{"nrhp_refnum":"66000654","name":"Goddard Rocket Launching Site","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Ninth fairway, Pakachoag Golf Course, Pakachoag Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Auburn","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.21873793785399,"lon":-71.81195023214147,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-11-13","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1966-11-13","areas_of_significance":["Science","Invention"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A site in Auburn, Worcester County, Massachusetts, where Robert H. Goddard launched the first successful liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926. It was then an open field on the Asa Ward farm and is now on the ninth fairway of the Pakachoag Golf Course.","why_significant":"The site commemorates the world's first successful liquid-fueled rocket launch, the practical culmination of Goddard's experiments at Auburn in the 1920s. His final Auburn launch in 1929 carried the first instrumented payload and brought publicity that led to Guggenheim support. The form designates it a National Historic Landmark in the areas of science and invention.","narrative":"This open ground in Auburn, Massachusetts, was once part of the Asa Ward farm, where physicist Robert H. Goddard used a relative's field as an outdoor laboratory. On March 16, 1926, he launched the world's first successful liquid-fueled rocket there. The ten-foot rocket reached 41 feet, flew for 2.5 seconds and landed 184 feet away. His last Auburn launch, on July 17, 1929, carried a barometer, thermometer and camera, all recovered. The noise and reports of an explosion drew publicity that brought him to the attention of Charles Lindbergh, who later helped secure Guggenheim support. The farm became the Pakachoag Golf Course in 1929-31. The launch point lies midway between the tee and green on the ninth fairway and is marked by a four-foot granite obelisk. A second marker, placed by the American Rocket Society in 1960, stands near Upland Street. The landmark boundary is a 200-foot-radius circle centered on the obelisk.","period_of_significance":"1926","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Site and both markers are described as in excellent condition. The site is part of a commercial golf course, open to the public during regular operating hours, and little altered except for its plant materials.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.647347-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/7939/63793911/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000654_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000654/b9853963bb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000654/b9853963bb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Esther C. Goddard","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goddard_and_Rocket.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Esther C. Goddard</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goddard_and_Rocket.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793911","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddard_Rocket_Launching_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5576259"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/goddard-rocket-launching-site-66000654/"}