Hamilton Millwright–Agent's House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Hamilton Millwright–Agent's House
|
|
757 Main Street
|
|
 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 757-761 Main St., Southbridge, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Built | 1840 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| MPS | Southbridge MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000543 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1989 |
The Hamilton Millwright–Agent's House is a really old and important house in Southbridge, Massachusetts. You can find it at 757–761 Main Street. This house was built around 1840. It is special because it is one of the few houses left from the early days of the Hamilton Woolen Company. This company built homes for its workers. It is also unique because it is made of brick. Most houses in Southbridge back then were not built with brick. This historic house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
About This Historic House
This house is on the south side of Main Street. It is close to Hamilton Street in a part of Southbridge called Globe Village. The house sits on a small hill. From here, you can look down at the old Hamilton Woolen Company mill.
What Does It Look Like?
The house looks like a typical Greek Revival style building. This means it has design features inspired by ancient Greek temples. It has a special doorway with glass panels on the sides and above. These are called sidelights and a transom. The windows have strong granite sills and tops, called lintels. There is also a side part of the house, called an ell. In front of this ell is a porch with simple, strong columns. These are known as Doric posts.
Who Lived Here?
Building houses with brick was not common in Southbridge around 1840. However, the Hamilton Woolen Mill Company often used brick for its worker housing. This house was likely built for John Edwards Bacon. He was the millwright who helped build the Hamilton Company's mill in 1836. At that time, it was the largest mill building in the country.
By 1855, the house was home to the mill's agent, Joshua Ballard. An agent is like a manager. Joshua Ballard held important positions in the company for 40 years. This was during the time when the Hamilton Woolen Company was most successful.
