National Register of Historic Places

Wells House

North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Listed
October 24, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85003393

About this property

The Wells House is a historic house located in North Adams, Massachusetts. Built about 1840, it is a locally rare surviving example of a Greek Revival farmhouse. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Wells House is located in the West End of North Adams, at the southwest corner of West Main Street (Massachusetts Route 2) and Notch Road. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, interior brick chimneys, and a clapboarded exterior. Its bays on three sides are articulated by two-story Doric pilasters, which rise to an entablature below the cornice. The gable ends on the sides are fully pedimented. The main facade is five bays wide, with the center entrance set in a recess with flanking sidelight windows and pilasters, and a transom window above. The house was built in about 1840 and is one of the city's oldest Greek Revival buildings. It was built for Orson Wells, who first settled in North Adams in the 1810s and established an acid production facility nearby. The Welles were also involved in textile production that developed in nearby Braytonville. They also owned much land in the area, even as it industrialized; around the turn of the 20th century, the family still owned 160 acres (65 ha) of farmland. This land was eventually developed, but the Wells house remained in the family until 1968. National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Location

568 W. Main St.
North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
42.69852, -73.13432

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
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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Overview
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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.
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Conflict & War
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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
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Sykes House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Norad Mill
Industrial
0.2 mi
Crowley House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Hillside Cemetery
Early Republic
0.6 mi
Johnson Manufacturing Company
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Wells House listed on the National Register?

Wells House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 24, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Wells House?

Wells House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Wells House?

The period of significance for Wells House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Wells House?

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 Wells House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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