Old Town Historic District
Why it's listed
Old Town is a crossroads settlement in the southwest corner of North Attleborough, Massachusetts, covering about one hundred acres along Old Post Road and Mount Hope Street. Once rural and now largely suburban, it holds twenty-three houses, a church, a former schoolhouse, a brick powderhouse, a mill dam, stone slab bridges and several archaeological sites. The 1828 First Congregational Church, built by local carpenter Ezra Walker, is the chief landmark, facing the ca. 1680 and ca. 1731 Captain John Stearns House across the intersection. The 1768 town powderhouse and a Greek Revival district schoolhouse add to the civic core. Farmhouses to the north show Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles, while streetcar-era houses and an ice company's villas reflect later growth. The district was listed for its role as the earliest town center of old Attleborough, which existed from 1694 to 1887, and for its architecture and well-preserved landscape of fields, stone walls and roadside lawns.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is the earliest town center of the original town of Attleborough (1694-1887) and meets Criterion A. It also meets Criterion C for its domestic, religious and public architecture and surrounding landscape. Its settlement pattern, farmland and civic buildings survive largely intact from the eighteenth century, with a light overlay of early 20th century streetcar-era suburban building.
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 91000599, listed May 30, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of jct. of I-295 and Washington St., North Attleborough |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | May 30, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000599 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1781-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Walker, Ezra |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Georgian; Early Republic/Federal; Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake; Colonial Revival; Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Largely suburban now, with working farms at the northern end. The church remains in use, and the former schoolhouse now houses the church Sunday School. |
| Acreage | 100 |
| Coordinates | 41.94382, -71.33982 (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 91000599.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7085293
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.