{"nrhp_refnum":"02000378","name":"Groton Leatherboard Company","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"6 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Groton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.602344763000076,"lon":-71.62711254399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-04-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former leatherboard mill complex at 6 West Main Street in West Groton, Massachusetts, built around a 1915 red brick mill with brick additions from 1926, 1928 and 1936, beside the Squannacook River.","why_significant":"The complex stands on a mill site used since at least 1765 and was the home of the Groton Leatherboard Company, incorporated in 1899 by local residents. It shows early 20th century industrial architecture and the leatherboard industry, which supplied materials for shoe heels. The listing is as a district with seven contributing buildings.","narrative":"This former leatherboard mill complex at 6 West Main Street in West Groton, Massachusetts, centers on a red brick mill built in 1915 and expanded with brick additions in 1926, 1928 and 1936. Shaped roughly like a lowercase \"h,\" it sits between the Squannacook River and an abandoned Boston and Maine rail line. The buildings are plain and utilitarian, with segmental-arched windows, radiating brick voussoirs, concrete sills and tar-and-gravel roofs. Designers included Ira W. Jones, the engineers Cole and Kimball, and K.F. Kimball. The site has hosted mills since at least 1765, including saw, grist and carding mills, before a strawboard mill of about 1875 switched to leatherboard. The Groton Leatherboard Company was incorporated in 1899 by local men. Leatherboard, made from shredded leather scraps and fibers, was widely used in the shoe industry, especially for built-up heels. The complex is now vacant, and a General Electric generator remains in the motor house.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Ira W. Jones of Milton, New Hampshire (1915 main mill); Cole and Kimball of Boston (1926 and 1928 buildings); K.F. Kimball (1936 additions); Jenks & Ballou of Providence, Rhode Island (office addition, now demolished)","architectural_style":"Early 20th century industrial architecture (modestly detailed, utilitarian red brick)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; some later additions and outbuildings were demolished in 2001 as part of a certified rehabilitation.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.976461-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/7957/63795788/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/02000378.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000378/2420e1850b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000378/2420e1850b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrotonMA_LeatherboardCompany_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrotonMA_LeatherboardCompany_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795788","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groton_Leatherboard_Company","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5610769"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/groton-leatherboard-company-02000378/"}