Howland Mill Village Historic District

Howland Mill Village is a compact neighborhood of about 9.9 acres in the southern part of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Howland Mill Corporation built most of it in 1888-1890 as housing for its workers, with several double-deckers added on open parcels between about 1915 and 1925. The district holds 98 resources, 72 of them contributing, mostly small wood-frame cottages in four basic types: gable-end, jerkin-front, and two gambrel-roofed variations. Their designs draw on Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, including patterned shingles, clipped gables and classical porch columns. The cottages sit at varied angles along curving streets, surrounded by small fenced yards, vegetable gardens and grape arbors. Planned as a pleasant village rather than a block of tenements, the layout contrasts with typical mill housing in the city. Over time the residents shifted from English, Irish and French-Canadian families to largely Portuguese ones, and the area remains part of the city's Portuguese community.