National Register of Historic Places

Manse, The

Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Listed
October 13, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000263

About this property

The Manse is a historic church manse in Northampton, Massachusetts. With a construction history dating to 1744, it is in part a good example of vernacular mid-18th century architecture. It has also had a procession of locally notable owners and residents. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Manse is located in a residential area north of downtown Northampton, on the west side of Prospect Street at its junction with Trumbull Road. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gambrel style roof and twin interior chimneys. Three dormers pierce the steep slope of the gambrel, the center one with a rounded arch roof, the outer two with hip roofs. A square cupola rises at the center of the roof. A 2+1⁄2-story ell, the oldest part of the building, extends to the rear. The property's history begins in the 17th century, when it was part of a land grant to Reverend Solomon Stoddard, whose parsonage was built here in 1684. Stoddard was the pastor of the first church in Northampton and the grandfather of Jonathan Edwards, a leading force in the First Great Awakening who briefly lived in that house. In 1744, Stoddard's son John built what is now the rear ell as a replacement for that house. John Stoddard was active in a civic affairs, serving in the provincial militia and the provincial legislature. His son, also named Solomon, built the front portion of the house in 1782; he served as sheriff of Hampshire County. Other notable residents include Josiah G. Holland, writer and founder of Scribner's Monthly, and Dr. Benjamin Barrett, a prominent local politician. The house was purchased in 1940 by Dorothy Douglas, a professor at Smith College, who oversaw its restoration. She also commissioned a series of murals that now adorn its walls; these were executed by Oliver Larkin. National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts

Location

54 Prospect St.
Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
42.32228, -72.63627

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Northampton Downtown Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi
Smith Alumnae Gymnasium
Industrial
0.4 mi
Northampton Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.4 mi
Building at 8-22 Graves Avenue
Industrial
0.4 mi
Parsons, Shepherd and Damon, Houses Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Northampton MA Raid (Queen Anne's War)
1704Colonial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Manse, The listed on the National Register?

Manse, The was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 13, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Manse, The?

Manse, The is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Manse, The?

The period of significance for Manse, The is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Manse, The?

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