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General Oliver Pond House – Wrentham State Hospital Superintendent’s House // c.1790

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This Federal period house in Wrentham, Massachusetts, has had quite the history from the residence of a Revolutionary War veteran to the superintendent’s house for a school for the insane. This five-bay Federal style house was built for Oliver Pond (1737-1822) in about 1790. General Pond commanded one of the five militias in Wrentham that marched on Boston in 1775 to fight in the Revolution. Pond fought in at least two battles in Princeton and Trenton New Jersey under Washington. After the War, Oliver Pond got involved with politics and became General of the local militia granting him this important title. His heirs remained in the house into the second half of the 19th century. In the early 1900s, the property was purchased by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of the new Wrentham State School, a facility to treat and educate children with disabilities. The Pond House was occupied by the superintendent of the school and is still owned by the State.

Philander P. Cook House // 1847

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Built in 1847 as a residence for local Postmaster and storeowner, Philander P. Cook, this historic house off West Street in West Wrentham, Massachusetts, showcases the evolution so many New England farmhouses have experienced, from working farm, to country retreat, to suburban residence. Philander Perry Cook (1816-1880) purchased this land in 1845 from prominent Massachusetts State Senator and local government official, Alan Tillinghast, and shortly after purchase, he began construction of this Greek Revival style, two-story residence with attached stable. At the turn of the century, wealthy Wellesley College graduate, teacher and published author named Lucy Freeman, purchased the property from Cook’s heirs (as well as a residence nearby where she took up residence) and she rented the Philander P. Cook House to friends during the course of her ownership. In 1910, she modernized the house, likely adding the fanlight transom in the Colonial Revival mode, and had the grounds landscaped as a country retreat. Throughout the 20th century, a number of owners have preserved and modernized the home, while retaining its unique charm and character, and it now is a large, single-family home. 

Druce-Francoeur House // c.1787

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In 1787, Oliver Druce (1760-1797) married Sarah “Sally” Kollock (1764-1789) and had this large residence built overlooking the Town Common in Wrentham, Massachusetts. The young couple raised one daughter here until Sarah died in 1789 at 25 years old, followed years later by Oliver, who died in 1797 at 37 years old. By the turn of the 19th century, the late-Georgian residence was owned by John Francoeur, a French Huguenot. The Druce-Francoeur House is one of the finest Georgian style residences in Wrentham, which retains its magnificent doorway framed by fluted Ionic pilasters with broken scrolled pediment above.

Bancroft Memorial Library // 1898

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The Bancroft Memorial Library on Hopedale Street in Hopedale, Massachusetts, was built in 1898 and is one of the finest examples of a Romanesque Revival style library in New England. The library’s benefactor, Joseph Burbier Bancroft (1821-1909), moved to Hopedale and joined the Hopedale Community in 1846, where he became connected with the Hopedale Machine Company founded by the Draper Family. Shortly afterward Mr. Bancroft entered into a partnership with Ebenezer and George Draper, and was put in charge of the cotton machinery department of the Draper Corporation. Joseph married Sylvia W. Thwing, sister of the wives of Ebenezer and George Draper. As he rose through the ranks of the Draper Company, he decided to fund a library as a gift to the company town. Designed by architect, C. Howard Walker of the Boston architectural firm Walker & Kimball, the library is constructed of granite and features arched entry at the facade with carved stone panel above. Before the building was completed, Sylvia died, and the library became a memorial in her memory by Joseph Bancroft.

Urncrest // c.1875

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Located on Adin Street, a street of homes formerly owned by factory owners and managers in Hopedale, Massachusetts, you will find “Urncrest”, a stunning Queen Anne Victorian mansion. This home was originally built around 1875 for William Lapworth (1844-1937) an English-born weaving expert, who worked at Hopedale Elastics Co. and patented certain weaving processes for suspenders, boot webbing, and garters. Hopedale Elastics was absorbed by the Draper Corporation in 1890, and Lapworth “modernized” his home with profits from this sale. His formerly modest home was updated with a corner tower, large additions, wrap-around porch with porte cochere, and applied ornament. The detached carriage house was also expanded, where he added a coachman’s apartment.

Hopedale Central Fire Station // 1915

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Hopedale’s Renaissance Revival Central Fire Station on Dutcher Street was designed by Milford architect, Robert Allen Cook, a favorite of the Draper Corporation, who had oversaw the design of the Draper Company Offices just five years earlier. Very similar in style and detailing to the Draper Offices, Cook created a fire station of brick and terra cotta with a monumental hose tower at the corner, all in the Renaissance Revival style. The building was largely funded by the company, who was by far the largest employer in town and had funded many municipal and institutional buildings in the community as part of the company town. As fire prevention was important for the Draper Corporation, they even funded some of the first fire trucks in Massachusetts, even for such a small community. The town has done a great job preserving this architectural landmark for over 100 years. 

Draper Corporation Company Offices // 1910

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After decades of growth of the Draper Corporation in Hopedale, Massachusetts, in the late 19th century, the company began a massive building campaign of larger, architecturally significant (and most importantly, fireproof) buildings for company use. The original company office building, constructed in 1880, was outgrown and it was decided a new, larger company office was needed. Designed by Milford-based architect, Robert Allen Cook in 1910, the former office building was located across Hopedale Street from the main plant. This massive two-story brick building on a raised basement is an example of the Renaissance Revival style built of brick and terra cotta. The building closed along with the company in the mid-20th century, but as opposed to the main complex, was adaptively reused through a renovation as a senior living facility.

Old Houghton School // 1849

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In 1849, the Town of Bolton, Massachusetts, built its first high school, the Houghton School at 697 Main Street in the town center. Blending Greek Revival and Italianate styles, similar to Bolton’s 1853 Town Hall, the Houghton School is a large, two-story, pedimented building of wood-frame construction. Interestingly, the school was largely funded privately by a local resident, Joseph Houghton (1772-1847), who in his will, bequeathed land and $12,000 for a public high school for the town. By the terms of the donation, nine men (all of whom had at one time served as a Bolton tax assessor) and their descendants, were barred from attending the school for a hundred years. Questions about the bequest were put before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, which disallowed this clause. An additional requirement, stipulated that no teacher could serve there longer than two years. That restriction was eventually put aside in the early 20th century. In 1917, the high school was discontinued. The fenestration was likely altered around this time. Bolton began sending its high-school students out of town to a school of their choice, and the Houghton School became the Bolton junior high school. In 1970-71, the building was converted to town offices, with the Town Clerk and Assessor on the first floor and the Police Department on the second. Since 2012, the building houses Bolton Access TV, as well as The Conservation Trust and Friends of the Bolton Library.


Holmes-Stetson House // 1841

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Built the same year as the Old Kingston Town House in Kingston, Massachusetts, this handsome Greek Revival style house sits on the town’s Main Street and has ties to two of the communities oldest and most significant families. The house was constructed in 1841 with matching side porches for Horace Holmes (1809-1855), a merchant and son of Joseph Holmes, a wealthy ship owner and builder. Horace operated a store near his home until his death in 1855. The property was later purchased by Captain Charles Stetson, a master mariner. The couple’s weath soon allowed them to sell this older residence and they built a “modern” Italianate style house at the rear garden (now 20 Green Street) to reside in. After successive ownership, the Greek Revival style house was converted to a store, but has since been reverted back to a residence, retaining much of its original fabric.

Fay House // c.1840

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One of the most spectacular residences in Westborough, Massachusetts, can be found on Church Street, which is a unique blending of two distinct architectural styles. The house here was originally built around 1840 as a Greek Revival style residence, which would have had a gabled roof, and it retains the original corner pilasters and Ionic columned porch. Records state the the house was built for Cyrus Fay (1812-1884), possibly around the time of his marriage in 1837 to Caroline Pope. Caroline passed away in 1852 at the age of 36, and Cyrus remarried in 1855 to Nancy Avery White. It was likely after his second marriage, and after he became the first president of the Westborough Savings Bank in 1869, that the house was modernized with a Mansard roof with belvedere.