Wendell Town Common Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wendell Town Common Historic District
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The town meetinghouse
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Junction of Depot, Lock's Village, Montague and Morse Village Rds., Wendell, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| Architect | Leach, Luke O. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000580 |
| Added to NRHP | May 21, 1992 |
The Wendell Town Common Historic District is a special old part of the small town of Wendell, Massachusetts. It's like a time capsule showing how the town looked long ago. This area is centered around a town common, which is a public green space. Many of the buildings here are in the beautiful Greek Revival style. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. This means it's recognized as an important place in American history.
Contents
Exploring Wendell's Historic Heart
What is the Wendell Town Common?
The Wendell Town Common is a rectangular piece of land, about 1 acre in size. It's bordered by Lock's Village Road and Depot Road on one side. Morse Village Road cuts through the middle of the common. Center Road runs along the north, east, and south sides.
Buildings Around the Common
The roads around the common are lined with old buildings. Most of these are homes and public buildings built in the first half of the 1800s. They mostly show off the Greek Revival style of architecture. This style was very popular back then.
Old Buildings and Their Stories
The only building from the 1900s that adds to the historic feel is the library. It was built in 1921 in the Colonial Revival style. The town hall is also in the district. It's a Greek Revival building that might have been a Baptist church in 1845.
There is also a Congregational church building, which was built in 1846. A typical 19th-century schoolhouse is also part of the district. It was also built in 1846. These buildings show us what life was like in Wendell a long time ago.
History of Wendell Town
How Wendell Began
Wendell is a "hill town" located in eastern Franklin County. It was first settled by people in 1754. The town officially became a town in 1781.
The First Town Center
The town center is located roughly in the middle of Wendell. It was created around the same time the town became official. A meetinghouse was built, which is a building for town meetings and church services. The town common and a cemetery were also set up then. The original meetinghouse is no longer standing today.
Oldest Surviving Building
The oldest building still standing in the district is the Congregational parsonage. A parsonage is a house where a church minister lives. This building was constructed in 1823.
A Rural Town
The area around the town center stayed mostly rural, or like the countryside, even into the 1900s. Most of the town's small businesses were located north of the center, in a place called Wendell Depot.
Why So Many Greek Revival Buildings?
During the 1800s, the number of people living in Wendell slowly went down. This meant that many buildings from the 1840s, especially those in the Greek Revival style, were well-preserved. They weren't torn down to make way for new buildings. This is why the town center has so many beautiful old buildings from that time.
