Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. 20 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1885.
One of 686 National Register listings published here for Worcester County · listed in 1988 · category: District.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 80 fires within 5 miles of Sterling Center Historic District between 2004 and 2020, burning about 94 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 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 | 37 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 14 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 26 July 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 25 July 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 24 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 23 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 23 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 8.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of Sterling Center Historic District: 9 past producers, 3 producers, 2 prospects, 1 occurrence. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Peat, Tungsten, Iron. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leominster | Lithium, Tin | Occurrence | 1824 | |
| Luciani Prospect | Tungsten | Prospect | ||
| Pandolf Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Sterling Peat Co | Peat | Past Producer | Peat | |
| Sterling Prospect | Iron, Zinc | Prospect | ||
| Baldarelli Bros. Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Baldarelli Brothers Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| John D Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Landfill Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Sawyer Homestead | 1.6 miles | 2000 |
 | Stephen Hastings House | 2.2 miles | 2005 |
 | Oakdale Village Historic District | 3.7 miles | 1996 |
 | Woodlawn Cemetery | 3.7 miles | 2013 |
| Clinton Wire Cloth Company Historic District | 3.7 miles | 2024 | |
 | Wachusett Dam Historic District | 3.8 miles | 1990 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 88000425 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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