Cushman Village Historic District

Cushman Village is a compact mill settlement in northeast Amherst, Massachusetts, set along the Mill River below the Holyoke Range. Its houses are mostly modest wood-frame cottages and gable-front residences, with Greek Revival the dominant style, lasting into the 1880s. Two small Georgian-era cottages from about 1760 and 1770 are the oldest buildings. Small barns, garages and poultry sheds recall the link between farming and manufacturing. The village grew around mills that made wrapping paper, strawboard and leatherboard, run chiefly by the Cushman and Roberts families, who inventively used broom corn stalks and scrap leather. The railroad reached the village in 1866 and carried raw materials and finished goods. No mill buildings remain, but a dam, penstock, wheelhouse and foundations survive beside the river. Vacant lots and generous side yards add to the feel of a small workers' village. The district was listed for its architecture and its industrial history, with a period of significance from about 1760 to 1940.