Woodbridge Street Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woodbridge Street Historic District
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Daniel Stebbins House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3 and 7 Silver St., 25–82 Woodbridge St., South Hadley, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003987 |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1983 |
The Woodbridge Street Historic District is a special area in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It's mostly filled with homes that have a lot of history. This district stretches from where Woodbridge Street and Silver Street meet, going north towards Woodbridge Terrace. It was one of the very first places people settled in South Hadley. Some of its buildings are super old, built way back in the 1720s! You can find many beautiful old homes from the 1700s here. This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Contents
How Woodbridge Street Became a Historic Place
The land that is now South Hadley used to be shared by everyone in Hadley. This changed in 1720 when the land was divided among the people who paid taxes. Soon after, families started moving in and building homes.
Early Settlement and Growth
Woodbridge Street was a main road back then. It connected Hadley to Amherst. Many new homes were built along this road in the years that followed. One of the oldest buildings still standing today is part of the house at 82 Woodbridge Street. It was built by Joseph White in 1727.
Saving Old Homes
The area stayed mostly farmland for a long time, even into the 1900s. A kind person named Joseph Allan Skinner helped a lot to save these old houses. He was a philanthropist, which means he gave money to help good causes. In the early 1900s, he paid to fix up many of the homes in this historic district.
What You'll Find in the District
The Woodbridge Street Historic District includes properties from 25 to 82 Woodbridge Street. It also includes homes at 3 and 7 Silver Street. Most of the buildings here are houses built in the 1700s and 1800s.
The Skinner Museum
One very interesting building in the district is the Skinner Museum. It belongs to the nearby Mount Holyoke College. This museum is actually an old church! It used to be the church for the town of Prescott, Massachusetts. In the 1930s, the town of Prescott had to be moved because the Quabbin Reservoir was being built. Joseph Skinner had the 1800s Greek Revival style church moved to its current spot in South Hadley.
