{"nrhp_refnum":"89000522","name":"Richard, Stephen, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"239--241 Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.06842681400008,"lon":-72.03596381299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half story, five-bay, center-entry frame house at 239-241 Elm Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts, dated ca. 1865 from maps and visual analysis. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its link to the town's mid-19th century real estate development and for its traditional gable-block form. It was the home of Stephen Richard, the first Franco-American industrialist and first Franco-American voter in Southbridge. It meets criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Located at 239-241 Elm Street in Southbridge, this two-and-a-half story, five-bay, center-entry house follows the traditional New England house type. Dated to about 1865, it has double chimneys, a compact plan and a steep gable roof. Its design is plain, with a small front porch with jig saw trim and a double-deck side porch with exterior stairs added in the 1880s. Such side porches were common in late-19th century Southbridge and are believed to be of French Canadian origin, which suits a neighborhood then known as Little Canada. The house first appears clearly on an 1878 map as the property of S. Richard. Stephen Richard founded a cutlery manufactory in 1862 and later formed the Richard Manufacturing Company with his two sons. He became an American citizen in 1865, and his example encouraged other French Canadians to follow. The house was listed for its connection to local development and its traditional form.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good; present use is residential.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.74736-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/7934/63793459/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000522.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000522/57079cbd49-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000522/57079cbd49-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SouthbridgeMA_StephenRichardHouse.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:SouthbridgeMA_StephenRichardHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793459","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Richard_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7610365"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/richard-stephen-house-89000522/"}