Olney Cook Artisan Shop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Olney Cook Artisan Shop
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 54 Hartford Ave. E., Mendon, Massachusetts |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | before 1839 |
| Built by | Probably Olney Cook |
| NRHP reference No. | 100004699 |
| Added to NRHP | December 2, 2019 |
The Olney Cook Artisan Shop is a really old building in Mendon, Massachusetts. It was built a long time ago, in the early 1800s! This shop is special because it's one of the few buildings left from that time that shows how people used to make things in small workshops at home. In 2019, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site. Today, the town owns this cool old shop.
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Exploring the Olney Cook Shop
The Olney Cook Artisan Shop is located in a quiet, country part of eastern Mendon. You can find it on the north side of Hartford Avenue East. The building sits close to the road. It looks like a two-story building. The bottom part is made of stone, and the top part is made of wood. It has a pointed roof and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards.
What the Shop Looks Like
The front of the shop has a big door, like a garage door. It also has windows in the stone basement walls. On the main, upper level, there are three more windows. You can get into the upper level from the right side of the building. There are stone steps leading up to the entrance.
A Glimpse into History
Hartford Avenue East used to be the main road connecting Mendon with towns to the east. The land where this shop stands belonged to the Cook family. They were descendants of Walter Cook, one of the first people to settle in Mendon.
This small shop was built before 1839. We know this because it's mentioned in a document from that year. The document shows the land being passed from Ariel Cook to his son, Olney Cook. The Cook family was known for making shoes in the early 1800s. Olney Cook himself was listed as a painter in some old records.
Why This Shop is Special
Small workshops like this one were common a long time ago. People made many things by hand before big factories existed. But most of these small shops are gone now. That's why the Olney Cook Artisan Shop is so rare and important. It helps us understand how people worked and lived in the past.
The shop was given to the town of Mendon in 2004. The old Cook family farmhouse and barn that were nearby were taken down in the early 2000s.
