{"nrhp_refnum":"96001465","name":"North Chester Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Rougly bounded by E. River, Smith, and N. Chester Rds.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chester","county":"Hampshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.32644650000006,"lon":-72.93492901709429,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Community Planning and Development","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small 19th-century hilltown village district in Chester, Hampden County, Massachusetts, along the Middle Branch of the Westfield River. It covers about 282.5 acres of homes, a chapel, a former school, a cemetery, mill sites and an 1887 iron truss bridge.","why_significant":"The district keeps its 19th-century rural village appearance, with few changes since 1909-1910. It documents the area's settlement, its mills and small industries, and the travel along East River Road. Its buildings show how traditional forms persisted in modest Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival styles, and it has high archaeological potential.","narrative":"North Chester is a small village district in Chester, Massachusetts, set in a valley where the Middle Branch of the Westfield River runs northwest to southeast. Houses, barns, a chapel, a former schoolhouse, a cemetery with about 46 headstones, stone walls and an 1887 iron truss bridge are spread widely through a rural landscape of fields and woodland. Among the notable buildings are the Cushman Tavern of about 1773, the Greek Revival James Elder and John Stevens houses, the Gothic Revival Howe House of about 1860, and the 1909 chapel. The village grew around mills established by the Stevens family, later run by the Plunkett brothers, and around Elbridge Howe's bedstead factory. East River Road served as a main route between Pittsfield and Springfield, which supported an inn. Remains of mill dams and factory foundations give the area high archaeological potential. Little construction since 1909-1910 has preserved its 19th-century character.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Iron bridge designed by Richard Hawkins of Springfield (1887); stone walls built by Amos Cone","architectural_style":"Colonial/Georgian; Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival/Gothic Revival; 20th Century Revival/Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Properties in the district are described as in good condition. The district retains its 19th-century hilltown village appearance.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.378107-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/85/7953/63795385/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/96001465.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001465/4edec6f586-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001465/4edec6f586-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChesterMA_NorthChesterHD.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:ChesterMA_NorthChesterHD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795385","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Chester_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7054797"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampshire-county/north-chester-historic-district-96001465/"}