Washburn Square-Leicester Common Historic District (Additional Documentation)

Leicester's town common and the streets around it form a compact historic district on high ground once called Strawberry Hill. The 2.3-acre common is bordered by Washburn Square, Main Street and Paxton Street. Along the north side stand the First Congregational Church, the Town Hall and the Unitarian Church, while stately houses face the common from the south side of Main Street. The oldest buildings date to the late 1700s, including the 1789 Darius Cutting House and the 1791 Col. Thomas Denny, Jr. House. Brick Federal buildings such as the 1813 David McFarland House and the 1809 Daniel McFarland Store show the wealth of early residents. The present arrangement of the common and its institutions came from an intentional town-planning effort between about 1826 and 1831. Because Route 9 bypassed this stretch of Main Street in 1931, the area keeps a quiet, mid-19th century appearance. Several buildings now serve Becker College, and newer college buildings are excluded or counted as noncontributing.