{"nrhp_refnum":"90000054","name":"Luther's Corner","other_names":["See Also:Luther Store"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Old Warren and Pierce Rds.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Swansea","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.744991963000075,"lon":-71.22372417199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small historic district of four buildings at the crossroads of Old Warren Road, Maple Avenue and Pearse Road in Swansea, Massachusetts. The buildings date from about 1800 to 1871 and cover about 1.5 acres.","why_significant":"The district was the commercial center of Swansea from about 1830 to the turn of the 20th century, growing up around a stage stop and tavern on the main road. It keeps a cohesive group of 19th century commercial and residential buildings with similar architectural details. The nomination cites Criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Luther's Corner is a four-building crossroads district in Swansea, Massachusetts, where Old Warren Road, Maple Avenue and Pearse Road meet. Its buildings include the James Luther Tavern, built about 1800 to 1812, the John Brown-Luther House of about 1811, the brick Luther Store of 1815 to 1818, and the Seth Wilbur Eddy House and Store of about 1871. Most are Federal in style, and the Eddy building is vernacular. The corner grew up around a stage stop on the Great Road to Warren, Rhode Island, and later became the town's main commercial center. The Luther family ran the tavern and the store, which operated until 1903 and still holds its original fixtures. The Eddy store housed the post office from 1889 to 1907. Trolley service replaced a central green in 1901, and traffic now dominates the intersection. The buildings remain well preserved and mostly residential, and they recall the village's 19th century commercial life.","period_of_significance":"1800-1907","architect_builder":"Mace Luther (built the Luther Store)","architectural_style":"Federal; vernacular (Eddy House and Store)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Residential use; general condition stated as good. The buildings are well maintained. The Luther Store is owned by the Swansea Historical Society.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.573021-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7896/63789675/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000054.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000054/799b035956-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000054/799b035956-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luther%27s_Corner.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luther%27s_Corner.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789675","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther%27s_Corner","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6705468"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/luthers-corner-90000054/"}