Hill Cemetery and Parson Hubbard House Historic District
Also known as: Hubbard-Anderson House; Rev. Robert Hubbard House
Why it's listed
On the crest of Old Village Hill in Shelburne, a cemetery and a minister's house sit side by side. Hill Cemetery covers about two acres and holds more than 250 markers, mostly slate from nearby Ashfield and Goshen, followed by marble, granite and sandstone. The earliest stone dates to 1774. Carvers from the Deerfield School, including Solomon Ashley and John Locke, and the Chapin shop of Bernardston produced many of them. Their work moves from soul effigies to urns and weeping willows, and later to obelisks marking family plots. Next to the cemetery is the Parson Hubbard House, a 2½-story Federal building raised in 1778 for the Rev. Robert Hubbard, with an older kitchen ell from about 1773. Inside are paneled rooms, fireplace surrounds and sliding shutters. A carriage shed and barn from about 1880 and the foundations of a blacksmith shop complete the district, which preserves the early village center of Shelburne.
Significance in brief: The cemetery holds gravestones by identified carvers of the Deerfield School (Solomon Ashley and John Locke) and the Chapin shop of Bernardston, showing the shift from soul effigies to mourning imagery. The Federal-style house was built for the Rev. Robert Hubbard, the village minister, and stands at the old center of Shelburne. Together they record the Federal-period life of the Hill settlement. The excerpt does not give the criteria or the period of significance.
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 06000716, listed August 23, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Old Village Rd., 72 Old Village Rd., Shelburne |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | August 23, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000716 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Early Republic - Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Art, Agriculture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Cemetery grounds are in good condition and maintained by the town, while the stones are in fair to poor condition. The house is a private single dwelling, with vinyl siding on parts of the exterior. |
| Acreage | 4.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.59876, -72.68761 (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 06000716.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5762054
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.