Moore's Corner Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Moore's Corner Historic District
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Moore's Corner School House, 1810
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | North Leverett, Dudleyville, Rattlesnake Gutter & Church Hill Rds., Leverett, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 93 acres (38 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000215 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 2014 |
The Moore's Corner Historic District is a special old village in Leverett, Massachusetts. It's like a time capsule showing how people lived and worked long ago. This district is centered around the main roads of North Leverett, Dudleyville, Church Hill, and Rattlesnake Gutter. It has 15 old houses and other buildings. Most of these buildings are from the mid-1800s, when Moore's Corner was a busy little village. In 2014, this important area was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's protected because of its history.
Exploring Moore's Corner's History
Moore's Corner is in the northeastern part of Leverett, a quiet, rural town in Franklin County. The village center is at the crossroads of North Leverett and Dudleyville Roads. However, its historic buildings are spread out along these roads, and also along Rattlesnake Gutter Road and Church Hill Road.
A Look at the Buildings
Most of the buildings in Moore's Corner are homes. They were built when the area was busiest, between the 1840s and 1860s. The houses show popular building styles from that time, like Federal and Greek Revival. These styles often used simple, balanced shapes and columns.
One special building is the Moore's Corner Church, built in 1896. It's designed in the Queen Anne style, which means it has more decorative details and often a tower or turret. Another unique home is the Jonah Hunt house at 8 Dudleyville Road. It's the only house in Leverett built in the "temple-front Greek Revival" style, which looks a bit like an ancient Greek temple.
The district also holds clues to the past, like old foundations. These include the remains of a former mill site on the Sawmill River and the foundation of an old house. These remnants help us imagine what the village looked like long ago.
How the Village Grew
Long ago, Leverett was part of a much larger area called Sunderland. Sunderland was settled in the 1600s. In 1729, Sunderland's borders grew, and then in 1774, its eastern part became the separate town of Leverett.
Moore's Corner began to be settled in the 1790s. A man named Asa Moore, who fought in the American Revolutionary War, moved here. He started a sawmill soon after, using the power of the river. Asa Moore's house, built around 1790 at 197 North Leverett Road, is the oldest home in the district.
His brother, Alven Moore, also built a mill in 1793 on Dudleytown Road, which still stands today. As the village grew, a brick schoolhouse was built in 1810 at 230 North Leverett Road. This building was important because it was not only a school but also a meeting place for the local Universalist church. The village cemetery, on Rattlesnake Gutter Road, was also started around this time on land given by Asa Moore.
In the mid-1800s, more woodworking mills were built. One of these mills made wooden shingles. While the mill buildings themselves are gone, their foundations can still be seen on the banks of the Sawmill River. These foundations are important reminders of the village's busy past.
