. J. Mabardy | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Town of Wellesley | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Newton, the town this property stands in, in 17 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 8 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 3 flood, 1 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2020 | Lightning | West Newton | 1 hurt | A 62-year old woman was struck by lightning. She endured a side flash after lightning struck a tree near her. She was alert and breathing at the scene but was transported to a hospital for further evaluation. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Newton | $10,500 | In Newton, a tree was down on a car near 1750 Commonwealth Avenue. Also, a tree was down on a house at 111 Prospect Street. A tree was down on Park Drive. A tree was down on Adams Street at Wiltshire Road. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Newton | $8,000 | In West Newton, a tree was down on a car on Columbus Place. In the Waban section of western Newton, a tree fell onto a house on Larch Street. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Newton | $7,000 | A utility pole on Wyman Street was downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Newton | $5,000 | In Newton, urban flooding caused two cars to have to be removed from flood waters near 100 Walnut Street. Also, Adams Street was flooded and impassable from Watertown Street (Route 16) to Cottage Court. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Newton | $5,000 | A tree was downed onto a house on Glastonbury Oval. |
| July 2012 | Flood | Newton | $5,000 | In Newton, a 20 foot stretch of Beacon Street was flooded with 1 foot of water. Also, Route 9 at the Parker Street underpass was flooded with 6 to 12 inches of water. Route 9 westbound near the Chestnut Hill Mall was flooded with 10 to 12 inches of water. In Natick, Speen Street near the Natick Mall was flooded with a foot of water. A few cars stalled out in the water. |
| August 2011 | Flood | West Newton | $5,000 | After receiving two to three inches of rain with Tropical Storm Irene, the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Street was impassable due to flooding in Newton. A car was stuck in flood waters on Commonwealth Avenue. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Newton | $1,300 | In Newton, a tree was down blocking Lewis Terrace at Washington Street. A second tree and wires were down in the same area. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Newton | $800 | In Newton, a tree was down on wires on Fairway Dr. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Newton | $700 | In Newton, a tree and power lines were down on Highland Avenue. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Newton | $500 | In Newton, there was a tree down on Henshaw Terrace. |
| August 2015 | Hail | Newton | - | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Hail | Newton | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Newton | - | no account filed |
| September 1999 | Flash Flood | Newton | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Newton | - | no account filed |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House at 68 Maple Street | under 500 feet | 1986 | |
| Bigelow, Henry, House | 0.2 miles | 1986 | |
| Jackson, Samuel, Jr., House | 0.3 miles | 1986 | |
| Thayer House | 0.3 miles | 1986 | |
| Rawson Estate | 0.3 miles | 1986 | |
| Jennison, Joshua, House | 0.4 miles | 1986 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 86001833 in Record Group 79. |
| Middlesex County | All 1100 listed properties in this county. |
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