North Hadley Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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North Hadley Historic District
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North Hadley Congregational Church
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly, area along River Dr. from Stockwell Rd. to Stockbridge St., including French, Meadow and Mt. Warner Sts., Hadley, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 605 acres (245 ha) |
| Architect | Cutter, Elam; Osborn, John |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001475 |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1993 |
The North Hadley Historic District is a special area in Hadley, Massachusetts. It's like a time capsule of an old village called North Hadley. This historic place is found between a hill called Mount Warner and the Connecticut River. It includes homes and lands along River Drive, French Street, Meadow Street, and Mt. Warner Street. This district shows us what a farming and mill community looked like long ago, with buildings from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 because of its importance.
Discovering North Hadley's Past
Hadley was first settled in the mid-1600s. At first, the North Hadley area was mostly used for farming. Farmers would travel from their homes in the main village to work the land here.
A school, which is now Hopkins Academy, was started in the town. It was paid for by renting out land in North Hadley. People began to live in North Hadley permanently around 1675. This happened when a mill was built on the Mill River. Farming and small factories helped a little village grow north of the Mill River.
Exploring the Historic Area
The North Hadley Historic District covers a large area, more than 600 acres (about 240 hectares). It stretches from Stockbridge Street in the north to the Connecticut River in the west. To the east are the steep slopes of Mount Warner, and Stockwell Road is to the south.
Most of the buildings are along River Drive (Massachusetts Route 47). This is where the village center is, mainly north of the Mill River. Most of the properties in the district are homes and farms.
There are also some important public buildings:
- The Congregational Church, built around 1834.
- A cemetery from 1795.
- North Hadley Hall, built in 1868. It was first used as a schoolhouse.
The buildings in the district were built between the 1780s and 1940. You can see many different styles of architecture from these time periods.
