Gowing-Sheldon Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Two farmhouses and their barns face each other across Woburn Street, one of Wilmington's earliest roads, on about 1.22 acres that were once rural. The house at 642 Woburn Street dates to about 1809 and is a Federal style dwelling with a granite block foundation. It is unusually four bays wide and only one room deep, and it keeps its connection to a bank barn. Across the road, the Queen Anne house at 643 was built about 1893 for Lucy and Henry Sheldon Jr. Its carriage barn shows Shingle Style details, such as a curved ventilator and conical hoods, that are rare in Wilmington. The houses were home to related families who settled close to one another along the old road, a pattern also seen in the nearby Buck's Corner district. The district was listed for its architecture and its role in local community development. The form also notes a possibility of surviving Native American and farm-related archaeological remains, including an early shoe shop site.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | ca. 1809 - 1953 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Early Republic/Federal; Late Victorian/Queen Anne (with Shingle Style carriage barn) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Gowing-Sheldon Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.