{"nrhp_refnum":"76000307","name":"South Lancaster Engine House","other_names":["South Lancaster Fire Station"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"283 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"South Lancaster","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.44333252900003,"lon":-71.68464767299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-10-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame fire station at 283 South Main Street in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, built by the Town of Lancaster in 1887-1888 and designed by C.A. Woodruff.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant as the earliest fire station in the area still used for its original purpose. It was built to serve the town's municipal fire department, which was organized in 1848. It has been in continuous use as a fire station since completion.","narrative":"Standing on half an acre in the center of South Lancaster, this two-story fire station was built by the town between 1887 and 1888. Town Meeting voted $3,500 for it in June 1887, and a building committee oversaw the work. C.A. Woodruff was paid $45 as architect, C.H. Harris received $2,000 for construction, and H.F. Hosmer received $1,445 for finish work. The clapboard building has a hipped roof, a shingled belt with an imbricated pattern, a bracketed cornice, and a center tower with an open bell housing above three round-arched windows. Inside, the ground floor holds space for two engines, with a large open hall upstairs. It has served as a fire station continuously since completion, and the original swinging doors were the only major change, replaced by overhead doors. It is recognized as the earliest fire station in the area still used for its original purpose.","period_of_significance":"1888","architect_builder":"C.A. Woodruff (architect); C.H. Harris (builder/contractor); H.F. Hosmer (finish work)","architectural_style":"Eclectic (data sheet also notes Eastlake elements and possibly Queen Anne)","criteria":[],"status_note":"In excellent condition and in continuous use as a fire station; the only noted change is replacement of the original swinging doors with overhead doors.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.39725-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/7975/63797526/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000307.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000307/a3320a4743-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000307/a3320a4743-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Lancaster_Engine_House,_South_Lancaster_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Lancaster_Engine_House,_South_Lancaster_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797526","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Lancaster_Engine_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7567794"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/south-lancaster-engine-house-76000307/"}