{"nrhp_refnum":"86000492","name":"Edward's Plain-Dowse's Corner Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"N. Main St. between Eliot and Everett Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sherborn","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.253610000000066,"lon":-71.36814968905247,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Agriculture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A linear historic district of 33 buildings and an early cemetery along North Main Street (Route 27) in Sherborn, Massachusetts, covering about 87 acres and dating from roughly 1750 to 1900.","why_significant":"The district is described as a well-preserved enclave of 18th and 19th century buildings that grew into a centre of light manufacturing after the Revolution. It was home to tanners, whipmakers, shoe manufacturers, gunmakers and edge-tool makers, many linked to the Dowse family. The nomination says it keeps integrity of setting, design, materials and association, and has archaeological potential for early industrial sites.","narrative":"Along North Main Street in Sherborn, Massachusetts, a string of 33 buildings and an old burial ground forms a semirural district of about 87 acres. Most buildings are wood-frame houses of no more than two and a half stories, ranging from a Georgian residence of about 1750 to a single Queen Anne house of 1880. Federal and Greek Revival styles dominate, reflecting prosperity between the Revolution and the Civil War. The area grew into a node of light manufacturing, with tanners, whipmakers, blacksmiths, gunmakers, cider makers and shoe manufacturers working here. Members of the Dowse family, for whom Dowse's Corner is named, built six houses during the 1840-1860 building boom and ran shoe and whip businesses. A stone edge-tool factory of 1796, a schoolhouse and a cider mill survive, now mostly converted to homes. Only two buildings are considered intrusions. The district was recognised for its intact setting, its architecture, its links to local families and its potential archaeological sites.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Ebenezer Mann, Sherborn's master builder, is named as builder of the Lemuel Leland House; no overall architect is given.","architectural_style":"Georgian vernacular, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne","criteria":["A","B","C","D"],"status_note":"General condition is stated as excellent; the district is now primarily residential, and 31 of 33 buildings contribute.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.440064-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7922/63792266/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000492.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000492/21775e1af5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000492/21775e1af5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SherbornMA_EdwardsPlainDowsesCornerHD.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:SherbornMA_EdwardsPlainDowsesCornerHD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792266","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward%27s_Plain%E2%80%93Dowse%27s_Corner_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5341415"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/edwards-plain-dowses-corner-historic-district-86000492/"}