National Register of Historic Places

Sherborn Center Historic District

Sherborn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
January 3, 1986
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86000495

About this property

The Sherborn Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic heart and traditional center of Sherborn, Massachusetts. Its borders consist of Farm, Sawin, Washington, and North Main streets, Zion's Lane, and the CSX railroad tracks. The district, while predominantly residential in character, also contains an important cluster of civic and religious buildings. Notable among these are the Dowse Memorial Building, a Tudor Revival structure built in 1914 to house the town library; it now houses town offices. It was donated by William Bradford Home Dowse, who also funded the construction of the 1924 Memory Statue, the town's memorial to its war dead. (The library now occupies a modern building on Sanger Street, also located in the district but not contributing to its historic significance.) Two churches stand in the district, both with original construction dates around 1830. The Pilgrim Church at 25 South Main Street was given an Italianate updating in the 1850s, while the First Parish Church at 11 Washington Street has Greek Revival styling. The Town Hall, located at 3 Sanger Street, is a rare unaltered example of the work of Worcester architects Boyden & Ball. It has classic Italianate styling, with deep, bracketed eaves, boldly quoined corners, and a cupola. Only two things in the district survive from the early days of Sherborn, which was incorporated in 1674. Its first cemetery was laid out in 1689, and the older portion of the Flagg House (c. 1740) at 22 Washington Street is the only building in the center that predates 1750. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Location

Sherborn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.24104, -71.37071

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTEDUCATIONPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURERELIGIONSOCIAL 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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Everything a full report reveals about Sherborn Center Historic District

This page lists Sherborn 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

Fleming, Thomas, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Dowse, Rev. Edmund, House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Sanger, Richard, III, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Sanger, Asa, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Clark-Northrup House
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

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

Sherborn Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 3, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Sherborn Center Historic District?

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

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

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

Can I research the history near Sherborn Center Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Sherborn Center Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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