Hebronville Mill Historic District
Why it's listed
Hebronville Mill Historic District is a small industrial village in southwestern Attleboro, Massachusetts, built around a cotton textile mill on the Ten Mile River. The B.B. & R. Knight Company of Providence acquired an earlier mill site in 1853, and its Hebron Manufacturing Company mill began operating in July 1854. The brick Second Empire complex grew over about fifty years with additional wings, a company office, powerhouse and warehouses. Around it the company built wood-frame tenements, mostly between 1854 and 1874, along with a store and post office, a Methodist church completed in 1883 and a stone arch bridge. The district holds 38 properties, 36 of which contribute to its character. It is considered important as one of two industrial villages the Knight firm developed in Attleboro and as a well-preserved planned mill community. The mill closed, later housed a hose recycling operation, and now stands vacant and deteriorated, while the homes and church remain in use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is historically significant as one of two 19th-century industrial villages developed by the Rhode Island firm B.B. & R. Knight Company to support Attleboro's textile industry. It is architecturally significant for an excellent mid-19th-century Second Empire textile mill and associated workers' housing forming a planned industrial community.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84002126, listed May 17, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Knight Ave., Read and Phillip Sts., Attleboro |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | May 17, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002126 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1854 onward (specific date given as 1854 +; 19th and 20th centuries checked) |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (mill); Greek Revival tenements; Italianate; Gothic Revival; Stick Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The mill complex is vacant and deteriorated, with rehabilitation for elderly housing proposed. The church still serves its original use, and most other buildings are residences. |
| Acreage | 10.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.90502, -71.31995 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84002126.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5696087
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.