Massachusetts History Blog

Claflin & Thayer Shoe Shop // c.1866

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The Claflin & Thayer Company was established in 1851 by Aaron Claflin (1807-1890) and quickly became a leading boot and shoe manufacturer in Milford, Massachusetts. The business expanded after the Civil War, and built multiple buildings on the town’s Central Street, including this early stone building constructed of locally quarried Milford “pink” granite. The building depicted here included a large engine and boilers on the first floor with two stories above housing workers and boot crimping stations. After Aaron Claflin died in 1890, the business dissolved and this building became used for storage for other corporations, with the significant, yet vernacular building sitting to deteriorate.

Thom Block // 1891

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The Thom Block on Main Street in Downtown Milford, Massachusetts, is a historic mixed-use commercial block built of locally quarried Milford “pink” granite. The structure was constructed in 1891 by owner (and likely builder), James Thom, who arrived to Milford around 1889 and was hired by the Milford Pink Granite quarries as a foreman. Mr. Thom was the target of a vicious attack by a disgruntled quarry-worker and James would submit his resignation, turning his pursuits toward a local bicycle and horse racetrack and two of the town’s semi-professional baseball teams. He also got involved in real estate, in 1891 submitting plans for this building on Main Street that bears his name. Shortly after completion, a fire gutted the inside of the building and was rebuilt. Thom’s insurance did not fully cover the loss and he defaulted on the mortgage, selling the building and moved out of Milford. The Thom Block retains the polychromatic piers between storefronts and at the corner, which feature rounded granite blocks of polychromatic polished granite. The major ornament of the upper stories is a large plaque on the Main Street facade just above the recessed entrance with two Corinthian colonettes, spanned by a frieze and plinth on which “THOM” and “1891” are carved, respectively, showing us over a century later the original owner and his story.

First Universalist Church of Milford // 1899

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In the summer of 1785, a Universalist congregation was formed in Milford, Massachusetts, making it one of the first in the United States. The Universalists here were led by some illustrious ministers including Thomas Whittemore, an energetic advocate of abolition and an ardent foe of the Fugitive Slave Law; Ebenenzer Fisher who left the Milford congregation to become the first president of what became St. Lawrence University; and Adin Ballou who, after serving the congregation for six years, established a religious commune in the Hopedale section of Milford called “The Hopedale Community” that was to become a model for similar religious organizations. The congregation grew and by the late 19th century, it was decided that a new church in Milford should be built. Local architect, Robert Allen Cook, who was then in his twenties, was hired to furnish plans for this handsome edifice, which was built of locally quarried Milford “pink” granite. Robert A. Cook was a personal favorite architect of the Draper Family of Hopedale and Milford, who likely held sway in his selection. The church was built in 1899 and remains an excellent example of Victorian Gothic architecture with large lancet window and many beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary.

Henry E. Fales Mansion // 1866

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The Henry E. Fales Mansion sits prominently on Walnut Street in Milford, Massachusetts, as an intact Second Empire style residence with symmetrical facade and form. The house was built in 1866 and owned by Henry E. Fales (1837-1897) an attorney and state legislator who was heavily engaged in town affairs. Before the home was completed, Henry’s wife, Violet, died unexpectedly and he remained here until his second marriage to Clara Hayward. The Fales Mansion has a notable mansard roof with belvedere, front gambrel gable with ocular window, and window hoods. The property is in need of some work, but retains nearly all of its original detailing.

Milford Armory // 1912 

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A source of local pride, the Milford Armory building on Pearl Street in Milford, Massachusetts, is an architectural landmark in the community and shows how adaptive reuse can give old buildings new life. The structure was completed in 1912 and constructed of locally quarried and cut Milford granite, a pinkish-grey granite that covers an area of approximately 39 square miles, centered around present-day Milford. Between the Civil War and WWII, the town of Milford became famous for its “pink” granite as a building material, with over 1,000 men laboring in dozens of quarries supplying the stone for some of America’s most iconic buildings including: the Boston Public Library, Worcester City Hall, as well as the original Penn Station and Natural History Museum in New York, among many others. Besides being built of local granite, the Armory was also designed by local architect, Wendell T. Phillips, who followed nationwide trends designing the building like a fortified Medieval castle with crenellated towers, with long and narrow windows recessed, emulating the slit windows used in similar medieval structures. Like in many communities all over the country, the need to store firearms and major National Guard trainings declined with some being demolished, others sitting vacant, and others like the Milford Armory, seeing new life. The Milford Armory was slated for closure in 2002 and was ultimately saved when the Town of Milford and the National Guard struck a deal to initially rent the building for a Youth Center and gymnasium and share the space with the Guard.  The armory was home to the popular Youth Center, which needed gym space not available anywhere else. The building was ultimately purchased by the town and underwent a massive restoration, being rededicated as the Milford Youth Center in 2016. 

Jones-Corbett Farmhouse // 1723

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Possibly the oldest extant building in the town of Milford, Massachusetts, the Jones-Corbett Farmhouse stands as a well-preserved example of a rural, First Period residence for early settlers to the area. The Jones Family first arrived in present-day Milford in 1703, when Elder John Jones (1669-1753) settled in the area from Hull, and raised his family in the first wood-frame dwelling in the area, which was still occupied by the Nipmuc Tribe. Elder John Jones raised six children from their home (demolished in 1874), including John Jones Jr., who built this house. John Jones built this house by 1723 but after a few years, traded properties with his brother-in-law, Daniel Corbett, and sister, Sarah. The house was likely added onto with the saltbox roof as the family grew in size and prosperity, and a barn was built on the estate to house horses and other livestock. When Daniel Corbett died in 1753, among his listed property included “a negro boy, his bed and hoe”, with his enslaved young man likely residing in this home and working the property. The residence is an important piece of Milford history that tells the full story of early America.

North Purchase District Schoolhouse // 1832

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This single-story, hipped-roof, brick schoolhouse is approximately 30’x24′ in plan and was built in 1832 for the town of Milford, Massachusetts, as one of its district schoolhouses to serve the community. After Milford incorporated in 1780, the town was divided into school districts, where area pupils would attend one of six school buildings based on proximity to their primary residence. This brick building replaced an earlier school building which was lost following a fire in 1830. The town funded construction on this school at a cost of $524. The one-room school remained in use until the 1920s, until consolidated schools and accessibility due to bus and personal automobile made getting to a centralized school building, easier. The old North Purchase District School was briefly used as the North Purchase Community House, a center for area residents to socialize and provided space for local scout groups. The building has been boarded up since at least 2009 and its future looks uncertain.

Brown Homestead // c.1750

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This large, gambrel-roofed Georgian house is located on Pearce Road, a winding road that runs the waterfront of the Cole River that spans between Swansea, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The house was owned by Captain John Brown (1675-1752) of the wealthy trading and slave-holding Brown Family which the prestigious Ivy League Brown University is named after. While extensive deed research of this home is not known, the property was mentioned in John Brown’s will of 1752 so it dates to at least 1750. It is possible that the house was expanded in the second half of the 18th century to its current form. The property remained in the Brown Family until 1911, and has been lovingly preserved by its successive owners.

United Church of Christ, Swansea // 1833

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The United Church of Christ in Swansea, Massachusetts, was built in 1833 as the second building for the congregation which was originally organized in 1693. It is believed that this was the first church in New England to admit all Christians to membership regardless of their theological beliefs, as a United or Union church. The congregation’s first meetinghouse was built prior to 1719 and was replaced in 1833 when the current building was completed. The United Church of Christ in Swansea blends Greek and Gothic Revival styles with traditional wood-frame construction and gable roof with multi-stage steeple. The facade is adorned with pilasters and louvered lancet arches, showcasing the builder’s ability to pull from multiple architectural styles for the construction.

Luther Store // 1815

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The Luther Store in Swansea, Massachusetts, is a historic commercial building constructed in 1815 and uncommon as a rare brick block with saltbox roof. The structure was built for John Brown Luther, and was operated by the Luther family as a store until 1903. The Luther’s Corner area was in the mid-19th century the economic center of Swansea, and Luther’s Store served as post office and library. The building was acquired in 1941 by the Swansea Historical Society, which now operates it as a local history museum following a restoration by Fall River architect, Maude Darling-Parlin.

Gardner-Borden House // c.1795

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This elongated farmhouse on Gardner’s Neck in Swansea, Massachusetts, was built at the end of the 18th century for Hanna and Joseph Gardner, who had purchased his brother’s half of the land they inherited by their late father, Peleg. The house was one of a few farmhouses on the peninsula which became known as Gardner’s Neck as much of the land was owned and farmed by members of the Gardner Family. This c.1795 farmhouse began as a five-bay, center-entrance Federal cape house and was expanded in the 1870s by Fall River businessmen, William Almy and Andrew Jackson Borden. Yes, THAT Andrew J. Borden. The farmhouse was expanded to the south (left) with the addition of a second entrance and two bays by the business partners as a summer retreat. The Borden Family with daughter, Lizzie Borden, would spend summers here to escape the hot and polluted industrial city for cool coastal breezes until Andrew and his wife, Abby Borden, were brutally murdered by an ax in their Fall River home.

Barney-Sturtevant House // c.1805

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This large mansion in Swansea, Massachusetts, was constructed in the early 1800s for Mason Barney, a shipyard owner, likely by his own shipwrights. Barneyville, formerly known as “Bungtown” in the early 1770s, was a bustling village in Swansea where young men worked from sunup to sundown sawing, filing, shaping, boring, and fastening planks and timbers together for the Barney Shipyard. The shipyard was founded in the 1770s by Jonathan Barney, a prominent boat builder in New England established the shipyard in the 1770s. The Barney Shipyard saw its greatest success under Barney’s son, Mason, in the early 18th century. When Mason Barney (1782-1868) inherited his father’s shipyard, he also had this house built for his family, just a stone’s throw from the shipyard where he could oversee the many ships built and sailed down the river to Warren, Rhode Island, for fitting. By the early 20th century, the shipyard had already closed and this property was purchased by Lorenzo P. Sturtevant, a jeweler who completely updated the old Barney House in the Colonial Revival style, adding the entry porch and oversized dormers. By the end of the 20th century and early 21st, the house was abandoned and decaying until a few years ago when new owners renovated the old Barney-Sturtevant Mansion back to a livable home.

Christ Church, Swansea // 1900

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Designed in the mode of a traditional English country church, the Christ Church of Swansea is among the finest Neo-Gothic Revival edifices in New England and evokes a sense of history and tradition despite only being built in 1900. The church was funded by benefactors, Frank Shaw Stevens and Elizabeth Case Stevens, who lived down the street in the town’s largest mansion. After the death of her husband Frank, Elizabeth began a large gifting campaign to the Town of Swansea, and funded the construction of the town’s library, school, and this church (they had already funded the 1891 Town Hall). For the village church, Elizabeth hired their friend, and renowned English-born architect, Henry Vaughan, who designed the building with heavy granite walls, lancet windows and a facade dominated by an entry tower with rounded corner all capped by battlements. The Christ Church of Swansea resembles an old Medieval English church but in a New England village, amazing work as always Mr. Vaughan!

Frank S. Stevens School // 1908

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The Frank S. Stevens School in Swansea, Massachusetts, was one of a number of civic and institutional buildings donated to the small town by wealthy residents Frank and Elizabeth Stevens. Ten years after the death of her husband, Elizabeth Case Stevens retained her favorite architect, Henry Vaughan, to furnish plans for a new school building for the main village in her beloved town of Swansea, to be built in the memory of her late husband. Mr. Vaughan had already designed the town hall, library, and Episcopal church, and Mrs. Stevens thought it would be fitting for an architecturally appropriate public school to also be built in the quaint New England village. Neo-Classical in style, the one-story brick school building is distinguished for its full-height pedimented portico supported by classical Doric columns and a cupola atop the hipped roof. The school was eventually outgrown and is now the school administration building for the town’s three later public school buildings. 

Frank S. Stevens Memorial Library – Swansea Public Library // 1900

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Presented to the Town of Swansea by Elizabeth Stevens as a memorial library of her late husband, Frank Shaw Stevens, the Stevens Memorial Library (also known as the Swansea Public Library) is one of the finest small-town buildings of its kind in Massachusetts. Elizabeth and her husband, Frank Stevens, lived in a large mansion nearby on Main Street and in their older years, began to bequeath their fortune to their community that they made home. The couple funded the Swansea Town Hall, a large church, and schools along with this handsome library. Built in 1900, the Swansea Library was designed by architect, Henry Vaughan, an English-born architect who designed some of the best English-inspired buildings in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For the Stevens Memorial Library in Swansea, Vaughan drew upon Elizabethan precedence and employed the use of granite and red Potsdam sandstone to create a warm, yet stately presence on the towns Main Street. With its state roof capped by an octagonal cupola and mullioned windows in arched surrounds, the eclectic building is timeless and has been lovingly preserved by the local community, who also expanded the building to the rear, taking great care to make it less visible from the street and preserve the main building.