Worcester County

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.

Nathan Fisher House // 1822

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In 1820, Nathan Austin Fisher (1796-1851) purchased land along the Boston-Worcester Turnpike in Westborough, Massachusetts with the aim to build a home for his new wife, Susan T. Lothrop. By 1822, he had built a five-bay, center-hall Federal style estate house on the property and the couple began to raise their family. By 1826, Nathan and his brother-in-law, Joseph Lothrop, had opened a store in a section of Fisher’s house, which had been added for that purpose, presumably the western (left) three bays of the structure. Joseph Lothrop would build a Federal style residence on the opposite side of the turnpike that same year. When the railroad came to Westborough, turnpike traffic slowed, and the new rail line went through the center of town, bypassing the Fisher House and store, causing it to fail. Fisher and Nothrop would eventually leave Worcester County, and the property was sold numerous times until 1919, when this property was purchased by the Lyman School. The Fisher House became a residence for younger, special-needs boys to insulate them from the main population of Lyman, a reform school for the education and vocational training of wayward boys. In 1938, the house was converted back to a two-family home and used by families of Lyman School employees until the Lyman School closed in 1972, leaving the iconic Nathan Fisher House vacant for decades. After a failed attempt to convert the property into a house museum, the property was purchased by a local business, Release Well Being Center, and has been lovingly restored and maintained ever-since!

Parker-Maynard Homestead // 1777

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Hidden away on a quiet country road in Westborough, Massachusetts, the Parker-Maynard Homestead sits as one of the best-preserved and significant properties in town. Revolutionary War veteran Isaac Parker (1750-1798), after the war, acquired land in town and built a farmhouse here around 1777. Upon the time of his death in 1798, his property listed in his will included: a homestead farm, grist mill, saw mill, a small dwelling house, a horse stable, and a pew at the town meetinghouse. The property was acquired by brothers Ebenezer and Ephraim Maynard, who lived in the house together with their respective families. The Maynard brothers worked as wheelwrights and had their shop on the property for years. Ephraim Maynard’s eldest son, Horace Maynard (1814-1882) was born here and after graduating from Amherst College, moved to Tennessee to teach law at East Tennessee University before getting into politics. Horace served in Congress between 1858-1873 as a representative from Knoxville. He spent much of his first two terms in Congress fighting to preserve the Union, and during the Civil War, he consistently urged President Abraham Lincoln to send Union forces to free East Tennessee from its Confederate occupiers. After the war, he was appointed minister to Constantinople by President Grant in 1875. In 1880 he returned to the United States and was appointed Postmaster General by President Rutherford B. Hayes. Horace owned the family homestead following the death of his father and uncle, and often returned to Westborough to see family and get away from politics.

Pine Grove Cemetery Mausoleum & Chapel // c.1875 & 1904

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Mausoleum

The mausoleum and the Jonas A. Stone Memorial Chapel are two historic structures located in the Pine Grove Cemetery of Westborough, Massachusetts. Land here was acquired in 1746 by the Reverend Ebenezer Parkman, and it comprised of a pine lot of sixteen acres on the road to Mendon (now South Street). Nearly 100 years later, in 1844, the lot was deeded to the town as a new cemetery, as the older cemeteries were quickly becoming crowded. It was named Pine Grove after the historic use of the grounds. Due to the rural cemetery movement, which sought to reimagine cemeteries as a beautiful park-like setting, not a simple burial ground, many Westborough families purchased plots here and some even moved their loved ones to the new family plot, in the “new” Pine Grove Cemetery.

Chapel

The Mausoleum was built sometime in the mid-19th century and is a modest, Greek Revival style structure of granite and brick construction. Four Doric columns support the portico and wooden roof which serves as a pediment above. The Jonas A. Stone Memorial Chapel was built in 1904 following a bequest to the town from the will of Jonas Adams Stone (1821-1900), and additional donation by his brother, Nymphas Stone. The Victorian Gothic chapel is built of brick and brownstone with a wooden gable and roof. The structure was damaged during the destructive 1938 New England Hurricane, but restored and is an important local landmark today.

Rice-Harrington House // c.1731

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This charming Federal style house sits on Maynard Street in Westborough, Massachusetts, and according to local records, dates to the early-mid 1700s. The property was originally owned by Eliezer Rice (1703-1767), a farmer and town constable, and likely built around the time of his marriage to Persis Newton, who died in 1746 during childbirth. After Eliezer’s death, the property was owned by an E. Harrington, who likely rotated the earlier structure 90 degrees and built the Federal style residence facing the street, utilizing the 100-year old house as a rear kitchen ell, or completely modernized the old residence, retaining the central chimney. The Federal house features a symmetrical facade, pilastered entry with fanlight transom window, and a large central chimney.

Gilman Morse House // c.1850

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As the town of Westborough emerged from rural agricultural community to commercial center, connections to Worcester and Boston via rail service opened the town to prosperity. As businessmen accumulated wealth, these merchants built stately homes to showcase their position in the community. Before the Civil War, the Greek Revival style was ever-popular in Westborough, even though the style was already waning in popularity in larger cities. This is the Gilman Morse House, built around 1850 for Mr. Gilman Wood Morse (1810-1899) on East Main Street. Morse was a merchant in town and clearly did well for himself, building this stately house for his family. The residence is Greek Revival in style with its facade bays broken up by pilasters capped with Corinthian capitals adorned by acanthus leaves. The house also features ornate window and door hoods, showcasing the emerging Italianate style influence.

Gilmore-Mason House // c.1850

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As the town of Westborough emerged from rural agricultural community to commercial center, connections to Worcester and Boston via rail service opened the town to prosperity. As businessmen accumulated wealth, these merchants built stately homes to showcase their position in the community. Before the Civil War, the Greek Revival style was ever-popular in Westborough, even though the style was already waning in popularity in larger cities. The Gilmore-Mason House on Church Street, is an excellent example of the Greek Revival style in a temple form. The form is seen in this house at the facade, with a portico of four two-story Corinthian columns supporting the pediment above. The house was built for George A. Gilmore and later sold to Alonzo W. Porter, an inventor, who would later move to New York. By the early 20th century, the residence was the home to Joseph S. Mason, a manufacturer who operated a weaving mill in Westborough.

Forbush-Brigham House // c.1875

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This stately and well-preserved Stick style residence is located on High Street in Westborough, Massachusetts. The house was built around 1875 for Mr. William Henry Forbush and his wife, Alice. William was a sleigh manufacturer in town and served in the Civil War, mustering out years after injuring his left hand during the Second Battle of Bull Run. Forbush died in 1881 at the age of 37, and Alice married to Dexter Brigham, a carpenter who also fought in the Civil War. It was possibly Mr. Brigham who added the intricate woodwork on the home.

Henry Block // 1873

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Mid-late 19th century commercial blocks provide human-scaled density, high quality design, and often contain intimate storefronts providing reasonable rent to local businesses. The Henry Block in Westborough, Massachusetts, is one great example of a historic commercial building that checks all of these boxes. The brick building was constructed in 1873 by its namesake, Samuel Gates Henry (1813-1877), a pharmacist and dentist who rented space in an earlier building on the site. When a fire destroyed the old structure, Samuel Henry had this block erected on the site and leased out spaces in the building to other businesses and tenants in the floors above. The block is Italianate/Italian Renaissance Revival in style with the typical round arched windows and bracketed cornice. The granite storefronts even retain some of the original cast-iron supports.

Sibley House – Westborough Historical Society Building // 1844

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The Sibley House is a historic house museum as well as the headquarters of the Westborough Historical Society. Located on Parkman Street in the center of Westborough, Massachusetts, the transitional Greek Revival/Italianate style house was built in 1844, by William Sibley, who was a blacksmith and wheelwright. Soon after the house was built, William married Jane Caroline Gibson, and the couple raised five children here. William joined Westborough’s Company K, 13th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War and was wounded at Antietam. After the war, William returned home and he and his brother Frank began to manufacture sleighs.  At one point, they produced as many as 300 a year! The Sibley House was purchased by the Westborough Historical Society in 1990, nearly 100 years after the society was established in 1889. The house is open to visitors and provides a glimpse into daily life for Westborough citizens at the time.