Spencer Town Center Historic District facts for kids
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Spencer Town Center Historic District
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Spencer, Massachusetts |
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| Area | c. 130 acres (53 ha) |
| Architect | Elbridge Boyden; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001399 (original) 96000826 (increase 1) 03000685 (increase 2) 03000551 (increase 3) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 26, 1986 |
| Boundary increases | August 9, 1996 July 25, 2003 August 18, 2003 |
The Spencer Town Center Historic District is the old downtown area of Spencer, Massachusetts. This special area was first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It covered about 250 acres around Main Street.
Later, the district grew bigger. In 1996, the East Main Street – Cherry Street Historic District was added. This brought in 45 more acres, mostly homes. In 2003, it expanded again, adding more houses and old factory areas. The most interesting time for this district was the late 1800s. This was when Spencer's factories were very busy.
Spencer's Early Days: How the Town Began
The town of Spencer started in the 1720s. It officially became a town in 1753. Main Street, which is now Massachusetts Route 9, was once an old Native American path. English settlers used it as a main road for travel.
At first, the town was spread out along Main Street. But it soon grew around where Main Street meets Pleasant and Maple Streets. These roads helped people travel to other towns. For a long time, Spencer was mostly a farming town.
From Farms to Factories: Spencer's Industrial Growth
In the 1800s, things began to change. A law called the Embargo Act of 1807 made people start making more things themselves. This led to new factories in Spencer. Soon, businesses were making textiles (cloth), wires, and boots.
More factories meant more people moved to Spencer. New homes and shops were built. Textile factories were mainly south of Main Street. This caused homes to be built nearby. Later, bootmaking changed from small home businesses to large factories. This made the town center grow even more to house all the workers.
