Rockport Downtown Main Street Historic District

Rockport's downtown Main Street district covers 28 buildings along the curve of Main Street beside Sandy Bay, plus a few on Cleaves and Jewett Streets. Most are commercial, joined by three churches, a library, inns, guest houses and several residences. Styles range from Federal houses of the early 1800s to Italianate and Mansard commercial blocks, a Gothic-inspired church and a Richardsonian Romanesque hall. The First Congregational Church, with its cornerstone laid in 1803, is the focal point. Beside it are the Jewett House of 1806 and the home of the first pastor, whose original section dates to 1753. The 1787 Tavern was a stagecoach depot and the scene of the 1856 Hannah Jumper hatchet raid on illegal liquor sellers. The Carnegie Library and Granite Savings Bank were built of local Rockport granite. The district is significant as the center of early settlement and for the growth of a parish into a commercial area. Buildings are mostly two to three stories, with alterations mainly to storefronts.