{"nrhp_refnum":"89000561","name":"Evangelical Free Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Hamilton St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.08215495700006,"lon":-72.04100613999998,"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 brick church on Hamilton Street in Southbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, built in 1869 for the Evangelical Free Church congregation. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for its association with the town's industrial expansion and the growth and diversification of public buildings at mid-century. It is one of three churches built in Southbridge in 1869 and the only brick one. Its transitional Romanesque Revival and Victorian Gothic design is typical of Central Massachusetts churches built after 1860.","narrative":"Built in 1869 on Hamilton Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts, this brick church was home to the Evangelical Free Church congregation and is now used by an Episcopal church. It was one of three churches erected in the town that year, and the only one of brick; St. Mary's Catholic Church and the first Notre Dame Catholic Church were wood. The design is chiefly Romanesque, shown in paneled nave walls, brick corbelling, round arches and a stocky bell tower, with Victorian Gothic touches such as a high-pitched spire with polychromatic slate roofing and a large projecting entrance overdoor. The congregation was organized in 1854 by the agent and managers of the Hamilton Woolen Company and met in Unity Hall until the building was finished. Although called non-denominational, it was classed as Congregational, and locals sometimes called it the Mill Church. A parish house was added in 1958. Its listing rests on ties to the town's industrial growth and on its architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Transitional Romanesque Revival/Victorian Gothic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good; now used as an Episcopal church, with a parish house addition built in 1958 and doors replaced in the late 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.312354-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7935/63793555/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000561.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000561/7183ae8b63-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000561/7183ae8b63-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evangelical_Free_Church,_Southbridge,_MA_-_DSC02659.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evangelical_Free_Church,_Southbridge,_MA_-_DSC02659.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793555","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Episcopal_Church_(Southbridge,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5415675"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/evangelical-free-church-89000561/"}