{"nrhp_refnum":"11000359","name":"Franklin County Fairgrounds","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"85 Wisdom Way (formerly 89)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Greenfield","county":"Franklin County","state":"MA","lat":42.58077200000005,"lon":-72.61273062593982,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-06-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 27.72-acre county fairgrounds district at 89 Wisdom Way in Greenfield, Massachusetts, in use since 1876, with exhibition buildings, animal barns, concession stands, a racetrack and a Mission-style entrance gate built in 1917.","why_significant":"The fairgrounds has hosted the Franklin County agricultural fair since 1876 and still reflects that function through its buildings, racetrack and open layout. Its buildings, built from 1899 into the 1950s, show how the fair grew over time. The Roundhouse was designed and built by Frank Orrin Wells in 1899, and the 1917 gate was also built with his support. The fair carried on the county agricultural society's aim of promoting farming improvement.","narrative":"Franklin County Fairgrounds, on Wisdom Way in Greenfield, Massachusetts, is a 27.72-acre site that has hosted the county agricultural fair since 1876. The grounds hold 26 contributing and 10 noncontributing resources, including exhibition halls, animal barns, concession stands, a half-mile dirt racetrack and a wide midway. The oldest surviving building is the two-story, round Roundhouse of 1899, designed and built by Frank Orrin Wells. Wells also supported the Mission-style entrance gate of 1917, a stuccoed wood-frame structure with two three-story towers and clay tile roofs. Barns from about 1910 to 1940 and several red-painted buildings from the 1950s, including the large Dole Building and many church and club food stands, give the grounds a unified look. The fair grew out of the agricultural society's goal of promoting farming improvement through livestock and produce exhibits. Newer buildings, such as the 1980s grandstand, are classed as noncontributing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Frank Orrin (Frank O.) Wells (Roundhouse, 1899; entrance gate, 1917)","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals, Mission","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a fairgrounds; some buildings house the agricultural society's offices and a museum, and the racetrack hosts motor vehicle events.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:10:51.851334-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/7950/63795068/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/11000359.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000359/2e5ca00a7f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000359/2e5ca00a7f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GreenfieldMA_FranklinCountyFairgroundGate.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:GreenfieldMA_FranklinCountyFairgroundGate.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795068","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County_Fairgrounds","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5491403"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/franklin-county/franklin-county-fairgrounds-11000359/"}