West Chesterfield Historic District

West Chesterfield is a village district in the Westfield River valley in the hill country of western Massachusetts, about three miles northwest of Chesterfield Center and roughly 700 feet lower in elevation. The district contains 45 contributing resources, mainly 19th-century houses, barns and mill-related sites, plus the 1948 West Chesterfield Bridge, a cemetery and the river itself. Federal-style Capes such as the Bryant and Robinson houses sit alongside Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings. The village's importance rests on its role as a small industrial and transportation node. A turnpike toll gate and later stagecoach traffic passed through, and men with mechanical skills ran sawmills, tanneries, foundries and woodworking shops on the river and West Branch. Mill owners tried canals, water wheels, steam and electrical power to keep a steady source of energy. Buildings like the Thayer Brothers General Store and the Rhoades and Porter Plane Handle Shop reflect that working past.