{"nrhp_refnum":"82000480","name":"West Parish Center District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"MA 133","address_restricted":false,"city":"Andover","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.65888750000005,"lon":-71.1662142464472,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-10-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A district of about 90 acres and 28 properties in Andover, Massachusetts, centered on the West Parish Church, a burying ground, and clustered 18th and early 19th century farmhouses west of the Shawsheen River.","why_significant":"The district is significant for its associations with western Andover's agricultural and religious development. It is also notable for residential and ecclesiastical buildings in the Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles. It retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship and setting.","narrative":"West Parish Center is a rural district in western Andover, Massachusetts, covering roughly 90 acres and 28 properties. For nearly three centuries it has been the social and religious focus of the area west of the Shawsheen River. Simple farmhouses from the 18th and early 19th centuries cluster around a granite Federal-style church, dedicated in 1826, and a burying ground with graves dating from the 1790s. Around 1908 manufacturer William Wood financed improvements to the cemetery, including a monumental arch and a small chapel. Houses range from Federal and Greek Revival to a Queen Anne/Eastlake design and a single 1920s Bungalow. Most families were farmers, with shoemakers also common, and the Andover Grange, organized in 1890, served farmers' interests. Later capes fill in former farmland, but the district remains well preserved. It was listed for its link to the agricultural and religious development of western Andover and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1750-1875","architect_builder":"Moses Parker, housewright (built his own house, 1829); Jacob Chickering (possible designer of the Rev. Samuel Jackson House)","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival (also Queen Anne/Eastlake and Bungalow examples)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, privately owned and residential in use; the church remains a house of worship.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.42235-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/7901/63790162/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82000480.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000480/4966bb67c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000480/4966bb67c6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AndoverMA_WestParishCommon.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:AndoverMA_WestParishCommon.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790162","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Parish_Center_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716004"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/west-parish-center-district-82000480/"}