National Register of Historic Places

Belchertown Center Historic District

Belchertown, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 1, 1982
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
82001913

About this property

The Belchertown Center Historic District is a historic district which encompasses the historic village center of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Centered on Belchertown's 1,200-foot (370 m) common, the district includes 55 contributing properties along South Main Street, Maple Street, and a few adjacent streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The centerpiece of the district is the Belchertown common. The common features a bandstand, built in the 19th century, a memorial to the town's Civil War fallen, a cannon and flagpole, and a small parking lot. It is lined with 24 wood frame and 3 brick houses. Most of these buildings date to the 18th and early 19th century, and exhibit Georgian and Federal styling. Buildings arrayed on South Main Street were built mostly from the middle of the 19th century to its end. Most of them have Greek Revival styling, but this portion of the district contains the only notable examples of Queen Anne architecture, as well as the Clapp Memorial Library, designed by H.F. Kilburn. Along Maple Street most of the houses are also of the same period, although there are also some that date to early in the 20th century. Maple Street also features the Stone House Museum, Belchertown's only stone house (home of the Belchertown Historical Association) and its only Carpenter Gothic building, the 1886 Towne House. The district includes both Belchertown's Old Town Hall (c. 1865, Greek Revival), and its "new" one, Lawrence Memorial Hall (1923, Gothic revival). There are three churches in the district: the Congregational Church (the town's oldest church, c. 1789–92), a Methodist church building moved from Springfield in 1872, and a Roman Catholic church (built as a second Congregational meeting house in 1836 after a schism).

Location

Belchertown, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
42.27694, -72.40142

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCETRANSPORTATIONLITERATUREARCHITECTURECOMMUNICATIONSRELIGIONSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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This page lists Belchertown Center Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Walker-Collis House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Belchertown State School
Listed
1.1 mi
Ware Center Historic District
Listed
6.5 mi
Ludlow Center Historic District
Listed
6.5 mi
South Amherst Common Historic District
Listed
6.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Belchertown Center Historic District listed on the National Register?

Belchertown Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 1, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Belchertown Center Historic District?

Belchertown Center Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Belchertown Center Historic District?

The period of significance for Belchertown Center Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Belchertown Center Historic District?

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