Mendon Center Historic District

Mendon Center is a village and farmland district of about 400 acres in southeastern Worcester County, Massachusetts. Settled in the late 17th century, it grew into a prosperous community in the early 19th century, when nearby textile mills brought new wealth. Its most prominent building is the Second Unitarian Church, designed by Worcester architect Elias Carter and completed in 1820, with a Tuscan portico and a three-stage tower. Large Federal and Greek Revival houses, small cottages, farmhouses and two brick office buildings built for Seth Hastings show the village's layout and range of building types. Granite walls, hitching posts and curbing, stone field walls and old cemeteries add to the setting. Mendon lost much of its territory to new towns and became known as the 'Mother of Towns'. Little was built in the late 19th century, and the town later gained a name as a quiet country retreat. The district reflects that long agricultural and village history.