{"nrhp_refnum":"08000950","name":"West Chesterfield Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"1-70 Ireland St. and unnumbered lots, 620-669 Main Rd., section of Cummington Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chesterfield","county":"Hampshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.40266650000004,"lon":-72.87780965551835,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-09-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Community Planning and Development","Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A village historic district in West Chesterfield, in the town of Chesterfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, in the Westfield River valley. It holds 45 contributing resources, mostly 19th-century houses, barns, and mill and industrial sites, along with a bridge, cemetery, and river landscape.","why_significant":"The visible portion of the nomination describes a village that grew around waterpower and small-scale industry along the Westfield River and its West Branch. Its buildings run from Federal Capes to Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. The significance statement covers settlement, turnpike and stagecoach transport, and an Early Industrial period (1830-1870) of mills, shops and a general store. The truncated text does not state the criteria or period of significance.","narrative":"West Chesterfield is a village district in the Westfield River valley in the hill country of western Massachusetts, about three miles northwest of Chesterfield Center and roughly 700 feet lower in elevation. The district contains 45 contributing resources, mainly 19th-century houses, barns and mill-related sites, plus the 1948 West Chesterfield Bridge, a cemetery and the river itself. Federal-style Capes such as the Bryant and Robinson houses sit alongside Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings. The village's importance rests on its role as a small industrial and transportation node. A turnpike toll gate and later stagecoach traffic passed through, and men with mechanical skills ran sawmills, tanneries, foundries and woodworking shops on the river and West Branch. Mill owners tried canals, water wheels, steam and electrical power to keep a steady source of energy. Buildings like the Thayer Brothers General Store and the Rhoades and Porter Plane Handle Shop reflect that working past.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal; Mid 19th C.: Greek Revival, Italianate; Late Victorian: Queen Anne; Late 19th & 20th Century Revival: Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Current functions include single dwellings, a post office, a cemetery and river landscape. The Thayer Brothers General Store basement is described as in process of restoration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.637331-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/7954/63795425/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/08000950.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000950/fcff8d0365-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000950/fcff8d0365-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChesterfieldMA_WestChesterfield_632MainStreet.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795425","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Chesterfield_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16903099"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampshire-county/west-chesterfield-historic-district-08000950/"}