North Chester Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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North Chester Historic District
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House and the new Smith Road bridge
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chester, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 282.5 acres (114.3 ha) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001465 |
| Added to NRHP | December 6, 1996 |
The North Chester Historic District is a special area in Chester, Massachusetts. It's like a time capsule that shows how people lived and worked long ago. This district was one of the first places settled in the town. It grew in the early 1800s around a stagecoach inn, small mills, and farms. Today, it still has buildings and old remains that tell its story. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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Exploring the North Chester Historic District
Most of the properties in the North Chester Historic District are spread out along East River Road. They stretch from a home and old factory site in the north to a village center in the south. This village center includes a church and a cemetery.
What You Can See in the District
The district also includes some empty pieces of land on Smith and North Chester Roads. Until 2009, an old iron bridge, called a Howe truss bridge, was part of the district. This bridge carried Smith Road over the middle branch of the Westfield River. It was later replaced.
The district has many homes and farm buildings, mostly from the 1800s. You can also find places where old factories used to be. These factories used water power from the river.
A Glimpse into Chester's Past
Chester was first settled in the 1760s. Some of the first families in the North Chester area were the Elders, Smiths, and Manns.
The Cushman Tavern: A Historic Stop
One of the most important buildings is the Cushman Tavern. It stands where East River, North Chester, and Smith Roads meet. Thomas Elder built this tavern around 1773. It was a popular stop for stagecoach travelers. The River Road was the main route between Springfield and Pittsfield back then.
Early Industries and Mills
Just north of the Smith Road bridge, you can still see the remains of an old dam. This is where the first sawmill and gristmill were built by John Stevens. Sawmills cut wood, and gristmills ground grain into flour. Later, other small factories were built further along the river, using dams for power.
However, these smaller industries became less important over time. This happened after the Chester Factory area got a railroad. That area then became the main industrial center of the town.
Other Important Buildings
Besides homes and old factory sites, the district also has other interesting buildings. These include a schoolhouse from the 1800s and a chapel built in 1909.
