BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a nineteenth-century public building. Not a photograph of this place.

Casey's Diner

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. 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

“The Historical and Natural History Society at South Natick was started in 1870. Its name indicates the intent of its founders, - scientific investigation and local historical research.”

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County (1880). Machine-read text.

one of 1100 National Register listings in Middlesex County · listed in 1999 · category: Building · one of 3 National Historic Landmarks in Middlesex 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

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 36 South Ave., Natick, 01760
  • When was it listed? 1999-09-22
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Diners of Massachusetts MPS
  • Township. Natick town
  • National Register reference number. 99001122 - 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

21,769 words

The chapter on Natick Town in History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880 names Natick. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

HE neighbor towns of Natick are, on the east Neediiam and Diiver in Norfolk County, Sher- Imrii to the south, Franiingham west, and Wayland north. Lake Cochituate, the Long Pond of our fathers, but resuming its Indian name when it became Boston's water-supply, is a noteworthy natural feature. Charles River crooks through South Natick; and on the edge of Dover Pcgan Hill rises four hundred feet. Natick has three villages : the compact, populous Centre, on the Boston and Albany Railroad, seventeen miles from the city ; Felchville, a mile north ; and two miles southeast tlie original settlement, South Natick. Population, by the census of 1875, 7,419.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

History is silent as to the exact time of removal from Nonantum; but on coming to Natick they laid out three parallel streets, two on the north, and one on the south side of the water, and divided the land into fifty lots more or less. That would show a population of two hundred probably. A few houses were built, but Gookin says they liked wigwams better as being warmer and more portable. Then for the general good a fort was constructed, ditched, banked, and stockaded; round and capacious.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

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 Natick Town - 21,769 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

128 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 128 fires within 5 miles of Casey's Diner between 1995 and 2020, burning about 69 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 7 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined48
Debris and open burning37
Recreation and ceremony14
Power generation/transmission/distribution7
Arson/incendiarism7
Smoking4
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Natural2
Fireworks1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Other causes1

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
9 September 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2018Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
26 September 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
22 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Every fire recorded in Middlesex County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,547 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,547 specimens collected within 10 miles of Casey's Diner between 1898 and 1975: 1,079 Animalia, 239 Plantae, 218 Fungi, 6 Protozoa, 4 Chromista, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. B. Seymour & M. D. Feigley, A. E. Feldman 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 Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 18221900not recordedWayland
A photograph of the species Actaea pachypoda, not of this specimenActaea pachypoda Elliott1898Ernest Charles Smith
A photograph of the species Antennaria howellii, not of this specimenAntennaria howellii subsp. canadensis (Greene) R.J.Bayer1898Williams, E.F.
A photograph of the species Antennaria parlinii, not of this specimenAntennaria parlinii subsp. fallax (Greene) R.J.Bayer & Stebbins1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Antennaria plantaginifolia, not of this specimenAntennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Hook.1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Aquilegia canadensis, not of this specimenAquilegia canadensis L.1898M. I. GunnNatick
A photograph of the species Agaricus brunnescens, not of this specimenAgaricus brunnescens Peck1900Morris, G. E.Waltham
A photograph of the species Agonopterix atrodorsella, not of this specimenAgonopterix atrodorsella Clemens, 18631900E. J. SmithSherborn
A photograph of the species Alnus serrulata, not of this specimenAlnus serrulata (Aiton) Willd.1900J. Murdoch, Jr.West Roxbury
A photograph of the species Apantesis Walker, not of this specimenApantesis Walker, 18551900E. J. SmithSherborn
A photograph of the species Apatelodes torrefacta, not of this specimenApatelodes torrefacta J.E.Smith, 17971900E. J. SmithSherborn
Araiospora pulchra Thaxt.1900Thaxter, RolandStony Brook, Mass. [Massachusetts]

All 1,547 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Casey's Diner: 7 past producers, 1 plant, 1 producer, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Peat. 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
Hawkridge Bros--Ashland, Ma.IronPlant
Panlini Loam CoPeatPast ProducerPeat
Arthur Scofield PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Framington PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Hi-Way Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
New England Sand & Grv Co. Pit & PlSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Stonebridge PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Town of NatickSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Town of WaylandSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Middlesex County

Storms near this property

25 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Natick, the town this property stands in, in 25 storm reports between 1998 and 2020: 15 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 3 flood, 2 lightning. The reports record 4 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
August 2005Thunderstorm WindNatick4 hurt, $15,000no account filed
July 2001LightningNatick$200,000no account filed
August 2015FloodNatick$50,000Route 9 near the pumping station was flooded. The intersection of Speen and Timer Streets was closed due to flooding. A small car was stuck in the flood waters. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority train tracks were flooded near downtown Natick. The first floor of Coolidge Gardens on Cottage Street was flooded. Four cars were stuck in flood waters at the intersection of Route 9 and Wethersfield Road. The area near the Natick Mall was flooded with six to twelve inches of water.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindNatick$50,000Numerous trees, branches, and wires were downed by thunderstorm winds, including on West Central and Speen Streets and Nottingham Drive.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$25,000Multiple trees and wires on Robin Hood Road and Ridge Avenue were downed by thunderstorm winds. One of these trees was downed onto a house.
February 2016Thunderstorm WindNatick$20,000Route 9 was closed in both directions near the Natick Mall due to power lines downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2005Flash FloodNatick$20,000no account filed
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$15,000Multiple trees were downed by thunderstorm winds in the west end of the city.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$15,000Trees and wires on Oak Street, Kinsman Place, and Union Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2012LightningNatick$15,000A house on Woodland Street was struck by lightning and caught on fire.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindNatick$10,000no account filed
July 2016Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000Wires on Edge Hill Road were downed onto cars by thunderstorm winds.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000A tree and wires were downed onto a house on Purington Avenue.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000A tree was downed onto wires on Sherwood Road.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000Wires on Possum Hollow Lane were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000A tree on Union Street near Kindred Hospital was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindNatick$5,000A large branch on Forest Street and a tree on Malden Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSouth Natick$500In Natick, a tree was down on Glen Street.
October 2017FloodNatick-Flooding in Natick on Speen Street near West Central Street.
August 2015HailNatick-Penny to nickel size hail fell in Natick.
September 2015FloodNatick-The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority train tracks were flooded.
May 2011HailNatick-Penny size hail covered the ground.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindNatick-Several trees down resulting in home damage north of route 135.
July 2012HailNatick-no account filed
October 1998Heavy RainNatick-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Middlesex 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

3,443 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.

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) X A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. _ B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. _D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: A owned by religious institution or used for religious purposes. X B removed from its original location. _C a birthplace or grave. _ D a cemetery. _E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. _ F a commemorative property. _ G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years.

Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Natick, Middlesex County, Massachusetts County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) Architecture Commerce Period of Significance 1922-1949 Significant Dates 1922 1927 Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Worcester Lunch Car Company 9.

The whole case file for this property - 3,443 words, 12 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 99001122, 12 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
Clark Houses0.6 miles1978
Bacon, Stephen, House0.7 miles1990
Badger, Rev. Stephen, House1.7 miles1980
Wilson, Henry, Shoe Shop1.9 miles2000
Jenison, Robert, House2.6 miles1978
Train, Samuel, House2.7 miles1976

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 99001122 in Record Group 79.
Middlesex CountyAll 1100 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.