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National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts facts for kids

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Map of Massachusetts highlighting Worcester County
Worcester County is in the middle of Massachusetts.

This article is about special places in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These are buildings, areas, or objects that are important to history. They are found in towns like Ashburnham, Athol, Fitchburg, Gardner, Harvard, Lancaster, Leominster, and Winchendon. These places are protected to help us remember the past.

What is the National Register of Historic Places?

The National Register of Historic Places is a list kept by the United States government. It includes buildings, sites, and objects that are important in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. When a place is added to this list, it means it's recognized as special and worth preserving. It helps people learn about the past and protects these places for future generations.

Cool Historic Spots in Northern Worcester County

Northern Worcester County has many interesting places on the National Register. Let's explore a few!

Old Schools and Libraries

Athol High School

The Old Athol High School building in Athol is a historic spot. It was built a long time ago and used to be where students went to high school. Today, it's no longer a school but has been changed into homes. It's a great example of how old buildings can find new life!

Murdock School

In Winchendon, you can find the Murdock School. This old school building on Murdock Avenue is also on the National Register. It reminds us of how education has changed over the years.

Levi Heywood Memorial Library Building

The Levi Heywood Memorial Library Building in Gardner was once a library where people could read and learn. Built in 1899, it's now home to the Gardner Museum. It's a beautiful old building that still helps people learn about their town's history.

Historic Homes and Districts

Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House

The Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House in Leominster is a very special home. It was part of the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom before the American Civil War. This house played a role in that important part of history.

Jabez Partridge Homestead

The Jabez Partridge Homestead in Gardner is an old farm home. It shows us what life was like for families who lived and worked on farms many years ago.

Enoch Whitmore House

Another house linked to the Underground Railroad is the Enoch Whitmore House in Ashburnham. Like the Drake House, it was a safe place for people seeking freedom.

Historic Districts

Many towns in northern Worcester County have Historic Districts. These are areas where many old buildings and streets have been kept as they were in the past.

  • The Ashburnham Center Historic District includes old buildings along Routes 12 and 101 in Ashburnham.
  • The Harvard Center Historic District in Harvard includes many historic roads and streets, showing the town's early layout.
  • The Royalston Common Historic District in Royalston features the town common and surrounding buildings, giving a glimpse into a traditional New England village.
  • The Winchendon Village Historic District shows off the historic center of Winchendon with its old buildings and streets.

Churches and Meeting Houses

First Church of Christ, Unitarian

In Lancaster, the First Church of Christ, Unitarian is a very important building. It's so special that it's a National Historic Landmark, which is an even higher level of historical importance! It faces the town common and has been a central part of the community for a long time.

Calvinistic Congregational Church

The Calvinistic Congregational Church in Fitchburg is another beautiful old church. It has been a place of worship and community gatherings for many years.

Bridges and Mills

Atherton Bridge and Ponakin Bridge

Lancaster is home to two historic bridges: the Atherton Bridge and the Ponakin Bridge. These old bridges are important examples of early engineering and how people traveled and connected towns long ago.

Duck Mill and Parkhill Mill

In Fitchburg, the Duck Mill and Parkhill Mill are old factory buildings. These mills were once busy places where goods were made, showing the area's industrial past. They played a big role in the local economy.

Fitchburg Yarn Mill

The Fitchburg Yarn Mill is another important industrial building in Fitchburg. It tells the story of the textile industry in Massachusetts.

Other Unique Places

Fruitlands

Fruitlands in Harvard is a very interesting place. It was once a short-lived experimental community in the 1840s, where people tried to live simply and in harmony with nature. It's now a museum that teaches about this unique history and other topics. It is also a National Historic Landmark.

Fort Devens Historic District

The Fort Devens Historic District in Harvard was once a large military base. It played an important role in different wars and is now a historic area that shows how the military has changed over time.

Shaker Villages

The Harvard Shaker Village Historic District and the Shirley Shaker Village are historic areas that were once home to Shaker communities. The Shakers were a religious group known for their simple lifestyle, craftsmanship, and unique architecture. These villages show how they lived and worked.

These are just some of the many fascinating historic places you can find in northern Worcester County! Each one has a story to tell about the past.

Images for kids

  • Ashburnham Historical Society Meeting House, Ashburnham, Massachusetts

    Ashburnham Center Historic District

  • Atherton Bridge

    Atherton Bridge

  • AtholMA OldHighSchool

    Old Athol High School

  • TempletonMA BaldwinvilleCongregationalChurch

    Baldwinville Village Historic District

  • FitchburgMA FaithUnitedParishChurch

    Calvinistic Congregational Church

  • John Adams, Jr. House, Cambridge Grant

    Cambridge Grant Historic District

  • LancasterMA CenterComplex

    Center Village District

  • Cluett Peabody Leominster

    Cluett Peabody & Company

  • FitchburgMA CrockerPark

    Crocker Field Historic District

  • Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House, Leominster MA

    Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House

  • Duck Mill Fitchburg

    Duck Mill

  • Elm Street Fire Station, Gardner MA

    Elm Street Fire Station

  • FitchburgMA FayClub

    Fay Club

  • Bullfinch Church Lancaster

    First Church of Christ, Unitarian

  • First Ministers House, Gardner MA

    First Minister's House

  • FitchburgMA HistoricalSociety

    Fitchburg Historical Society

  • DevensMA 01

    Fort Devens Historic District

  • Atlantic Union College - Founder's Hall

    Founder's Hall

  • Fruitlands-farmhouse

    Fruitlands

  • Fruitlands Museum - buildings 1

    Fruitlands Museums Historic District

  • Garbose Building - Gardner, MA - DSC00847

    Garbose Building

  • Gardner News

    Gardner News Building

  • Unitarian Universalist Society of Gardner, MA

    Gardner Uptown Historic District

  • Harvard Town Hall, Harvard MA

    Harvard Center Historic District

  • South Family Building, Harvard Shaker Village MA

    Harvard Shaker Village Historic District

  • 1899 Gardner public library Massachusetts

    Levi Heywood Memorial Library Building

  • Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex

    Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex

  • Lake Street Fire Station - Gardner, MA - DSC00859

    Lake Street Fire Station

  • LancasterMA GirlsSchool 5

    Lancaster Industrial School for Girls

  • LancasterMA AnthonyLaneHouse

    Anthony Lane House

  • United Parish of Lunenburg MA

    Lunenburg Historic District

  • Blue Moon Diner (Miss Toy Town Diner) - Gardner, MA - DSC00907

    Miss Toy Town Diner

  • Fitchburg Armory area

    Monument Park Historic District

  • Monument Square Leominster

    Monument Square Historic District

  • Murdock School Winchendon

    Murdock School

  • Josiah Billings House, North Lancaster MA

    North Village Historic District

  • First Congregational Church 1850, Winchendon MA

    Old Centre Historic District

  • AtholMA OldTownHall

    Old Town Hall

  • FitchburgMA ParkhillMill

    Parkhill Mill

  • GardnerMA JabezPartridgeHomestead

    Jabez Partridge Homestead

  • Starrett Block

    Pequoig Hotel

  • Phillipston Common, Phillipston MA

    Phillipston Center Historic District

  • Pine Grove Cemetery, Leominster MA

    Pine Grove Cemetery

  • LancasterMA PonakinBridge 2

    Ponakin Bridge

  • First Congregational Church, Royalston MA

    Royalston Common Historic District

  • FitchburgMA SafetyFundNationalBank

    Safety Fund National Bank

  • PhillipstonMA SearlesHillCemetery

    Searles Hill Cemetery

  • Shirley, MA Shaker Meetinghouse

    Shirley Shaker Village

  • GardnerMA SilverSmithFactory

    F.W. Smith Silver Company

  • South Lancaster Engine House, South Lancaster MA

    South Lancaster Engine House

  • Still River Baptist Church, Harvard MA

    Still River Baptist Church

  • Templeton Common, MA

    Templeton Common Historic District

  • TempletonMA TempletonColony NarragansettHouse

    Templeton Farm Colony

  • Thayer music building

    Nathaniel Thayer Estate

  • Wachusett Shirt Co

    Wachusett Shirt Company

  • HarvardMA FrederickFiskeAndGretchenOsgoodWarrenHouse

    Frederick Fiske and Gretchen Osgood Warren House

  • Wellington Piano Case Company Building, Leominster MA

    Wellington Piano Case Company Building

  • Central Street from Parker Street, Gardner MA

    West Gardner Square Historic District

  • Westminster, Massachusetts

    Westminster Village-Academy Hill Historic District

  • AshburnhamMA EnochWhitmoreHouse

    Enoch Whitmore House

  • Whitney and Company

    Whitney & Company

  • TempletonMA WhitneyTavern

    Whitney Tavern

  • Whitney Carriage Co

    F. A. Whitney Carriage Company Complex Historic District

  • 1915 Winchendon library

    Winchendon Village Historic District

  • WestminsterMA AhijahWoodHouse

    Ahijah Wood House

  • WestminsterMA WoodWarnerPlace

    Ezra Wood-Levi Warner Place

  • WestminsterMA NathanWoodHouse

    Nathan Wood House

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National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.