North Attleborough Historical Commission

Happy Mother's Day!

Now gone but once was the home to the Webster Co., which was originally called G.K. Webster & Co. when it was founded by George K. Webster in 1869.

The company's sterling line included everything from flatware and napkin rings to candlesticks and thimbles.

The company also made a small line of silverplate products. Reportedly, Webster personally oversaw and supervised every aspect of the production process.

The company's sterling silver is identifiable by the Webster hallmark - the letter W with a feathered arrow flying through its center.

The Webster Co. is now part of Reed & Barton in Taunton.

Pictures from 1908 and 2024

Freeman & Co. Worker's House C. 1870

Owned by the Freeman Jewelry Company till the early 1900's and then sold to the Hillman family that also had a jewelry company in town. The house was used for their employees to stay.

In 1930 Oscar Hillman sold the home and it was used as a single family home since then.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Pictures 1970's and current day)

We are giving a talk tomorrow evening with the Attleboro Historic Preservation Society at 6:45 at the Attleboro Industrial Museum. The River that built this city. All are welcome.

Special thanks to commission member and resident archaeologist, Darlene Brooks Hedstrom and one of her graduate students at Brandeis, for setting up a practice dig and bringing artifacts in celebration of Archaeology Month!

It was a great day at Holmes School and Memorial Hall today and many thanks to the families and neighbors who came by to say hello!

What a day for some nostalgia at Holmes School?! Come on by!

Cleanup Day with our friends in Plainville!

The North Attleborough Historical Commission and Plainville Historical Commission, Plainville Massachusetts are pleased to announce they will be working together to clean the inside of the Angle Tree Stone shelter building and surrounding grounds on October 1 at 9AM.
The Angle Tree Stone is located off High St, North Attleboro and is owned by the Commonwealth of MA and maintained by NAHC and PHC.

Falls Fire Barn and Museum

Tipping the cap to our friends at the North Attleborough Historical Society this piece of history should be familiar to anyone driving along Commonwealth Ave.

This 3D model was created by NAHC member, Derek Cameron, using a drone and 3D modeling software. For the teachers on this page please feel free to share with students as a visual aid of our local history!

Falls Fire Barn & Museum, North Attleboro, MA - 3D model by 3805Productions - Sketchfab From the North Attleboro Historical Commission: The building was constructed in 1893 and is located in the village of Attleborough Falls at 100 Commonwealth Avenue in North Attleborough. It was an active fire station until 1976, when it was replaced with a station built on Kelley Boulevard (Rt. 152)...

Holmes School and Hall

Built by the town circa, 1850, this is the only one-room schoolhouse still owned by the town that had remained in unaltered condition since it closed in 1951. The schoolhouse was recently restored to showcase the way the interior looked at the time of closing. This school will remain a museum and reflect a different period of time than the Adamsdale Schoolhouse which local third graders visit for a day. We hope to add the Holmes Schoolhouse to their tour when the restoration is complete.

Speaking of Holmes School, if you haven't driven by there it's located on 623 Hoppin Hill Ave, North Attleborough, MA 02760. The Historical Commission will be hosting its annual Open House next month so be sure to follow this page to get more details!

In the meantime, here's a 3D model of Holmes School and Meeting Hall built by member, Derek Cameron, using drone and 3D modeling software.

Holmes Schoolhouse and Hall, North Attleboro MA - 3D model by 3805Productions - Sketchfab Built by the town circa, 1850, this is the only one room schoolhouse still owned by the town that had remained in unaltered condition since it closed in 1951. The school house was recently restored to showcase the way the interior looked at the time of closing. This school will remain a museum and r...

The Holmes School welcomed some alums back with the Plante family, during their reunion weekend in June. They expressed how much it meant to visit their dad's old schoolhouse('27) and enjoy some fond memories of town!

Agenda for upcoming Historical Commission meeting.

Mark your calendar to join Little Compton Historical Society for this exciting program with .repost
・・・
One week from today - in-person at and virtually on Zoom. If you would like to attend by Zoom, pre-register at littlecompton.org/events
to receive the link.

Primus’ House: History and Archaeology in Little Compton
has teamed with the LCHS for a second collaborative project to document the history of Black and Indigenous families in Little Compton, Rhode Island. The property is owned by / and was the home of Primus Collins, a freed person of color who purchased the property on Meeting House Lane from Nathaniel Church in 1836. Primus’ daughter Lucy Collins remained in the house until her death in 1893. The land known as the Church-Collins-Nicholson Property includes a cellar hole, remnant outbuilding foundations, and associated fieldstone wall networks. In 2021 PAL conducted an archaeological survey at the Collins Site, with testing focused around the cellar hole, yard areas, well, and foundations. The survey was designed to help answer questions about the date of house construction and augment the documentary history of the Collins family researched by LCHS Executive Director and historian Marjory O’Toole. The archaeological fieldwork and laboratory processing were completed with PAL archaeologists and volunteer LCHS and community members.

Join PAL Senior Archaeologist Holly Herbster and LCHS’ Marjory O’Toole as they share the history of land use on the property and the results of the 2021 archaeological investigations. Learn what the documentary record and the archaeological data tell us (and don’t tell us) about the Collins family, about the ancient history of this part of Little Compton, and how this information is being used to help interpret one of two sites in Little Compton that are known to have been associated with eighteenth and nineteenth-century Afro-Indigenous families.

The Secrets of Cellar Holes project was funded in large part by .

Please be sure to share this with the local community pages. Help us spread the word about our first (of hopefully many) in person program! We hope to see you there.

The program will be recorded and we will make it available on our social media, but we need your help to get the word out there!

Thank you so much!

The Plainville Historical Commission presents:
Cowboy Town!

August 14, 2022. 4:00 PM.
Plainville town Hall main meeting room (Selectboard Meeting room, first floor. 190 South St. Plainville Ma.

Doors will open at 3:30. And visitors will have A chance to check out the Historical Commission’s display case in our meeting room on the second floor before the program starts.

Bottled Water will be made available and we will have time afterwards for guests to speak with members of the Commission and check out our Virtual Display board.
Purchased thanks to a grant from the Plainville Culture Council and donations from you. We will also be announcing our October, that we are cohosting with the Plainville Council on Aging.

Thank you so much for the continued support.

Join the Historical Commission!

The Town Manager is seeking Town Residents to serve on the following Boards and Commissions: | North Attleborough MA The Town Manager is seeking Town Residents to serve on the following Boards and Commissions: Board of Assessors C

Join the Fun and Celebrate Local History!

The North Attleboro Historical Commission will host an open house at the historic Holmes School and Memorial Hall:

Sunday, September 26
Noon to 3:00 PM
615-623 Hoppin Hill Avenue, North Attleboro
(Corner of Hoppin Hill Avenue and Holmes Road)

Activities include:
- Ring the bell at the Holmes One Room SchoolHouse
- Share the memories of going to school in the early 1950s with students who attended the school
- See the architect's plans for renovating Memorial Hall into a public meeting space. Hall will be open.
- Take pictures on a 1952 Farmall M farm tractor - 1952 was the year our schoolhouse closed.
- Enjoy seasonal refreshments

For more information on the property, visit: https://www.nattleboro.com/historical-commission/pages/holmes-schoolhouse-and-hall

The Town of North Attleborough is seeking residents to serve on the Historical Commission. The Commission is also seeking various volunteers, including those with experience in web design. Please contact the Town Manager's office if interested.

Do you ever drive by this round building and wonder what it is? 🤔 Check out one of our "Historic Gems" listed on the National Register of Historic Places! Built in 1865, the Attleborough Falls Gas Holder Building at 380 Elm Street is one of only six, documented, intact buildings of its type in Massachusetts. These round industrial buildings housed gas holders - or "gasometers" - which were storage tanks for coal gas, a popular industrial and domestic illuminant during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Learn more at our website!

https://www.nattleboro.com/historical-commission/pages/attleboro-falls-gasholder-building

Big thanks to 3805 Productions!

Tiny Town Gasholder Building

Beautiful model of Oldtown Church done by 3805 Productions! The Oldtown Historic District is rich in history nestled in the crossroads section of Old Post Road. Featuring not only the Oldtown Church, but the Powder House and many others notable landmarks, the National Registered District of Oldtown holds historical significance as the earliest town center in the old town of Attleborough (established in 1694)!

Learn more at our website!

https://www.nattleboro.com/historical-commission/pages/old-town

First Congregational Church,"Oldtown Church" - 3D model by 3805Productions [1d8a47b] - Sketchfab From the North Attleboro Historical Commission site: “The Old Town Historic District is a well-preserved rural Crossroads settlement on the Old Post Road that possesses Historical significance as the earliest town center in the old Town of Attleborough, as well as architectural significance fo...

Codding Farm - 3D model by 3805Productions [5cd13e7] - Sketchfab The Codding Farm is a historic farmstead at 217 High Street in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. The farmstead consists of three buildings on just under 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land. The main house was built c. 1833, and its main block is a 1.5 story center-chimney Cape style structure. The side gable....

We have had the most beautiful weather this week! Perfect for archaeologists to continue our Townwide Archaeological Survey. Holly Herbster from the Public Archaeology Laboratory was joined by Bill Collins for an exciting day of survey work. ☀️🌷

Today is Super Tuesday, when the greatest number of states (including Massachusetts) hold their Presidential primaries. That makes it the perfect time to remember one of North's most illustrious citizens - newspaperman, Congressman and Speaker of the House Joseph W. Martin, Jr. While many residents only know his last name (thanks to Martin Elementary School), he was once one of the most powerful politicians in the country. http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/north-attleboro-to-pay-tribute-to-most-famous-son-joseph/article_e300bf38-7d80-5b78-a678-61b6707c2d79.html

North Attleboro to pay tribute to most famous son, Joseph Martin NORTH ATTLEBORO -- On the night of Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1946, the Church Street office of The Evening Chronicle was buzzing.

Local Archaeology Day has attracted a large and enthusiastic group to talk to the archaeologists from Public Archaeology Lab. We're here until Noon today.

Good Morning! Had a fun visit to The Falls Fire Barn with Nancy Campbell and Holly Herbster yesterday in preperation for our Local Archaeology Day tomorrow at the Amvet School! Come on by from 9a-12p! ☀️

We would like to invite the public to attend our Local Archaeology Day this Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 9am – 12pm at the Amvet Boulevard Elementary School. This will be an opportunity to speak with the PAL (The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc.) archaeologists to ask questions, and express concerns! For more information and answers to commonly asked questions see below:

This town-wide archaeological reconnaissance survey is providing valuable information that will assist with cultural resource sensitivity planning.

PAL is not conducting ANY ground disturbing activities as part of the project; the goal is to identify known cultural sites and potential possible areas of sites from all periods of history so that the Town can help to protect and preserve them. Another goal is to help educate the community about its history stretching back 10,000 years, so that community members can be engaged in preserving their shared heritage.

PAL’s work includes consulting with community members and with local Native American individuals and tribes. We will not be collecting artifacts brought to the event, but will use this information to identify important cultural resources to protect and preserve if possible.

The project is being done under a State Archaeologist’s permit issued by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the state has oversight and is reviewing all project work. The permit requires that PAL’s archaeologists follow state and federal professional standards, as well as ethical standards that include supporting historic preservation. State oversight includes keeping specific locational information about archaeological sites confidential (except for property owners) in order to protect sites from damage.

Researchers seeking archeological information on North Attleboro NORTH ATTLEBORO -- Researchers from Public Archaeology Laboratory of Pawtucket are conducting an archaeological reconnaissance survey of North...

Have you ever wondered about the hidden history behind one of North's downtown landmarks? Jan.17, 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the 18th Amendment going into effect, banning the manufacture, transport and sale of alcohol in the United States. Also known as Prohibition, this was the start of an amazing era in US history that's come to be called the Roaring 20's. George W. Rhodes has written an article in The Sun Chronicle about this milestone and its effects in our area. Also read about the significance of the W.C.T.U. Fountain in Veteran's Park and how it relates to Prohibition below!

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/the-highs-and-lows-of-prohibition-historic-era-left-its/article_728ba814-d6db-5de6-ac91-ba6646563d51.html

The highs and lows of Prohibition: Historic era left its mark on area, nation Billy Sunday, an ex-Major League Baseball player turned evangelist and a popular, passionate preacher for Prohibition, threw an extravagant funeral for “John Barleycorn” in Norfolk, Va. on Jan. 16, 1920,

We are excited to invite you to our Local Archaeology Day on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 9am - 12pm at the Amvet Boulevard Elementary School! Meet with PAL archaeologists to ask questions, share your knowledge, and learn more about North!