Southbridge Historical Commission
Members:
Helen Lenti, Secretary
Evelyn Petrelli, Treasurer
Fred Morin
Bruce Newlands
Stephanie Cyr
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Mailing address:
Town Hall
Historical Commission
41 Elm Street
Southbridge, MA 01550
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Meetings:
Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m.
in the Recreational office at Town Hall (Second Floor, off MacKinnon Room.
Meetings are open to the public.
Meeting Minutes may be viewed by clicking here.
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About us
The Southbridge Historical Commission was established in 1973.
The Bi-Centennial Committee accepted the Bi-Centennial Plan in 1974.
The research commenced on the walking tour of historical sites, in 1977. John O. Curtis, Director of the
Curatorial Department of Old Sturbridge Village was engaged to make the architectural comments in conjunction
with the Southbridge Historical Commission.
Copies of "A Walk Through Globe Village and Along Hamilton Street" and "A Walk Through the Centre Village
in Southbridge", written by John O Curtis, are available for consultation at the Jacob Edwards Library, in
the reference section. Both articles were published in a special supplement to The Evening News in 1978.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded a one-thousand dollar grant in conjunction with
matching funding provided by The Chamber of Commerce to hire a consultant to work with property owners for
re-use of historic buildings. The firm of Anderson, Notter, Feingold, Inc. was hired by the Commission.
In 1979 a plaque was placed on Dennison Rock. In the same year, the same section of Main Street known as
'Centre Village' was recorded on the National Register.
An area survey of High and Sayles Streets was conducted in 1981. Eileen Woodford was engaged to conduct an
Inventory of the Cultural Resources of Southbridge, in 1984.
In conjunction with the Quinebaug Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor walks have been
conducted by Steven K. Brady of the Commission during the Annual Walking Weekends in the month of October.
The Commission took an active part in encouraging the owners of the former American Optical plant to
conserve the façade of the Main Plant on Mechanic Street in the newly configured hotel and conference center.
Previous members of the Historical Commission include:
- Peter Preble
- Robert Tremblay
- Arthur McGovern
- Edward J Phillips
- Vincent Walsh
- Helen E. Walkowiak
- Paul Mills
- Albert LePain
- Alex Prokos
- Lori Slepchuk
- Edward Paquette Sr.
- Steven K Brady
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- Jeanne McKinstry
- Robert Bullard
- Beatrice Shields
- Raymond Gauthier
- Edward Baldyga
- Arthur Kavanagh
- Donna Silverberg
- Kevin Buxton
- Keith Vezeau
- Margaret Morrissey
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The Well Maintained Property Award was instituted in 2000.
The Commission sought a way to recognize the work done by some property owners to improve the
façades of some historic properties in the downtown area.
Membership of: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Published Historical Information about Southbridge:
- Davis, George
Historical Sketch of Sturbridge and Southbridge
West Brookfield, Mass, Press of O. S. Cooke, 1856
- Ammidown, Holmes
Historical Collections of Southbridge
New York, Published by the Author, Vol. 1, 1874.
- Plimpton, Moses
History of Southbridge
Southbridge, Journal Steam Book Print, 1882
- Chase, Levi B.,
Southbridge
Extracted from: The History of Worcester County by Hurd
Vol.2, 1889
- Quinabaug Historical Society Leaflets
3 vols. Presented as lectures to the members 1890s to 1917.
- Gillon, Edmund, V. Jr.
A New England Town in Early Photographs 149 Illustrations of Southbridge.
New York, Dover Publications, 1976
- Woodford, Eileen
Inventory of the Cultural Resources of Southbridge, Massachusetts
Southbridge Historical Commission, 1984
- Moore, John and Steven Brady
Southbridge: Images of America
Charleston, SC, Arcadia Press, 2001
- Memories of Southbridge, 2002
Video of Southbridge: recording oral histories, archival photographs and 8mm film
- Southbridge Evening News, The Evening News, Southbridge Journal and Southbridge Press are
available on microfilm.
All of the above materials are available at the Jacob Edwards Library.
Some of the items are for use in the library only and may require a photo id to obtain access.
Well Maintained Historic Property Awards
During the year 2000, the Historical Commission were looking for a way to recognize the work done by
some property owners to improve the façades of some historic properties in the downtown area. In keeping
with the mission and purpose of encouraging preservation, conservation and restoration the group was seeking
a way to formally commend the tireless work being put into some buildings around town. These buildings were
contributing to the physical improvement of the downtown area thus arresting the urban blight. After some
deliberation, the Commission devised a set of guidelines that would effectively become the Well Maintained
Historic Property Awards.
- The buildings being considered for the award would be located in the town of Southbridge.
- The building had to be more than fifty years old.
- The property would have significantly contributed to the physical improvement of the community.
- The property would need to be restored or maintained to the style and character of the period when the house was built.
The official name for the awards was not devised until 2002, proposed by Steven Brady.
A Nomination Form for the Well Maintained Property Award may
be obtained by clicking the link, or right click and select "Save target as..." from the menu that will
appear to save the document to your desktop for printing later.
2000 Well Maintained Historic Property Award, Southbridge
- 398-400 Main Street - Gabriel McCarthy and Margaret Morrissey
2001 Well Maintained Historic Property Award, Southbridge
- 64 South Street - Nicholas and Lori Slepchuk
- 561 South Street - Richard Harwood and Helen Graf Harwood
- 42 Edward Street - Scott and Madelyn Burden
- 236 Main Street - Jacob Edwards Library
2002 Well Maintained Historic Property Award, Southbridge
Single Family:
- 62 Elm Street - Larry Boutillette and Maria Colon
This house was built for Jacob Booth a local merchant.
For proper maintenance of a historic building
- 23 Oakes Avenue - Raymond Beaudreault
For proper maintenance of a historic building
Multi Family:
- 67 South Street - John Phipps and Denise Leveille Phipps
For restoration and renovation of the façade of the building.
Commercial Category:
- 14 South Street - Gabriel McCarthy and Margaret Morrissey
For restoration and renovation work done to maintain and enhance
the building's original features.
- 270 Main Street - Savers Bank - built 1871
For restoration and renovation work to the Ammidown building.
This major renovation job restored elements such as the dormer windows on the top floor,
and the removal of a mid-twentieth century store front.
2003 Well Maintained Historic Property Award, Southbridge
Right Click here to download the 2003 Well Maintained Property Award
presentation, in Microsoft PowerPoint format (830k), or here for a text
version in MS Word format (191k). Select "Save target as..." and browse to the location
you wish to save the document to. If you wish, you may simply left-click the link to open the document in a
new browser window. Simply close the new window when you are finished viewing/printing the presentation.
Commercial
- Southbridge Associates
Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center
14 Mechanic Street, Southbridge
Formerly the site of main plant of the American Optical Company. Built 1900-1935.
Listed NRHP 1984
- Peter and Deborah Des Forges
856 Main Street, Southbridge
Known as the Alden building. Built circa 1880. Listed on NRHP 1986.
High Victorian Gothic style.
Two Family
- Colleen and George Douglas
52 Marcy Street, Southbridge
Known as the EB Cummings House. Built circa 1873. Listed on NRHP 1986.
Italianate/Greek Revival style.
Multifamily
- Daniel and Michell Matte
173 Everett Street, Southbridge
Built circa 1900. Not listed on NRHP. Victoria style.
Singlefamily
- Dennis and Donna Allard
107 Cliff Street, Southbridge
Built circa 1885. Not listed NRHP. Victoria Cottage with Stick style porch.
Farm divided by landowner Mr. Clark.
What You Need to Know about Listing on the National Register
Any property owner who wishes to have their historic building recorded on the Massachusetts
Historic Register can obtain information and forms from the following link on the state web site:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/knowhow3.pdf
To learn more information about the Massachusetts Preservation Program:
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/mhchpp/hppidx.htm
Massachusetts Historical Commission Homepage:
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/mhcidx.htm
The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) provides access to available
information on historic properties throughout the state. The database is compiled from a variety of
records and files maintained by the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Searches can be done by town and for Southbridge specifically. The lists may be configured by areas or
districts within the town, for example Globe Village.
Access the site at http://mhc-mcris.net/
Another online source of information on the historical properties is available at:
http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/massachusetts/southbridge/travel
Information submitted by Margaret Morrissey
on behalf of the Southbridge Historical Commission, December 20th, 2002.
Latest update March, 2008.
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