{"nrhp_refnum":"99000134","name":"West Stockbridge Grange No. 246","other_names":["Methodist Episcopal Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5 Swamp Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Stockbridge","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.33592460700004,"lon":-73.36804914199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-02-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Entertainment/Recreation","Agriculture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half story Greek Revival temple-style building at 5 Swamp Road in West Stockbridge, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It was built in 1838 as a Methodist Episcopal church and later became a grange hall.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an outstanding local example of Greek Revival temple-style architecture in a small building and the oldest surviving church building in West Stockbridge. It is also significant for its long use by the Patrons of Husbandry for educational, social and ceremonial activities, including Pomona fifth degree ceremonies.","narrative":"Built in 1838 as a Methodist Episcopal church, this Greek Revival building at 5 Swamp Road in West Stockbridge is a one-and-a-half story wooden temple-form structure with a pedimented front gable, flat corner pilasters, Gothic-arched windows and a standing seam metal roof. It sits on a foundation of local marble, granite and fieldstone. The Methodist congregation closed the church in 1910, and the building stood vacant until local members of the Patrons of Husbandry bought it and converted the interior to a grange hall, opening it in 1919. Pews were removed, a stage was built and a kitchen was added, and a painted advertising drop curtain still hangs on the stage. A small rear addition dates from 1970. The building is considered locally significant as the oldest surviving church in town and a well-preserved example of its style. It also has long been home to grange meetings, education, entertainment and Pomona fifth degree ceremonies, and it remains in grange use.","period_of_significance":"1838-1948","architect_builder":"Astore, John (1970 addition)","architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a grange hall; exterior largely unaltered since the 1918-19 conversion apart from a 1970 rear addition and a temporary ramp.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.869903-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/16/7941/63794116/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/99000134.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000134/2d5e25d8a8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000134/2d5e25d8a8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Stockbridge_Grange_No._246,_West_Stockbridge_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Stockbridge_Grange_No._246,_West_Stockbridge_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794116","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Stockbridge_Grange_No._246","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986586"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/west-stockbridge-grange-no-246-99000134/"}