Hopewell Mills District
Why it's listed
Hopewell Mills is a former cotton-mill village in Taunton, Massachusetts, covering about 12 acres along Bay Street and Albro Avenue. It includes 18 brick and frame buildings and the archaeological remains of the mill on the Mill River. The village began in 1818, when Charles Richmond bought an old cutting mill and dam on a site once used for iron manufacturing. The mill later joined the Taunton Manufacturing Company, a corporate venture that sought to combine the Mill River industries. Most of the village took its present form under superintendent and later owner Charles Albro, who led it from 1854 to 1888. Brick tenements and duplexes housed workers, and a company store and machine shop served the community. The mill burned in 1904. The district keeps its original street pattern and most of its mill housing, and it was listed as a well-preserved example of Taunton's 19th-century industrial villages.
Significance in brief: The district is described as a virtually intact industrial village that kept its original street pattern and building arrangement. It retains most of its mill housing and reflects Taunton's growth as a major 19th-century manufacturing center. The form states it meets criteria A, B and C.
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 84002133, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bay St. and Albro Ave., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002133 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1818-c. 1865 |
| Architectural style | Cape-type through Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is fair to good; uses are residential and commercial. Five properties are noted as non-contributing because of alterations. The mill itself burned in 1904 and only archaeological remains survive. |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Coordinates | 41.91562, -71.09470 (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).
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 84002133.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5900388
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.